friendship carriage tours

2011-12-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today Randy brought his fiance, Nancy, on a special carriage ride during her visit to the area. The weather wasn't too freezing, and Curley wasn't too tooo dirty this time. It is really hard to clean him up when the weather is cold- not shower weather- and his winter coat is so long and thick. We did just this one ride, so Curley got home in time for all the horses coming in for supper. We left the farm at 11 and got home at 4 and did a one hour ride. Thank you, Randy, for asking us to help make your visit special. It was fun to go around the McIntire district at Christmas time.

International Wedding- Thomas and Vicki

2011-12-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

I sometimes have the surprise of a call from Europe when someone finds my service online and wants to arrange a special event. Thomas and Vicki were planning an elopement, a marriage at Hallibut Point followed by a picnic lunch with their friends and, finally, a romantic ride with champagne along the coast. I worked with them, sending a suggested route map, and some pictures. On the appointed day, they arrived at our meeting point looking very fine indeed. We traveled a nice long route from Cape Hedge all the way back to town, following the beaches. It was a beautiful day. Long life to this handsome couple.

Christmas in a Wagonette

2011-12-04T06:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend the Dickens Fellowship hosted Gerald Dickens, great great grandson of the author, who acts and gives dramatic readings of his ancestor's literature. One of the activities offered were rides around town in our wagonette. The day was lovely and just the right temperature for a team of horses in their winter coats to work. We enjoyed the event very much!

a thank you note

2011-10-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a young couple arriving for their reception at the PEM. It was a dicey wedding job that we pulled off on the eve of the arrival of hurricane Irene. The bride's mom just sent me the kindest thank you note:
"In spite of the rain, the carriage ride was a highlight of the day! You and your husband looked smashing in your rain gear and top hats. The ride down Chestnut street will always be a wonderful memory for Emily and Nick. Your service was over and above. Hiring Friendship Carriage was one of the best decisions we made".

A goal long sought is achieved

2011-09-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have been longing to drive a team of horses for years. I've had the harness for a team, and I've practiced with horses I've owned before, but we never had a really solid, safe, feeling. The team on the right is not what you want pulling you through town!

Finally at Seaview Farm in Rockport, the perfect situation arose. Sam and his owner, Don, were willing to practice with me. Sam had been a Boston carriage horse, now retired, and is a sensible slow sort of guy. He and Curley worked together very nicely and we hav

been having fun pulling things through the fields for about a year.

I have had a carriage under transition for quite some

time. It was my original carriage, built in 1996 just for me to help me give historic tours in Salem. It was always hard for people to get in and out of, however, and after many years of deliberation, I decided to take out the seats and make it into a wagonette. The first photo is the original carriage, then you see my son in law Joel

working on installing the new, longer benches to transform it into a wagonette.

Today, oh joy, Don and I have had our first run putting both our horses to the new wagonette, newly equipped with a pole and two horse evener. It took a good solid year of work and about $1,000 in new equipment to reach this goal, but I feel it has been worth it all.

How good they look, don't they? Don is at the reins here, and I'm the photographer.

Thank you Don and Sammy, thanks also to my mentor Barbara Lowes, who contracted for the original carriage to be built and made the pole assembly for the team. Thanks to Rob Wall, my partner and supporter through all these years. Friendship Carriage tours is 15 this year, and we have grown up!

Honeymooners

2011-08-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Wolf and Celine in Dock Square, and we quickly agreed on a rate for me to take them back to their Inn at Eden Pines. They are the second German couple I've transported who chose to be married in the US. Here, Wolf is holding the reins like a pro while I snap a photo. He used to plow with oxen when he was a boy, so he knows what he's doing!

Preparing for a wedding

2011-07-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

Many months ago when I first took the reservation for this weekend's wedding, I knew it would take extra preparation. We are going to be in Gloucester, and will cross the bridge from the boulevard over to Stage Fort Park for the ceremony. Locals will know that means crossing the drawbridge called "the cut", a place where pleasure boats come through from the Annisquam side of town and head out past the Eastern Point light into the ocean. I have been to the bridge now several times with Curley, once parked there so he could listen to the sound of the tires on the metal grid bridge while eating treats, and another time to actually walk him across. You can see the water through the grid below. I expect we will be fine with our helper, Wendy, at Curley's head as she was during our prep visit.
The carriage is clean, the harness has been polished, the decorations attached t the carriage, our dress shoes polished. There still remains the time consuming task of cleaning Curley, which we have to wait to do on Saturday, along with loading everything onto the trailer. I am excited!!

