Screaming on the Skyway

Hello 

my friends,

I hope all is well with you.

Al and I made a "whirlwind" 

trip to Chicago this last weekend.

What a trip it was.

We drove to Chicago and back in about 24 hours.

Our reason for the trip was to watch our son graduate from college.

Of course my camera went along for the trip.

I am always looking for things to paint

and my camera 

is a very important part of that process.

The shore line view from the Navy pier.

 On our way up 65 we stopped at Fair Oaks Farms.

It is a large dairy operation that invites 

visitors to have a look at the business from the inside.

This is part of the herd going for a ride on the carousel.

It was really pretty interesting.  

The cows get on and off the carousel by themselves.  

While they are on their ride the workers stand at floor level 

and attach the milking machines.

They wait patiently to get out of the holding pen.  That bar across the top either keeps them back or moves them forward as needed. 

 I have never seen so many cows in one place in my life.

  

   We watched a cow have her calf.  This worker was ready to

   pull the calf out of the afterbirth.  Now, THAT's a job.

What a miracle to watch a new life being born.  

Freshly born.  Look at that eye seeing the world for the first time.  

We stayed for a few hours and then we were on our way on to Chicago.

__________

Could you hear the screams?

That was me as I drove over the Skyway.

You see, I don't like heights.

No, not at all.

And I was driving.

But, we made it.

We shelled out around 8 dollars 

in toll fees to get to the hotel.

Four dollars of that were on the Skyway alone.

BUT

we made it to the hotel.  

We were ready to get out of the van, so that was nice.

After dinner (twenty bucks a piece) and a little rest 

we traveled down to Navy Pier

for a look around.

Al having a "session" with Bob Newhart.

We parked in a parking garage about a half mile away 

and walked into the pier area.

To say there was a lot of people would be an understatement.

Wow.

So many people.

People of every shape 

and size.

I am sure that I looked quite the small town bumpkin, as I walked and stared with my mouth hanging open.  

We could have just sat down and watched the crowd go by and that would have entertained me for the night.

 This gentleman wore his pants so low that he had to hold them 

on his body with his hands in his pockets.  

His entire underwear covered rear 

was out for the world to see.

That was new for me.

Granted, I live in Kokomo, 

but I had never seen them worn this low. 

Dinner cruises were available.  There were three boats at the dock that night.  

They advertised dancing, dinner and a cruise. 

The lines of people waiting to get boarded were long, but happy.  

It was obvious that a good time was ahead for these folks.

This young man drives a  

bicycle "taxi".  

For a fee he will drive 

you around the city. 

There were a group of about 15 

of these guys waiting 

on fares by the 

entry gate to the pier.   

 

What a wonderful view. 

We discussed riding this.  

We decided against it due to fear of heights.

We ate gelato instead. 

What a show.  

By the way, parking for an hour and a half was $24.00.

Oh.... life in the big city.
It just seemed that every time we turned around 
we were shelling out at least $20 for some goods or service.  
Maybe all big cities are like this.  
Or, maybe it was because we were tourists 
and didn't know how to "survive" in that environment.
How do people live were things are so expensive?
It makes me appreciate little old Kokomo.
Little old boring, cheap...Kokomo.
But it was nice to get out and see new things.

___________

The next day it was time to get ready for Ian's graduation.  

I know that I have already discussed a lot of these things on Facebook, but I think this bears repeating.  As I stood there and ironed my husband's trousers, I thought about how many of the women in my family before me had ironed their husband's pants.  BUT

I think that I am the first to do it with a view of the lake.  My life better in many ways.

We met at the Museum of Science & Industry for the ceremony.  

It was a beautiful building with very well kept grounds.  

We sat and waited 

outside for 

Ian and his Mom 
& Step-dad Craig
to arrive.  

The graduation was great.

And...he did it.

Ian & his dad.

Proud, proud parents.

One of my favorite shots. 


What a feast for the eyes.

We didn't see nearly more than one large hallway, but it was magnificent.

What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

For a girl who didn't especially like science in school...

they made it interesting...maybe even appealing. 

We ate a nice meal together in a little Thai restaurant

and then it was time to leave for home.

No, I do not drive this way.

I drove from Chicago to Plymouth, IN.

That is where I had a wonderful Wendys hamburger.

Finally, normal burger joint food.

And then home we went.

--------------------

On the farm front

This little man was born about a month ago at the Joe Scott Farm.

He is the third foal born there this summer. 

He has very striking markings, as you can see.

He certainly is a beauty isn't he? 
As always, we are thankful that he is healthy.

Thank you for reading about our trip.
See you again soon. 

Sunshine and roses

Good morning, my friends.

I hope all is well with you.

I know that I haven't written in a while.  

One of my readers (thank you, Fred) pointed that out to me.

We definitely have some catching up to do.

Today I would like to share with you my adventure at the State Fair.  

I had never been to the State Fair so 

when the opportunity presented itself, 

I went.

And of course, as fate would have it I started out in the dairy barn. 

(it was the first building I came to)

  

As you may or may not know

I have a great affinity for milk cows. 

I think they are a thing of beauty.

I always have.
As a woman of "that age" I see their 
lovely fullness hanging from their bony protrusions 
and I see something beautiful.

I get that.  

She may not be pretty to everyone, 
but she knows that she has her place in the world too, 
ya know?

Shower time

As a kid on the farm, I wanted to have milk cows.  

My father refused.

He grew up milking cows 

with my Grand dad 

and

has had his fill of their care.

Some young ladies.

When you have to milk cows twice a day

it tends to cut into your free time.

