In and out of Atlanta

In a whirlwind trip this week, the kids and I blew into Atlanta to spend time with some friends and so I could meet my instructor to get certified in infant survival swimming.
The Daisy wanted to visit the horse rescue where we'd gotten three of our horses. Of course, she fell in love immediately with Deja Vu. I, of course, liked this big guy: The Boo found an ally in this donkey: These dwarves are too cute but have deformaties in their feet. These are the kind of horses you let live in the house! While I'm not as freaked out about birds as I used to be ... enough said: The rescue got in this mustang who is extremely distrustful of people; however, it came up to the fence where The Daisy was. If The Boo hadn't run up right before this shot, it would have shown something pretty amazing. This is Bravo, a Shire, 6 now. He is the first horse we started working with at the rescue when he was just a baby.If I'd shown up at the rescue with a horse trailer, Cheryl, the director, would've loaded me up and I would've taken this horse/mule just because I liked her name: Catfish. This picture doesn't do this dessert justice. It was called Mountain High Pie and it was! We demolished it. My well-planned day went haywire pretty quickly and I missed getting to go to dinner with my friends but they waited for me and I was able to join them for coffee. Call this the go-to-bed-at-2am-then-get-up-early-and-drive-9-hours preview shot.

My Breeder's Cup experience

Back in June, my friend Kim in Florida told me she was going to the Breeder's Cup and I should go too. Okay! Got my ticket, waited with anticipation ... turns out Kim has a conflict and can't go. I tried to sell my tickets, despite EVERYONE telling me I HAD to go because this was going to be Zenyatta's last race.I'm a Johnny-come-lately to the Zenyatta bandwagon, but who can argue with a 6-year-old mare undefeated in 19 starts? So by the time last Saturday rolled around, I was excited to watch her last race. History in the making. I wasn't worried about going by myself because I'll talk to anybody and turns out I had good company by the time the Big Race arrived.
My plan was to get to Churchill Downs and park myself next to the paddock and NOT MOVE until Zenyatta came in for the last race. I got there ... and 5,000 other people had the same idea. I was able to wiggle my way in to stand at the rail and there I stood ... for THREE AND A HALF HOURS not moving. Not too bad until the sun went down then I was absolutely freezing. Shivering, numb in my legs and feet.
Then the TV monitors showed Zenyatta being walked over for the Breeder's Cup Classic. She was doing her pre-race dance.
Of course, now is the time some drunk redneck woman worms her way to the rail next to me and continued to talk LOUDLY about how much she loved Zenyatta and "look at her doing her dance, you know they're cueing her to do that" blah blah blah. I'd waited too long by that rail to start a ruckus in telling this woman to shut it, although I would've been hailed a hero.
The crowd was absolutely unreal. In walks Zenyatta and straight to the saddling area ... All you could see in the paddock was about 300 camera cell phones in the air taking her picture.Jockeys up, a walk to the track ... Here's a picture of Zen's headand her butt ...And that was the best I could do. I ran to my seat to watch the race ... I tried getting a picture as they ran by the first time, but because I couldn't see anything, didn't get Zenyatta going by. She was, of course, last as she always raced.I didn't think she was going to make it. Quarter mile to go, she makes her move. I watched as the field went past us again and Zenyatta is rallying, making up 20 lengths. I have never screamed that loudly EVER.
And then it was over. And I thought I would cry.

I jogged out to the shuttle. Everyone was quiet. Everyone heartbroken.
But I got to see her. She walked right by me in the paddock. Zenyatta is arguably the greatest racehorse of modern day. She was what racing needed.
I hung out with a woman and her granddaughter who just thought it would be fun to the come to the races and bought their tickets just that week.

So what did I do for the rest of the time I was there? Took pictures of Sean Clancy, publisher of The Steeplechase Times, who was doing radio commentary for HorseTalk Radio. Sean was riding steeplechasers back when I was a reporter for the Camden, S.C., paper so I knew of him. We just met formally back in the spring. I couldn't get his attention so I just took pictures.

Here's a guy in a kilt. I don't know what his deal was.This is Aikenite, owned by Dogwood Stable in South Carolina. Rallied in his race but finished in the middle.Goldikova won her race for the third year in a row.Here is the Breeder's Cup blanket:Oh look, there's Sean again:

The coolest picture!

The Daisy and I noticed thousands of blackbirds in our yard and she ran out to get their picture and captured this one on the road in front of our house. A lucky shot and very good!

Scary!

That's my most creative pumpkin ever!

Here is The Daisy's witch hat (using positive and negative space)
And the kids' pasta skeletons (The Daisy's is jumping off a diving board, she says)

Field trip: Newport Aquarium

Last week was homeschool day at Newport Aquarium. Since my memory is short, it wasn't until I was in the will call line that I remembered I said LAST YEAR that I would not go to the aquarium during homeschool day because it was so crowded. I must make a note of it!
Really, it surprises me how many times the kids can go to the aquarium and still find it enjoyable. This go round, The Daisy decided she was going to sketch fish. This lasted through only two fish then the sketch pad was pocketed. Dadgum fish wouldn't hold still!

So I love this ... at the display of this alligator snapping turtle (and there's one this big in our creek), just look at The Boo's eyes! "I'm not turning my back on THAT thing!"
In two places in the aquarium there are plexiglass walk-overs. Well, The Boo would have nothing to do with the first one and then ... he found himself on one quite by surprise. Uh oh. When he realized that he was NOT going to fall through, this became the highlight of the aquarium visit and he walked over this one four times back and forth. Then he did a little dance right in the middle and yelled,"I'm brave!" Yes, you are, little man.

Now The Daisy is up for anything and I've never had to hold her back from anything so from the time she was little, she was always at a touch tank. Not The Boo. When the sharks swam by here, he gave up the whole bravery notion ... then reconsidered after he saw his sister hanging around with her hands in the tank and remaining intact. So he did pet one and, again: "I'm brave!"

We had a little time to kill after leaving so the bookstore is always a good stop ... if I can get out of there without spending any money! The Daisy grabbed a book on mythology and The Boo played trains with another kid until time to go. Note to self: skip next year's homeschool day at the aquarium.

What happens when Mom naps

The homeschool art project becomes your brother.

"Please don't make me pet the chicken."

This week we added three new hens to our flock, bringing our total up to eight hens and one rooster. Over summer, I had four total roosters and the crowing was non-stop! At least this remaining rooster wakes us around 5:30 every morning and then it's done.
While I am scared of birds - don't ask me why because I don't know and one day I'll share with you how my daughter THREW a chicken at me last year - the kids are very attached to most of these hens. And now The Daisy has grabbed a pretty tame hen from the neighbor's house, named it Flicker, and had it sit in on school last week. Meanwhile, The Boo had one of the kittens "petting" the hen. Just look at that poor thing's face - "Please don't let anybody see me petting this chicken." I had to get in on the action by setting up this Transformer dude to face off against Flicker. Just so you know, the other roosters were sold at an auction, and I get about three eggs a day from my producing hens and I'm overrun with eggs! These new ones are pretty young so I don't know if they're laying yet.