A Grandom Adventure

 Because it was grand and random. 

On a random Tuesday, the weather was glorious and Mike was away for work. When Hannah told me she found a cheap cart for sale just around the corner from Fair Hill, the temptation was too good to resist. Besides, I love to scare my boss by taking random unexplained PTO during the week. 

Originally, we hoped to bring the horses for a mounted side quest, but after taking some measurements, we realized that horses and cart wouldn't fit in the trailer simultaneously. 

Instead, we went on to have a glorious, fun-filled day of tomfoolery.

#mood

October 2026

My goodness, how is it November already? The year is wrapping right up.

Things I need to post about:

• A random road trip with Hannah (sans horses!)
• Riding Hannah's horses at Ringwood
• Taking Max to Christie Hoffman
• Exploring Clover Hill Park (and getting attacked by vultures... twice)
• Riding at the St. Michael's Preserve
  
• A grand horseback adventure at Washington Valley (and nearby Dunkin Donuts)
• The subsequent hike Mike and I took there in search of my hoof boot
• Taking the boys to an obstacle clinic and accidental cattle play day
• Max's first (and second!) NACMO ride

In the meantime, here's everything else that happened in October. I'm so glad we packed this much adventure into one of my favorite months. I feel like we soaked up every bit of fall we could before the time change. 

The goodest boys.

Annual Kayaking Day

 It's not that we plan an annual kayaking trip. In fact, I'd prefer we kayaked a lot more frequently. But once a year seems to be the average right now. 

October is Sandy's birthday month and she generally plans some shenanigans for the group to celebrate. In fact, I think the last time we went kayaking was for Sandy's birthday last year. 

This year, Sandy chose paddling down the Delaware River up north for her birthday outing. 

The initial plan was to do an eight mile float. I'll admit I was skeptical. After polling the audience, Sandy came to the conclusion that it was best to start a little later and cut the float in half. We wound up having a lovely time.

Approaching the Water Gap with the fall colors just starting to pop.

Borrowing Ponies

 Max may have been out for two weeks with an abscess, but we have crammed in some serious adventures this month anyway. Max is back in full swing now so I am once again behind on blogging. It's a good problem to have. 

Meanwhile, Hannah let me borrow all her ponies. 

We had a big ride at Ringwood two weekends ago which will have its own post. 

Plus we've been driving Usidore. Hannah was cart shopping which led to a non-horsey adventure on a random Tuesday. We found a killer deal on another cart which we hope to test drive this afternoon. 

All of this is to say that things have been super busy around here! I'm going to save some time and space by dumping some of the shorter rides into one post.

Nothing to see here.

Around the Farm

 With Max temporarily out of commission, I took the camera to the barn one evening. I wound up capturing some of the peaceful moments I experience daily now. It is such a relief to be able to enjoy barn time again. 

Remember when I thought this saintly creature was ugly? I was wrong.

Wordless Wednesday: Merrill Creek

 Does anybody remember Wordless Wednesday? I'm bringing it back! 

Mike and I took advantage of a beautiful October day and took Bonnie for a little walk at MCR. After a lovely lunch at Cafe 57, we were feeling lazy so we just walked down to the bird watch area and back. It was still glorious.

Nothing exciting to report, but enough photos to warrant a separate post. Enjoy!

A happy girl and the very start of fall colors.

Two More Field Trips