The Horse With The One Red Eye

If you visited my Ruby Tuesday post last week you might remember the big rooster I saw at a farmer's market in Leesburg, Virginia. This wonderful red-eyed horse was the real reason I had stopped at the market. When we visited our son last summer I missed the chance to get a photo because just as I got out of the car a dark cloud opened up and rain came falling quickly.
This past August it was a sunny day and as we would be passing the market my son reminded me to stop.

I'd like you to meet Harlequin Horse or Harley for short. With his decorative coat of colors I think he looks like he belongs with a court jester or in New Orleans for Mardi Gras - not on a farm in Northern Virginia.
Harley was part of an exhibit called “Horsing Around Loudoun,” that was a countywide, outdoor arts project initiated by the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce in celebration of Loudoun’s longstanding equine tradition. Local artists transformed 25, life-size fiberglass horse sculptures into unique works of art. The works of art were placed in public locations around the county and then auctioned off in 2005.
If you enlarge this photo and look just over Harley's neck you can see the head of the rooster from last week's post.

Harley stands proud in his straw hat watching the traffic go by.

If you'd like to see Harley's transformation from plain to colorful follow the link here.
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Wagon Wheel

Last week I posted three 'quilt barns' on my photoblog (here). The above barn is the last of those barns I found while following this particular trail in West Virginia. The National Quilt Barn trail was began in 2001 by Donna Sue Groves. In 1989 she purchased an Adams County Ohio farm and promised her mother that she would one day paint a quilt square on it to honor her mother and their Appalachian heritage.

In Adams County there were many old barns and she began to think of painting not only her barn but others as well and develop a driving trail to entice tourists. What resulted was the nation’s first quilt barn trail; a collection of 20 wooden quilt squares leading visitors through scenic Adams County,Ohio. Today, the trail is scattered across the landscape of 19 Ohio counties, and throughout 27 states nationwide. Close to 2000 quilt squares adorn barns across the nation. Donna's mother is a master quilter and just so happens to be a native of West Virginia and lived in the county where I was born. Thus, the idea to develop a trail here.

This photo doesn't present the barn itself well; but it sits right beside a two lane road and no place to pull off completely. I took this photo shooting from the passenger seat out the driver's seat window. You can tell it's right there! The horse had been standing inside the door. When the Jeep came to a stop he walked out and whinnied for us. I think he was glad for a minute's worth of company.

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Sky Watch: Amish Farms and a Sunset

I've been posting different scenes this week from my visit to the Amish Countryside of Sugarcreek, Ohio. These are some of the farms I saw along the way. This was one of the newer farms in the area. I love the old wagon to the right of the silo.

Windmills dotted the countryside.

We were there at corn harvesting time.

This one is my favorite. I love the peeling red paint, the white silo, the puffy white clouds,the old wire fence and the horse crazing lazily in the pasture. It has all the right elements for a peaceful scene.

We spent the entire day in Sugarcreek. As we headed home the sun was setting beautifully over the countryside.

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Camera Critters: Amish Horses

After casting my ballot on Tuesday a day trip to Sugarcreek, Ohio had been planned. Sugarcreek is known as the gateway to Amish country. To quote the website, "As you leave the hurry of the highway behind you'll certainly sense why the Amish families that arrived in the 1800s found this place as appealing as the sun after a storm. The fertile Ohio countryside promised both the freedom to practice their faith-based way of life and the providence to farm as their forefathers had before them. Using traditional methods rooted in reverence and stewardship, many industrious Amish farmers still put shoulder to harness, sowing and harvesting crops behind teams of hard-working draft horses."
We had a wonderful day. It was warm, the sky was blue, and the people were friendly and waved wherever we went. It was a very peaceful day.
Amish Country meant we would see lots of horses. I want to share some of those scenes with you.

As you can see everyone must share the road.

A couple of boys out for an afternoon ride. The younger one seemed to be talking a mile a minute.
We saw these farmers over the way and took a sideroad to get closer. I still had to look twice. They were not picking up bales of hay; but bales of corn stalks.

If you clip-clopped on highways or trod the fields on a daily basis you too would need new shoes. This horse was waiting his turn at the local farrier. He stood there very calm as traffic passed.

I was more than surprised as we traveled down a backroad seeing farm after farm when I looked across one hillside to see....camels. I kid you not. There were three. Way too far away for my camera to catch but I was thinking to myself what a great Camera Critters post that would have been!

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At The Fair

This past weekend I attended the nearby fair that was almost in my backyard. Actually you could hear the stage music from my yard. I have loved carousels since I was a little girl when I would ride and ride and ride. Walking through the carnival I spotted these lovely bright horses. Their red trim made them perfect for Ruby Tuesday and the now departed Project Black.

The last night of the fair I was leaving a truck pull (more to come on those) and I saw the lights of the ferris wheel. I knew my camera could not really pick up the image well since I was over the length of a football field away; but I snapped anyway. These are not good images by any means; but the abstract look of both of them appealed to me and so I like them and present them in that respect.

Here's hoping dear readers that your day goes round and round with nothing but joy!

George, I hope you're reading this today because this one's for you!

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