It's a jungle out there-a weekend in Aiken

Since it had been a few months since John went to Aiken to mow we figured it was probably definitely time to head down there again. We had a limited timeline in which to do this because of work so it was a very quick trip.

We left on Sunday morning with the weed whacker and sprayer stuffed in the back of my car. After a long and boring but thankfully uneventful drive we arrived at our property around 6 pm. I didn't get any pictures of the jungle situation but as it turns out grass grows way better and faster in SC than it does in PA...like you know there is a lot of grass when you have to mow your gravel driveway. 

As is typical with farm life we had "technical difficulties" with the equipment. The clutch somehow went out of the tractor while it was sitting unused in the covered barn so John had to rely on straight shifting to mow, but somehow he got it done. I am so thankful he has the skills he does! I really hope we can find someone in Aiken who can replace the clutch. Thanks to John's mowing earlier in the year the weeds were mostly around the fence lines and the pastures themselves looked pretty good with lots of grass, if only I could get the grass to grow like that at home! 

So much grass! This type of grass is called coastal bermuda-we don't have it at all in PA

After the mowing was done we headed to our friend's house that they so generously let us use for the weekend (thank you Mike and Tracy!!) and even got a last minute reservation for food and drinks at the Wilcox. After dinner we walked around town and I laid on the polo field and looked at the stars. 

The roads in Aiken's horse district are packed dirt-perfect for walking and riding

We left on Monday morning but I was set on seeing some horses on the training track so I ended up getting up way too early (it was still dark) and we headed to get coffee and made it back to the track as the sun was just coming up. We did get to see a few young horses working on the track but the highlight was watching the sun come up through the morning mist.

This live oak tree is a track legend and the track logo...they say that a ghost horse pops out and makes the young horses run faster

Sunrise over the Aiken training track

This was my first trip to Aiken in the summer, and it was just as beautiful as it was in Winter and Spring. I can't wait to experience more seasons in Aiken, there is so much to see and do!

**There was also apparently an eclipse during all this which we mostly missed because we were driving home**