Morning Walk (September 1, 2010)

It rained a lot in August, so we didn't spend as much time outside. We started our regular homeschooling routine, so we were spending some time on math and reading every morning. But one morning, we woke up and it was a beautiful sunny day so we ditched "school" and  went for a walk. There is a trail near our house that goes down into the wooded valley outside our village. Just one kilometer down the trail, there is a fire pit and shelter so we walked to there and then came back. There is a lot of farmland and grazing land around here, so there are lots of goats, cows, and sheep around. We saw several on our walk, as well as quite a few slugs, which are also very prevalent around here.

This goat was so funny. I think he wanted us to feed him, or maybe he just wanted to be our friend. He came right up to the fence as soon as he saw us and kept saying, "BAAAA!" The funny part is that he sounded just like a grumpy old man. I don't think I've ever heard a goat sound quite like this one.

This goat was a little more shy.

We were happy to come across some cows. Sam loves cows right now, and it was a good week for him. Earlier in the week, we had been at a park where our homeschool group met, and a herd of cattle passed right by where we were playing. 

Avary noticed these flowers.

Down near the shelter, there was a herd of sheep grazing. Avary was so happy that we came across some sheep. Sheep are her favorite animal right now and she had been talking about how she was sad that we hardly ever seen any sheep. We couldn't get very close to them, but we walked up into the long, wet grass to try to get a better look. We also closed our eyes and listened for their bleating. It was so quiet and peaceful. I heard nothing but birds chirping, wind rustling the tress, water trickling, and the occasional sheep.

This is where the sound of the water was coming from.

The kids were excited to see the moon.

It says Am Pferdsbrunnchen, which means something like "at the horse fountain" I think.

There are lots of windmills around here.

One of the cows was closer to the fence on our way back up the trail.

Once again, no pictures if Will. He was there, but he was riding on my back again. I think the loud goat that we saw near the beginning of the walk kind of scared him and he stayed pretty quiet the rest of the time, and sometimes rested his face on my back like he was hiding.

It was a really nice way to spend the morning. I feel very blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Mike and I have always dreamed of living in the country, and it's just so nice to be surrounded by farmland and forests while we are here.