We arrive in Hampshire, Illinois, at Eric & Diane's Morning Light Stables.
The family, front door photo.
Left to right, David, Eric, Danny, Michelle, Brandon and Diane.
Now that the photo session is over, it's back to work for the stable owners.
Danny and Eric are down putting in fence posts. Here cementing in the corner posts.
... and this is jut a little of the pile of cement that they have, and will use.
Danny measuring out the water for the correct mix.
The wheelbarrow you see, was used by my grandfather...
So it is now in it's been in use for four generations, and working well.
It's break time, the children fixing lunch
Of course, Brandon demonstrates his drums for us.
Their hay barn to the right, stables to the left.
The stables in the foreground, the indoor riding area behind.
The 12 stalls completed. They will have 30 when they have finished the installation.
They have horses in 8 of them now, with 4 more scheduled before the month's end.
Still a work in progress. (above & below)
Half of the indoor riding area. The other half is right behind me.
Down below is the retention pond, ensuring that no run-off goes into their neighbors.
This is a collection gathered due to the heavy winter snows, and spring rains.
(above, and below.)
The eight horses currently in residence are all out to pasture this afternoon.
Two more, enjoying the lush grass.
After the corner posts are cemented in and secure, then these will be straightened, packed firmly
in the ground, and will strung with wire and fencing "boards."
Here is a completed corner post. Wire strung and tensioned.
The upper and lower wires are electrically charged.
A lot of posts to place, wire to string, enclosing each of the many grazing areas.
Plenty of posts yet to go in the ground.
The foundations for the outdoor arena - another work in progress.
A view of our motor home, their home, and the old AT&T Long Lines microwave tower, and
a new communications tower reaching up to the sky.
Hay, then more hay for the horses.
(above and below)
Piles of horse bedding material.
Michelle and Diane give their horse, Scotch, some TLC.
A closer view of Scotch.
Monday morning, and after a heavy morning rainstorm, the horse owners come to visit, ride and train their horses.
One of the boarded horses, being ridden by its owner in the inside arena.
Here Melissa, the trainer at the Morning Light Stables, is training a horse to
be comfortable when entering, and riding in a horse trailer.
Michelle taking Scotch outside.
Michelle and Scotch walking toward one of the paddocks.
Along with Michelle and Scotch you can see some of the paddock's. (individual grazing areas.)
They currently have nine paddocks, capable of housing 22 horses.
The remaining fenced 12 areas will be completed as needed.
Every evening the family brings in the horses from the paddock's
(above & below)
One of their charges was feeling his oats, so to speak.
Of course, every morning, weather permitting, the horses
return to their paddock.
It's dinner time, and all eyes are on the Van de Water family as they work together
to put in a flake of hay and feed for their animals entrusted in their care.
From one end to the other, they are waiting anxiously for dinner.
Brandon took time out from his feeding chores to show "Charlie" the signboard he is making for him.
The children, without being asked readily pitch in to do many of the necessary chores around the place.
Here Brandon scrapes dirt off the fence post digger auger.
David hitches up the manure spreader
And (above & below) heads out to distribute it on the open fields
David, now returning back to the barn with an empty spreader.
Brandon and David goof around with their father.
Michelle and Diane look on as Eric tells us about some of the humorous aspects of running a horse boarding operation.
Danny and Grandma Jean share a laugh
Brandon (L) and David enjoy working together to discover what is inside a non-working car navigation system.
On Tuesday, August 5th, we were invited over to the high school for a band 'pot luck supper.'
Both Michelle and Danny are band members, and this particular week was devoted to band marching practice,
and team building exercises.
If you look carefully at
the above photo, you will see two red circles. The school is
just on the other side of the hill, and electronic towers
from Eric & Diane's home. The larger of the circles is the roof
of their home, the smaller circle on the left is one of the barn
cupolas.
The school, Central HS, has a rocket as a logo.
Rocket Power on Rocket Hill - this on their football stadium.
After dinner out of Aug. 6th, Grandson Danny (age 14) borrowed my camera.
He wanted to take some photos of our RV, and of the area of the RV Park.
So here we are, in the dusk.
(Photo by Danny)
A lake, adjacent to where we were parked, along with a boat house and some boats across the way.
(Photo by Danny)
Grandma and Grandpa.
(Photo by Danny)
This evening, after the last day of the week long "High School Band Camp," the band members
have a chance to demonstrate what they have learned to their parents.
Danny showing us what he will be playing this
year, as a freshman, in the Central Band of Pride
The trumpet - for regular band.
And the Mellophone for the marching band.
From Google: The mellophone is a brass
instrument that is typically used in place of the horn
(sometimes called a French horn) in marching bands or drum and
bugle corps.
The band will be using the Middle School practice field for their show this evening, which is adjacent to the high school.
You can tell we are in farm country, look at the corn bordering the spectator area.
As we look out over the school maintenance buildings, you can see their home and barn sticking out over the hillside.
The band members in their first, after a week of band camp, performance.
Uniforms will come later, along with many more practice session before their first public performance
later in the month at the first home football game.
Michelle and her Clarinet.
And Danny with the Mellophone.
Saturday afternoon, Aug. 9th, even with a Thunderstorm raging outside
The training continued.
Brandon gets Charlie ready for a ride.
Leading him out of the stall...
For Brandon, happiness is sitting atop Charlie.
Steady Charlie...
Off we go...
Eric comes in from playing in the mud.
(Actually working on the retention pond drain line.)
Brandon helps brother Danny with adjusting the stirrup length.
...and Danny is off for a ride this wet day - but inside of course.
OK Danny, good ride...
Brandon acts as the family wrangler, collecting Charlie, while in the background Michelle readies Scotch.
Michelle assisting David around the rink.
David - OK...
Michelle on board Scotch.
Michelle coming in with Scotch.