Adventure

Last week, I took my younger kiddos to a local farm.  We enjoyed seeing the  "really big dogs" (goats) and pigs of every size.  Jonny was thrilled to see the horses and I was amused to notice that one of them is the same age as the kid's Uncle Chris.  Rachel loved the horses until they looked at her in the face.  That was freaky.  The kids posed for photos on the de-comissioned tractors.  I think I could track the growth of the kids with photos on these tractors, we've been going there for the last 5 years.  We did something they have never done: the hay ride around the farm.  I have taken the older kids on a hay ride or two, when they were small.
We piled onto the trailer and found spots in the shade (very important since it was 100 degrees that day.) The driver told us a little about the farm/park.  He mentioned they encourage the black snake population, as they control the rodent population in the barns.  Sometimes, you can see them in the trees in the woods, he said. 
With a rumble from the tractor we were on our way.  As we rode past farm equipment, Rachel smiled, to feel the wind on her face.  Simon was thrilled to have no seat belt, and Jonny got huge eyes.  He pointed at some thing used for holding hay and said "I know what that is!" then in a hushed whisper he added "a guillotine."  I was glad he did not say it out loud, lest he scare the others on board.  We continued on past some things for horses to jump over and one of them was knocked over and propped back.  "Catapult," I was wisely informed.  Just as we entered the woods,  he spottd a cannon out of the corner of his eye (painted log.)  Then came the harrowing part of our journey:  the woods.   Remember we had been told to look out for snakes.  Jonny obeyed and told me about each and every one he saw, including several that were right behind me about to bite!  He wrote about it in school later: I saw 22 snakes!
If I had know the ride would be so exciting, I would have done it long ago!