hey everyone happy 09 to you all!!!

Just wanted to make a life check and let people know I’m still happy, healthy, getting lots of great time with Dolly and Kirsten using Natural Horsemanship here at our West Virginia horse boarding facility.

Hey all, checking in from Wild, Wonderful (and windy) West Virginia. Thought I’d let you all know I’m still breathing, still riding, and yes indeed still having lots of fun playing with the ponies.

I doubt I’ve posted since the re-loaded wedding this summer,

we’ve been busy playing catchup on all the farm stuff we let sit while preparing for and escaping from the festivities this summer… and we’re still dragging our heels here and there on getting pictures up from said extravaganza.

That, and setting up for the sale or refinance of my house in Front Royal… if anyone wants to buy a house in an awesome riding area; send me a PM. It’s right about 5 miles from the BRP in FR and on the AT.

Been a strange year. I’ve ridden horses more than motorcycles this year, but had adventures on both. Been blessed to meet people and ride on some farms with trails and scenery that take your breath away, and had both horse and bike riding through Antietam battlefield.

About the only thing I can possibly think of to complain about… my commute is too short… although really, really fun… to ride to work. It takes longer to get suited up than it does to get to the office. 5 miles. 6 minutes including the trip down the driveway. But on the weekends, fun can be had in all points of the compass.

So, with running a farm and all, I’ve been pretty much lurking via iphone in downtime between feeding and fun,

Friesians and Fords,

horses and iron,

Belgians and Belg…

Our best to all,

Mark & Kirsten

“Coffee is my Shepherd; I shall not doze. It maketh me to wake in green pastures. It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses. It restoreth my brain. It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for it’s name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of sleep, I will fear no artificial sweetener for thou art with me; Thy cream and thy sugar they comfort me. Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of my zzz’s. Thou anointst my day with sunlight: My cup runneth over. Surely richness and flavor shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of Cappucino forever… let us sip… or whatever.”

You come to a fork in your life… Up, Down, or Straight ahead?

From the AP newswire this morning…. someone who truly changed the way things are done and added another path where none previously existed…

link
Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dies at 69

By EMILY FREDRIX
Associated Press Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and is widely seen as the father of the role-playing games, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69. He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game’s legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family’s home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

“It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them,” Gail Gygax said. “He really enjoyed that.”

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that’s still growing in popularity.

Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax’s father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.

Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.

But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.

Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.

Gary Sandelin, 32, a Manhattan attorney, said his weekly Dungeons & Dragons game will be a bit sadder on Wednesday night because of Gygax’s passing. The beauty of the game is that it’s never quite the same, he said.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Well, according to this story from down under, it’s the local bingo club.

I’m not a huge fan of violence. but this story on CNN rocks! Apparently a bunch of bendejos decided to rob a biker bar… with a bunch of bikes out front. 50 vs 3. Wonder who won that one. Proof that 1%’ers can be good guys too :=)

But if you look closely at the last part… looks like the bingo club is ever more fierce and terrible about their meetings being interrupted!

Cheers to all our friends down under! Rubber side down, guys!

Mark

Having a fairly tame night, waiting for the storm to come. Still debating the wisdom of heading down to FR tonight. Less snow, but more freezing rain sooner, and… well, if I’m going to get stuck someplace, I’d much rather be stuck at the Bower… the company’s a lot better Continue reading this post…

Been kind of crazy of late, working the usual rotation at work, setting up websites, and now, posting blogs posts about horses for sale and hoping that they get reindexed with some kind of regularity. May google index away

Also getting some neat website affiliates for the other sites. Intend to continue to have fun along the way :=)

There are times I can hardly believe it myself. After so long of wondering if I’d ever find someone I could get along with and be actually happy… it finally happenned… I’m officially Married :=) For pictures of my smart, wonderful, talented briode, scroll down!

We had a wonderful, candle-lit ceremony in garb and are actively engaged in planning a much larger extravaganza this summer…

Twuu Wuuv…

Mark

And what a ride it’s been. Been really busy standing up a dozen or so websites, moving my blog off of blogger and onto wordpress, and in general, making ahuge mess of everything that’s supposed to come out looking like a beautifully manicured garden of web goodness :=)

Keep codin, keep codin.. It starts here: Natural Horse Training Methods
Best wishes to everyone in the new year!