We headed down the hall and again, the door to our Aunt and Uncle’s home suite swung open without us having to knock, this time it was Uncle Anthony at the door, “Good Morning girls!” We chimed good morning back to him and gave him hugs as we entered. Inside smelled delicious! Bacon, a hint of something sweet, vanilla, maybe(?)coffee, sauteed onions…my mouth watered with all the wonderful smells. Set out on the table was a plate of bacon, a bowl of mixed fruit, a plate of pancakes, a plate of french toast and a plate of fried potatoes. We sat down as Lynelle came out from the kitchen with a pitcher of orange juice. We served up, passing platters and bowls to each other and started eating, Abby and I hummed ‘Mmmm’s’ as we ate. 

“So what are your plans for today?” Abby finished chewing her bite before me and took a drink of her orange juice before answering Uncle Anthony, “Since you guys mentioned that you both would be working our first 2 days here we thought we could go to go to the stables and pick a couple horses to go for a ride. We were thinking about riding out to the falls and maybe hiking around for a bit.” Lynelle nodded, “The falls are always pretty this time of year. I’ll pack up some of the leftovers and a couple of sandwiches for you guys to take with you.” We talked a bit more about what the day had in store for everyone, Lynelle had patrols and Uncle Anthony was going to be in the lab. Breakfast finished and cleaned up. Lynelle hands me a small backpack with water bottles, bags of mixed fruit from breakfast and sandwiches. All four of us exit their house suite and say our goodbyes before parting for our days’ activities. 

Abby and I reach the stables and walk through to see how many of the horses were still familiar. Most of them were the same horses from last time, a couple of new ones but still mostly the same. I picked out a black and white American Paint and Abby picked a pretty Chestnut. As we were heading over to pickout saddles a voice chimes from one of the horse stalls, “Abby and Lily? Is that you I smell?” It's been two years and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to people recognizing us by our…smell. It always makes me self conscious when I’m here. We look towards the stall we heard the voice come from and our friend Deacon pokes his head over the top of the gate, “It's been forever since I’ve seen you two!” We both lit up, “Deacon!” He is the main caretaker of the horses and we had made fast friends with him when we first came to visit here. One of our favorite pastimes here is horseback riding, so, naturally we spent a lot of time with Deacon. He unlatched the stable gate and came out, closing the gate behind him before he came over and scooped both of us up in his broad arms for a big bear hug. 

When he finally released us he stepped back, raking his big hands through his shaggy, sandy brown hair,  “So how have you guys been?” I told him a little bit about school and work but kept it brief because I knew Abby would-, “I got married!” She thrust her hand forward for him to see her wedding ring. Deacon’s hazel eyes popped wide and took her hand in his and leaned forward so he could get a good look at her sparkling ring, “Wow!” His thumb passed over the center stone as he straightened back up, “He’s a lucky man!” She giggled proudly before she pulled out her phone to show him pictures from the wedding. This was my chance to slip away and grab a saddle, blanket, reins and bit. 

When I returned with the last pieces I needed for my horse Abby was still showing Deacon pictures. It was time to rescue him and get Abby back on track to get her saddle and stuff, “So Deacon, Uncle Anthony said you found your mate.” He lit up, “Yes! I did! And she is absolutely perfect!” He swooned. Abby and I giggled. He was clearly smitten with his mate, “Her name is Phlora and she has the most beautiful blue eyes and raven hair. Her smile….oh and her laugh.” He was practically dancing around the stables as he talked about her. Abby went and got her saddle and accessories for her horse as he talked about Phlora, “Your uncle said you guys would be here for a week right?” I nodded as I brushed my horse, “Then maybe one night we could all have dinner together so you guys can meet her. I’m sure she’d love to meet you guys.” Abby heaved her saddle onto the railing of her chosen horse’s stable, “That sounds like it would be fun. We should totally make plans for that.” I threw the blanket over my horse’s back, “Yeah! We’ll talk to Uncle Anthony and Aunt Lynelle about it tonight and let you know when would be a good time.” Deacon came into my stall and helped me get my saddle on my horse. I appreciated it since my shortness made it difficult to get the saddle up and over the horse’s back without toppling over, though if he hadn’t I still would have tried to on my own without asking for help, “Yeah! I’ll make sure to keep our schedule open for you guys.” He went over and helped Abby with her saddle as well since she too was short, only an inch or two taller than me. 

With our horses ready to ride we hopped up onto the saddles and bid Deacon farewell and headed out towards the forest. By now it was already 10AM. We were in no rush so we urged the horses along at a casual pace. It would take us about an hour to get to the falls. Once under the canopy of the forest the heat of the sun reduced and the air had a cool earthy sweetness to it. It was quiet, the only sounds were a breeze dancing through the trees above and the birds singing and chattering with each other. It was perfect. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, “This was the vacation I needed.” I glanced over at Abby, “No text books, ringing phones, or files that need running.” Abby smiled at me as I lamented the woes of my work life, “I can tell you, there are times I hear those damn phones ringing even when I’m at home.” I held my hand up as she giggled, “And don’t even get me started on the dreams I have in relation to my homework.” I pet my horse’s mane, “Maybe now I can add some of this,” I gestured to the forest around us, “back into my dreams.” Abby looked about us, “Yeah, this would be a nice addition to anyone’s dreams.” 

We continued on to the falls talking, laughing, and singing songs. As we got close to the falls the air got cooler and even sweeter. We let the horses drink from the river and tied the horse’s to nearby trees so they could graze and drink from the river as they pleased. Then we found rocks big enough for us to sit on while we ate lunch. The rush of the falls nearby and the babbling of the river, a gentle breeze, birds singing, and warm sunlight peeking through the dancing trees above. I couldn’t help but keep sighing as if I was making room to drink up the fresh air I couldn’t get enough of.

After lunch we set out for our hike. Starting with climbing the ridge the falls fell from. At the top we were greeted by the crystal clear plunge pool that led back to another waterfall. Vines spilled down the rock face on either side of this waterfall. This one was steeper than the first waterfall and not wanting to risk trying to climb around the vines we hiked around and up. Once at the top we headed back over to the top of the waterfall itself and looked back to where we had come from. We could see the top of the tree we’d tied the horses to but not the horses themselves. Beyond that was the sprawling forest and its lush green canopy. After taking a couple pictures of the view on our phones, there was no reception out here so pictures were all the phones were really good for right now. Not that it was something to complain about. The disconnect is nice. We turned and hiked up along the side of the river.