Thursday, June 30, 2016

and June slips by....

We are not home many days from our wonderful trip and we have another fun event to attend. Now I know this looks like a barn...and it is ..I love barns, so when I have a chance to see other barns I  love looking about. Like our homes each barn ha s its own personality and its so much fun to peek.
But look what else they have...an indoor...what a dream that is. Especially in the north..riding year round....
However..the real reason for being on this beautiful farm is a wedding!!!! Our friends Kala and Josh are being married today. Now this farm doesn't really hold weddings but Kala's friend owned the farm and when she asked about having her wedding there..they said they would give it a try.

Farm themed weddings are very popular right now. I have wondered if we should think about hosting weddings on our farm...
The weather was beautiful. The country setting was perfect and it was a great day did the newly weds.

Kayla has two sweet girls that adore Josh and he like wise...a new family beginning their lives together.
And what's your wedding photos without one with your horse !!!

Kass, Nate and the brand's were invited too. Reagan had a ball and was on the dance floor the whole afternoon. All those cute bridesmaids were quite smitten by him!!!
Papa and Calvin

I was very honored when Reagan said to me... " come on baby..dance with me!!!" I wasn't about to pass by this offer.
Sorry Reagan..think your proposal is a little too late.  But all  our very best wishes for many happy years together to  Kala and Josh....

Monday, June 20, 2016

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Saturday, June 18, 2016

a day in history...

The beginning of a very important aka history making day. This is the day of the Adrian Fire Department's celebration.. the day we have come out for... a day that we get to share in....a day that has taken (literally) years of planning... It begins with a  parade and then the water games, muster and open house will follow. 
I've seen a lot of musters but this water ball will be new to me and after seeing what it takes to even put it up... I bet it's going to be a great game to watch.

A few of the redshirts had made the trip as well. They will be here with Protection No.2 as her family to support her on this very special day.

Everyone -- especially Ed, is pleased that Protection No.2 has traveled well. Last minute polishing and looking over to make sure she is ready for her debut....  and she is ....




The parade line up was a few blocks from the station, so she was carefully pulled there... but during the parade members of the Redshirts, along with members of the Adrian Fire Department will be pulling her during the parade. Everyone is so excited and they all find it wonderful to think of this old fire piece on the streets once again.. where she had served as a brand new piece so many years ago.




And so we begin. I thought it was rather sad that the crowd along the way were not bigger. And even though the fire department advertised this event, unless you are some how involved, no one truly understood what this was all about. The children seemed excited to see the fire trucks... and thought Protection No. 2 was "cool".. but they didn't know that there was a day when she "protected" their city... well... we appreciate it, that for sure



Because I don't know the city, I just followed along.. but I did begin to think.. "goodness" this is a long parade... because it seemed to go on and on... turning onto this street and then onto another...

And then we were told why. Jeff wanted to bring Protection No.2 to the spot where she had lived as a new fire piece. Her station is long gone, but the idea that this (vacant parking lot) was truly once her home, had a heart felt feeling about it. Again, if you're not involved in the fire service, or have a love for old things like this, it can be a hard thing to understand... but no one here, on this day had a hard time understanding.. and in fact, I saw a few tears when people began to realize what this was all about. 

It was nice to see the "new" pieces all lined up along the way.... because of pieces like Protection No.2 and the men who served with her all those years ago... fire pieces like these, and men like my Ed and Jeff... and so many others..have learned all kinds of things along the way. Improvement on fire fighting equipment.. safety... the science of fire, have all come from the generations before. 

And what better place for photo opts...



Jeff and Brenda... our hosts, and the two people who began all of this..... such a huge day for them... a successful, huge day....



Then it was time to head back to the main station and begin the fun... Protection No. 2 was carefully pulled back. As she rolled past this station (which was not her's but here when she did serve)... I managed to get this shot.... I am so pleased that even though this station is now an office building, they have kept the original look to it... 

The big rounded doors, were steamers pulled by horses used to leave from.... the fires that they all protected the city from...

And from one moment to the next, she goes from the past and back into the future... 


Let the games begin!!! so the idea is to move this "ball" which is on a rope, over into the other teams zone.... it's wet, it's wild and the teams are serious players....



The crowd was pretty amazed by it all (so was I)


Jeff was able to take us on a little tour... the old fire station that is now the office building... not only is it original on the outside, but much of it has been preserved on the inside... including old photos of when the building was... of course, anything with horses has my attention and I loved this one of an old steamer and it's team that was taken in front of this very building


They have even kept the hose tower (where drying out the hose after it was used was a must).... and some of the guys took the time to climb the stairs and ladders to the top. When I was a little girl, I remember a hose tower in the fire station where my Dad served (even as a Chief)... but as things have progressed fire hoses no longer have to be dried and can go right back on the trucks... so many new fire houses don't have towers any more....and (my camera battery had died by now).. they even have the brass pole in the building, which some of the guys tired...

After a great day of fun... there was a banquet as well. Protection No2 was brought to the banquet and set up as a piece of honor. 

Ed and Mark







Mark was invited to open the banquet and say a prayer

Ed was invited to speak on being the care taker of Protection No 2.. our trip out there, and the restoration that he did a couple of years ago. Everyone was so interested in "what" Protection No2 life is like now and the history as much as we know of her since the days that she left Adrian

Beside bringing Protection No 2 back to the city, Jeff had done so much with all of this. In the history he had found the names of the men who died in the fire service in Adrian. He found their grave sites, knew their stories and then invited their families (some generations old) to attend as honored guests. All were given awards of appreciation that the loved one had earned in the fire service. There were seven men that lost their lives serving in the fire service of this city.... their stories were interesting and sad. And I think that some of the families members never really knew them, but now they do. 

The other neat thing was families got to meet other families and learn that their member served with a member of the other family. Or that someone's relative was at the funeral of someone else's relative... the connections were real and emotional .

Ed and Mark made a presentation to Jeff and the city of a copy of the book we did about Protection No. 2 restoration and then, they took a finial off her, an original .. that will be put into a memory box and left at the fire station .. a little token from Protection No. 2

this wonderful day and evening was last captured in a photo of our guys who traveled out, and the Adrian folks .. forever our friends, and another great memory/moment due to an old fire piece that we call... Protection No. 2