​The drive to the train station in Düsseldorf had a few exciting moments. Part of it was on a section of Autobahn with no speed limit and the Subaru Forester I was riding in went 110-km/hr. with no problem. Point of interest = that car also had two gas tanks, one for diesel and one for compressed natural gas (biomethane).
No traveler likes to arrive at a train station and hear the words: “That train has been cancelled.” Uhg! So, rather than being 1 hour and 20 minutes early, I had 2 minutes to get on a train to Köln to catch my train to Paris. Also not included in the directions was the fact that the train I was on arrived at a substation in Köln and I had to find a connecting train to get to the main station…, all in a day’s travel.
Arriving in Paris after 10:00 PM was not my first choice and, fortunately, all went well. My friend from London was standing on the sidewalk in front of the apartment I booked through airbnb.com to greet me. She and her traveling companion arrived at the a few hours before me. So, sleep and up to hit the streets and museums first things in the morning. Pinch me!!!
The apartment was in the 18th arrondissement (XVIIIe arrondissement), located what is known as the Right Bank and it is one of the 20 arrondissement (municipal neighborhoods) of Paris. The district of Montmartre contains a hill dominated by the Sacré Cœur basilica and the well-known Moulin Rouge cabaret.
Here are some pictures of the apartment and surrounding streets that greeted me the next morning.

​These pictures are from the Connected Riding training in Germany. Peggy Cummings had 7 students who came together from Germany, Switzerland and the U.K. to deepen their understanding of Connected Riding (CR). I was excited to be on hand to help her and watch them learn.
CR offers riders answers to questions about how to help their horses and themselves that they won’t find anywhere else. Horses are born with extraordinary potential for movement and most training creates tension that destroys that potential. Few riders realize the extent to which their posture affects the horses they ride. CR reveals several indisputable truths about posture and function and shows riders how to make life better for the horses they love.  Based in the concept that it is the person’s responsibility to change from static to dynamic and put dynamic oscillation back into the body of the horse, CR emphasizes functional movement and training methods that promote it.
Of course there are some great pictures of dogs and some kids doing groundwork with and riding ponies. Is this the future of Connected Riding? We certainly hope so!

​Petra’s farm in Tönisvorst is so beautiful. These pictures will show you why I am so taken with the old, historic flavor of a place like this.  There is humor in the photos of the outhouse and the dogs and beauty in the landscape, foliage and horses.

​The Connected Riding instructor training is taking place in Tönisvorst, Germany, a tiny village near Düsseldorf. This village is located in the north of Germany where the land is flat and the buildings, nearly all made of brick, echo the style of houses found in Holland. These pictures are from a walk around town. You can go all the way around the single block in less than 15 minutes but there is so much to see. I think the thing that strikes me the most is the tidy nature of everything and how clean and well maintained the villages are, but the narrow streets are show stoppers for American eyes.            
             

​The weather was damp and cool, but nothing could dampen our spirits. Morning fog added an element of mystery to the German and Dutch landscapes.
The workshop, called Release Your Horse’s Body, teaches an easy to learn and highly effective routine that addresses tension and compensatory patterns in horses and explores the importance of good posture and self-carriage in riding and training.
Sid Erickson, DVM from Montana, developed it and I organized it into a workbook and illustrated it. I have taught this routine several times and enjoy sharing it with interested horse owners and riders.

I left Idaho last Thursday and traveled for 22 hours to Düsseldorf, Germany and I was delighted to see my suitcase arrive there on time! It was already Noon on Friday in Germany with the time change so I had little time to adjust before my workshop began Saturday morning. I was hosted by a friendly and kind German family who created a wonderful experience for me and exemplified the spirit of German hospitality.
Early Saturday morning, my host and friend, Sandy, who was also taking the workshop, drove me ½ hour to a beautiful farm in Holland where I met two women from Slovenia, two women from Holland and two more German women, making us 7 intent on spending a weekend discussing horses, bodywork and posture and learning how to release tension from our horses’ bodies.
Here are some pictures of Germany, Holland and the farm where the workshop took place. I would also like to publicly thank everyone who participated and made the ​wonderful experience possible.

​Also on display, a small collection of contemporary and traditional woodblock prints. My experience in this gallery provided the highlight of my day. Following the tradition of the ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) established by the likes of Utagawa Kunisada who is represented by a print from the series, “A Pictorial Commentary on One Hundred Poems from One Hundred Poets” done in 1842. My favorite was a print from the early 20th century by Elizabeth Keith. Notice that one of the prints on the wall in the shop is the famous Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai. Its complementary color scheme, using mostly blue with orange accents, but it was the patterns of the kimono and the shadow of a leafy tree drew my attention. I could admire just the lower right section of that print for hours. (Sorry, I left my camera in the car and had to use my cell phone to take pictures.)
Looking at Winter Dawn, aquatint, ink and color on paper, 1988, by Sharon Bayer was also wonderful. The atmospheric quality of light and cold, humid air speckled with snow is the real subject of this lovely print.
My eternal favorites from the permanent collection are found in the Japanese rooms. The netsuke collection is nicely displayed on a glass case with lights and rotating pedestals. These precious and tiny works of art, from the Edo period of Japanese history, the time of the samurai, were both aesthetic and a functional. Part of a closing mechanism for bags that served as pockets in men’s’ kimono, the detail, beauty and humor of netsuke make them one of my favorite art forms. You can see what I mean when you view the little Monkey with a Fan carved of ivory. Keep in mind how tiny these objects are, one to two inches is all, when you look at them. The Mountain of Mice is simply amazing.

​If at first you don’t succeed, try; try again.
I had Tuesday morning free to visit the Schnitzer Art Museum on the University of Oregon campus, but, alas, the museum is closed on Tuesdays. Fortunately, some time opened up on Wednesdays, so I was able to get back and see the permanent collection and some rotating exhibits. The Postwar Japanese Print collection was still being installed, but I saw some fascinating art.
The hand-cut paper overlays by Catalina Delgado Trunk were fascinating. This delicate technique has a powerful visual impact that stopped me dead in my tracks by inviting a closer, intimate inspection. My personal favorite was the Queen of the Night/Goddess of the Moon that illustrates a Mesoamerican myth about how it was decided who would light the world near the ancient city of Teotihuacan. When a test of fire produced a tie, the angry gods struck the wealthier contestant with a rabbit, dimming his light and producing the moon.
The exhibit called The Nature of Religion, which showcased paintings by Olga Volchkova, was fabulous. From a distance these paintings speak of the Orthodox Christian icon painting tradition. Volchkova creates iconographic types that become universal symbols that provide visual narratives about the mythologies humans have created around plants. Decorative, edible and medicinal plants are detailed and represented along with imaginary saints that lend gravity to each composition.