Continuing On...

Yesterday we left off with last Tuesday's tree fall/internet fail.    Since then, school has started.  We had one last celebration of summer with our Littles on Wednesday.  Eli, Easton, Mack and one of her friends spent the day with us.

Mack enjoyed sharing the farm experience with her friend,

while Easton and Muppy (that's what all the kids call Jack)  worked on a project in the wood shop.

They started building a bird house and then Easton asked to build a toy house.  By the end of the afternoon, he finished it (with Jack's help)

Eli is finally big enough to help with farm chores.   We had a lesson on picking ripe tomatoes.  

 After a little practice, he became pretty adept at picking up manure and depositing it in the bucket.

He also spent a little time with the horses.  This picture was taken after Moonie gave him a slimey horse kiss!

Playing in the hay loft is always fun... and this time Forrest got to join in the fun.

Then he hopped into the runner duck's pool to cool off.

He just might be a water dog!  It was wonderful to spend a fun day on the farm with the kids before they headed back for a new school year.

Then Thursday came and we remained internet-less.  We had planned on heading to the Chesapeake Bay to spend the weekend with friends... and that's just what we did.  I packed my computer so that perhaps I could do a little writing while there - and then forgot to load that bag in the truck.

Yes, the truck was a necessity, and we looked a bit like the Clampetts as we drove down the road... without Granny on the back in a rocking chair, however.  The bed of the truck carried a puppy crate, two bikes, dog essentials, and suitcase.  Meanwhile, the back seat of the truck carried three pups - one of whom kept popping his head up front asking, "are we there yet?"  Chester, on the other hand, ignored him and stared out the window trying to figure out where we might be going (and praying that it would be some place fun!)

About a half hour into our three hour trip, Forrest settled down and slept with his siblings and the rest of the trip was quite peaceful.

On our arrival at the bay, Forrest followed his new friends right into the water. 

 We had preemptively put a life jacket on him just in case.  It wasn't long, however, before it was quite evident that he was a natural swimmer!

Forrest had his first boat ride and seemed to enjoy, immensely, the wind in his face.

Much of the rest of his weekend was spent in and out of the water,

Chester and Annie had an equally fun weekend enjoying land-based activities... exploring the property and taking naps in the shade.

We humans took a couple long bike rides - one of them 22 miles along the C&D canal that runs from the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware Bay.  

Another bike ride was a little longer through the farmland of Eastern Maryland and Delaware.  Along the way, we were amazed to see this zebra and donkey pair in a pasture.

The most amazing thing about that was how they both came right over to the fence to say hello to us.  Zebras are typically very shy.  I am guessing this one was raised by human hands from the time it was a baby.

It was obvious that these two were quite fond of each other.

We had a wonderful end-of-summer getaway.  But, as I always say... it's great to be home!  Our weather has been on the cooler side lately and our nights chilly.  Although it is to warm up by this weekend, it's obvious now that Autumn lies just around the corner.  Autumn - filled with all things cozy - is one of my favorite seasons.  I am definitely looking forward to all that the season brings!