Eddie and I went to Guyan Valley High School together, but we never spoke. He was from up the river
and I was from down the river. He was a year ahead of me.
But I saw him for sure. He was a basketball player who practiced all around the year. All during
football season, you could see Eddie in the gym shooting hoops. I have seen him make several from half court during
a game.
We started dating while I was in college. Within a year we were married in 1960. We first had
a daughter, Alanna, and then two sons, Keith and Andrew. They have added a grandaughter and three grandsons to our family.
We bought our first horse in the mid 60's. Both of us had horses when we were young. We sold out after
about 1974. We dedicated several years to doing things with the children. Every time the gym opened, we were sitting
in the stands.
But you never get over loving horses. There is no cure for it.
We got a six month old colt in 1990. A couple hundred thousand dollars later we have eight in
the pasture and the barn.
We had to build the horse a barn, then a good deal on a friend's horse, then a horse for me, then
we had to buy the horses a trailer, then a bigger truck soon followed by a bigger trailer and more horses.
Years ago we used to show a little but now our great love is trail riding. I used to say that when
you show a horse, you clean him up for three or four hours, travel a couple hours, wait a couple hours, show the horse three
laps of the ring both ways and get cheated out of a ribbon by politics, wait another two hours and drive home a couple hours
and get home at two in the morning!
Can you tell me again why I would want to show horses? Not enough saddle time for us.
Now, riding through beautiful country on a good horse with good friends for four to eight hours.
That is quality time!
Then in 1992 we started a saddle club that grew beyond our dreams. Next I started writing articles
for the club newsletter about our trail rides. The Smoky book followed and now this web site.
Now we have reached the ages of 65 and 67 years old and we have been married 45 years. It has
been a wonderful and blessed life.
We live in a big farm house that has been in my family for 85 years. We ride Honda four wheelers quite
often. Daily on the farm taking hay to the pasture horses. One trip with friends was 110 miles in a day.
Eddie had his stroke on a four wheeler deep in the woods behind a lake. The two men with him got him
off and strapped him in the friend's Rhino to take him out of the hills to get an ambulance. He could not move his left
arm, walk or see.
He has improved almost back to normal except his eyes are not up to par yet. We are not given hope
by the eye doctor, but we have hope anyway.
We'll see about the future and how much riding is involved. That is why the big Sundowner was sold.
We will get something smaller that would be easier for me to drive.
Till then. May you have strong horses and safe trails.
