As it turns out I was a little premature about the changing of the
seasons –
Not only was today’s weather beautifully balmy but a few
last Summer attractions were still open for business. On our way back from
Taftsville, Darlene took us to the Quechee Market on Route 4 and we got to ride
a replica of the Woodstock Railroad Train (twice) with whistle toots to warn
the cars and bell dings to warn the people of our two carriage crossing their
path. I admit, I didn’t expect this only about head high train to muster up as
much speed as it did!
When Ethan spotted the horse carousel after disembarking,
there was no stopping him. He sought out the tallest horse that he could find, asked
me to help him hike up on to it and then shooed my hands away as if to say,
“I’ve got this Mom.”
At long last, a horse ride – albeit of the plastic variety.
When the ride started, I felt him tense up and I reached
over to support his stance. But it seemed that I had misread the situation… He was only
tensing up as he gathered himself for the brightest beaming smile a boy has
ever had! Round and round and round we went (ooh, getting dizzy…) up and down on the big brown horse. Jorja
definitely looked the part too – sitting up straight with her hands on the
reins. Funny how Ethan hadn’t selected a horse with a harness!
When he looked up and saw the rotating mechanism that
fuelled the stallion, I saw his questioning expression but he must’ve thought
to himself, “Whatever…I’m getting a horse ride!” because it didn’t wipe the
smile off his face.
But when the ride ended…
He looked at me in disbelief. What now? Do we just get off
and walk away? Oh no we don’t!
Ethan screamed blue murder, begging us to return to the
carousel and ride the horse some more, all the way down Route 4, down the VA
Cut off Road and on to Route 5 before we arrived at the farm in fact. He was
having such a tantrum that I had to sit in the back between him and Jorja and
act as a human 5-point harness restraint!
We arrived on the farm with ears ringing and exhausted but the stage was set for something much sunnier: a picnic braai on the
hill.
Put together locally produced beef ribs, steaks and pork
tenderloin marinaded in a sweet Sunday sauce, add a tressle table and some chairs on
the tractor-pulled wagon, salads, potatoes, fruit and ice tea, why not some
Frisbee throwing, Jeep exploring, hammock hanging, cattle gazing and sun
tanning…and you’ve got yourself a pretty perfect picnic .
And to top it all off, an ice cream truck passed by for the
first time in three months!
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