My Favorite Photos - September 2021

 Below are some of my favorite photos from September:

Olivia was accepted into Bethel University at the beginning of September. This is her top choice, so she is very happy.

Olivia and I - along with my brother (Jim) and one of his daughters (Addy) - went to Chalk Fest in Maple Grove. 

The chalk drawings were larger than I anticipated and many were three-dimensional.

The one below caught my eye because it is unusual. 

This month, Olivia finished another barn quilt. I helped her with the sketch because it is a different style and much more complex than what she is used to doing. 

The roses have been blooming throughout September. This is a tea rose that I got from Walmart that is for our growing zone. For $8, it was a good deal. 

This is another tea rose...also from Walmart. This one and the one above are very fragrant. 

I like this photo because I got Aspen with one of her stuffed animals - Bunny - that she carries around. They are like her security toys. She also brings them to us when we return to the house after being gone - whether it is 5 minutes or 4 hours.

On September 11th, I coordinated part of the Taco Daze community event. This one was, by far, the best one - according to many people who commented about the event online and in person. One highlight was seeing two Huey helicopters that were flown in the Taco Daze parade. There was a select group of people who were able to see this one take off from a friend's backyard. Almost everyone had cell phones and were doing videos of the take-off. 

At Taco Daze, Minnesota Armored Combat came out to do some demonstrations. It was really impressive to watch how they fight with big swords.

Sophia, in the middle, along with two of her suitemates, took a break from college and helped with the set-up as well as attending the Taco Daze. It was really nice to have them all at home.

Another highlight of the day was watching the firemen's waterball competition. Opposing teams used the water from their hoses to move the silver, metal container to the other team's side. 

To kick-off the Taco Daze parade, I worked with a pilot who had contacts with a group of veterans are pilots. They agreed to do a flyover and then in the last pass over, one of the aircraft would veer off in a different direction t show the missing man formation. 

Sophia, her suitemates, my sister, and I all had a chance to sit in a Huey helicopter that flew over the parade route. It was in the Vietnam War, was damaged, and sold. A veteran who is a pilot bought is, refurbished it, and flies it now. 

The next day, Sunday the 12th, my sister and I went to parade in Osceola - a nearby town.  This unusual costume caught our eye.

On September 15h, Olivia and I went to Bethel for the opening of their science building. We both really enjoyed the event. Our favorite part was seeing the green roof on top of one of the buildings. 

This is a blurry picture, but it is a picture of Bailey galloping through our pasture. It was the last evening she was with us. The following day she and Hoss went back to the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation. Hoss's hooves exceeded what we could provide for him, and our vet and farrier couldn't figure out what was going on and why he was having trouble walking. 

It was a very difficult decision, yet we knew it was the right one since they were a bonded pair. 

This is another photo of Hoss and Bailey together. 

A brighter day happened later in the month when Olivia was accepted into the College of St. Benedict. 

Last week, Olivia and I went on a short hike during "Blue Hour" - the period of time when the sun is below the horizon, yet there is still light. The sky takes on a darkish-blue - almost an indigo appearance.

This is the road in front of our pasture and driveway. There are telephone lines and tall tree silhoutted by the remaining light.

Looking southwest, we could see Venus.

My final photo of September is of my favorite oak tree. It is in the west pasture. Did a visual search on the SEEK app, and it came back as a white oak. Olivia is standing near it and her image gives an idea how large and majestic this tree is. 

 

It's interesting for me to go back on photos that I took during the previous month and get an idea of what I want to document and remember.