2011-07-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

This evening I did a beautiful lantern lit ride for a couple who were celebrating their anniversary. Although it was a very hot day, and there is a law prohibiting working when the temp is over 90, I knew we would be okay doing the after dinner, 8:30 ride. My timing for the evening, which was standard for a ride in Salem, went like this:
4:30, drive to the farm, hitch the trailer onto the truck and set up the snacks for Curley's rolling feast.
5:00, walk down the lane to the pasture, fetch Curley, and walk back to the farm, grazing a bit along the way.
5:40 shower my very hot and dirty horse- he will blow dry on the way to Salem in the trailer.
6:30 arrive in Salem, park at Crombie Street and walk around to my garage to open and set up the carriage while Curley waits in the trailer. Walk him around to the garage and stop to visit the people who are so happy to have a horse walking past their house, pose for photos.
7:00 begin harnessing and putting on Curley's boots for work, dress myself in driver's attire.
8:00 Hitch to the carriage, begin the trip to Pickering Wharf for my pick up.
8:30 meet my couple and share a pleasant hour's ride in the peaceful evening streets.
9:45, arrive back at the garage, unhitch and push the carriage back into its bay. Take harness off Curley and wipe it down with saddle soap as it gets put away.
10:20 back to the trailer for the trip home
11:10 arrive back in Rockport, walk Curley back down the lane to his field, walk (it's a half mile) back to the truck in the moonlight and stillness of the night. Park trailer in its spot, unhitch from the truck.
12:00 home to the apartment.
This is why a reservation costs $150. I love doing all these steps, but not enough to put in close to six hours work for less than that.
I am so grateful to the Ferrys, who chose to celebrate their 10th anniversary with dinner out and a carriage ride.

2011-06-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

Each weekend when we bring our little buggy down to the center of Rockport, we meet family groups like this- it is fun to give folks who had not expected to find a carriage a chance to have a short inexpensive ride. It is never certain that you will find us though, so reservations are recommended for important occasions. The higher price allows me to take off of work to come at the time you desire, and to hire help when necessary. It is a bit less costly to do a ride in Rockport, since I don't have to pull Curley in the horse trailer for those- he just walks down from the farm in 10 minutes!

Snowy Fun over the winter

2011-03-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Behind the scenes before your special event

2011-03-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

My husband Rob has become more active in the staging of special events, and he wrote up this treatise.

Engaging a Horse & Carriage for your wedding is a decision to have luxury and display in your wedding.

Even in the days before the horse-less carriage (automobile), only the wealthiest were driven comfortably in a vehicle like the ones we use in our weddings. They employed horsemen with highly developed skills to drive. Stables employed yeomen to muck the stalls and clean the harness, grooms to ready and harness the horse, often footmen to accompany the carriage, and craftsman, such as wheelwrights, that maintained the carriages. Today we do all these trades and more to bring a horse & carriage to your wedding. They are the behind the scenes costs which deliver the one-of-a-kind luxury and memorable presentation we offer you.

Behind the scenes of a luxury Horse & Carriage:

§ Insurance

§ Board /food for the horse farm in Rockport

§ Regular Veterinarian costs

§ Farrier and shoes every six weeks

§ Licensure with the State and City

§ Garage rent to store carriages

§ Truck & Trailer and gas

§ Ongoing Education and Training for driver and horse

§ Employees

§ Carriage Maintenance

§ Advertising

Time involved: Wedding contract decisions: Prior to signing a contract we have to scope the lay of the land (hills, distances, parking traffic patterns).

Pre-wedding. 5 hours of preparation to hitch truck and trailer, get the horse, clean him (Limos do not roll in the mud), load him, trailer the horse from Rockport to your wedding site, polish the harness, water and groom him, pre-check the carriage for safety, harness the horse, prepare the carriage decorations in the desired wedding colors, prepare champagne toast, dress groom and driver with top hat and tails and arrive on time.

After the wedding. 2 hours average to un-harness, rub down, water and feed, load and trailer the horse back home to paddock, drop off trailer.

St Andrew

2010-12-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a man who has been a big supporter of me and the horses' well being. He currently provides my source of water for Curley when we park the carriage in front of Salem Laundrey at central and Front streets. I call him "Saint" Andrew because he always seems to turn up when I need him. Thank you, Andrew.

Christmas in Rockport

2010-12-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Here are Curley and his partner Sam posing in front of the Christmas tree in Dock Square. We have begun to take the cart into town. It is a slow progression towards pulling a hay wagon behind us, as the boys get stronger. They seemed to enjoy their chance to show their teamwork.
Santa arrived at this spot later in the day, by lobster boat.

