Starting this blog has had me doing all sorts of strange things,
like running around movie theaters making scenes,
scratching funny things Terry says on scraps of paper,
and bingeing on photos and writing.
Today, for the first time ever,
it sent me to the town of Parker
to enjoy the annual Parker Christmas Carriage Parade.
Thank goodness for gorgeous weather!
If it had been cold and gray,
I would have been home under an afghan in front of the fire.
I was hoping to spot a beautiful Clydesdale named Boomer
whom I had "met" by following a Colorado blog called Moondance Ranch.
Considering the star-crossed relationship horses and I have had over the years,
it's ironic that I would go to a parade filled with horses:
big horses, small horses, ponies, and minis - even a donkey and a burro or two,
horses pulling carriages and surreys and stage coaches and wagons,
the kind of parade where the security staff urges you to stand back from the curb
in case the horses get "frisky" or "rambunctuous."
But I have always loved the big draft horses,
so off I went camera in hand to shoot this year's parade theme
Jingle Bell Christmas.
like running around movie theaters making scenes,
scratching funny things Terry says on scraps of paper,
and bingeing on photos and writing.
Today, for the first time ever,
it sent me to the town of Parker
to enjoy the annual Parker Christmas Carriage Parade.
Thank goodness for gorgeous weather!
If it had been cold and gray,
I would have been home under an afghan in front of the fire.
The horses get lined up for the parade.
Spectators of all kinds line the parade route.
I was hoping to spot a beautiful Clydesdale named Boomer
whom I had "met" by following a Colorado blog called Moondance Ranch.
Considering the star-crossed relationship horses and I have had over the years,
it's ironic that I would go to a parade filled with horses:
big horses, small horses, ponies, and minis - even a donkey and a burro or two,
horses pulling carriages and surreys and stage coaches and wagons,
the kind of parade where the security staff urges you to stand back from the curb
in case the horses get "frisky" or "rambunctuous."
But I have always loved the big draft horses,
so off I went camera in hand to shoot this year's parade theme
Jingle Bell Christmas.
Parker Trail Riders
Spiffed Up for the Parade
Black Beauties
Help from the Boy Scouts
Chaparral High School Marching Band, in Parker, Colorado
Pretty Rodeo Cowgirls
Pretty Baby
Horses in Disguise
Yellow Wheels
Patient Spectator
Legend High School Marching Titans
Western Icon
Prancy Hoofs
Pretty Ponies
Could This Brown Beauty Be Boomer?
There were a lot of big, brown horses!
Burro
Santa at the End
Time to Go Home
A Great Parade!
A Great Day!
I'll be back next year.
This looks like a fun day Louise! All those horses! And isn't it great that a fellow blogger may have been there too. Terry's horses are beauties.
ReplyDeleteI must say my very few experiences with horses have not been good ones.....from them taking off full speed ahead!!!! to rolling over on the ground with me on top sort of!!! lol If horses are like dogs, I think they may have picked up on my nervous energy and thought 'this guy has got to go!'
Great post and photos are crisp and clear. Nice job.
I can't say I've had a horse roll over with me on him, but I've had quite the misadventures. I'm going to do a blog post called "Laughing Horses" because that's what they do. They laugh at me! Unfortunately Terry was home sick (blogger Terry), so she wasn't with Boomer.
DeleteThe best experiences I have had have been with the big draft horses. They are quite gentle compared with the skittish race horses my great Uncle Chester had.
My Terry didn't go to the parade because he didn't want to stand around in the cold. But it was gorgeous. Today was totally different though! Freezing cold in Colorado. Only about 12 days until the days start to get longer!
I hope that you are enjoying your evening. We went out to Parkway for a light dinner, and now we are watching the end of the Amazing Race. Has Ron got everything straightened out yet in the basement on his search for the 1964 Wolfville yearbook?
Enjoy what's left of your evening. Maybe you're already in bed. I notice you are often posting blogs very early.
Yeah Dec 21>>>>always look forward to that date!
