Go while the gittin’s good.
That’s what I was thinking when I stole away for two days and headed to Memory Lane Vacations in Andover, Maine.
Over the years, Deb Cayer’s getaway place for horse and rider has become more and more popular, so I squeezed a midweek adventure into booked weekends at her apartment and stall space.
Like most horse owners, leaving town is always complicated by finding help to care for horses, dogs, cats, chickens, etc.. But with Memory Lanes, I just loaded up the gang and headed north. (Ok, I left the cat and chickens.)
The road to Andover is in itself therapeutic. Brunswick is no metropolis, but it still gets annoying with the season's tourist invasion and road construction projects. Once I got north of Auburn, most of that action dissipated. I could feel the stress of everyday nonsense peeling away as we moved along the backroads and entered the foothills and forests.
We pulled in just as Deb was heading out on a trail ride with friends and boarders. She showed me the clean, airy stalls and neat, airconditioned apartment. In minutes, we were settled in.
I headed out for a first ride with one thing in mind: cooling off. We headed down the Pink Trail, through fern-filled glades and along fields full of head-high grass to the Ellis River, just a half mile or so from Memory Lane. The river was low, but we waded upstream and got up to Shea’s belly in the deep areas. Refreshing!
I returned to the apartment, a spacious one-room affair with a full kitchen and a balcony overlooking the barn, round pen, and paddocks. It has a splendid view of the mountains to the south. If the weather turns foul, there would be a healthy stock of horsey DVDs to play.
Aside from being an accomplished horsewoman, Deb worked for years as a florist. And her place has Green Thumb written in caps. There are lovely plantings and arrangements all around the property.
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In her vegetable garden, tomatoes and peppers were nearly ready to harvest.
After dinner, I joined Deb, her husband, Matt Beam, and friends at the small fire pit. The smoke kept the mosquitoes at bay and the stars burned bright. We hopped from topic to topic, but the overall theme seemed to be:
Life is Short. Live it!
In the morning, I worked with Brooke in the round pen and took a ride across Route 5 with Shea after the dew had burned off. Then down to the river with the dogs.
Around noon, I tossed hay to the horses and got out of the heat, soaking up a good book for the first time in ages.
After a nap (yes, how luxurious!), I took Peppermint down to the river. And still later, I headed out again with Shea. Four rides in two days!