Fly By

 Crop dusters fly over the Nye homestead.

We had a fly by spaying the other day.  I was out cutting weeds in the pasture and all at once a low flying plane came out of nowhere.  I enjoyed watching it and took a few pictures before the smell got the best of me.  I headed inside with my grandsons, until it got quite outside again. In the evening, my wife and I decided that it would be a great time for a campfire/smores fest.

 Our grandsons, Alex and Ezra totally agreed!  The boys wanted to sit up on Karm and Coke first.  We noticed that no flies were bothering the horses.  Very unusual. 
 Ezra suggested that grandpa ought to get up on Karm too.  I climbed on a concrete block to get on my Percheron mare, which was fine until I jumped down and caught the corner of the block with my shin.  Ouch!

While enjoying the campfire, my wife commented that it was a perfect evening, with no flies or bugs.  It didn't occur to us until later that the fly by, spray-plane had killed off all the bugs in our area.





Fortunately, fire-flies were unaffected.  My grandsons spent over an hour catching and storing them in a jar they used as a nightlight at bedtime.

Grandchild Artwork

        My grandchildren know that I love horses!  My granddaughter Lyla was with her mother at a store and saw a packet of horse stickers, she asked her mom to buy them.  When they got home she had made up her mind that she was going to make a horse picture for her grandpa.  My daughter told me that Lyla wanted her to send me this collage in the mail.  I like how she has put everything together, especially the way she put a saddle on one horse.  Lyla is my horse girl, I'm afraid she has the same bug I have.  I am including a picture of Lyla sitting on Coke, even though this picture has appeared in an earlier post.

        My grandson Alex is my scientist.  He studies books about sea creatures, especially sharks, whales and sea turtles.  He drew this picture for me, I think it is a Percheron.  I am also adding a repeat picture of Alex and myself.  We took a horse drawn wagon ride a few weeks ago, at our place.

This little horse picture was on the envelope.

Amish Acres in Nappanee,Indiana

Amish Acres Round Barn

          After I left Shipshewanna I drove toward Goshen because I knew there would be Amish and Mennonites all the way down to Nappanee.  I got a chance to see some beautiful farms and horses along the way but didn't know I was in for a nice surprise.  

          When I arrived in Nappanee I discovered a place called Amish Acres and they just happened to be having an Arts and Crafts Festival.  I snapped a few pics of the old home place with my trusty cell phone, so I could share them with you.  Down below I will show a few pics of the festival.  As peaceful as this acreage looks, there is a huge crowd on the other side of the barn!

          It is so relaxing to sit on a porch in the evening after a long day of hard work.  The sights and smells of a farm leave a lasting impression on a young child's memory.

           When I was a boy my Grandpa and Grandma didn't have indoor plumbing, it was all part of a fun adventure for me.











           A farm with a variety of livestock and poultry feels so full of life and character. Now days most farms are specialized, raising only one type of livestock, and those hidden away in long enclosed buildings.  I miss driving through the countryside and seeing hogs rooting in a field or chickens scratching and pecking in a yard.

          Horses have so much more personality than a car or a tractor, they can make life more complicated but always more interesting.
          That's what I like about Amish farms... they take you back to the good old days!

          The Arts and Crafts Festival was huge!  I couldn't believe how many booths were there and what a large variety of goods available.

          Food wasn't in short supply either!  I highly recommend bringing the family out to Amish Acres for a day trip.  Even more fun if you happen to get there during the Craft show.

Check out this link for more pictures    https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses

Green Beans Are Ready!

Today was another trip out to the "Home Place" for me (Robyn) and my boys as well as their cousins. My boys LOVE spending time with Grandma Shari in the garden and today was no exception. They were all so cute to give a hand in picking. We later enjoy ours steamed in the microwave and topped with butter and salt. Oh so yummy!
Take a peek at the green bean picking.

 

 

 Time in the garden is always rewarding!
 

A little girl after her Grandpa's own heart. . .

There is a special connection between a girl or a grandpa and their horses. I don't know whether or not it is a born-in-trait or something that's learned but at any rate it's unavoidable to recognize. I captured this special little horse-lovin'-granddaughter playing, playing, reading horses all day yesterday at Grandpa and Grandma's house (that has no lack of horses for that matter).

 

 

I really can't see how it could be any sweeter than this.
 

  all photos on this post are ©RubyEllenPhotography 2013