Recent Weddings

2010-11-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

In mid October we had the chance to do a beautiful wedding ride from the church in Annisquam, taking a 3.5 mile route through Lanesville and into Rockport. The destination was the Emerson inn, a premier location for a wedding reception. Rob and I worked really hard to get Curley as white as he could be, and I had spent weeks ahead of time doing longer and longer drives around Rockport, up hill and down, to be sure he would be fit enough to bring the couple, Andrea and Nick, in a timely way. All went well, and we were so pleased to have the chance to participate.
A lady came out of the group of wedding guests to shake my hand.....saying, "and you stood for the sculptor who made the statue of the Fisherman's wife!" This was the first time when my winter work as an artist's model intersected with my first occupation. She knew the sculptor and had heard about the carriage driver model. When the winter winds blow, it's nice to have an indoor job in a heated studio.
My second wedding was on a colder day in November. Jeannine and Brian are neighbors of mine, and it was an honor to transport them from home to Old Town Hall for the ceremony, and then on to the reception at the Lyceum. In the picture here, the delightful photographer, David LaChappelle of Amore Photography, is teasing Rob on the driver's seat, while Debbie is attending Jeannine. Debbie brought another overlap of occupations to this event because she was renting our condo right next door for the weekend. Homeaway.com has helped us keep our condo rented on a weekly basis, and the income helps to pay the rent on the garage where I keep my carriages. When my cell phone rings, it could be a call about a carriage ride, or about a vacation rental....either way it is about hospitality and welcoming, being part of people's happy times.
Here's a last photo taken in front of the Friendship. The groom, Brian, is a rigger with the National park service. And the name for my carriage business came from the year we started, 1996, when the Friendship was a new attraction at the Maritime Historic Site. We are entering our 15th year in business and it was cool to kick that off with a good wedding that included photos right back where we began.

2010-10-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Although it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Rockport, I just wasn't attracting any riders. That happens a lot- people want to take a picture with the horse and pet him, but they just can't seem to spend a little money on a ride.

Today I opted to walk further afield, in the mission to give Curley a good long walk. We passed Back Beach, and saw a group of people assembling, waiting for a bride to arrive for an outdoor wedding. I quipped, "It looks like you're having a wedding, now all you need is my carriage!"

One of the groomsmen walked over, and we quickly agreed on a price for me to provide a nice ride at the end of the ceremony. Here is the happy couple, Meaghan and Michael.

And here's the good egg, Meaghan's younger brother,

Nick, with his daughter and niece, having a fun ride of their own at the reception!

So we had a wonderful afternoon in the October sunshine.

Meet you at the station

2010-10-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Becca and her dad dreamed up a really special surprise for her Mom's birthday. Mom thought she was taking a train ride to visit Rockport...but there was a little something extra. Curley and I met the train at the station, and gave them all a fine ride along the coast. Although the day threatened rain, we were able to squeak the ride between showers. I love doing surprise rides like this!

family fun

2010-09-18T20:51:00.001-07:00

Curley and I love nothing better than sharing a moment with a young horse lover. Now that school has begun, we are more likely to meet a family on the weekend, out for a little quality time.

2010-08-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some young horse lovers, I've discovered a new route for my little carriage in Rockport: we go right down the farm lane and look at all the horses out to pasture. It's neat to see them in their herd and to talk about horse behavior. The bucolic dirt road is only 10 minutes from the center of town. Visitors staying for a week can arrange to have a riding lesson at Seaview Farm as well.

2010-08-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus of several weeks, Curley was back in Salem over the weekend. Finally there was weather cool and dry enough to make it possible to work. On Saturday we used the wagonette and gave a family from Pennsylvania an hour's tour at dusk- a nice lantern' lit ride.

Sunday we were back at the carriage stand in front of Salem Laundry, and we met a number of nice folks, including this family from Topsfield, who saw the carriage pass the restaurant where they were having lunch, and then tracked us down in their car for a digestive tour.

Heat

2010-07-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

How to offer carriage rides during a heat wave? You really can't push it. The law prohibits working when the temps are over 90, or the combined heat and humidity add up to more than 140. It can be hard to pay the bills if you need to rely on fares to do so. The drivers in NYC are under criticism again for their long hours in the heat. A horse can be sponged regularly to cool them, but then they just look wet as if they're drenched in sweat. If the driver also looks like they are suffering, it isn't worth trying to find someone to pay you for a pleasant ride- it's best to stay home. Thank goodness for our big pasture at Seaview farm, where there is plenty of shade along the stone wall lined with tall oak trees.
Today I had Curley out with the light carriage in Rockport, just to keep in shape- I didn't even try to pick up a paying passenger. Like any athlete, too many days with no exercise can lead to weakness and possible injury. We stopped at a friend's house and asked her to come along for company, and just tooled around for 30 minutes. Then home again for a shower and back out to the field. Just in time! A thunderstorm blew in, and I enjoyed a great show of acrobatics as the young, light horses galloped around the field, kicking up their heels in the exciting wind just before the rain. The three drafts just kept grazing- it takes more than a swooshing wind to get them excited.

2010-06-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

We did our first wedding in Rockport this weekend, with a special ride for the bride and her father to the Headlands for an outdoor ceremony. Congratulations to all!

