Pumpkin Festival in Peer

Something that I love about Belgium, is the fact that they are all about family. And they love to get together and have a great time. The awesome folks at Bruegel Farm in Peer hosted a Pumpkin Festival today, and it was lots of fun.

During the summer, the local school kids could sign up and get a free pumpkin plant from the farm. They then proceeded to grow their own pumpkins, which they brought to this festival to show off. They had prizes for the biggest pumpkin, the best decorations, etc. They had some great decorations, too. This was one of Brandon's favorites.

You have to love their imagination, don't you. These are great.

The kids really did a great job!

This was the real reason we came to the festival, though... the hay maze! You know how I can't resist a good maze!

Of course I had to stop to take pictures, and the family abandoned me. After a while, they took pity on me, and came back to lead me out. I guess that's what I get for not paying attention. The goal of the maze is to make it to that black tent you see on the far side. Inside the tent was a great display of lit jack-o-lanterns.

Some were creepy...

And some were silly. Like I said, these kids did a great job!

There were little Fall displays here and there around the farm.

We wandered outside to check out the kip (chickens). These aren't just ordinary chickens, you know. They are thoroughbreds. Racing chickens!

That's right. They had chicken races outside.

Back inside the barn, they had set up a little bunny petting area, so of course we had to go and visit. How cute is she?

After checking out the sites and running through the hay maze one more time, we headed for home. A big THANK YOU to Bruegel Farms and Peer for putting on such a great family event. We had lots of fun. Happy Fall, Y'all!

Crazy Weather

This is what I woke up to this morning. And then it got worse. You couldn't even see the back fence. The weather has not been on it's best behavior lately. We had non stop rain for about two weeks, and then the fog set in. One thing that I've noticed about the locals, though, is that nothing slows them down. A couple of days ago, the rain was pouring down, and an elderly gentleman near us was out sweeping the leaves off of his sidewalk like it was just another sunny day. You still see them out doing yard work and riding their bikes on errands, no matter how bad the weather is. They're tough in Belgium. When the rough weather hits, you can be sure to find me snuggled on the couch, under my favorite blanket, and watching a movie. I'm a wimp. I admit it, and I'm OK with that. There is a rumor that fluffy white stuff will soon be here. If it does, feel free to stop by. We can watch Under The Tuscan Sun and dream about Spring.

It's Fall

It's A Beautiful Fall Day!

It's a fantastically gorgeous Fall day. This definitely makes up for all of the rain that we've been having lately. We decided to get out and enjoy the weather with a bike ride along the canal. We haven't been able to do this much lately, because the weather has not been cooperating. The locals ride their bikes all the time in any type of weather, but I'm the first to admit that I'm a fair weather rider.

We had lots of company along the canal. I think everyone was out enjoying the sunshine.

Jess and I were out front, and we surprised this family of ducks near the bridge. They were not pleased that we interrupted their nap.
I don't even want to know what they were saying to us in duck world. (I'm sure it was not something that you could repeat to your mother.) Eventually, they got over it and went off to enjoy a lovely swim.
I believe that this is officially a Belgian Biker Gang. It's one rough group of individuals. Here is my baby. It's the Limo of bikes. Notice my snazzy little case on the back. These things are very popular here, because the locals do all their running around on bikes, and you have to have somewhere to put the things that you buy. It's perfect for packing a nice picnic lunch, as well. We'll get a lot of use out of it next summer.

I'm embarrassed to say that I took this right after we were "smoked" by a group of octogenarians. You can just make them out ahead of us. The little old ladies and gentlemen passed us quickly, and they looked like they weren't even breathing hard. We were traveling at a pretty good rate, too. I told Jess that it's bad enough that they passed me, but she should REALLY be hanging her head in shame. She's only 15, and in the prime of life! Maybe I need to start hitting the treadmill. That's just wrong.

This handsome fellow was near the canal on our return trip, and came over to say hello. He's a Belgian Horse. Really. That's what they call him. He, like the pig butt cow, is HUGE! They stand 16 to 18 hands high, and weigh between 1,800 and 2,000 pounds. That's a whole lot of horse! Despite his massive size, he was very friendly. (And I must say, he was really working that 1980's Flash Dance legwarmer look! Kudos on the fashion sense.) After we got home, Russ told me that we had biked 6 miles. Wow! I'm amazed. It also explains why my legs are tired. Take that you octogenarians! I might be slow, but I get there eventually!

It's Corny, But True

The days are getting cooler. The mornings are foggy as of late. We set our clocks back an hour on Sunday. The horizon of Belgium has dropped about 8 feet. It must be Fall. I think that the most popular crop in Belgium is corn. They grow it everywhere. If there is a field near their house, they will grow corn on it. An empty plot of land in a subdivision? Corn. A half acre beside the school? Corn. A planter box on the windowsill? Corn. (Well, maybe not that last one.) It's not so much to eat, but to feed the livestock throughout the winter months. They have a lot of livestock in Belgium. Almost as much as they have corn. You don't realize just how much of the landscape is covered with these massive fields of grain... until they harvest it all. Then you notice that not only is the country much shorter than you had first thought, but that there are a lot of buildings and fields that were once hidden. I find myself having to relearn some of the landscape. Things look much different now. Instead of turning right at the third cornfield on the left, I find myself looking at the old house that had been hiding there. They built a nice new house nearby, so they just plowed up their former yard and planted...say it with me...all together now...CORN! Ahhhhhh.