A good send-off

Just got home from Lydia Willits Bartholomew's very well-attended pre-Hunt social at Plumsted, her West Marlborough farm. It was great to see the Cheshire hounds and horses in action after such a long layoff due to the bad weather, and just as nice to greet some friends and neighbors I hadn't seen for ages. We were glad to see lots of kids, both as riders and spectators. The hospitable Mrs. Bartholomew set out quite a spread for her guests: urns of hot coffee (the Jameson's was optional), subs, pastries (loved the sticky buns!) and desserts. The muddy parking area claimed one victim, a Lexus that had to be extracted by a cheerful guy with a tractor. The non-participating horses at the farm were very curious and excited by all the unaccustomed activity, poking their heads out of their stalls and running around their paddock.