Aaaaand the world continues to shrink! The Pollards are my parents' next door neighbors. Their land sort of hugs Mom and Dad's on two sides, with the creek and the road on the other sides. Before I got my first pony, I used to beg my dad to walk up to the barn with me every Saturday so I could see their horses. Their daughter Nancy is about the same age as my sister, so they grew up playing in the creek and the woods together. They do still have horses, although two of the three they had when I was young are gone now. Rainbow, the little white pony, lived to his mid-40s, I think, and Ben, the big brown one, was probably 30 or so. They still have Scott/Butterscotch, a palomino who was 11 when I was 7 or 8.
I'm hoping Mrs. Roberts' kids will hold onto her land and not let a developer mess with it. Somebody wanted to put a grocery store and strip mall there ten years or so back, but she wouldn't sell to them either, thank goodness! Pebble Creek wanted to buy out the Lyles, our across-the-road neighbors, too, but Norman told them no way, and that he had bought that land to have his bones carried off of it.
Another subdivision that went in just up the road from us actually tried to force the Pollards and us to get rid of all our animals a few years ago -- they said they were concerned that we might go from having a few horses, goats, and chickens to running a commercial pig farm. Yep. That was the plan.We had to really fight to keep our critters, because somehow they were working it so we wouldn't even be grandfathered in. The county ended up creating a new zoning code that allowed for "residential agriculture" or something. I really don't understand why people move to the country (which the subdivision people claimed to love) and then try to make it just like the city!
Yes, the red light took some getting used to, as did the 4-way stop at Piedmont Park and State Park/ E Mtn Creek. So strange!
Sounds like you and your horse were serious multi-taskers! I'm glad you still have one. I haven't ridden much since a bad accident when I was 11, and I miss it! The horses we have now are basically pets who eat a lot.Do you still ride yours?
Lou Ann and I both live right off State Park Rd, behind Hampton Park Church. I know exactly where you two are talking about. I actually drove down State Park from TR earlier this week just to see those areas again. I was also looking at the Turner Farm which is now for sale. I am amazed at the number of neighborhoods that have cropped up off State Park Rd. They are everywhere. Of course, my biggest pet peeve, is the number of houses on the side of Paris Mtn. It's just not the same anymore.