Later, we dropped some passengers off for a concert at the new music hall in town, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, a gorgeous spot right on the water.

Princesses

2010-06-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

McKenzie and Allie had a big surprise when Curley and I pulled up in front of their house yesterday. What a nice way for Auntie to congratulate them on graduation and birthday milestones. Look how stylish they are! We went down to the center of Rockport and did the "royal wave" all through town!

2010-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Bill and Debra were the lucky couple, enjoying a midlife romance, and given a special lantern lit ride by their families as a gift.

I've received a thank you note saying "The carriage ride was a big hit. By the time they got back they were so relaxed and they acted like little kids."

One hour being rocked in a carriage with your honey will engender wonderful things!

2010-05-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

We had a great Memorial Day weekend, covering all the territory that I want to handle nowadays- On Friday and Saturday we did reserved rides in Rockport. I have found that sitting next to the park in front of the Baptist church on the corner of High Street is a good central place to meet my reservation guests. A little further up the hill, in front of the Inn on Cove Hill, at the corner of Atlantic Avenue, is another good spot. Betsy, the innkeeper, has been very welcoming, with lots of water and apples offered to Curley.

Sunday we did a few lantern lit rides in Salem, after spending the afternoon at the community garden, where Curley mows the field while we plant and weed.

Life feels balanced, and it is reassuring to earn some money towards our garage rent and our board at Seaview farm.

2010-05-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the creator of Good Morning Gloucester, a fun local blog, brought his family for a carriage ride in Rockport. Click on this link to come along for the ride: http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/friendship-carriage-tour-in-rockport-with-ruth-and-curley/

The original carriage has a new shape

2010-05-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

My son in law Joel helped me change the benches on this carriage, the one I started my business with in 1996. Now you enter from the rear, instead of over the side, and it holds 8 instead of 4 people.
We had a big family aboard for the maiden run last weekend. It is the most comfortable carriage of all.

Sleigh repair

2010-02-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a big thank you to a gifted metalsmith, Dan Hubbard, who helped me get my sleigh reinforced for the winter.

2010-02-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

Winter summary of activities:

Street sweeping, sleighing,

Christmas rides in Rockport, here with Evelyn,
and Valentines Day in Salem,

And staying fit by taking long walks pulling a tire.

Bundle up, and come on outside with us!

School day brightened by Curley the horse - SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

2009-11-18T20:22:00.001-08:00

School day brightened by Curley the horse - SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Posted using ShareThis

2009-10-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, in the thick of all the Halloween excitement, love was in the air. I had three weddings to service with my carriage, and thankfully, only one had any rain to contend with. On Friday, Dakota and Faye were congratulated by hundreds of rush hour commuters who saw their "Just Married" sign and their festive attire. On Saturday, Meghan and Joe enjoyed a lantern lit ride from church to their reception at the Peabody Essex Museum. And on Sunday, Kim and Russ experienced showers of blessings as they made their way from church to Hamilton Hall. You can just get a glimpse of the covered carriage behind Robert and the umbrella.

2009-10-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

I have had several really nice seaside rides in Rockport recently. The first was for a lovely couple staying at the Inn on Cove Hill, where Besty is a fabulous innkeeper and a big booster for Curley and me. Here we are at the bend in the road on Marmion Way, looking out at Straismouth Island. Rob is at the reins.

The second ride was for my awesome volunteer, Joyce, and her friend, whose birthday we were celebrating. I picked them up at the 11:20 train, and then got them back for a 2:00 departure, with time for a ride and a seaside picnic at Old Garden Beach.
Curley had time to munch on the lawn during our picnic, and a good time was had by all.

2009-09-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

We gave a surprise ride to the Dalys, on their way from their 50th anniversary celebration mass to the Grapevine restaurant. Congratulations, Harry and Elaine, and many more years to come!

2009-09-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

Who's this in front of my house? My landscaper! This guy really knows how to mow my lawn....
Passers by in downtown Salem will do a double take as they drive down Crombie Street and see a horse in the yard. No one seems to mind our presence, but it is not legal for Curley to stay here overnight. We have a good friend in south Salem who has invited Curley to do his lawn on an overnight basis, and we go there every couple of weeks, when we are in town doing reserved rides.
Curley really loves his big pasture at Seaview Farm in Rockport, where he hangs out with the retired carriage horses from Boston. But being able to sleep over in Salem really cuts down on the amount of trailer riding time for him, and saves me a lot of gas money. We are indebted to Judy and Steph for the safe, peaceful yard.

