My Victim
… Kinda a scary name for a post, eh? Let me explain.
A few weekends ago I got to spend a very relaxing day+a bit out at my aunt and uncle’s place in Riverfalls, WI working on art projects, watching football, eating great food and breaking TVs. I also got to spend some quality time with Carol and her very first horse, Mai who is now 29. He is the first horse I rode and the first horse I remember and I have always had a special spot in my heart for him because of his gentle nature and beauty. He started out as a jumping horse then changed careers to be a dressage horse and finally became a trail horse. In his retirement he has become a “pasture ornament” at Carols and seems to have found a fond liking to oats. The only really intimidating thing I can think of about him (besides his size) is his name. Mai, which is short for Maimasara, is a translation of My Victim. It sounds so serious and tough and all around terrifying should you meet this horse in a battle or on a racetrack.
Their relationship was really fun to watch and after 26 years of spending lots of time together, they do know each other well. When I asked Carol if there was anything she would like me to focus on when I took photos she gave me a short list of her favorites…
First – when Mai drinks water he sticks out his tongue while swallowing. Carol said in all the horses she has encountered in her life, she has never seen another drink like that. Aside from it being a funny thing he does, I am in love with this style of shot! With pretty much any animal, I find the ‘up-the-nose’ photo to be a great one, but with horses? That nose is so much more exciting!
Second – When you scratch his back, he sticks out his face and his big lips start to tremble. It distinctly reminded me of a dog the way they lean into you when you’ve found “the spot.”
Mai was a great horse to work with yet similar to a cat in his mannerisms or lack there of. He thoroughly enjoyed standing around being fed oats while having his back scratched and his photo taken.
Can’t wait to get back there and do some more photos of Ahni – the pup! And who knows, one of these days I might manage to get updated photos of my apartment on here. I am thrilled with how it is turning out! I love art.
Deer Lake Orchard
Next weekend on Oct 10th the HUGE staff of Chocolate Moose Images will be out at Deer Lake Orchard working with families and their furry friends to create some memorable photos of the day.
I know you. You have always dreamed of having your pet’s portrait taken amongst Apple Trees and grass. And this is your opportunity!
Send me a message for further information including cost and available times!
Good ‘ol Minne-sota
For the last 10+ years on Labor Day Weekend we Nelsons + friends have gone camping somewhere lovely as that last summer horah. It is always really great and relaxing and full of fun people, great food and cool waters.
This year, the plans got scratched. So what to do on a holiday weekend that I have always had plans for? A stay-cation!
Mur and I kept our apartment as home base all weekend and it was fab-u-lous. No big commitments. No huge plans. Just lots of great food, drink, company and relaxation on a long weekend.
Saturday: The plan for the day was to do something fun. To fulfill that we decided to make the relatively short (and quite pretty) drive down to New Ulm, MN to visit August Schell brewing.
The story behind the brewery was really interesting and one that I knew little about. It is the second oldest family owned brewery in the country. They will be celebrating their 150th anniversary next year so that means they opened in… {carry the 1}…1860. The story starts out with a guy named August. He was a German settler who took a wife, had some kids and moved to New Ulm, MN. Once there, he started out in a flour mill. German beer was hard to come by so he took it upon himself to find a solution. Enter August Schell Brewing. At the brewery they have an interesting tour through the museum which is mostly family heirlooms. One part that I found to be real interesting was how the brewery has changed hands over the years. At the age of 50, August found himself not able to keep working and handed over the majority of the work to his son, Otto. When Otto suddenly died, the reigns were handed over to his sister, Emma. Emma later handed it over to her son and that’s how it has been since. In general, it is a real interesting family story of how they succeeded at the beginning, through prohibition and to this day.
So since I know only a little about the brewing process because I can’t seem to wrap my artsy brain around it, I don’t really know what we saw on the tour as far as mechanics go. There was some of the old brew stuff but little of the current brewing stuff is what I was told…
But they did have a tasting room with quite a few different beers to try. That was nice because I so rarely have the opportunity to try several side by side to really see what they taste like and how they compare to one another.
Now the brewery was just one part of the planned day of fun. The rest was on the road to and from. Weird Minnesota is an odd book. It has numerous random roadside things throughout the state including the largest ball of twine and the two story outhouse. I used that along with Roadside America to decide on our extra stops.
First stop: Hermann the German
Hermann the German is a German tale of a man (Hermann) who led many tribes of Germans against the Romans in 9 A.D. He signified liberty and unity for future Germans and because New Ulm is so German, what better place to have a statue to remember a German hero. While it cost some serious $$ to go up to the statue ($1.50 a person – kinda steep), we decided it was totally worth it if for no other reason than the opportunity to make goofy faces and take lots of photos.
After Hermann, the photo trail ends. We went and saw a German clock tower in downtown New Ulm. Wasn’t super exciting and we didn’t even stop the car. I do regret not taking a photo but I wasn’t in control of the brake petal. In St. Peter, MN there is a Pharmacy Museum. While we did honestly forget about it while driving through, should we have made it there, it would have been closed. And besides, we were to concerned about getting to the FAB-U-LOUS meat shop in some other small town on the drive {I have never had such good summer sausage!} And finally, we searched and searched for the Two Story Outhouse in Belle Plaine, MN but to no avail. Court Square was a very difficult street {or square, perhaps} to locate and we felt kinda weird pulling over and asking some random passerby, “Excuse me, can you direct us to the two story outhouse?”
so much to eat i need a nap
As a follow up to the Ren Fest, Mur Dad and I went to the MN State Fair. Like most other state fairs there are countless things to eat. I mean really, good luck counting it all. I have a few staples that I have to have each and every time I go to the fair…
French Fries… they are always hot, fresh and super greasy but AMAZING. I have never had such a good French fry.
Pronto Pup… the State Fair staple. It’s really just a corn dog but I think it is actually against the rules to leave without having one. I saw someone get questioned at the gate once.
and Sweet Martha’s cookies… the second best cookies I’ve ever had. They are gooey, warm, chocolaty and OVER. FLOWING. in their bucket of goodness. Aside from sorta knowing Sweet Martha (who was a teacher friend of my moms) I just really think she makes a delicious cookie! I did say second best because my bestest friend’s mom makes the BEST cookies I’ve ever had, but she doesn’t have a booth at the fair – yet.
Aside from the staples I tried more food until I was not sure I could do anything else but sleep. We each sampled a Summit’s beer while watching stand up comedy and a Leine’s beer while watching a mediocre variety show. 
When we needed a break from food we walked on down to the midway to check out the scene. I remember as a child going to the fair with my parents and being so excited for the midway (ie: rides/games/toys/bright lights/etc.) and way less excited for the boring stuff like the Art barn or the Horticulture barn. Surprisingly enough, I grew out of the steal-your-money games and got more interested in art. Fast forward 12ish years and add my dad’s great idea to take photos of the midway after dark and you have a fun event! 
fun was had by all! And I don’t even think it was too much torture to spend an evening with 2 photographers who at the time, in their possession, had a combined collection of 5 cameras.
just look at that excitement!
And as a post Labor Day post, adios State Fair. We will eat again!