September has been such a sweet month as Summer ended and Fall began. A month filled with a variety of fun outdoor activities that caused the month to fly by and as I look back to put together my Changing Seasons post, it is hard to believe it has been 30 days since I last sat down to write a post like this.
The month opened with a really fun kayaking adventure on a 5000 acre lake nestled in the mountains of North Carolina. Five of us loaded up our boats with enough camping gear and supplies to get us through a night on a little island a few miles paddle out. We had so much fun on our little adventure! It was a pretty hot weekend so we spent as much time in the water swimming as we did in the kayaks paddling. My favorite part about this trip was going out at night. One of the guys we were with knew the lake really well so we didn’t have to worry about getting lost or disoriented in the dark. What a treat it was to bob along the very quiet and calm lake under a clear sky lit up with bright stars. We could even see the Milky Way!
The horse vet came to see us this month and all the horses got a clean bill of health. She continues to be mostly pleased with Tucker’s EPM recovery but was hoping to see him build a bit more muscle back by now. Muscle loss is a side effect of the disease so we developed a few strategies to see if we could help him out in this area. His rides are more focused now on posture, poles and hills…fingers crossed this will help him trip less and maybe someday (do I dare to hope) he might even be up for a short trailer ride to our local trails for a brief ride. She didn’t want to get my expectations too high and was clear that his level of athleticism will probably never be the same, but she wasn’t ready to rule out a light trail at some point.
Speaking of athleticism, hubby and I CRUSHED our obstacle trail run. We had a blast on the 3 mile course filled with 19 different obstacles. They had such a variety of challenges for us to get through from army crawling through sand pits, to flipping tires, to sliding down water filled tarps spread across rolling hillsides. Neither of us had done anything like this before but we both agreed we couldn’t wait to come do it again next year. (note: the pics in this gallery that are of me, are photo credit to my hubby)
The day after our obstacle challenge, hubby & I decided to visit the national wildlife refuge about an hour from the house. It would be a nice place to walk around and stretch our legs for a sweet little active recovery coupled with the ability watch birds and say goodbye to the last signs of Summer.
If you have followed my blog for any length of time you have been treated to puppy pics in the past. Here are a few more from a litter that my friend that breeds Golden Retrievers recently had. In these pictures the pups are between 3-4 weeks old (I think). It is always amazing to me how fast they grow and change at these young ages. (note: I am sneaking another picture of myself in this group of shots, that I did not take. I’m not actually sure who to give credit to as there were a couple friends there taking pictures)
After a long Summer away, with the kids back in school, I treated myself to a trip to the zoo. I have decided that my super power in life is photographing zoo animals.
This post wouldn’t be complete without writing about my night away in the Mountains with a couple of friends. It was a quick trip but filled with lots of beautiful hikes to some really amazing views. The trip was made even more special because I got to play with my 4wheel drive up a dirt road with a few washboard sections to bounce and bound across as we made our up to Wiseman’s View which is labeled “The Grand Canyon of the East”.
Friends, it is officially Fall here which is hands down my favorite time of the year, I am ready for October and look forward to checking back in with all of you next month.
Little Pieces Of Me 
Fall is on the way here too….those little puppies are so adorable and a great hike .
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Yay for Fall….my favorite time of year!
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You are a wild woman, Natalie! I love these action shots of you both working through the Obstacle Course! My fave is You vs Tire.
So very glad to hear the Horses have a clean bill of health, and that Tucker is improving. It must be such a relief for you.
I agree with your Superpower – those eyes & expressions … they are something else!
Thank you for sharing your September on The Changing Seasons – it is always a joy to catch you with you & see your month in review!
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Hi Ju-Lyn, I’m taking wild as a compliment 🙂 The tire was my most feared obstacle and YES it is definitely nice to have T acting more and more like my same old pony.
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Yes, yes! absolutely a compliment! I can well imagine that the tire is the feared obstacle …. it would be mine, too, I think!
It is so very challenging when our animal family is unwell … it’s so difficult to watch them in pain.
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I always look forward to your Changing Seasons post, Natalie. Those summit/ridge line views are really spectacular. I think photographing puppies is also a secret power. They are so cute. Great to hear that you continue with Tucker’s rehab.
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Thank you…as I look forward to yours.
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I loved everything about this. It looked like a great month of balance. Kayaking at night? Fun!. I particularly enjoyed the horse photos. I love when people capture personality in their photos. You sure know how to nail that! And the obstacle race? well done.
Great super power!!! Donna
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Hi Donna! Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so glad you enjoyed the post.
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