2009-09-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

I completed a job yesterday that took days of preparation. I had agreed to do a wedding in Andover before my big trailer died, and in order to keep that commitment, I rented an auto transport trailer from U-Haul. The folks on Jefferson Ave were a big help, making sure I had the trailer a little early so I could load the carriage the night before. Andover is not so very far from Salem, but it took multiple trips to move the horse and then the carriage from Rockport to Salem on Thursday, then from Salem to Andover on Friday. (It was an afternoon wedding, and I couldn't have been ready in time had I tried to make two round trips from Rockport directly to Andover the day of the wedding.) There was also the considerable work of washing Curley with a special shampoo that makes his coat blindingly white. There's buying the champagne and ribbons, decorating the carriage, and getting all the components of the tuxedoes and top hats together, making sure nothing is forgotten. Carriage companies regularly kvetch about how much work goes on behind the scenes, that the customer cannot conceive of when they are focusing on the period of time they will themselves be in the carriage. "Why does it cost $800 for this wedding- we will only need you for an hour?

We feel the price is hard earned, and it helps to pay the costs of owning a horse, truck and trailer.

When the wedding was finished, and a happy bride and groom delivered safely to their reception, it was a moment of great satisfaction- and then back to work. Ferry Curley home to his big field

on Cape Ann, race back to Andover for the carriage, drop it off at the garage in Rockport, then take the trailer back to the U-Haul lot in Salem.

It was midnight when we were

done, I had started the transport before 8 A.M., and I had driven a total of 250 miles, with Rob's cheerful help. You really know someone loves you when they stick with you through that long a day.

Congratulations to Edson and Elocine.

2009-08-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

A horse for my very own!......Well, nearly.
Kim and Kiana organized a big party at their house, and just HAD to have Curley attend, with his carriage. We enjoyed a lovely evening giving rides to the guests in the quiet neighborhood. A light fog drifted off the horse as his body heat reacted with the cooling evening temperature. Have you ever smelled that hot horse scent? It has a romance all its own.
At the end of the evening, Kiana helped me tuck Curley back into the trailer for his ride home to Rockport. Rob and I led him down the long road out to the field. It had rained very hard the day before, and the little pond was so high that it was rushing over the dirt track. In the dark it sounded like Niagra Falls! We luckily had boots on, for in leading Curley home we waded through 10 inches of water. The flashlight we use to watch our step revealed all sorts of swimming pond creatures, taking a chance to swim on top of the road. A magical evening, thanks to Kim's hard work getting our carriage moved to Beverly for the party.

2009-06-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

One of the nicest things that's a result of becoming empty nesters is that my husband, Robert, has made time to join me in learning how to work with natural horsemanship. On this day, we were in an arena full of obstacles with others who were "playing" with their horses.
I did not understand before how much play for horses involves pushing each other around. It doesn't come so naturally to me, but I've learned that my horse will see me more as a leader if I can tell him with body language where to go. Think of a mother horse, using he nose to push her foal. Rob has Curley playing a sort of red light, green light.

2009-06-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Recently I've had a chance to give a nice carriage ride to girls celebrating their birthdays. American Girl dolls come along for the trip! Here are Emma and Kelsey, with their friends in North Salem, turning eight.

Rides now available in Rockport

2009-06-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Daisy Nell and Stan Collinson, who helped me move the little "lovebuggy" to Rockport. Now Curley can give vacationers an unbelievably beautiful ride along the seashore, with no trailer transport involved- he lives right there!
This little carriage got its name for its size- it's light which is good on the hilly roads, and it seats a couple perfectly.
I am now taking reservations for special rides in both Rockport and Salem. Recently we did a wedding at the Hawthorne. Here's a great photo by David LaChapelle. I am so excited to be back in action with a wonderful, intelligent, curious horse.

Wagonette now available

2009-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is a happy and sad photo. The good news is that my wagonette is read to roll, and can be used for up to 8 children for a party. The sad part is these neighborhood children on Margin Street were unaware at the time of the photo that Curley and I were hitching it up to move it to a new location- I have finally had to move out of the space that was perfect for my business- except for the R2 zoning. The building has sold and we were asked to leave. I will miss these kids and the location.

2009-04-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

I paged through the phone book in a panic. I had just organized my business into an LLC, and now the government was sending all sorts of forms. I am not a paperwork kind of girl, and I needed a book keeper. John and Rena, of J and R services, answered the call, and have been handling scary forms for me ever since. Here they are on the day that they took their complimentary ride.

2009-04-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

One very special part of having stood at the corner of Hawthorne and Derby for many years, was the number of good friends who came to see us on a regular basis. Michelle left carrots, Phil did his share of brushing. No one adopted me and my horses with quite the tenacity of Joyce. She is my biggest booster. It is wonderful to know that what helps me so much also gives her life a lift and a purpose. Joyce lives alone, and having someone who needed her made her shine. If we needed more water, she would fetch it. If I wanted to run to the bathroom, she was there. She answered questions for visitors and even took reservations for me in the busiest days of the Halloween season. My not keeping regular hours near the big brick church leaves a blank for both Joyce and me. She hopes, as I do, that we will have many special reservations in Salem this summer, so I can afford to spend time before and after the reservation just standing around and visiting with our friends.

