The Antidote for the Stress of Horse Shopping

There’s a simple way to forget the stress of horse shopping and the TWO (geldings) who got away, the Irish Sport Horse and the Chestnut TB: go on a family vacation to Hawaii for a week! We set off two Fridays ago and returned this past Friday.

My husband has had a love affair with Kauai for as long as I’ve known him. He’s been treasuring and judiciously using the little handmade soaps that smell like coconut and ginger shampoo samples from his most recent trip to the Garden Island (which was before he met me, several years ago).

Based on our trip last week, I now believe he is part fish. He told me that when he has to wear a wetsuit he does not feel “one with the ocean.” He revels in not showering for days on end, the sea and then swimming pool apparently clean him up just fine. The morning we flew back to LA I overheard him telling the kids he went down to the water and lay there letting the waves gently roll over him, half in, half out of the water. I can picture this image and I don’t know if it’s wildly romantic or downright strange.

As a Midwestern horse girl, I like the ocean and enjoy its magnificence, but I don’t LOVE the ocean. I snorkeled several times and I truly enjoy it (when the waves aren’t crashing over me and I’m not in too close to the rocks which I might bash into). And, of course, the water temperature has to be just right. Otherwise it’s too cold. I hate being cold.

Paradise for me is somewhere green with lots of flat land or rolling hills, dotted by grazing horses. Which interestingly enough, Kauai had that too! We got to do some riding (even trotting and cantering). That ride warrants its own post as the guide was a character with a capital C and we saw some extremely interesting sites.

But it’s getting late and this teacher must retire for the evening. Summer is over and I will be back to the grind. My alarm will be set for 5:15 a.m. Monday. Which is okay. I love my job and the people with whom I work. I would have enjoyed more time on the island, but there are lessons to prepare, students to engage, and more horses to try.

Happy end of summer, friends. Hope you enjoyed the Kauai sunrise from August 22. I’m not a trained videographer, but I did the best I could on my Samsung. Sorry about all the wind in the background. 🙂

What vacation spot in the world is your “happy place?” Or do you prefer staycations?

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