I'd never heard of Danville, CA until I reconnected with my old friend, Richene last summer. We'd worked together back in the mid-1970s in Colorado, when we'd lived and partied together, too. We played softball together on a women's softball team for Diners Club, taking the championship two of the three years we played. I was the Captain those years and our escapades of that time are some of my great memories.
Richene is now married to a great guy, Mike, and has a daughter. Much of her time is now spent riding her horse, Razz, at the equestrian center near her home in Danville.
Here, she is leading Razz to a mounting stump so she can ride him in the ring.
She controls him pretty well, even though she doesn't have a lead on him here.
Razz and Richene, what a pair.
She certainly enjoys her time with her horse.
In the riding ring.
The dressage part of riding.
Starting on the little jumps in her jumping lesson.
A blur of excellence over this jump.
All done for the morning lesson.
Jason and Richene at lunch at a local brew pub.
A brilliant red Japanese maple tree at their home. It just screamed color!
Jason petting the fluffy Ragdoll cat, Tessa. She had mesmerizing aquamarine/green eyes, but wouldn't hold still for me to get a shot of them.
Karen feeding carrots to one of Razz's neighbor horses.
There were lots of horses in their stalls who welcomed a carrot treat.
This horse belonged to a friend of Richene's with whom she'd been riding the previous day. Someone rode up on them unexpectedly, and her horse had spooked and jumped sideways and knocked this horse over. He then rolled over his owner, giving her a couple of broken ribs and a slight concussion. The friend will be OK and the horse is fine, so he gets a couple of carrots.
We'd stopped at the store the day before and muscled a 20-lb. bag of carrots into Richene's truck so she could share them with these stablemates of Razz.
I liked handing out treats to the horses. I used to ride when I was a young teen, and it brought back fun memories.
This stagecoach sat outside the arena at the equestrian center.
Jason and I went hiking in the hills while Richene and Razz went off on their own for a ride.
This strangely-colored plant was all over the hills around the center.
California poppies add a dash of color to the grasses on the hillsides.
Charlie hangs around the stables every day, and chose to accompany us on our hike.
A view from the top of the hill we hiked up. The equestrian center is below.
Richene and Razz leave Jason and I to hike back ourselves.
Richene out for a ride on Razz.
Jason hiking down the hill in Castro Valley.
Owners just leave their bridles and tack hanging on the fence at one of the turnout pastures for the horses.
CA poppy up close.
In clumps, they make pretty, natural bouquets.
Richene during her jumping lesson.
Richene, Razz, and me in the ring. I used to ride Western style, not English style like here, so I wouldn't even venture getting on Razz.
There was always a lot of activity with horses and riders here.
This black Fresian horse had braids in his mane and tufts of black hair around his hooves. He was a huge horse.
Jason doesn't really like horses and refused to pet any of them or get close to them. We finally convinced Jason to give a carrot to Razz. He had to reach for it, though.
Mike and Richene in the dining area in their gorgeous home. Such a great couple. Mike and Jason fixed margaritas and looked at his fancy new Cadillac he'd just gotten while Richene and I looked at old photos.
Mike and Jason realizing they seem to view the world in much the same way.
Karen and Jason at the Blackhawk Plaza shopping center in Danville. It's a different shopping environment and the plaza is also home to a great automotive museum, but we didn't choose to pay to go in this day.
Karen and Richene, forty years after we last saw each other! It was like we just picked up where we left off.
And this was us back then, getting ready to hit the disco bars in Denver; what a change! At least for me.
While at Richene's, she dug out her old album of photos from the '70's, when we lived, worked, and partied together in Colorado. I'd bought a new 1976 Yamaha XS400 motorcycle that we used to take for a spin in our cutoffs, bikini tops and sandals. We figured that if folks were looking at us, they wouldn't hit us. Stupid, but we survived. I took that motorcycle with me when I moved to New Zealand in 1979 and that was the last time Richene and I had seen each other.
Richene hadn't looked at these old photos for decades and decided to capture a few of them on her phone so she could send them to me electronically. I'm sharing them now.
Me, Denny, and Richene in cave woman outfits we made ourselves for a Halloween party. The bones in our hair were rawhide dog bones. We even made fur boots wrapped with rawhide for our feet.
Karen in cave woman costume, going incognito with fake glasses, nose, and moustache.
Me and Richene having a blast with Bobbie and Denny. We always had a good time together!
Julie, me, Vickie, and Bobby, other friends from our partying days. Julie and Vickie are both deceased and nobody knows what happened to Bobby.
Karen in the days when I was skinny. Dressed for going out dancing and drinking.
This was probably in on of our favorite bars or discos. I'm still the only person I know who admits to loving disco music.
Richene and Karen in the late 70's. We laughed together a lot back then.
Our favorite disco DJs at a bar called Miss Rosie Bottoms in Glendale, the square mile of bars and restaurants that was the yuppie hangout.
Me and Richene with several other folks we didn't remember the names of. I can't believe I was that skinny once. Back when short shorts were in.
I used to make this stupid face that made Richene crack up. Here, she captured me making it on film, with Denny and Julie posing normally.
A night out, probably after a softball game back in the late 1970's. That's me in the yellow shirt.
What a blast from the past! After a wonderful visit and a fun stroll down memory lane, we moved on again with our current adventure in time.
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