2009-04-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have some people to thank.

During this last year, I struggled with self doubt, one by product of losing three horses within a year: Magggie, Shorty and last of all Molly. I had bought a replacement horse, Chester, in a hurry so as to fulfill job commitments during the Autumn of '07. Over the winter Chester became very difficult to handle. Horses will sense what is inside you, and Chester's nature was to use my tentativeness against me. A good place for learning starts with the realization that Chester brought to me- I don't know very much at all about how to be a horsewoman. Over last spring, with a lot of help from training materials from the Parelli natural horsemanship course, I rebuilt my confidence and learned so much about standing my ground. I had a huge helping hand from Julia French, the driver who has been with Friendship Carriage tours since 2002.

I also spent a great deal of time writing back and forth with Heather Colby, who mentored me and helped me sort out if I should persist with Chester, or decide that he was better suited for a different type of job with another person. She and her husband Scott even gave Chester a month's trial, eventually confirming for me that this horse was not one who was ever going to go to work with a good attitude. Heather ably pointed out skills that I need to develop in order to be a safe and strong leader in the horse/human team. I am indebted to her for this moral support. That is Heather in the picture with her team of mules.

2009-02-26T00:54:00.000-08:00

What a pretty place for a drive... This little carriage will be moving to Rockport, because it is light, and there are many more hills than in Salem. There are lots of side roads without much traffic that I look forward to exploring as the warmer weather returns.

2009-02-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Here are some thoughts I am working on around staying in/ leaving Salem, the place I've thought of as home for 26 years. It is hard to know what to do, when giving carriage rides here has become so much harder than it once was.

Townies

When my daughter was in high school she had a boyfriend, and as many parents do, I scrutinized the poor kid mercilessly. We all think our daughters are special, and as a self designated protector of our grand children's gene pool, I thought the guy was not special enough. He was not in the A.P. classes. He had a rougher taste in movies than we usually screened at home. He had a pessimist's outlook, and a biting wit. He refused to let his girlfriend meet his family. In all, he was less than I had hoped for in a possible mate, and a perfect accomplice for my daughter to rebel and break away. The subject of what a Townie was came up one evening when he allowed as how he had been on a trip far afield- to Salisbury. I laughed at how small his known world was. We debated what it meant to be a "townie". To him it was a derogatory label. I had to backpedal and explain that I didn't think townies were dumb, but perhaps limited in their experience, even in their curiosity. How could someone live their life never seeking an opportunity to see a foreign country, or another state for that matter? I've always thought that seeing how people live in other places enriches what one has to offer the folks back home, yet I had noticed how many Salemites took all their education right at Salem State, or another local college. It isn't a function of economic limitations either. Salem has a number of successful families whose members all live and work in close proximity, the children carrying on the family business, prospering side by side and enjoying each other's company. I look in envy on these families, and I have been to some of their gatherings, wondering at their comfortable relations with each other. That would never have been possible in my immediate family. We are scattered across the country, seeing each other infrequently by choice. Each of my parents settled far from their families, and I did too.

When my husband and I moved to Salem, I didn't feel as if I had a home, and I longed for one. I had lived in several places before settling here, making the answer to "where are you from?" more than one word. At my high school in western Mass, I made an immediate bond with the state, and never enjoyed going for vacations to my parents' home in New Jersey. My particular social group valued travel to faraway places, doing things like the Peace Corps. I used to quip at that time, upon parting with a friend, "well, see you on top of Mt Everest!". As fate would have it, I married a south shore native whom I met while in college in Boston. And by a family connection through my great aunts, Salem became my primary place of residence in 1983. One Sunday evening, while still in my first months of living here, I walked in the front gate while a light snow sifted down, and heard a fog horn sounding. This noise traveled straight down my earliest neural pathways and gripped me- I was born in a coastal town.
I didn't expect we would be here so long, but the blessing of our house, then the children and their schools proved to be a firm anchor. I had hoped to move to the Greenfield area and have the kids do high school there- but when the time came, job opportunities were slim. So we grew more connected to the community here as the years passed by. I started a business giving carriage rides, which gave me a chance to employ my kids and some of their friends as grooms and tourguides. It gave me a chance to realize a life long dream of owning a horse. We had already had a few pet chickens and foster lambs by this time, testing the legal limit of pet ownership within the city's residential zone. It seems I have a farm fascination.

