Best Business Trip EVER, Continued...

Day One: Newburyport, MA. 
View while I downed my AM coffee.

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to mix business with pleasure in a way I've never managed before.  I was making sales calls in Massachusetts and was able to meet up with a blogging buddy I'd met through my efforts here on AWIP. 

We met at her barn, loved on her mare (who is also named Sugar!!) and settled in to watch a few rides of a dressage clinic that was being held at the facility where she boards.  It was honestly the best ending to a long day of sales calls that I've ever had.

Fast forward a few days. The town of Plymouth made sense as a centralized base for my last two days of meetings.  You've heard of Plymouth.  It's home to the site of that famous Rock.  You know, the most visited rock in New England (really?  there are statistics on rock visitation?) the one the Pilgrims supposedly disembarked upon?  More importantly, to me anyway, it's home to Cupcake Charlies, contestants on FoodNetwork's Ace of Cakes 100th episode celebration.  If you are ever in Plymouth, Cape Cod, or Newport, Rhode Island, do yourself a favor and stop by this little slice of heaven on earth.  I recommend the Hostess With the Mostess cupcake.  Or the Chocolate Overload.  Or the Lemon Drop.  Or the Peanut Butter Pleasure.

Plymouth Rock.  A little underwhelming, right?

Whoops!  Got a little carried away there.  Give me a minute to wipe off the drool and we'll move on...

So, it turns out that while I was in Plymouth my dear friend/first riding instructor and her daughter were going to be just down the road in Halifax, horse showing at Fieldstone Show Park.  Sweeeeeeeeeet!  Not only did I get to hang out with them and catch up over a very nice dinner, thanks to the hurry-up-and-wait nature of horse shows I was able to catch a couple of Kendall's rounds after my meetings.   



Not only did I get to see some of Kendall's rides, I was able to catch bits and pieces of other classes as well.  I don't know about you, but spending I can park myself at a horse show all day and never run out of things to do.  The Fieldstone Show Park is also not hard to enjoy.  The park is close to a number of activities, like whale watching, fishing, shopping, and various historical sites, so non-horsey family members can find stuff to do while you are waiting at the in-gate or for planning post-show family excursions. 



OK, nix the whale watching, I'm doing this!



The show itself has some pretty good shopping, and the grounds are lovely.  The derby field is gorgeous, and the rings all have fabulous high-tech footing.  More importantly, the furthest ring is no more than a 5 minute walk from the stabling, so you don't need a golf cart.  The park is set in a pine forest, so there's tons of shade for competitors, as well as strategically placed picnic tables for lounging about between classes of for watching a class in progress. I'm planning to cajole my trainer into adding it to the schedule for next year, then working like a madwoman to be able to make the trip.

LOVED the Boston Sports team fences!

Watching Kendall school prior to her class.



Best Business Trip EVER!!!!  Luckily I had very productive meetings with my clients, and I was able to satisfy the horsey jones while I was not working. WINNING!!!