Red Pony Farm: A journey in motion

Party Weekend

First, Saturday was the 10th anniversary party for Sebago Brewing, so we Drove to the big city of South Portland Maine to say congratulations and enjoy some of this amazing stuff:

and listen to a couple of songs by the band that was playing ( I meant to remember their name, but didn't)

Next it was off to the preferably peaceful woods of Cornish to Say happy birthday to our dear friend RP. We were out till after midnight. That's a big deal for old farts like us.

Sunday we were heading into a quite early night when the phone rang at about 5:30. It was our good friends Jeff and Carol from Brownfield:

Who turned a timber framed net shop into a performing arts center: Stone Mountain Arts Center .

The amazing Mavis Staples was performing that evening:

It seems there was a cancelation in this sold out show.

"Would we like to come as their guests for the evening?"

DAH!

The Timber Frame was made (as a net shop) and renovated for the art center by another friend Andy Buck

A song

"Say a prayer for the cowgirl her horse ran away
She'll walk 'til she finds him her darlin' her stray
But the river's in flood and the roads are awash
And the bridges break up in the panic of loss

And there's nothin' to follow nowhere to go
He's gone like the summer gone like the snow
And the crickets are breaking her heart with their song
As the day caves in and the night is all wrong

Did she dream it was he who went galloping past
And bent down the fern broke open the grass
And printed the mud with the well-hammered shoe
That she nailed to his speed in the dreams of her youth

And although he goes grazin' a minute away
She tracks him all night she tracks him all day
And she's blind to his presence except to compare
Her injury here with his punishment there

Then at home on a branch on a high stream
A songbird sings out so suddenly
And the sun is warm and the soft winds ride
On a willow tree by the riverside

Ah the world is sweet and the world is wide
And he's there where the light and the darkness divide
And the steam's comin' off him he's huge and he's shy
And he steps on the moon when he paws at the sky

And he comes to her hand but he's not really tame
He longs to be lost she longs for the same
And he'll bolt and he'll plunge thru the first open pass
To roll and to feed in the sweet mountain grass

Or he'll make a break for the high plateau
Where there's nothing above and nothing below
It's time for their burden the whip and the spur
Will she ride with him or will he ride with her

So she binds herself to her galloping steed
And he binds himself to the woman in need
And there is no space just left and right
And there is no time but there is day and night

Then she leans on his neck and whispers low
Whither thou goest I will go
And they turn as one the head for the plain
No need for the whip oh no need for the rein

Now the clasp of this union who fastens it tight
Who snaps it asunder the very next night
Some say it's him some say it's her
Some say love's like smoke beyond all repair

So my darlin' my darlin' just let go by
That old silhouette on the great western sky
And I'll pick out a tune and they'll move right along
And they're gone like smoke and they're gone like this song

Say a prayer for the cowgirl "

Leonard Cohen's words and Emmy Lou Harris' voice. The Ballard of the Runaway Horse. I can barely get through it without getting teary eyed even after all these years. You know, I think it gets worse with time and learning. I'm sappy I know. But this is the one song that says all that I have learned and felt about marriage in 21 years--and relationship prior to. I have been through a lot with my husband, my lover , my friend, my nemesis, the father of my children, And he with me. And this song touches most of it.

Working in the same place for 10 years I have seen so many relationships begin and fall apart, so many marriages and so many divorces. I always hear and have said myself, "If you don't love him/her it's better to leave." I've been there. I've tried that. And then I had the chance to choose again and I stayed. I don't have any long speeches. But I only learned what love was by staying. I didn't have a clue before that.  I couldn't have said I didn't love, But I did say it. It just wasn't true. I didn't know it at the time and you couldn't have told me. The truth was however, that I was simply not committed enough to stick around and figure love out. Plain and simple and unglamorous as the truth often is.

Now, Let me add a qualifier. Though I have suffered hurtfull experiences I was never physically abused. That's a whole different program that no one should ever hang around in!!

ColdPlay Out of the Blue

I had no idea that they were playing in Boston last Friday. I am not a big fan of commercial radio. I listen to NPR or I have a disk in, period. So I miss these things if my husband gets busy--or gets his leg crushed by a crane truck and is distracted for a few weeks--and neglects to tell me. I had recently told him that we should go to more of these events. But money has been a little tight as of late. So what a surprise when Dan calls me Friday morning as I'm getting in from chores to ask what I am doing that afternoon. I hadn't made any plans yet and am thinking,  oh boy! he is feeling better today (the leg and all) and he wants to go out to dinner--one of my favorite things to do in the whole world. Then he says,

"We are going to Boston!"

I'm thinking, Oh it's likely a gathering of coral fanatics--well OK, I'll get some good food out of it along the way I'm sure, but Boston? two hours down, two hours back,  I have to get up early Saturday to get the horses ready to leave for a trip to Pittston for a Full day of trail riding--and more good food. I don't have time! I ask rather flatly,

"Why?"

"I WON TICKETS TO COLDPLAY FOR TONIGHT!" he hollers in my ear. He is jumping up and down on one foot now, I can tell--and he's going to hurt himself,  the Doctor said no weight on that leg yet!

"OK"  I am racking my brain trying to remember who they are--not because I don't think they are awesome, but  because I have always been the worst at keeping names of bands straight. I have some sort of mental block about it. Until I own a recording and play it 5 times all the way through they are not filed in my brain.

He was caller number eight on WCLZ and he won. He always says Friday the 13th is his lucky day.

What a show. I have never been to the Avalon and was thrilled to see how small it was. A very intimate setting for a band this talented. I felt immediately privileged. When Dan asked if there might be a stool for him to sit on because he is still on one leg two crutches, we were directed to a small section of large very cushy benches--up a few stair which put our view just above the heads of the crowd gathered on the dance floor. Unbelievable! It was positioned in an elongated horseshoe with a railing facing the dance floor and the stage just beyond--very nice. I was pretty sure I could to get a picture even without a telephoto lens! We called it the handicapped section. But for this show we were seated mostly with pregnant woman and their dates--more than 1/2 of the moms-to-be,  I was glad to see were drinking water. We had waitstaff to bring us Guinness at six dollars a pop. WOW, we don't get to the big city too often. But we were celebrating and really didn't care. It felt like a once in a life time opportunity to us and we wanted to enjoy it. And we did (I was obviously designated driver so I took it easy).    Chris Martin really seemed thrilled to be there. He sung his heart out. He turned into a true showman at the end and really got the crowd excited--to the point that he was being showered with what looked a lot like several pairs of brightly colored satin panties. There was a great deal of passion in everything he did,  all the way from his facial expressions to the way he rode his undulating piano stool. The band played the favorites as well as some new stuff. I want to listen to the new recordings at a decibel level that allows my old ears to catch all the lyrics. At one point I tried to slink my way nearer to the Band for a close up shot--but to no avail. People were packed in very tight and I was getting hard looks from folks--for good reason--so I gave up pretty quickly. Sitting in the Handicapped section was nice for another reason too, it made it easy to meet a couple of other concert goers. A very nice bunch of folks. I got a couple of e-mail addresses to send some pictures off personally and that was fun. Some of us passed cameras around to get our own happy faces recorded on that special night. Very cool--and special thanks to the one guy sitting with us--who also had a gimpy right leg--you can see ours too.