Adding To My Collection....Again!

I have amassed 2 (very) small collections of Sidesaddle related items, unless you count the fact that I have several saddles!  One is of antique stirrups and the other is what every sidesaddle rider desires :  BOOKS!!!

For the past 3 years I have been looking for a copy of the out of print art book of Alfred De Dreux that was (ahem) AFFORDABLE!

...and I could hardly believe my eyes when I found one.  I know everyone has their own favorite equine artist and indeed there are several amazing ones, but Mr. De Dreux suits my visual palate to a T!  This book contains many prints of paintings by him I have never seen - both sidesaddle related and not.  I spent well over an hour pouring over this wonderful book and I could not even read it because it is only publised in French!

Cammie King..

..or as we knew her, Bonnie Blue Butler

 Eleanore Cammack "Cammie" King (August 5, 1934 – September 1, 2010) was an American former child actress. She is best known for being one of the actresses who portrayed "Bonnie Blue Butler" in Gone with the Wind (1939). She also provided the voice for the doe "Faline" as a fawn in the animated Disney film, Bambi (1942).

 King was born in Los Angeles, Californic. While her acting career only spanned four years during her childhood, she appeared in two of the biggest movies of the era, Gone with the Wind and Bambi.

 She was the godchild of Herbert Kalmus, co-founder of Technicolor, and became his stepchild in 1949 when he married her mother, Eleanore King. Cammie King was married twice and had two adopted children.   Her father-in-law from her second marriage, Judd Conlon, was a musical arranger for many Disney films including Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953).

In the early 2000s, King made a guest appearance as a contestant on the TV game show To Tell the Truth, hosted by John O'Hurley. Upon reflecting on her film career, King once joked, "I peaked at 5." She spent 40 years working as a marketing coordinator for the Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce.
King privately published a small book Bonnie Blue Butler: A Gone With the Wind Memoir in 2009, mainly selling copies directly to fans via personal appearances and the internet. King died on September 1, 2010, at her home in Fort Bragg, CA. at age 76, from lung cancer. She is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Speaking of Books...

There is something just wonderful about a book. I know that the Kindel other such inventions, have stormed the market, but to me nothing rivals the feeling of holding a leather bound book in my hands...and if it happens to be a first edition, my heart will skip a beat!

One of the first books I bought to help me learn to ride aside was The Sidesaddle Legacy. I read and reread this book...and to this day, I still go back to it as a reference.

..and another was the The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Sidesaddle, which I highly recommend! This wonderful book will educate you in the 'lingo' of our sport and help you understand any other manuscript about the subject!

Books I Currently Do Not Own.

To Whom The Goddess is a book that comes up on E-bay every so often that I would love to own!

..and another, A Young Ladies Equestrian Manuel looks interesting.

..and this is seen by many as the Sidesaddle Bible, Sidesaddle Doreen Archer Houblon ~ this is a revised edition by Sylvia Stanierby. I have bid on a few copies of this book, but it seems to have eluded my capture. Not for long though, I hope!

My Birthday Gift...

..from my husband was a bit delayed...

...but SOO appreciated! It is a first edition of The Horsewoman by Alice M. Hayes that is in pristine condition!
Thank you Sweetie!

I Was Crying Like a Baby..

I have learned to live minute by minute over the last 2 years... I fall to pieces if I try to plan too far ahead because there is always the risk that something planned will have to be cancelled. That is so disheartening. For some odd reason a lot of people think I have it all together... Boy are they all WRONG!!! I just want you to know that I have some really crazy bad days .. where I have to fight off depression and tears all day.

Anyway - back to the story... today has been one of those bad kind of days. I could feel it the minute I opened my eyes. Don had to leave for work early and today he has to work "bell to bell" which means open to close. There is no rhyme or reason to all of this .. since I do have things to do today.. but it still was a struggle to get up and going. Once in motion, I did feel better. I fed the animals.. which I love to do. I wrapped some gifts for my daughter and her family. They will be leaving tomorrow for their new home in Mississippi. Then I heard my dogs barking. It was our mail lady. She was driving up our driveway. I ran down to meet her and she handed me a rather large parcel.

I walked back upstairs before I opened it. To my complete surprise, the package was sent from Brita, a Saddlebred, sidesaddle enthusiast and the most gifted gardener I have ever met! I carefully tore the wrapping away to reveal this treasure. The second I saw it Brita, tears were falling down my cheeks.












I curled up in the corner of my sofa and carefully thumbed through this magnificent book. Your generosity has gone beyond what you could have imagined.. All the hours I spend in hospital rooms and waiting rooms, I lug along a back pack with no less than 3 books. Some to read, some to entertain and a very special few that just allow me to get lost in my own imagination and dreams for the future. That is what this book represents to me... time to explore my dreams and something to make the time fly when it would other wise grind to a halt!
















Brita... I just cannot thank you enough.
Julie

A Book I Want..& a Bit About Me..

Judging by the number of e-mails I have been getting from people who tell me they have just discovered this blog - I can easily assume that there are a few new readers. Hi!!! So just in case you don't know.... I am kind of different. (snicker snicker) I have always said that I would rather have one really nice thing made to perfection than 10 mediocre things. Well, that theory was put to the test when we bought our farm. I designed our barn. Here it is from the outside.














Originally we were only suppose to live here for about 5 years - but life happened! We have now been living above our barn for 9 years. Don and I love our cozy little barn house...and that says a LOT since he was the guy whose fantasy house was (and I quote) the largest house on the smallest lot with plastic grass! Wow - has he changed!

Anyway - back to the story. I am detail OBSESSED. If you doubt me - look at the interior of our barn. I spent 4 hours yesterday power washing it. I just love the feeling I get after my little barn is all clean.


















Sooo - now that you know what a NUT I really am, would it surprise you that I am foaming at the mouth over this book?

Out of Print Books ~ Part 2

When I started this journey.. everyone and I mean EVERYONE who had any experience in riding aside told me to try and get my hands on this book written by Mrs. Houblon. It appears every once in a while on e-bay and usually costs around $50.00 If you can find it for less then that, you have found yourself a bargain.
















Although I have not read the following books, I would indeed love to own them one day!

!

Out Of Print Books...

..That I would love to own!


















I have read this one. My instructor Kelli owns it and she lent it to me.

Recently on E-Bay..

..a book entitled 'Official Horse Show Blue Book; Devon Horse Show', published in 1920, commanded a whopping price of $250.00. Did I want this book - YES I DID! Did I win this book... uhh - no, sadly not for that price, but it made me wonder about the buyer. Was this a book collector, a sidesaddle memorabilia collector, or possibly someone who fancied the history of the Devon Horse Show. It could have been a Saddlebred historian or even a Hunt rider.. What a wonderful book to have in ones collection.. but alas - not in mine. I am, however, very glad that I saved these pictures to share with you!