Hurricane Sandy and the ponies

We are hoping that the hurricane is slow enough so that we can get some photos in tomorrow morning. A little light rain is okay but anything heavier would be bad for the cameras- sometimes the ponies are close enough so that we can shoot from the car but we'll see.

We got some lovely shots in today in two sessions- one in the morning from 6:30am to 11:30am and then 3:00 to 6:00pm. My backup battery failed so I thought returning to the hotel for lunch and a swim would allow me time to upload the photos and recharging my battery- it worked well. And I ordered its' replacement already!

The Park Rangers were perhaps the only unpleasant thing we encountered and I'd like to think they were simply "doing their job". It would have been nice to be informed before you get reprimanded for something you didn't actually do... But if that is the worst thing we dealt with- it was a successful trip. Many thanks to the kind hunters who not only dug our SUV out, towed us through the deep sand, escorted us to the main road and made sure our tires were properly re-inflated to 32 PSI- they were so wonderful, kind and sweet- it made up for the grumpy rangers.

Keeping ten feet from the ponies is challenging! They are extremely desensitized to humans and walk right past you (often bumping into you) without a care in the world. Rather different from the mustangs out west! You stand ten to twenty feet away and the ponies walk right up to you and nuzzle your pockets looking for treats. We know horses- Abby, Shauna, Lauren and I are experienced accomplished equestrians and spend much of our time in their company. We know when a horse is likely to bite, kick or strike out and we know is when a horse is nervous or uncomfortable and we respond quickly and kindly by moving to an appropriate distance. We do our best to be respectful and safe.

So off to bed- up early though not as early as this morning... I hope the expected heavy rain stays away and we get some shooting in before we head north- I will be conservative and cautious because the idea if driving through a hurricane for five hours isn't on my top ten list of 'fun things to do'. There are rumors that Mayor Bloomberg is closing Manhattan down Tuesday with regards to transportation -no subways or MTA buses- only emergency vehicles etc... My patients wouldn't be able to get to the office and thus I'd get an extra day off since I have a vacation day Monday! More time to edit the pony pictures!!!

G'Night everyone!
Merry