Quite
a few people donned their rain gear, thumbed their noses at the rain,
and started 2007 off right by spending New Year's Day riding to hounds
at Bull Run's newest fixture, Quiet Shade at Horseshoe,
owned by Mike and Betty Long.
View to the
left as we proceeded along the farm road
after setting out from the trailers
View to the right
Greg gathering hounds after a really good run at the Preserve
As Lani Newcomb's horse demonstrates,
there was just a little mud to deal with during the day.
The mule (see ears, lower left corner of pic)
watches whipper-in Kathy Broaddus
Those ears miss NOTHING! And neither does member Arlene Morris who was
riding with us third fielders today. She actually glimpsed the fox
that hounds almost immediately chased into that small shed
on the other side of the trees that Emma mule is watching.
Arlene is apparently a fox magnet--the fox that hounds got on
at the Preserve earlier in the day practically ran right
between her horse's legs whilst making his escape!
Fieldmaster Charlie Selby showed the third field a great time--including
a little mountainside trail-blazing in a successful bid to keep up with
hounds.
As we sat with him here, hounds were speaking down in the draw;
what an ethereally beautiful sound in the fog and drizzle.
Seems
like everyone enjoyed the good hunting despite the rain--there were
lots of smiling faces in both the first field led by Mike Long and second
field
led by Captain John as well as in our third field.
Happy hunters heading back to the trailers at the end of the day,
accompanied by the Land Fox--our intrepid car follower Jim Craig.
By
the time we returned to the trailers, the sun was trying to peek out.
And thanks to Rosie Campbell, Chris Allen, and Terry Whittier, we were
greeted with
delicious hot soup and ham biscuits! YUMMY!
