So, this morning we woke up nice and early and started our 2 hour drive to the German border. During the drive I did some of the last cross stitches on my cross-stitch. Now for that top stitching that brings the whole picture to life! =) I always enjoy car rides…ever since I was a little girl.
We arrived at the farm at 10 a.m. The owner met with us, and we signed paperwork, etc. Then we went out to the waiting horse and buggy, and the man showed us how to drive and all that good stuff.
After Dad got the hang of it, the five of us started off for an enjoyable ride. At first Eddy, our horse, seemed to find that walking in a zigzag manner was enjoyable, and then he decided he liked the left side of the road better than the right side. Dad commented that Eddy probably thought he was in England (where they drive on the wrong side of the road). That was funny.
We drove down beautiful country roads and passed many well kept, Dutch farms. What beautiful places! I wouldn’t mind living in some of the mansions we saw. Wow!
It was rather humorous; every time we rode by a pasture, whether occupied by horses or cows, they all headed for the fence and just stood there staring at us. Maybe they get jealous when they see a free animal wandering about. (shrug) Who can understand an animal? As for Eddy, our horse, he probably would have rather not had to carry our 600 and something pounds around. =D In any case, I appreciated the cooperation of the horses and cows, because I got some awesome shots. Absolutely beauteous!
We were enjoying the scenery so much that we lost our way and had to retrace our steps for about a mile or so. As we did so, we met up with the other horse and wagon we had seen back at the farm. It appeared we would be sharing the same trail. Wanting to get away from people, I wasn’t too impressed with the situation, but as they say, such is life. It certainly got interesting when Eddy, our friendly pal pulling us around, became excited upon noticing the scent of the female horse, Iris, pulling the wagon ahead of ours. I was extremely glad that my dad believes in keeping in shape, because he needed every muscle he could spare to keep that horse in check. To be perfectly honest, it was rather scary!
Realizing that to go on following that buggy would be dangerous if not stupid, we stopped right where we were and ate lunch. We made sure Eddy’s picket rope was securely pounded in the ground before daring to leave him. Eddy immediately began ripping grass out of the ground and chewing it with a vengeance. It seemed to me that he was doing it out of pure frustration, since he didn’t swallow much of it. Lol. Never get on a horse’s bad side; it’s not a pretty sight! =D It was pretty apparent that Eddy had an iris only for Iris, because he seemed unfazed by all the horses coming to stare at him as we passed them by.
As Eddy violently chewed his grass, our family ate a traditional 19th century meal--tuna sandwiches, Lay’s potato chips, carrot sticks, and packaged cookies. =D Not exactly what Laura Ingalls would have eaten, but whatever. =) I had pictured that our wagon would look slightly different…more like the prairie schooners you’d see in history books, and thus brought along my copy of Little House on the Prairie, the prairie bonnet Opa bought me, and my sewing basket, just to get in the spirit of things. It wasn’t quite how I imagined it would be, but that’s okay. I had a lot of fun! =)
We didn’t dare sit around for too long, Eddy acting the way he was and all, so we soon packed everything back into the wagon and plodded on, hoping that our fellow travelers would be long gone.
We stopped several times to watch a mother horse and her foal and a bunch of baby goats. They were SO cute! Oh, I wanted to pick one up. When we were kids we would to go to the zoo, and the outstanding thrill of the day was getting to stop by the goat pen, hold the baby goats, and feed them. I wish we could get a goat. Lol. Wouldn’t that be funny to see a goat roaming around the front yard of a townhouse! =D I’m sure our neighbors would LOVE that!
We stopped several times to see if Eddy needed a drink, but he only took a sip. Weird horse! And that after having raced Josiah and pulled us through a road full of “potholes” (it was a dirt road with many, many holes)!
It was a very relaxing time…sort of…and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The weather was just lovely, though it did get a bit cloudy and cool towards the end of our journey. It was still nice, though.
Alarmingly, we passed the other horse and buggy. The folks riding it had pulled over into a field and were relaxing when we passed them by. Eddy and Iris neighed to each other, but Eddy didn’t go berserk like we feared he would. That was a blessing!
I was eating carrot sticks when the owner of the horse and buggy pulled up and said hello to us. I guess he wanted to be sure we weren’t abusing his animal. Lol. (We had to promise not to hurt the horse when we signed the paperwork. Ha, ha!)
We were nearing the end of the trail when we caught sight of Iris and her buggy. It was a little nerve-wracking. I could see that Iris was trotting at a fast pace, and it seemed to me that Eddy was walking as slow as possible. I’ve never seen such a large animal trying to imitate a snail’s pace. Had Eddy been in a race, the snail would have undoubtedly won. =D
Dad pulled over as the other horse and buggy approached. They passed us, and suddenly “Romeo” came alive. He was probably thinking, “My love, my love! I have finally been reunited with thee, my darling Iris.” Lol. Talk about a fellow pursuin’ a gal, that was the fastest Eddy moved all day! I was glad we were finally MOVING!
We loaded our junk back into the van, and Dad gave Henk, the horse and buggy owner, a tract. He seemed quite receptive to the Gospel.
The car was a quiet one as we headed home. We were all tired…tired of sitting. Lol. How can one be tired from sitting? Well, we were. I had a splitting headache, I felt windblown, sun burnt, and covered with bugs. I’m not complaining, just giving an accurate account of how I felt. =) I truly enjoyed the day.
It was dinnertime, so we stopped at Burger King to get some dinner. As per usual, we hadn’t even entered the building yet, and the three of us girls were already being gawked at. Why can’t people mind their own business? I guess I should be used to it after living in Holland with the Dutch people for 12 years, but I still find their outright rudeness unbelievable.
In Holland it’s practically a crime to be dressed modestly. The way people act, you would think we were wearing green suites and had antennas protruding from our heads. Ha, ha! One of these days I’m going to get bold enough to approach whoever is doing the staring and ask, “Exactly what is it about me that you find so contemptible? I have a problem with your clothing as well, but I don’t stare at you like you just landed on planet earth from outer space.” It is a very good thing for many people that God made me a shy person. It has spared many a person a severe tongue-lashing…one that they were certainly asking for.
Despite the annoying people around, I was able to enjoy a delicious chicken sandwich, a small salad, and some fries and chili-cheese nuggets that we shared. Yummy!
Upon arriving home, we watched an old show from the 50s and then headed for bed, utterly exhausted, but very happy. The Lord gave us a wonderful day! =)
Hope you enjoy the photos! Double-click to see enlarged images; sorry, but I only have so much photo space. =)
Home again! Bye! Come back soon!
1 comment:
Thanks for posting your account of the buggy ride! It was nice to see, hear and read about it :-)
Mischa
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