DeleteSo you watch Amazing Race....I have them all taped so don't tell me who won. This year I wasn't as enthused to watch because last season they had on that screechy girl from Big Brother...I had to mute the TV every time she started to whine and cry...Lord! So this year I'm going to watch them over Xmas...marathon day! Woohooo!
Jim sets his posts for early times. Maybe you weren't aware of this availability. We found this out after blogging for over a year.
Ron
Okay, Ron, now you've got me curious. How do you set the time for posting your blog?
DeleteAlso, when I was doing the parade post, the computer told me that I had no more photo space, that I had used up my space on Picasa for storing photos (who knew they were being stored there?), and that I could buy space for $5/month.
Is there a limit/post or limit/blog for pictures? I see lots of people have hundreds of posts, so surely at 33 or so, I can't be at the limit. I got around the problem by eliminating some photos until I could get the whole parade in. But now I'm worried. I certainly don't want to have to pay to blog!
Not a word about AR from me! Enjoy your marathon!
Louise...go to your FB page...I've asked for your private email...I can then explain this blogging stuff better.
DeleteR
Ignore the last request Louise...Jim had your email and I've emailed the answer to you!
DeleteCheers! Ronm
Thanks Ron! I will look tomorrow morning. I've had a very busy day!
DeleteThis parade is unbelieveable Louise....I've never seen so many horses and they seem to be all behaving. The one that could have been Boomer has gorgeous hair on the legs...so beautiful. I Google Earthed Parker and Aurora and Elizabeth...now I know the exact distances....small world, eh!
ReplyDeleteRon
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! I guessed which horse was Boomer! And, like you, I thought he had gorgeous legs! I love the big draft horses!
DeleteThe horses were very well-behaved. The last picture and the first in my parade blog are related. The white horse (I bet the one that was looking right at me in the first photo!) got loaded on his trailer, and then he broke for freedom! I was by a hotdog stand in line to get a hotdog, and that white horse came flying by in a big circle. People were diving for cover! The horse came round in a second circle with his/her handler chasing him or her. A cowboy jumped right out in front of the horse holding up his hotdog and chips and stopped the horse. The horse backed up, and his handler caught him. Back into the trailer went the horse, and he was tied down this time. It was quite exciting for a few minutes!
I heard the cowboy, who had no relationship to that horse, tell people that you just have to look bigger than the horse - to the horse. No way I would have jumped in front of it!
I am amazed how small people handle these big horses! And they are big!
But, as you said, the world is small! Parker is just two miles east of me, and Elizabeth a little farther
Have a good one!
I would have been diving for cover if that horse came near me! Man oh man! Now that I understand the BIGPERSON thingy...do you think i should try that on the next horse I see running down the road? I think NOT!
DeleteYes the horses legs are beautiful...Does that make me a LEGMAN? lol
Ron
I think you have to believe in the BIGPERSON thingy! Horses are very perceptive, and they KNOW if you believe in what you're doing and saying to them. They will walk all over you, if you don't believe in yourself. None-the-less, I would never step in front of a running horse of any size!
DeleteYes! That's Boomer! I love your photos - I'm going back to my post to add a link to your blog!
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling better, Fundy.
YEAH BOOMER!!!!!!!!
DeleteIsn't he a pretty boy!
DeleteYeah! I picked him out! Boomer is a beauty! Ron liked his prancy feet! And Jim thinks your horses are beauties. I enjoyed the perspective of seeing the parade from the driver's perspective on your blog. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and feel better too!
ReplyDeletecheckmark!
DeleteHey, how cool to find another blogger in this beautiful area of Colorado!!!!! Yeah, I live life with exclamation marks, too! I was also at the parade, at least for a while... then I had to go home to get ready for guests.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as you know, you did find Boomer. Isn't he glorious?!
I was helping the carriages begin the parade without crowding. The white horses (technically they are called grey) were 'hot to trot'! They needed two handlers on the ground to try to keep them steady, and even with that, they were pawing and rearing a bit. But, once they got going, they were fine! But... I didn't hear about the trailer incident until reading your blog post. I guess the horse just wanted to have a bit more fun!