As an adolescent my dreams for the future always included the outdoors and farming. I thought I might open a foster home on a farm and let working with animals be a part of the growing environment for the kids. I followed a course of study in education and working with children with special needs. I spent my first two years out of college teaching in the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky, where I milked a goat before going to school. Folks who lived in those narrow mountain hollows felt such a connection to their land. Folk songs dwelt on the theme of coal companies coming to strip mine on land which held generations of the same family buried in the family plot. The deed to the land had been bought a hundred years before from unsuspecting Grandpaw, by the smooth talking prospector. Here family connections were as much to the land, still being farmed, as to the extended family. The closeness of the mountain land was comforting, and the rare individual who left to go to state college in Lexington suffered painful withdrawal. Having such a strong sense of belonging to a place gave the young people a security which I had never known. I guess that's what roots are, and they can be generations long.

There were more farm chores for me in Quebec, where we lived in a rural community providing meaningful work to a group of mentally disabled adults. The French speaking community there was close-knit, full of names I would later recognize in Salem, the sound of them butchered by an american pronounciation. The simplicity of an open sky and fields was wonderful, and yet lonely. We missed the ocean. We moved on due to my husband's concern that he was in his late twenties, and had not yet committed to a career. We settled by chance in Salem, going through one of those magical doors that open on rare occasions in one's life, which allowed us to renovate a decrepit house in exchange for rent.
Coming to Salem gave my husband a chance to start a professional career. For me, it was time to start a home and family. Two children were born while I worked on our house room by room, investing sweat equity into our rented house that gave us an economic boost when we decided to purchase. Raising kids well was more important to me than a second income, so I got by with a small home business around educational toys. I nurtured a perennial garden, loving the fact that I would be around to see it develop from year to year. Homemade bread and lots of reading aloud filled in for more costly entertainment. We traveled by welcoming travelers, and exchange students, hearing their stories of home. Even while they were young, I was teaching my kids that the world is wide and full of people who do things differently from us.
How proud I am of those kids. Creative and never bored, they could spend hours in the house making their own entertainment. As they got ready to leave for college, I remember walking down town between the two of them, when the phrase "armed and dangerous" popped into my head. I felt just like I had a six-shooter on each hip. All the potential of their lives still mixing with mine. And then my kids did just what I had raised them to do. They took their curiosity and confidence and went off to build adult lives of their own. In Oregon. And suddenly it is I who have the parochial view, feeling so much a New Englander as to feel nervous when the topic of moving to the Northwest for retirement is broached. Oh, look who's the Townie now.

Having relationships is known as a support system. The strands of interconnection form a web which holds you up. For me, this web has become a restraint as well. I am wrapped up in my connections, unsure if I want to break them by moving away to a more horse friendly town where my carriage business could be viable. We have lost too much money on transporting the horses in and out of town each day. Moving away means losing of many of those daily relationships and starting over. It is hard to choose. So I'm hung up in my web of support, wanting to bring the country and the city together. Do I want to stay and continue being sewn into the fabric of this town, choosing to take up some other occupation? If I were to move, where else might I go?
How do we know where we belong? Without family connections, anywhere could be okay, you just carry your home inside yourself, and your choice to belong is the start in a new community. Some people make this move many times in their lives.
Can I be a Salem Townie? It was easy to be adopted as one of the town. Salem is not so exclusive as to require long generational roots in order to belong. But I am thrashing on the line, struggling with whether I want to belong. I don't think I can be content with this being the end of the road. I know there are more places to see and other windows I want to look out of. Since my kids have chosen to go on with their lives elsewhere, Salem and especially our house, has taken on a feeling of being passe, unwanted, behind the times. Now that they are gone belonging is an open question again, my validity doubly robbed by the death of horses who depended on me, and the financial difficulties of continuing the carriage work that gave me so much satisfaction. Human and equine, the little birds flew out of the nest, and my instinct is to fly away too. The feeling of inertia here is depressing. I don't want to be introduced at parties as "the lady who used to drive the horse and carriage".

We get to a certain age when we realize that it is less likely that we'll do that adventuresome thing that seemed so important when we were young. One feels time slipping and there is an assessment to be made of what really matters. I've realized that when I am at the end of my life, what I will regret never having tried is to own a farm. The years when I could build a carriage house and train a team of horses on my own land are passing. Some aspirations are harder to give up, and I know that I am not half done in my quest to be a better carriage driver, and a smarter horsewoman. Space in Salem for such things is all gone now. It appears as if I will have to leave if following my quest is to continue.

