As a result of my love for horses and connection with the hobby, I have made many life long friends. My penpal, Susan Jensen, is one of them. She found my name in Horse and Rider magazine and first sent me a letter introducing herself in 1970. We were both twelve and have been writing ever since.
Letters from the mid 1970s, two with my old college dorm address!
Sue and me goofing around at Universal Studios in 1975. (Okay, so I am the goof; Sue's acting respectably.)
Sue with her niece and sister in 2018.
We have been through a lot together - Sue lost a husband to an aggressive brain tumor and is currently battling breast cancer. I have three brain tumors myself (thankfully, all benign and behaving) and have had a host of surgeries including my most recent pancreatic surgery. We've buried parents and other loved ones, raised families, and through it all...
... the letters keep coming.
Sue was very active in the early days of the model horse hobby but showing her real horses eventually took precedent. In the late 1980s she gifted me with her three favorite models:
Tico,
On the Run,
2020 will be a big year for me - not only will it will mark my 50th year in the formal model horse hobby, but it is also another special anniversary. Sue and I will have been friends and penpals for 50 years, too.
I am thinking that for Happy Trails next June, I will create some special classes to celebrate both.