Some day we need to have a blogger get-together with you, Terry from Moondance and a few other area bloggers!
Hi Dreaming! How exciting it was to open up my post and see your comment! Thank you for becoming a follower of my blog. I became a follower of your blog, and I am very much looking forward to spending time on your site.
ReplyDeleteYes, Bloomer is glorious! I was fascinated with him and all the other beautiful horses. I think horses are some of the most beautiful animals on earth. I used to volunteer in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, in the fossil lab (and hope to again), and I was very curious about the evolution of horses throughout time - especially Hyracotherium. I kept hoping I'd find its fossils on a couple of digs I went on. No such luck!
I thought about going over to the staging area to see the horses getting ready, but I didn't want to intrude or get in the way. I kept watching the grey (thank you!) horses from the hotdog line - it was a long line. I think I was as fascinated with the handlers as I was with the horses. Maybe I'll do another parade post with more horse pictures.
A blogger get-together sounds like fun! I can't believe my friendship with Ron (from Sophie's view) whom I went to school with in Nova Scotia is leading to me blogging with people near me in Colorado. The world does work in amazing ways!
Have a good one, and welcome to my blog site!
Hi Louise,
ReplyDeleteIt's Barb - great parade but where is the Snow! Now you are going to have to come to Calgary and do a Blog on the Calgary Stampede Parade - LOL. I'm loving Fog Magic, you realize (I am sure) that all the people and stories really happened in the past on the Neck - she just changed the names - Anthony is Jerome - Sandy Cove, the Lady who walked to Halifax has a plaque in Westport, and the Lost girl was Mary - I think from Gulliver's Cove).
Cheers,
Barb
Okay Barb, you've got to tell me more. I thought that Fog Magic might be based on some true people, but I know nothing about Jerome, The Lady, or the Lost Girl! Spill!!!! We got a little dusting of snow the next day (Sunday - and it was cold!) Today it's disappearing, but still chilly. We are in serious need of moisture. I hope your day is going well. I've got to go to the grocery store and walk. :( Oh yeah, I'd love to do the Stampede!
ReplyDeleteWOW, what a lovely post!
ReplyDeleteXmas is not that festive here...
As a fan of your blog I'm nominating you for a Liebster Award!
To accept you have to list 11 random facts about yourself and nominate 11 other bloggers you like.
It is no problem if you don't wish to accept, just know that I think your blog is really nice :)
Cheers, Fundy!
Hi Noushka!
DeleteI'm sorry I haven't replied to your post. I had a nasty cold and have been buried in a crazy week of "Must Dos!" How kind of you to nominate me. I don't know eleven bloggers yet, since I've just really gotten started. Your encouragement means so much to me - you have no idea! Your blog is so awesome! What is the deadline for the award info? Maybe you have some bloggers you could recommend for me to recommend. I can't tell you how touched I am. I hope you are having a good weekend! Comment to you soon!
That is really amazing Christmas Carriage Parade. I Love to see those variety of horses in this parade. Wish I could have been there.
ReplyDeleteHi Kimberly! Thanks for your comment. I followed your name to SaltRiver Performance Horses and discovered you are blogging from just outside Perth, Australia. Perth is one place I've wanted to visit all of my life! It would have been a long ride for you to make it to the Parker parade here in Colorado. I'm going to enjoy reading your posts about horses. I am absolutely fascinated by them, but I'm also scared of them. Your "Colt Starting" post was very interesting! I don't think I've been approaching horses with much confidence, and I know that they know it! Have a good day!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great parade! I love horses, and I would have been snapping up dozens of photos of them! I love the big draft horses, too; they are my favourites. How wonderful that you had such great weather.
ReplyDeleteThe weather was wonderful - sunny and warm. Today it was a whole different story. Blizzard force winds driving very fine-grained snow. It is COLD! Hope you are warm where you are. have a good evening!
ReplyDelete