julia carpenter
16 Animals Are Watching You: Last Day to Bid on Julia’s Pet Food Paintings
Happy Sunday morning! A guinea hen named Freezy would look good on your wall. Today’s your last chance to bid on Julia’s Pet Food paintings, and every dollar goes to a local animal shelter.
Get a Taste of Pet Food at Happy Valley Filling Station
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Note: Julia’s artist reception for Pet Foot has been rescheduled to September 2 at 5:30 pm
Join my wife Julia and me this Wednesday August 26, September 2 at 5 pm at Happy Valley Filling Station for the opening reception of Pet Food. Pet Food is a collection of 16 of Julia’s… Continue reading
Julia Carpenter on Creative Spirits Unleashed Podcast
Julia Carpenter, my wife, “Equine Seer” and founder of the Two Step Way, was a guest this week on Lynne Carnes’s Creative Spirits Unleashed podcast. If you’re interested in forging stronger bonds with your horse, dog, or yes, even your spouse, family and friends, this is a must-hear interview!
Listen to Julia and Lynne on Episode 94 of the Creative Spirits podcast.
Here is how Lynne… Continue reading
Launching Grit: Storms Delay the Start of Our Shackleford Banks Voyage
Thunder storms, downpours and a tornado. Whew. Today was the day Julia and I were going to launch our sailboat Grit in the Neuse River and head toward Shackleford Banks. Only that didn’t happen on account of the, er, bumpy weather.
Join the Horse Partnership Webinar with Julia Carpenter – February 7th
If you’re interested in forging a stronger bond with your horse—really seeing the being inside the animal you’re working with—I’m inviting you to attend my wife Julia’s free webinar this Saturday. It’s called Exploring the Building Blocks of Partnership, and it’s about connecting with horses, mules, and donkeys in ways you may not have imagined possible.
- Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026
- Time: 1 pm EST
- Register here.
- Cost: Free
If you haven’t officially registered yet, make sure you sign… Continue reading
Bell Bottoms, Wagons & Travel Grit: My 2025 Year in Review
Whew. Well, that was a barn burner of a year. They say time speeds up the older we get, but it should be mentioned that it gets richer, too, if you’re lucky. By that metric, my wife Julia and I have been bonkers lucky in 2025. From filming a PBS NC documentary and sailing North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound to launching my new website TravelGrit.com, this year delivered adventures that’ll keep us smiling well into the New Year.
Listen to a Toad at Night up The Shoebox Canyon
Tonight, as Julia was walking out to the barn to do late check, she called back to me (I was still in the cabin), “Come listen to the toads.” Here’s what I heard and saw.
Click on the audio player below to listen to the frog chorus. While you’re listening, you’ll hear the brook behind our house babbling in the background. Just what you… Continue reading
Ride a Travois, Pet a Mule: Mule Days at Leatherwood Photos
My wife Julia and I have been attending Mule Days at Leatherwood all week. She’s been giving individual sessions of the Two Step Way, of which she’s the founder. I’ve been fitting mules to hoof boots. We got some lovely pics of the goings-on and Mule Days and I thought you’d like these pics.
Happy Thanksgiving From the Shoebox Canyon
Happy Thanksgiving from our cabin up the… Continue reading
To the EQUUS Film Fest in the Crashed, Smashed and Deer-struck Tiny House Wagon Camper
The tiny house wagon camper is hooked to the pickup and Julia and I are heading out to the EQUUS Film and Art Fest. I hope we don’t crash our beloved wagon. Given how many (mis)adventures it’s had, I’m putting my money on the Newfie wagon, as I call it.
A Brief History of the Newfie Wagon
A few years back, I built a… Continue reading
Join us For Mule Days at Leatherwood 2024
Big mules, hairy mules, braying mules and sleepy mules. Mules chewing tie rails, wallowing in mud, running loose and standing with their giant ears flopped out to the side. Yes, Mule Days at Leatherwood is underway this week, May 4 to 10.
My wife Julia and I are attending… Continue reading
Listen to Two Step Way Founder Julia Carpenter On the “Today’s Horsewoman”Podcast
My wife Julia Carpenter, the founder of the Two Step Way, recently gave a great description of her work, along with lots of great examples, on the “Today’s Horsewoman” podcast.
The Two Step Way is a method of quieting the minds of people so they can form a stronger bond with the animals in their lives. It works beautifully for horses, donkey, mules and spouses. Yes, really. Spouses. Click on… Continue reading
A Long Walk Home: Bernie Harberts on the Atlas Obscura Podcast
I recently sat down (via Zoom) with Johanna Mayer of the Atlas Obscura Podcast (#1 Apple travel podcast / 17 million listeners) to talk about riding my mules Brick and Cracker from North Carolina to Idaho. We talked about saddle travel and the loneliness of solo travel. I also described what it’s like to ride a mule across the Ohio River, the second largest river in the United States. That part… Continue reading
Snow on the Pillows
This morning, Julia and I woke up with snow on our pillows. We sleep with our bedroom window open, year-round, and during the night, the season’s first snowstorm blew in. The boundary between the indoors and the outdoors is thin and that’s the way we like it.
Julia went out to feed the critters before coffee this morning. I took some photos you might enjoy. Yes, we’ll get to the coffee. Enjoy!
The Window Stays Open, Even in a Snowstorm
This morning, Julia and I woke up with snow on our pillows. We sleep with our window open, year-round, and during the night, the season’s first snowstorm blew in. The boundary between the indoors and the outdoors is thin and that’s the way we like it.
Julia went out to feed the critters before coffee this morning. I took some photos you might enjoy. Yes, we’ll get to the coffee. Enjoy!