So, there I am walking around in this huge building 

looking at the "cream of the crop" 

for the state of Indiana.

Beautiful, shapely, groomed mommas.

I was in cow Nirvana.

It was such an experience for me.

I had gone to the fair alone, 

so there was no one to share

my thoughts with.

Luckily for Al he had a judging seminar that day, 

so he didn't have to go in the barns. 

He would have stood it, I'm sure, 

but he would not have enjoyed it.   

Chewing her cud.

You see

Al is not a farm boy.

He is most definitely a city boy.

When I take him out in the barn

he has this look on his face like he is holding his breath.
Maybe he is.

For me that smell is a welcomed thing.

It means warm, loving friends who depend on you and care about you.

Someone to listen to your good times and your bad times. 

Someone to rest on, depend on and

who trusts you 

and 

keeps ALL of your secrets. 

Granted, mine were horses, but it's the same.

There is an analogy here in this cow's spine about life's path
with it's twists and turns and ups and downs.  
I'm just not feeling it right now.  You are on your own.
GO!
 

Large, loving animals who do have souls.

They just communicate differently than we humans do.  

They trust us with their care.

Isn't this calf beautiful?  

He and three others lay in a pen

where you could pay a dollar 

to come in and pet him. 

Such a beautiful little being.

  

I crouched next to his pen and spoke to him 

for a few minutes before I took his picture. 

I felt for him being away from his mommy, 

but so the world goes.

In my imagination, at the end of the day 

they were together again.

Freshly showered and ready for the day.

It was hard for me to leave the dairy building, 

but I wanted to see the mules too 

so I had to moooove on.

Imagine how cold the water from the hose was...


On to the next barn....

They look like they are saying "Hello....?  Can we help ewe?"

I walked through the sheep & goat barn next.

It was quite a treat to see the best of the best in the state.

Farming is still alive in kicking in Indiana.

Doesn't he look happy?  

I so enjoyed looking at these animals as I walked to the mule barn.

Evidently, the pigs had "gone home" already.

They had left the two biggest boars 

and a few sows with piglets for the people to see   

This would be Reggie.  I really wonder if he can get up and walk around.

Here's his info.

The piglets were fun to watch.  

We didn't have pigs on our farm either, 

so I found myself just standing 

and taking in their movements.

So many little speckled rear ends.

My father told me that each baby has a designated teat.  

That amazed me.

This certainly did not look like an organized event.

On I went to the mule barn.  

I was so excited to see their wonderful long faces and soulful eyes.

But alas, they had left the day before my arrival.
So, I stepped outside the last barn and looked for my next adventure.  
I rode the people mover to the other side of the grounds 
and discovered the pioneer village.  

This little guy was sleeping in the pioneer barn.
He was across the aisle from two HUGE oxen.

I had a wonderful time at the Indiana State Fair.
I have untold number of painting ideas that I gathered that day taking pictures.
I tend to carry my camera with me most of the time now.
You just never know what you are going to see.


Speaking of which...

just look at this face, you have to love him (dirt encrusted nose and all) 

 This pig lives in West Middleton, IN.  Isn't he something?
He has several friends that live with him.
He may be the one that went after Liea, but he's not talking.


Here is one of my latest endeavors.

Sally & Abel

This painting is a 12 x 24 inch oil.
It was a commission piece for one of my "collectors".
I certainly enjoyed painting this.
I seemed to just flow out of my hand.


SHAMELESS PLUG
TIME

If you have a need of a commissioned painting
and you like my style of work, then please feel free to contact me at
Sherrill_1studio@hotmail.com

END OF PLUG
_____________________

Now we need to talk about the horses.

Our little red filly.

If you have read my blogs before this

(Yeah!  Thank you!)

then you know that I grew up on a horse farm.  

Horses were a part of the family.  

My father works hard to take care of his family and his animals.

And as my father's oldest son, 

(that brother of mine didn't come until I was 9)

I spent a lot of time with him in the barn.  

I am sure that my mother would have liked to have her daughter inside the house to help with things, but there was more fun to be had in the barn.

My parents had three beautiful foals born this summer.  

Foal number 1 is a bay appaloosa filly (girl).

Foal number 2 was a red appaloosa filly (again, girl).

Foal number 3 is a white w/red spots appaloosa colt (boy).

As you may also know from my past blog,

foal number 2 had some issues from birth.  

Purdue vets came out to have a look at her 

and gave my dad some suggestions and medication.

We watched that little girl grow strong and straight.  

It was necessary for her to be weened as her mother was

just not doing well medically.  

So, she was weened from her mother 

and all seemed to be going well.

She put on weight and was easy to handle. 

She was shiny and bouncy. 

She did get to spend time out in the front field.  

And then one Sunday morning 

after coming home from church

my father found her in her stall.

She had passed on while he was at church.

We were all shocked.

It was a very painful couple of days for all of us. 

My father's friends rallied around him to help with the burial process.  

Our little red filly is buried in the field

with her mom.

As I sit here typing this with

tears rolling down my face,

I know that life on the farm is not all sunshine and roses. 

I'm just glad that she had some time in the field, with the sun on her back.  

Thank you Lord for that. 

I want to thank you for taking to time to read my blog.

I hope that you enjoyed the photos.

Bicycle driver waiting on a fare at Navy Pier.

My next blog is going to be about our breakneck trip to Chicago to see my stepson Ian graduate from college.   

It will have photos from our night on Navy Pier 

plus

our trip to Fair Oaks Farms 

(I told you it was breakneck) 

Again, thank you for reading.

Sherry