Fun With Funder!

                                               by Laura Crum

            I have been reading horse blogs for four years now—ever since I was invited to join the newly created equestrianink blog (thank you, Jami!). During those years I have gotten to “know” many other bloggers. I read their posts, I comment on their blogs, they comment here. Sometimes we start emailing each other. And now that I am doing facebook (I know, I said I never would, but my publisher insisted I had to), we comment on each other’s facebook pages. Some have become real friends. And once in awhile I even get to meet that friend in real life. After years of online friendship, this is a pretty big thrill. (I’m pretty sure that most of you out there know what I mean—having has this experience yourselves.)

            One of the blogs I have followed for a long time is Funder’s “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time”, listed on the sidebar. When I started reading it, Funder lived in Memphis. Over the years she moved to Ohio, then to Reno, Nevada. Her horse Dixie went from being a goofy, green critter to a good endurance mount (completing 50 mile events). Funder chronicled all this with humor and grace, always keeping it real. Her blog became one of my very favorites. And she became my personal “go to” consultant for questions about the cyberworld and cyberworld relationships, since I am old enough and inexperienced enough in this area to feel bewildered a lot of the time. Funder has been a wonderful internet friend. So I was thrilled when she moved to San Francisco last month and we set up a date to meet.

            Schedules and such being allowed for, Funder drove down from her home to visit me here (near Santa Cruz, on the Monterey Bay) this last Weds (trip takes a little less than two hours). And when she got out of the truck, it was as if I’d known her for years. It was pretty amazing. And a great lesson in what cyberfriendships can create.

            We toured my humble abode and Funder met my horses. Here we are trying rather unsuccessfully to get Sunny to pose with us.

            Funder and a sulky Sunny.

            We talked about going for a trail ride then and there, but my local trails are thick with poison oak right now. I’m not very susceptible to the rash, but Funder was pretty sure she is, based on past experience. We agreed she would haul Dixie down at a later date and we’d ride on the (poison oak free) beach. Then we headed out for Mexican food and margaritas by the bay. Though since we are responsible adults (!) and we had to drive, we only had one apiece.

After coffee and lots and lots of yakking about everything and anything, we marched to the edge of a convenient cliff for a good look at the Monterey Bay, which Funder had never seen. Here she is, looking out at the blue, blue Pacific. If you look real close, you can see my reflection in her sunglasses, taking the photo.

            It was an absolutely lovely, breathtaking day. Sunny, brilliant, 72 degrees. I was so happy that Funder got to see my part of the world at its very best. Here’s what it looked like.

            And after that Funder drove home along the coast in the spectacular sparkling weather. I’m sure she saw some more lovely things. And I was really tickled that we got to meet and hang out. Can’t wait until she brings Dixie down to ride with me.

            So, fun with Funder was had—I absolutely couldn’t resist that title(!) I’m so glad we got to meet.