Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Dressage, Cross-Country, Jumping, and more!

Rider and horse competing with precision, obedience, stamina, versatility, and endurance all carried out with elegance.

 

From beginning to end it was a whirlwind of excitement spread over three consecutive days. There was so much to take in ~ When I wasn't watching the competitions, I was admiring lovely ladies, dashing lads, adorable dogs, and shopping. All the while trying to snap great photos along the way.

This is a post of very few words but I still want to share some photos of the highlights, to give you a taste of the Rolex Kentucky! Next year you have to come to Lexington and we'll go together! See, I saved you a seat!

A welcome reception for competitors and their sponsors was held the night before at Spindletop Hall here in Lexington.

Established in 1935 on 800 acres of land, it's considered "a new place" and is the residence of the University of Kentucky Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Club.

The young set from Dubarry of Ireland led the way ~

Cocktails with some of the nicest folks from around the world that you'll ever meet.

I enjoyed visiting with Olympian & International CDN Eventer, Selena O' Hanlon ~

While MR. caught up with Carol Davidson, mother of International 3-day Event Rider, Buck Davidson.

The wonderful evening came to an early close out on the veranda since the tests were to begin early the next morning.

I am not the best at taking action shots so I borrowed a few ~

Buck Davidson during his Dressage test ~

Photo courtesy Buck Davidson Eventing

and Selena O' Hanlon on the Cross Country Course.

Photo courtesy Equine Canada via O' Hanlon Eventing

I did manage to smile my way into the media area and snapped this photo of Selena during her Jumping test!

Did I mention that Land Rover was also a sponsor?

Speaking of …

One of my favorite places to land at the Rolex is out on the cross country course at the Land Rover Pavilion.

Out on the countryside you can see much of the course.

The atmosphere is family-like, fun,

and very dog friendly.

The tailgating is amazing!

Land Rover's tailgate contest is always a feast for the eyes,

Not just for viewing, tailgate contestants were friendly and generous, encouraging these Lab lovers to linger.

Hostesses offered little sandwiches & gentlemen offered refreshing cocktails.

  If you have a horse, you're in heaven at the Rolex.

If you don't, the young set at Dubarry will make you wish you did!

Coming full circle, I am reminded that horses and riders are the reason I'm sharing my 3-Day.

Horses and riders supported by devoted owners, trainers & mothers ~ 

Grooms and therapists and veterinarians ~ 

Friends and fellow eventers ~

Who come to cheer (and tweet and re-tweet) their teammates on.

They are what make events like the Rolex 3-Day so special.

They are all winners!

  We are dog-tired after the 3-Day and Derby is on Saturday!

This year we'll be in Lexington, and cheering for California Chrome in the comfort of our old Kentucky home!

The iPad For Photographers

Sure looks like Spring.

Sure smells like Spring.

Then I step outdoors ~ We're not quite there yet.

Think I'll stay indoors a little longer. Since you're here, are you interested in learning something new?

A few favorite stylists and photographer friends have inspired me to look at my photos in a different light. Question ~ like me, do you ever find that when you take a photo, you sometimes miss the details that can make or break a great shot by simply looking through the viewfinder or squinting at the LCD panel on the back of your camera?

Here's the something new ~ I recently discovered that I can instantly view the shot that I just snapped, on the 9.7-inch screen of my iPad!

All you need is Apple's $29 iPad Camera Connection Kit and you're on your way to saving time & shooting like a pro!

Now, whether I'm "on location" or at my kitchen table, my iPad is right there as well showing me all the details!

Are you thinking that I figured this out on my own? Hardly.

I downloaded Jeff Carlson's book, The iPad For Photographers. In very plain English, he discusses this and many other clever uses for iPads including triggering the camera shutter remotely, using the screen as a fill flash, calculating depth of field, tracking outdoor light conditions, and most important, storing camera manuals as PDFs for quick reference when you're out on location, or at your kitchen table.

If you love your iPad and enjoy taking pictures with your digital camera, you'll find the book to be a fun and informative read. It doesn't teach you how to use an iPad or how to be a great photographer but it does cover many ways to use your iPad to streamline and make photography more fun. Thank you, Jeff Carlson!

See! Things are already looking brighter!

Might be time to go outdoors now ~

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

The iPad for Photographers

Hand Knit Sweaters

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields,    

that it kisses them so gently?

And then it covers them up snug,

you know, with a white quilt;

and perhaps it says 'Go to sleep, darlings,

till the summer comes again.'"

                                             ~ Lewis Carroll

Sounds so poetic.

We recently received a fresh blanket of snow. A mere dusting compared to what many are dealing with, but still, cold is COLD.

My water wicking under armor & favorite fleece pull-over would be the call if I was going out in IT ~ but I'm not ~ so instead, I've chosen the warm hug of one of my favorite hand-knit sweaters.

Soft and warm, and made by hand with love.

I've noticed lately that there seems to be a sort of warm & snuggly knitting revival going on. The array of hand-knit clothing & accessories, all beautifully styled and photographed, and for sale, are being fuelled by a culture that seems to be needing to make-do-and-mend. I'm not referring to tight-knit groups of grannies ~

I'm referring to a growing army of men who are winding down with needles & yarn.

Seems that men have been clicking their knitting needles for centuries!  

Some time ago, about 200 A.D., fishermen who were frustrated by only being able to catch one fish at a time on a single line, started forming loops with yarn and devised fishing nets!

Enter the 16th century, man invented machines that mastered millions of stitches per minute.

During World Wars I and II, American schoolboys were taught to knit squares to be sewn into blankets for troops.

Best selling author, Andre Dubus III, says that knitting required me to focus and it allowed me to drift too, the way running a long-distance required my feet and legs to do one thing while my mind could do another.

They are a varied bunch who find it to be both meditative & restorative.  They are authors, doctors, musicians, artists, and even art gallery owners…

As a matter of fact, an art gallery owner, knit by hand the two beautiful sweaters that I've photographed for this post. Classic crew necks with deep ribbed edges ~ lovingly knit together using beautiful cranberry and oatmeal-colored yarns ~ by my Uncle, Charles Adams.

I'll let him tell you his story…

"I started when I lived in the west village. I took knitting lessons from a woman who had a yarn shop on Greenwich ave. it was 'diverse endeavors.' all I ever learned was a pattern for that raglan sleeve crew neck. she set me up with four sizes. I had the gallery on Bleecker and wanted something to do with my hands while I sat in the gallery. I ended up not knitting in the gallery but reading and knitting in front of the tv at night instead of snacking. the fastest I ever did a sweater was once at the cabin when I did one in a weekend. I knit them in four pieces. the front, then the back, then the two sleeves at the same time on the same needle, then I would piece them together and add the neck. I would never knit for kids. they grew too fast. I've probably knitted less than 30 sweaters. sometimes I think about taking it up again but I can't remember how to cast on. love chas" 

That was him ~ back in the '70s, knitting on the front porch of our family cabin near Santa Fe with his sweet boy Hugo. Also from the '70s, an interesting story about my first trip to NYC to visit Uncle Charles, When I Was A Young Girl.

My mother is still trying to get past it!

 Thanks again Uncle Charles for the warm hugs.