Fall

Grant’s Farm Clydesdale Tour

Today, Ladybug and I went on a Clydesdale tour at Grant’s Farm:

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We met several famous horses, including Rudy, who is known for the 9-11 Budweiser commercial, and Pedro and Peewee, who have appeared in the last three Super Bowl commercials (and probably the next one, too). We also learned quite a bit about the differences between these horses. Rudy is a retired hitch horse, and because of his large size, was one of the wheel horses, which is the pair closest to the wagon. There are also body, swing, and lead horses (working from the wagon forward), and they are not all interchangeable…each horse has a specific job! Pedro and Peewee, on the other hand, while having the right look, weren’t big enough for the hitch, so their job is to be Budweiser stars!

We learned a lot about the horses in general, and which ones are chosen for the hitch. In order to pull the wagon, a horse needs to be between 18-20 hands high, have a black mane and tail, a dark brown body, white lower legs, and a white face. Also, the right personality is a must! Ladybug is definitely NOT 18 hands high!

We got to walk through the main barn, which used to be the foaling barn:

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We also saw a sled like the ones used in New Jersey when the horses learn how to pull for the first time:

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Their hooves are huge…we saw evidence of this in their prints on the ground, and in one of the shoes we got to hold…it weighs five pounds!

We also got see the show and practice tack. The show tack weighs a combined total of 130 pounds!

While we were on our tour, Ryan and the rest of the children had fun walking around Grant’s Farm, going to an animal encounter, (where Turkey got to hold a python), and riding the carousel:

And we all enjoyed seeing how beautiful Grant’s Farm is in the fall!

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Today was a very fun day, and we all had a good time at one of our favorite St. Louis area locations!

Chickadee Thursday–Forty-Three Months

Today is the rare occasion where “Chickadee Thursday” meets “Dolly Day!”

It looks like fall, but it sure doesn’t feel like it, with the last few days being in the upper 80s. As cute as Chickadee’s outfit was today (she announced that she was a bagpipe when she got dressed…with the plaid skirt, she did kind of look like a kilted bagpiper!), I’m really hoping she’ll be back to wearing her adorable long-sleeved outfits soon!

Walking

One of my favorite things about fall is that the weather cools off enough to make walking to Moose’s school to pick him up at the end of the day, and then walking back home again, is so much more pleasant. We love watching as the trees change color, almost from day-to-day, it seems, and playing in the leaves as we go!

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Chickadee Thursday

We’ve really been enjoying the beautiful fall weather this week…we’ve walked to Moose’s school every day to pick him up. For some reason, today Chickadee asked to ride in her stroller, which she hasn’t used since last May!

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She also had a great time playing in the leaves outside of church before catechesis this afternoon…this is one of the few times I don’t mind blurry pictures, because if you’re playing in leaves and the pictures aren’t blurry, you’re doing it wrong!

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Fall is such a fun season anyway, but it’s even better with a little person to enjoy it with!

Quote

Quote of the Day

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Belleville’s Bicentennial Park

Last week, we finally got a chance to stop by Belleville’s new Bicentennial Park. It’s a beautiful place, especially right now with the leaves turning! There are several nature trails winding through the trees, and it’s a great place to see some local flora (and probably fauna, as well!).

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There are two small play areas…emphasis on small. But they each have a cool theme…one is trees, and the other butterflies. Between the two, there’s one regular swing and one baby swing, a climbing structure, two tunnels, and some stepping flowers.

There’s even a bench in each area to fit the theme!

A nice gazebo sits just off one of the lakes:

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That same lake has a small dock:

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There’s a stream running along the edge of the park:

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A few familiar pieces of art grace the park…I think we’ve seen them (or at least pieces by the same artists), at Art on the Square!

It’s well-marked, so everyone will remember when it was built, and why!

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I will say that it feels like it’s still a work in progress. There are a few paved trails that end abruptly, and it seems like there should be more play areas with different themes. It appears that there are further plans for the park as money becomes available, although I don’t know what those plans are. I look forward to seeing how it changes and improves in the future!