Just Around The River Bend

After Joe and Emily's wedding, Connor and I spent a few more days in Kentucky with family. On one of the evenings, we had a big ole potluck. There were even several rounds of volleyball played. I've never had enough relatives to play volleyball with, so it was extra fun for me.

Watch out Hammer! Connor can't see you there.

The donkeys had been nervous around me the whole time we had been on the farm, but on potluck day they let me feed them. If you'll note that in the back left of the image there is a cow lurking; a cow named Mouse.

Mouse got in on the action. Imagine if you were feeding Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars. That is what feeding a cow feels like. Its tongue is so hutt-like. I did my best to drop the carrot on top of her tongue, but I still got cow spit on me.

In the evening all the cousins went searching for fireflies so I could see one up close. I'd only ever seen them once when I was really, really young. It was the end of firefly season, but there were a few out. Logan caught one for me, but it refused to light up after we put it in a bottle. After releasing the firefly, Connor and I spent some time taking pictures of the cows.

Snowball was an excellent model

The next day a bunch of us went on an 11 mile (18 km) canoe trip. It should have taken four hours, but it took us closer to six.

I'm really glad I got to be part of this trip. The views were amazing and I enjoyed everyone's company.

Just around the river bend! 

Make no mistake, though. By the end of the trip, we were all pooped out. 

But as we drove off, the fireflies came out again to share their magic with us. I can't wait to go back. 

Farmhouse Views

Dad had promised me that I would get to sleep in a bit in Raglan. That lasted until about 7:30AM. A rapid pounding on the door was followed by, "Get up. It's really pretty outside." I grudgingly pulled on some trousers and stepped onto the porch to see this. 

And this.

Hardly seems fair. I wish this was my morning view more often.

Norris gave us a tour of his farm, including the milking shed. The cows get milked twice a day at the beginning of the milking season, just once late into the milking season, then not at all to give them a rest. They currently weren't milking the cows. 

I was impressed to learn about all the different checks that go on at the farm to make sure the milk is of a high quality. 

After the tour we headed back the the house before leaving. The farmhouse had been built in the early 1900s, and later had an addition put on. The wing we stayed in was part of the old farmhouse, which looked similar to how I imagined the manor in Wuthering Heights would look. 

We said our goodbyes. I was especially sad to leave Buoy, the six month old farm dog. He was a sweetheart. My favorite bit was watching him get tangled up in my Dad's shoelaces while Dad was trying to tie them. Buoy just wanted to be part of the action.