Rolex Three Day, KY

We're in Kentucky, filming a half hour episode in various destinations across the state, including Lexington. I just left the Rolex Three-Day, one of the most exciting equestrian sporting events in the world. The horses and riders in this competition, especially Karen O'Connor and her horse, Theodore O'Conner, are truly amazing. I can't imagine the exhilaration they must feel as they take on water jumps, intimidating hedges, giant ducks, and steep drop offs.

Though the day began with rain, the clouds cleared to reveal blue skies by noon. I was able to gain insight into the event by interviewing Jane Beshear, First Lady of Kentucky and an accomplished equestrian. The First Lady has been closely tied to the Rolex since it's inception. I asked her what she thought it took for these horses to make it to this level. The First Lady emphasized not only the athleticism these horses posses, but also the heart it takes to excel at this level of competition. As an eventer, the First Lady can relate to the riders and their horses.

The day was not without its obstacles. As I write this, we nervously await word on the condition of fan favorite Lainey Ashker and her horse Frodo Baggins who experienced an unfortunate fall early on. It's never easy to see a rider fall. We wait breathlessly for both to get up. Unfortunately Lainey was airlifted to a local hospital and Frodo Baggins received on the spot emergency veterinary care, before he too was taken away. They will remain in our thoughts.

Mont Tremblant Skiing

I haven’t been skiing in years. As a child, we used to go every winter, but I definitely did not have confidence in my abilities going out today at Mont Tremblant. So, I took a lesson, and it was like riding a bike. It was great.

Braham, my instructor went through the basics again with me. He picked a nice, easy, long trail. On a normal run, it would have taken us 20 minutes to get down. Filming made it take 1.5 hours. It was fun along the way though and I definitely want to go back to Mont Tremblant for some more skiing.

After the lesson, Braham and I put up our skis and walked over to Le Shack, a place in Mont Tremblant’s colorful village that is known for its poutine. Yes, I tried the poutine, a comfort food dish eaten all over Quebec and even served at McDonalds. It consists of French fries, covered in gravy and cheese curds. The cheese curds initially threw me off. I wasn’t sure that I would like them, but with the gravy and fries, the curds melted a bit and I have to say that I liked the poutine! Now, that doesn’t mean that I could eat the whole heaping bowl of it, but it was good. To add even more to my junk food fix, I tried a beaver tail. This is a fried dough pastry thing covered in the toppings of your choosing. I went for chocolate sauce, icing, and peanut butter M&Ms. Oh yeah!. I guess for me, Mont Tremblant’s village was a little like a trip to an amusement park. Pure gluttony.

Montreal, Quebec

In Montreal, we were fortunate enough to be able to visit the mounted police in Quebec’s Mont Royal Park, which is like New York’s Central Park. There are twenty Canadian horses that the park police use when patrolling, not only the park, but the entire city. The horses and their stables are well taken care of. They ride all year round in the park, except when it is very, very cold and sleeting. Marie, one of the officers, has a true passion for her horses, especially Diablo, who is a Canadian breed. She talked about how great the strong and smart Canadian horses are for their line of work.

I really like Old Montreal. We stayed at Place d’Armes Hôtel, a hip, boutique hotel, which though modern, has managed to maintain it’s rustic brick interiors as well. The location was great, right in the center of Old Montreal, so we were able to go to a nearby pastry shop, Café Europea, and try these neon macaroons, which give a nice sugar boost in the afternoon. They were light and airy, but also tasty. They were filled with different fillings, like caramel apple whiskey flavoring, hazelnut, mint chocolate, and more. Yum! We also headed to a high spot in Mont Royal Park, a belvedere where you can see the entire city.