Budweiser Clydesdales

The St. Louis hitch of the Budweiser Clydesdales is in Jay and Randolph Counties in Indiana this week, honoring Jay Miller, who has been an Anheuser-Busch distributor for over 60 years.
There are eight of these awesome horses to a hitch. They are brought in in their own tractor-trailers, four horses per truck. A third truck carries the beer wagon and the tack.
They got the horses into the hitch while sitting in front of the old train station.
One horse prepared at a time. These animals are amazingly patient while waiting for the others to be added into the hitch.
Their tack is awesome!
This is one of the harnesses. Notice the eagle at the top.
This particular horse was seen doing this the entire time. Constantly tipping his head to the left, hanging his tongue out. I thought this kind of looked like he was telling his buddy a secret! LOL
Their feet are HUGE. They have a special rubber "shock absorber" between the shoe and hoof, to help prevent problems from walking on asphalt so often.

All the tails were trimmed with the red and white bows.
The gentleman in the blue shirt is Jay Miller. He got to take the ride on the hitch. It was all they could do to get him up on the wagon, then back down. They had to use a ladder, as he was not able to climb the built in steps on the wagon.
The Dalmatian's name is Bud. He is very patient too!

While the hitch was in motion, you could hear the Budweiser theme song being played in the wagon.



These pictures are done this way, because my lighting was very bad, and I couldn't light them properly, so I just played with the shadows on Photoshop to get this effect. It was overcast most of the day, and terribly humid.

There are two of these buckets hanging from the underside of the wagon. They were originally for watering the horses, but one of the handlers told me that they are just "all purpose" buckets now.
Bud got tired after they had been at a standstill for a while. He decided it was a good time to take a nap.

Very elaborate work on the tails and manes. All the manes were braided with red and white ribbon then the red and white rose buds tied in.

Okay, I know I said I was only going to start posting one picture a day, but you know me! At least it wasn't another month and a half between postings this time!
Still job hunting. It is so depressing and aggravating not being able to find work. My divorce was final on September 14. Chuck showed up last Thursday to get the last of his things. He still wants to stay friends. I don't have a problem with that. I think he kind of has some regrets, although, he wouldn't admit to it.
It's raining here, again. Most of this week it has rained, but luckily, the rain held off Wednesday when we went to see the Clydesdales. They will be in Portland, Indiana Saturday and Sunday.
Gonna go for now. Everybody have a great weekend.
Love Ya
Lisa

I'm Still Here!

I know, it's been a month and a half since my last post. Blame Facebook! I spend most of my computer time on there.
The top picture is a mama and juvenile Cedar Waxwing. First and last time I have ever seen one. I had to check my book to figure out what they were.
The baby was positively adorable! I came out my back door with my camera because I saw mama flying up into my cherry tree. By the time I got out the door, she flew off, but I looked down and saw the baby on my wood pile. He never moved when I walked past. He just watched me the entire time I was out there. I took several pictures of him from different angles, then I went over and sat in the grass by the bird bath, which was about 10 feet from the baby. I talked to him the entire time and took pictures. He started chirping at mama, but while he was talking to her, he had jumped down off the wood pile and hopped clear over to me. He even let me pet him and feed him ants! I thought that was just so cool!
they say that if a human touches a baby bird, that mama will abandon it. I had proof that it isn't true.
These pictures loaded backwards! The top pic of mama and the baby should have been last.
This one should have been first! After I fed the baby, mama landed about 20 feet from us and called the baby over to her. She was feeding him, which is my proof that they don't abandon their young after human interaction.
These flowers are on the side of my garage, but I have no idea what they are called. There are a ton of bees on them all the time!
This is one of the flowers in my so-called butterfly garden. I don't think the butterflies know it, though.
This adorable little mouse was wandering around in the field at Smith Field during D.A.R.E Fair, about 3 weeks ago. The helicopter, Samaritan, was landing for people to go and look at. I was on my way out there, but got sidetracked by this mouse. I chased him all over the place trying to get pictures of him. I even caused other people to get sidetracked by him! He was a bigger hit than the Samaritan! LOL
I did manage to catch him by the tail, but never actually held him, because I didn't want to get bitten.
He was just so adorable! Funny thing is, he wasn't running around, he was hopping like a little kangaroo! That's how he got my attention.
This is just one of the squirrels in my cherry tree in the back yard.
An elk at the elk farm out in Eaton, Indiana. I have posted pictures from here before. I had gone out on a photo safari with Tank (Gary Cole). He took me out to where they have seen a friendly deer several times, but, unfortunately, he wasn't there this time.
I shot this bee and thistle back along the trail where we went to try to find the deer. The trail winds around his friend's property and back to the Mississinewa River. Very quiet and relaxing, but it was very hot and humid that evening.
This tree was also along the path. Check out the mushrooms growing inside the hollowed trunk!
This is once we got back to the river. I went down and walked out on a little sandbar. The river wasn't very deep at this point. In the spring, it will usually overflow it's banks.
This little frog was back there too. He was sitting where they sometimes have bond fires.
This was on the path as well. A beautiful butterfly on a thistle. This picture is the colored pencil filter on Photoshop.
I really should just start posting a picture a day, like a lot of people do on here. At least I would be more apt to stay with it.
I'm still looking for work. I had an interview last Wednesday at the Dollar General Distribution Center, but I'm sure I didn't get the job. I called today and the receptionist told me that if you are chosen, you are contacted immediately, and I wasn't contacted yet, so I keep looking! I've already had to get some of my mother's money from Lyle, and I'm afraid I'm gonna have to do it again. It is my money, but he has a knack for making me feel small for having to use it. I just wish he would take his 25% of it and turn it over to me. It's mine anyway! Oh well, whatever!
Gonna get off here for now. Take a shower and go to bed.
Love Ya
Lisa