Christmas 2016

And it was an important year for the Berrys. Philomont claimed the highest snow depth from the historic January storm (38-inches).
Russ worked for a V-DOT contractor plowing public roads through the middle of the night. It was a great and very challanging experience. Never mention snow to Heidi, by the way.
Lenah and Charlotte took over “mouse management” duties in the barn. The sisters came to us from the Middleburg Humane Foundation in Marshall, VA. We highly recommend this organization!
Please don’t buy a dog or a cat from a pet store or a breeder.
Beto continues to wow the crowd with his outstanding self-defense skills. Here, he executes a perfect lumberjack.
In December, Beto was awarded his brown belt.
We spent most of April and May replacing nearly 4,000-feet of 3-board fence. This was a huge and expensive project.
I’d like to offer a special thanks to “Mike” – not really.
In May, Seth defended his Masters thesis at Virginia Tech. Here, he executes a perfect PowerPoint slide demonstrating some complex thought about aeronautical engineering.
In response, I remember thinking to myself, “Nice suit!”
In July, we flew to Seattle, WA for a road trip and horse show. We saw excellent scenery along the Cascade Loop, San Juan Islands, and a roadtrip to Canada (Vancouver and Squamish) along the “Sea-to-Sky Highway.”
At the end of the week, Heidi worked as Senior Judge at a show on Whidby Island. Throughout the year, Heidi has been working on requirements for her 3-Star FEI certification. We are very proud of her accomplishments!
Even while persuing her advancement as a dressage judge, Heidi continues to train Beste Guess (shown at right) and his younger sister, Fabuleste. At the same time, she continues her arduous schedule of teaching riding lessons and homeschooling Beto.
In March, Beto began to work for Chic-fil-A. He has been doing a great job and we are proud of him. He is able to do nearly every kind of assignment in the restaurant. At the same time he has been regularly working for our neighbor.
Unfortunately, while we were in Washington State we received news that our 15-year old dog, Maya had died. She went peacefully but we were all sorry that we were not with her at the end.
Maya was always “faithful” and we miss her.
In September, Seth accepted a job with an engineering firm in Texas and moved there. He loves the challenging work and its associated responsibilities – but he also took on lots of responsibilities with his new house! He has had his hands full and loves the Lone Star State.
In September, Russ obtained his FAA UAS (drone) remote pilot’s certificate and started a business using his videography and photography skills to add a new dimension to KinsmanFarm.com. The goal is to provide images to real estate agencies and homeowners in the area.
Here is our new branch manager. Mango was born on the island of St. Croix in March. Heidi was very patient, searching for just the right rescue dog. Mango is part Whippet and is quite fast. She wears a GPS collar so we can find her if she runs away but so far her training is working and she has bonded with the family.