I welcomed 2012 from the idyllic shores of Maui. It was heaven and I think I’m meant to live there at least part time. Now, the trick is figuring out how to make that work. I’ll get back to you.

Highlights were our day trip on the road to Hana where we visited this lovely red sand beach…

And sunrise at Haleakala. Thanks to my super mom who drove Bert and I up there with our rented bikes and then picked us up in Paia at the bottom. 10,000 of downhill cycling is all kinds of fun and the views were tremendous…

Last weekend I spent in snow encrusted Seattle. And got sick. Not necessarily the fault of the weather but I find the timing suspicious.

In between the sun and snow was work and life and working hard to maintain a work life balance that I had misplaced last year.

So far so good. Though I’m sick right now so my judgement might be a little wobbly.

Zinger says hi…he has a new cat sitter so is (barely) tolerating our gallivanting around the globe.

Now Voyager is just a beautiful as ever. Speaking of horses, highly recommend Buck, a documentary about an amazing horse trainer. Not just for horse people.

Would love to post one of the fabulous photos taken with this beauty. Hmmmm…not obvious. Will need to research.

Bert and I had a nature filled Christmas. A couple days in the mountains soaking up the beauty of Lake Tahoe. Followed by a walk on the beach in Half Moon Bay. Life is good.

Please share your favorite apps. I’m quickly becoming hooked.

As for why my posting has all but disappeared I can only say life is a little chaotic. In the spirit of holiday joy I’m going to make a list of fun runs I’ve done in the last few months.

Not in order of fun…

1. Running along the ocean at sunset in Half Moon Bay I spotted a pod of dolphins swimming North along the shoreline. Or maybe they were something bigger with dorsal fins because they were moving pretty slow. Made my day.
2. Running through Central Park 3 days before the NY marathon and seeing all the setup and signs. Not to mention the swarms of running groups from around the globe chatting in their language.
3. Going for a night run in the warm air in November in Dallas. I feel wrapped up in a warm soft blanket when the air is so humid.
4. Running on the south facing beach in Santa Barbara where the sun rises early in the morning and glints off the water.
5. A different time in Central Park. This run holds memories of crazy colors on the leaves and coming across a true dog whisperer. She had 15 dogs off leash and they were playing nicely. When she walked off they all happily trotted behind. Magical.
6. A little afraid of the elements in Toronto. It was cold, windy and dark on my night run along the lakeshore. I mean gusty wind. And biting cold. I’d still call it fun

I’ve been on the road a lot lately. Going for a run in each city is my promise to myself. It helps.

Wishing each of you the happiest of holidays and the merriest New Year!

Since I was headed to barn in Half Moon Bay I packed my running gear and planned to go exploring after riding Now Voyager.

I have a little tip. Always ask your friends for suggestions. Don’t assume you know who will know what because people surprise you. People are cool that way.

At the barn I asked Ruth if she knew of any wooded trails that would be good for a run. Her suggestion took my breath away.

I love running on a trail where I can look up any time and see this…

And when I’m looking ahead I see this…

The Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is located on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking Half Moon Bay. 24 miles of trails right in Now Voyager’s back yard!

Now he’s not really a trail horse so it was up to me to explore. Running this trail has become part of my Sunday schedule. Ride NV. Clean his stall. Run in the redwoods. It feeds my soul.

Bundled up at the Cliffs of Moher.

Adventuring around castle ruins in Galway County.

Searching for my Finnegan ancestors in an old, remote graveyard.

Visiting artists in Roundstone and yes, there is another tower/castle thingy.

Taking Keano for a walk.

And on to Paris! Climbing the tower of Notre Dame. A lot of stairs.

Taking in the view from Pont Neuf.

Shakespeare & Company. A nice little crossroads of my love of Shakespeare and love of Paris.

A quiet moment in a park modeling my new Parisian scarf.

I had the most amazing time. Two weeks was not long enough but looking at the photos extends the joy.

My adorable nephew Ryan was a trooper as we explored castles and dramatic coastlines.

Castle stop number one. I played many games of “knights” with Ryan at each castle stop. Knights includes shooting faux arrows and much falling down dead. It’s great fun.

Dramatic coastline stop number 1,700. Here’s Ryan with his dad Ed (Bert’s brother) at the Cliffs of Moher. A must see sight that photos can’t do justice.

Dramatic landscape number (oh I’ve lost count). Ryan on the The Burren. Kids, such great energy! I was a little worried that he would fall through one of the giant cracks. Luckily, he did not.

Ryan braved a shopping day in Galway. Looking dapper with dad!

Ryan was a trooper at the museum too. As you can see we were all getting a wee bit tired by this time. Hi Elaine!

In his element at dad’s desk at home.

Meet Connor…

And the lovely Caitlyn. As you can see, a typically high tech family.

It’s a lion. No, it’s a bunny. It’s lionbunny!

I love the colors in this kitty cat. Plus the lounging pose. Classic cat.

I call this one red horse with happy redhead enjoying meringue.

I confess. I’m a cat fan. This one made me giggle.

This isn’t true street art. It’s the window of Repetto, the Parisian ballet shoe company. Don Quixote is the ballet in town and I love the image of him in front of the gorgeous tutu in the window.

I would love to see this at night. I bet the gold looks amazing under the lights.

Parisian store window displays are little works of art. This sculpture was made of some sort of wheat looking materials.

This was the restaurant sign of one the places we ate. Happy wine drinking dude.

We saw this artist’s work throughout the city. This wall near the Pompidou had the largest collection in one place. Dark but fun.

And then there is Zenitude. I really wanted to bring her home with me. She’s solid bronze and adorable. Cost prohibitive though. She stayed in Paris.

My friend Harriet Anderson is racing her 20th Ironman world championship in Kona tomorrow!

Bib #165 you can track her at kona.ironmanlive.com

Harriet is 76 years old and is racing in the 75-79 group. She’s won her division year after year. And you know how she does it? Listening to her body.

Of course she trains hard. Eats right. Gets good sleep. Does a nice mix of yoga and weights. And balances all that with family time.

I’m convinced that listening to her body is the key to her endurance. In Ironman. And in life.

What with the work event subsuming my life and then vacation time I’ve been missing my horse time.

In Ireland I ran in the countryside a few times and would always stop to talk to the horses in pasture. Sadly, they weren’t impressed. An ear twitch is all they would grant me.

I did get a chance to do a group lesson of four people with Anke back in August. She has such clever ways to keep us all going. Two each on adjoining 20 meter circles doing walk canter transitions.

NV is super smart and once he figured out the routine we had all kinds of fun! Especially when we met Zephyr (a rowdy youngster) at the middle of the figure eight, both cantering and Z swung a little wide. Things got exciting there for a minute as both horses danced sideways but all was well.

Yesterday morning the big riding arenas were closed from rain the day before so I lunged NV. We had the place to ourselves. Clean rain washed early morning air and NV was feeling good. I love watching him move. Extending his stride as he warms up. Shaking his head and neck to work out the kinks. Poetry in motion.

The barn is my favorite place. Whether surrounded by friends or alone with NV it’s all good.