Royal Horses

I got up this morning and went to a small church in Cortez,Florida. It was a Church of Christ. It took me back about 50 years. My dad was a minister in the Church of Christ. Yeah...I was one of those...a p.k. (preachers kid.)

About 45 people were there. Last week there were 53. Their weekly budget was $785.00. Last week they took in $790.00. YES! They use no instruments, the song leader uses a pitch pipe and drags the songs, communion every Sunday, the preacher preached for 30 minutes, and he laughed so hard at one of his jokes...that he snorted. I hope they don't take it personal...but I think next week...I'll go someplace a trifle more up-beat.

Then it was off to see the Herrmann's Royal Lipizzaner Stallions. It was 35 miles away from the condo. The trusty paper said it started at 3 p.m. I got there at 2:30. "The gates open at 3:00, but the show doesn't start until 5:00." I asked her if there was anything to see in Myakka City. The lady behind her laughed. (Not a good sign.)

There was a BP gas station, and a restaurant named Katies. I met her later. She was frying up gator bites at the horse show. She was also boiling up Swamp Cabbage...made from palm tree leaves. The only good things about driving around the countryside were seeing the turkey vultures, and baby calves suckling their mothers, and the mothers had HORNS!

The horses were beautiful. Myakka City is their winter home, and then they tour all summer. They only do the show with the stallions, using the mares only for breeding. Some horses are not quite all white. It takes them 7-10 years to get their color. I know how they feel. It took me a long time to get this white hair.

As you can see...they only use female riders. The lovely Rebecca is in the upper left, and the namesake Herrmann...Gabriella...is in the lower right. You can name the other two.

I am watching Forrest Gump for the 38th time. One of the main lines from the movie reminded me of the horse show today...Life is like a box of chocolates...you just never know what you're going to get! I'm glad I went.

P.S. If you saw the movie Patton with George C. Scott...the general rides a Royal Lipizzaner.