I think that a townie's strength is in knowing they can be happy right here. The feeling of belonging, in contrast with exploring, fills them. They have a sense of place that I have longed for. When self acceptance is weak, one might be bouyed by the sense that SOMEone wants you. The folks at home keep you in their collective memory, holding your story for you, reminding you of your past interactions, ready to bolster you when you're wobbly. Recently a contractor, looking at a job for me, when asked if he was born here, leaned against his truck and said, "yeah, I was born here, and I'll die here". His was a voice of peace and confidence- this was in no way a fate he was resigned to, but a choice he happily has made.
One morning last spring, I was standing at the cross walk in Riley plaza waiting for the light. On my right was Angela, the fierce lady with a white cane who so often has viciously rebuffed some poor soul like me who sought to do a good deed by helping her find her way across the street. Last summer I experienced a miracle with her, when she accepted the invitation for free wagon rides at the Maritime Festival. She sat for three trips round the block, rocking herself with animated excitement, chanting "clipitty clop, clippety clop". It is the only time I have ever seen her smile.
On my left was Ben, a young man who was in special needs preschool with my daughter. I had the pleasure of giving him and his friends a carriage ride through the Willows on his 16th birthday. He lives independently now, with a job at the YMCA that allows him to use his wonderful social skills. His prom photo shows a debonaire gentleman, suave even, his arms circling the waist of his date. Having known each of these people for many years, I felt supported, less lonely, "armed and dangerous even", as the light changed and we crossed the street, I being flanked by these two denizens of the town, repositories of my history.

2009-02-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

It has been a number of years since I had a good chance to use my sleigh. Seaview Farm in Rockport has a great farm lane that doesn't get plowed and sanded, which is just fine for a sleigh! Here are Julia and Curley out for a spin.
The trouble with advertising for a sleigh ride around here is you can't be sure the snow will be there unless you schedule on very short notice. Most often, the conditions have been good midweek, and lousy by the weekend.
I hope to get a frame with wheels for this sleigh so we can help SANTA out next Christmas time.

2009-02-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

Shortly after Molly's death a friend called to tell me about a white percheron. This horse's owner had done weddings with him, but now he needed to sell. When I went to see this horse he was exactly the romantic, "old style" percheron that Molly had been- not too tall, a deep barrel chest and strong, feathered legs.
Only time would show what a marvelous personality this horse has too. Like Molly, he has a sense of the dramatic, and knows he looks good. There is nothing to compare with driving a horse who partners with you, as if to say, "let's show them what we've got". I have had horses who generally do as I ask, but whose heart is just not in the social aspect of the job, meeting people is just not their thing.
I brought Curley to Seaview farm in Rockport, where he could enjoy a huge pasture with a herd of other horses. I spent a lot of time out there mingling with them, letting my sorrow for my loss fade, and making a new place in my heart to love this new horse. A horse out in front of my carriage has to KNOW that I love it and will do whatever it takes to keep us safe. Anything less is asking for an accident or runaway.

2008-11-24T23:06:00.000-08:00

It is more than a year since Shorty died, and I am only now able to write about it. He spent five weeks on stall rest, but never recovered from a strange neurologic occurrence that left him lopsided and unable to bear weight on a rear leg. Molly, his dear friend, would come in to spend time with him in his stall.

To know when it is time to put down a beloved pet is an awesome responsibility. Eventually Shorty gave me the signs that he had had enough. I was unable to cure him, but fortunately I could make the decision to stop his suffering. He was 19.

I had thought Molly, seven years his senior, would be the first to go. In the end, she lived through the winter and enjoyed one more spring. She spent her last months at Judy Beaton's small barn, enjoying the freedom to go in and out at her pleasure. One day she stopped being able to poop, and after several vet visits, tubes of fluid, and manual waste removal, it became clear that she too had come to the point where Goodbye would be the kindest words. We "called Shorty" to come for her, and as the vet administered her lethal injection, she picked up her head and pricked her ears forward, as horses do when they spot something of interest.

I comfort myself with the thought that Shorty and Molly are grazing side by side in that great pasture that all good work horses deserve.

2007-08-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

Ulrike Welsch took this photo of Shorty and me on Chestnut Street. This is a wonderful neighborhood for a lantern lit ride- takes you right back in time! Residents enjoy hearing us clip clop by as much as we love the historic ambiance of this area, on the National Register of Historic places.

Cinderella visits Peabody

2007-07-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

Another princess party! Cinderella joined us for this one...

Helpers and Drivers

2006-06-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Julia is a chiropractor on the weekdays and comes to drive on weekends. The horses love her skilled healing hands.

Bethany has been my faithful helper and groom for five years. She plans to attend college for equine studies.

Princess Party

2006-06-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Isabella and Lilliana Malionek turned four on March 25, 2006. Molly and I came to the party. Can you see Molly is wearing a pink feather boa? Everyone had fun.

2006-05-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

This was our first wedding. Ruth is as happy as the couple!

Here is a wedding we did in Marblehead's Old Town, using the smaller carriage.

2006-05-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

The horse is Molly, and my daughter Miranda is assisting. We took the bride and groom from Old North Church in Marblehead to Crocker Park. From there they ferried over to Corinthian Yacht Club for their reception.

The horse in these photos is Molly also. She is a marvelous wedding horse. We are at the Immaculate Conception Church in Salem.

These photos are taken by Michael Skerry of Derby Studios.