It has been better than two weeks since we last blogged from the farm - and it has been very, very busy here! So much has been happening - Skeeter sold to a real nice man in South Carolina (we KNOW he'll have a good home there!) and his owner came up for a two day, intensive workshop to learn how to drive and care for Skeeter. We held another workshop, and this time a man from North Carolina spent a full week with us, learning the ropes of the carriage industry in order to obtain a license in Asheville to run his own company. In between it all, we have had weddings and carriage rides, put new shoes on most of our horses, trimmed and otherwise groomed horses for the fall schedule, had visitors to the farm and shop, and started Scott's Orchard in Glastonbury, going into its third week. Be sure to visit us there!
We don't anticipate much of a break until after New Year's!
Photos: Top: Terry with helper Christine on the wagonette shuttling people at vineyard wedding. Second: Lincoln on the vis-a-vis at the same wedding.Third: Skeeter with his new owner, Alvin.Fourth: Casey from North Carolina learning the carriage trade.Fifth: At the sub base, giving rides for "Oktoberfest".Sixth: Scott's Orchard, one of our favorite places to be in Autumn!
Close up of my wedding flowers, courtesy my parents. They are so beautiful, I just had to share them!
After nearly 10 years, Terry and I finally made it official and got married on September 9, 2009. It was a very small gathering of friends and immediate family at one of our favorite places, the vineyard in Lisbon. Naturally, Duke & Diesel carried us there in our black vis-a-vis. Shown here with us is our friend Patty Naegeli officiating.
My favorite quote is, "A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color", and Gillette proves it every time. Today we put him on an antique horse powered tread mill, a Leslies Internal Double Gear Treadmill from 1896. It is owned by Blue Slope Country Museum in Franklin, and Gillette will be demonstrating its uses at their fall event on October 3 & 4. Be sure to go to the event to see just how this treadmill works, and what kind of equipment it can power with just one horse! There are plans to demonstrate it with our friends' donkey, too.
Monday (Labor Day) was no vacation day for us! The day started off with visitors to the shop (quite a few throughout the day, actually). We hooked up our Lincoln to a spring wagon we have for sale and demonstrated it. We are happy to report it now has a good home along side a Percheron mare we sold over a year ago. After our morning ride with Lincoln, we had regular chores to complete and a half-load of hay to put up into the loft. Then, horses to bathe and the carriage to clean, decorate and load for the afternoon's wedding at both Harkness
Park in Waterford and the Shennetucket
Country Club in Groton
. All in all, a very productive day, with lovely weather besides.
Photos: Top: The bride & groom take their dogs along for pictures after the ceremony at the Harkness Park amphitheater.
Bottom: Along the Long Island Sound waterfront at Harkness.
My new silky hen pretty much keeps to herself at this point. She seems very shy and timid, and stays around the coop most of the day. In due time, however, she will assimilate herself in with the rest of my flock. Our peacocks and quail now have a large, airy run, with plenty of sand and natural habitat to keep them busy and happy. Shown here are our baby peacocks - the brown one will hopefully turn into a blue & green; the grey one will be white & silver. With any luck, they will both be males.
Last night was business as usual for us, but with a twist - no horses. We had a Sweet 16 in Wallingford with our sleigh on wheels for a "winter wonderland" themed party. This photo shows the birthday girl, Jessica, with her court of boys, five girls and her escort.
Yesterday we delivered Annie the roan Percheron to her new owners, Andrew and Anna. Andrew, waiting at the barn for us, literally leaped for joy when he saw us driving up the street! Annie is in good hands now and we hope the best for her and her new owners.
After delivering her, we took off on a long ride to upstate New York for a load of hay. It literally took all day but was well worth the trip - we brought back the most beautiful load of grass hay and have already sold better than half the load.
Photos: Top: Annie & Andrew at her new barn.
Bottom: New York hay at its finest.
What a beautiful day it is. The horses all seem content, munching away at their never-ending pile of hay in the sunshine. Gillette uses the round bales not only as sustenance, but as a bed to lay his weary bones on (he is shown here merely standing on his pile - just moments before I took the picture he was laying flat out in it).Later this afternoon I plan to finish off the coop for the peacocks (no, it is STILL not complete). A friend brought me a white silky hen earlier - she will make a nice addition to my flock, especially since the rooster is a black silky.
Yesterday we spent the better part of a beautiful day moving my son, Brandon, into his new apartment in Manhattan. Although Terry, who had the dubious job of driving to, from, and within - the most treacherous part - didn't care for it much, I LOVED it! I am just beside myself knowing Brandon is in a creative, joyous place! Here at home, we have our own joy - the horses in our paddocks, Maegan picking grape tomatoes out of the garden, and the sunflowers that tower to the second floor of our house. Country sky scrapers.Today is a chilly morning. Terry has already made his way back over I95 South, this time past Brandon's city to Amish Land in PA. He is after a load of hay and harnesses. I am home taking care of Maegan, who has her first day of 12th grade, and the horses. The three greys and Dolly and the bays got a new round bale in their paddocks last night, and will be set for the next five days or so.
It has been better than two weeks since we last blogged from the farm - and it has been very, very busy here! So much has been happening - Skeeter sold to a real nice man in South Carolina (we KNOW he'll have a good home there!) and his owner came up for a two day, intensive workshop to learn how to drive and care for Skeeter. We held another workshop, and this time a man from North Carolina spent a full week with us, learning the ropes of the carriage industry in order to obtain a license in Asheville to run his own company. In between it all, we have had weddings and carriage rides, put new shoes on most of our horses, trimmed and otherwise groomed horses for the fall schedule, had visitors to the farm and shop, and started Scott's Orchard in Glastonbury, going into its third week. Be sure to visit us there!
Photos: Top: Terry with helper Christine on the wagonette shuttling people at vineyard wedding. 
