Flora Hillman's Page

Day 5 -- and the rains keep coming.

A storm last night dumped more rain on the already saturated landscape, but the rain was gone by morning leaving only cloudy skies. The forecast warned of severe storms moving in by afternoon, but that was not enough to deter Team Virginia from meeting at my place that morning for a planned 21 mile "end of the VV rides" jaunt around the Middleburg countryside.

Larry and Kathy Tumblin arrived at my farm and in due course we were all saddled up and ready to ri… Continue

Day 4...and it had rained all last night.

No..let me re-phrase that. It had *deluged* all night, and into the morning hours. Not spitting, not drizzling. There was nothing so-so about this weather. We're talking real, honest to goodness rain. By morning it had lightened up... somewhat. The forecasters were predicting a break in the rain come mid morning, just enough time to give us a breather before even heavier storms swept in late in the afternoon, bringing thunderstorms and winds with them.… Continue

Day 3 - and it is sunny, bright, warm, and beautiful. A lovely day.

There were quite a few people out on the normally quiet gravel roads, and we found ourselves stopping and chatting with quite a few landowners and farmers who were busy getting their estates and farm fields ready for Spring. While all the chatting was fun, it extended our time just over the 6 hour limit, including the one time we forgot to turn back on the GPS and went a few miles before discovering our mistake. Because of the… Continue

Day 2 -- and it is raining. The forecast called for some intense rain in the afternoon, so I was intent upon getting an early start with Drummer (14h Welsh Section B pony) for his first ever LD.

However, I overslept while listening to the patter of rain off the eaves, then was thwarted in my attempt for a hurried, albeit nice hot breakfast by finding plenty of bacon in the fridge, but all the eggs gone! Seems like darling hubby scarffed them down and then hopped his flight to head to the UK *wi… Continue

The final seven days of the VV rides are here, and it is time to put all our conditioning ..for both equines and human...to the test in our very own multiday -- a week long series of LD rides through the Loudoun, Clarke and Fauquier countryside Civil War haunts of the famous (and local!) Confederate hero Col. John Singleton Mosby and his Rangers.

… Continue