A relaxing night
We were hoping that when we got to the farm the day before that Bonnie would offer us a bed, but we were mentally preparing ourselves for another night in the tent. Just in case. Don't get me wrong, the Roof Top Tent is great. Its fairly comfy, we stay dry, and with some USB fans its fairly cool. But last night we got to sleep in a bed, and it was amazing.
We were in the finished basement, Abigail and I in a guest room with a bed and the girls in the next room over sleeping by the couch. We put them on the floor with a comfy quilt so they didn't roll off the couch. (They both toss and turn alot). At some point Jenna woke up and tried to cuddle with us. The bed wasn't that big, so I got pushed out and I went into the other room.
Don't ask me why, but I thought laying on the floor with Thea would be a good idea. I woke up 30 minutes later cramping up. I quickly moved Thea and I to the couch, and we fell back asleep. Everyone slept in late (7am), Jenna got up first and went upstairs to talk to Bonnie & Betsy. Abigail heard Jenna's voice upstairs so she woke up and went upstairs. Maybe a hour later, Thea and I got up as well. We all needed the rest.
Jenna at the Rodeo
Molly was riding in the Rodeo this morning, so Bonnie, Betsy, and Jenna went to town to watch her. Abigail, Thea, and I stayed behind to relax, play, and catch up on blogging\e-mail.
Jenna & Betsy
Jenna behaved and seemed to enjoy herself while she was at the Rodeo. We were told she made friends with a group of boys and they were taking turn being cowgirl\cowboys and lassoing a toy bull. She didn't get back to the farm until around 1.
The rest of the Day
While Jenna was at the rodeo, I took some time to setup the Roof Top Tent inside the barn. Last time we packed it up before getting to the Farm, we had some light rain. It was a great suggestion from Abigail, once I opened it back up there was sitll a lot of moisture on the outside tent.
Making sure the Jeep & tent would fit
Thea helping me setup the tent
At one point when we were outside some of the goats has escaped. Thea was watching them while I hearded one of the goats back into the pen.
Thea keeping things in order
After the tent was setup we went down into the basement, it was a good 10 degrees cooler and Thea needed to nap. I started working on the blog while Thea rested up against me. Abigail was editing her photos so I could later post them to the blog.
Hard at work!
Meeting the neighbors
When Jenna got back from the Rodeo, and I took a break from my hard work. We all climbed into the farm truck to go and see the cows. We only had to drive a little bit down a dirt road, and then out into the pasture so everyone piled into the back seat.
Buckle up while driving through the field.
We found a small group of cows, and Betsy brought out the bag of cow treats. They were the size of a C battery, and were very dense. The girls were excited to see the cows from inside the truck, but after we climbed into the bed they weren't as excited.
Getting Ready to feed my first cow
It was a weird feeling.
My hand was covered in cow drool
We tried to get Thea and Jenna to try feeding a cow but they weren't having any of it. Abigail took a turn feeding the cows though.
Cows have very rough tongues!
Meeting the Horses
Betsy and Molly took us all out into the horse barn so we could try petting and brushing the horses. Originally we were going to try riding with Jenna, but figured brushing would be the safer option.
Waiting for a horse to be brought in
Jenna was scared of them and had a hard time staying calm and I had to hold her the whole time. Because she was upset, Thea wasn't very happy either. But Thea wanted to try touching!
Watching the horse in the door
Reaching for the Horsey
Pretty soon Abigail took Jenna back to the house, and it was just Thea, Molly, Betsy, and myself. Thea got a lot braver and was willing to touch the ears, the head, the nose, and even stroke his neck.
Thea testing the waters with Lakota
We don't have any pictures of Thea being with the horse since Abigail went inside. It took some time for Thea to warm up but she enjoyed being with the horses. Pretty soon Abigail came out to tell us Dinner was almost ready.
Dinner & Bedtime
Bonnie and Betsy treated us to some farm fresh burgers, these came from one of their own cows! Man did they taste good. I may see if I can find a local farmer to see if we can get these in the Northeast!
After dinner we used their bathroom to get everyone washed up and then settled down for bed. It was nice to have a fairly normal routine before we got back on the road tomorrow. The plan was to get up at 4am, be out of the door by 5. We were all ready to be home.
A proper bath!
Next stop, Iowa!