The Thin Veil

We're well into October now, and man, we can't remember a better one weather-wise. If all Octobers were like this, I'd totally jump on board the "fall is awesome" boat with Lily and Bethany. Record-breaking amounts of sunshine, highs mostly in the 60's with occasional outliers, leaves taking their sweet time to turn and fall off, no hard frost yet to kill the flowers... In summary, it's been just about ideal.

We're well into the Halloween festivities on Star Stable! I wouldn't quite call it ideal, at least not by my personal standards, but it has still been loads of fun. Our stable was automatically spookified with appropriate decorations, and a few ghost horses come and go.

To fully embrace the season, we temporarily changed our stable's total look. Because as long as we only go with the free options, why not?

Once again, the veil between the living and dead has thinned enough to allow access to the spooky Galloper's Keep! 

Some improvements this year include a larger sale horse island, updated ghost characters, and a portal that links directly to our stable.

Not sure how a horse fits through this, but it's a magic portal, after all.

(Sidenote: this was what our stable looked like before being Halloween-ified)

The familiar Halloween-themed races and activities we enjoyed in previous years have returned.

we've got Galloper's race down, but we still sometimes get zapped in the Scarecrow Hill race

The pumpkin hunt isn't so bad this year. 

We've memorized the pre-hunt pumpkin locations, and the big pink boundary bubble keeps us from roaming too far.

Come along, little gourds.

The only downside to the pink bubble: you can't quick complete the pumpkin hunt and then go race in the Goldenhills Championship right after. We learned this the hard way and got transported back to the Keep against our will mid-race (as soon as we left the bubble).

Probably our favorite daily Halloween activity, the Haunted Trail Ride, was also available from day 1.

sometimes we still can't resist pausing to pet the ghost animals

Whe we have time, we also enjoy going back to the cave beast's lair after outrunning it.

(It always give up trying to get us after we've successfully made it through the pass.)

Are these supposed to be the giant cat's kittens? Or are they just its oversized cat followers?

Back in the Keep, the little ghosties are still hanging out.

this year, they make cute little noises <3

Scott Buttergood kept us busy with his lengthy werewolf hunt quest. 

So much set up... and of course Clara and her steed do all the work for him.

posing with the friendly teen werewolf

werewolf quest complete, we can now go on much shorter, more straightforward daily hunts for other cryptids (only to photograph them, never fear!)

It's kind of amazing how many details of Galloper Thompson's story we had forgotten. We were happy to go through that whole quest line again. 

posing with Galloper and Morrigan mid-quest

yay, no brush this year when bonding with Morrigan

on the way to let Broderick cross over

As engrossing as all of the returning stuff is, we were also excited to have some new activities to do, such as...

a daily "find the spider pig" challenge

a new season of Halloween-themed Champion Ranks

Teddy got tons of championship experience while undergoing training!

Here are various iterations of "the ghost ribbon." As we've said before, we liked it way better when each was a unique stand-alone ribbon rather than just fancifying the same one over and over, but at least this series has a cute ghost on it.

...well, he was cute until his eyes turned red

The biggest disappointment of the event for me was the reward in Igor's quest. All of our efforts to amass unbroken bones etc. on the haunted trail ride, and no reanimated pets to show for it. :( 

what we got instead: a non-functional "summoning kit" to fill up our saddle bag boringly - and - creepy button eyes for Clara.

We went through all the effort anyway for the sake of progressing on the task board, but both will do nothing but collect dust in our wardrobe.

It wasn't a total strike out on free pets. After our first pumpkin hunt, we were gifted a skeleton-themed gourd. 

he goes great with Kitekey and Clara's new cauldron-brewed skeleton costume

We're so glad for our little collection of free Halloween pets from the last 3 years. They're probably happy there is only one new one vying for saddlebag time.

Okay, enough dwelling on pets. Back to more new activities! When riding near that old barn on the way from Moorland to Fort Pinta, Clara and horse sometimes get spooked by haunting song coming from inside.

We had Clara go in to investigate, and it was this creepy little girl singing the Glue Man ditty.

It could've been way worse. XD

After getting spooked, the graphics settings change slightly but noticeably until we log off and back in.

Higher contrast maybe? It gives things a more stark, less happy vibe, at any rate.

A new daily activity with its own portal: ghost hunting on South Hoof. Normally South Hoof is sunny with upbeat Irish-sounding music in the background, but not so for this!

we wander around in the gloom in search of high EMF readings: signs of ghostly activity

Sometimes it's objects, sometimes it seems to be coming from underground, sometimes it's agitated "soul flames," and sometimes it's fully-formed ghosts. Right now, the mystery of what's going on - and if the wild horses of the peninsula are safe - remains a mystery.

The new race this year takes place totally within the Keep! 

To get agitated soul flames to leave Tom the ghost kitty alone, we encourage them to race with us, which satisfies them until the next day.

The jumps are all appropriately Keep-themed. This one is my favorite, for obvious reasons.

Finally, here's a quick look at this year's new Halloween horses.

Both Lycan the werewolf horse and Pharoah the mummy horse look quite at home in the Keep. Lycan's base model is the Jorvik Mountain Horse, and Pharoah's is the Belgian Warmblood, for the record.

As Lily indicated last time, we weren't (and still aren't) planning to purchase any additional Halloween horses this year. Tombhoof and Duskgrim are our clear favorites, and we took home both last year. It was rather amusing to us to ride around Teddy (a happy, golden brown, cuddly Curly) for the first third or so of the Halloween event. Teddy had a great time, though, and he certainly stood out from the crowd.

he may not be scary, but he looks great in autumn-themed gear and scenery

We did see one other Curly in a championship once, but they have not been common!

here he is doing his final level-up sparkle

...and here he is on his final haunted trail ride, before all of the horses went back in our rotation.

Love you, ghost donkey!

Other than ending up in some confusing Jorvik locations after leaving the Keep, and the pink bubble issue I mentioned earlier, our game play has been pretty smooth. I will conclude with a few amusing bugs, though.

return of the x-ray pumpkin hunt!

Occasionally, all of Jorvik (rather than just the area by a portal) goes dark for us!

almost-invisible ghost

Morrigan rocking Kitekey's stripes in the Galloper's memories race

Overall, it's been a great event so far! We miss being able to save and spend tokens, but we certainly haven't been lacking for things to do or items to spend our shillings on. We're eager to see what the final week will hold!

ArtPrize 2026

Happy October! The leaves here are starting to turn - so beautiful! It's almost time for Star Stable's Halloween event to begin, but in the meantime we've been happily enjoying a slower-paced two weeks. 

During the final week of September, Star Stable tempted us with another horse bazaar. On sale this time were the Friesian for 570 star coins, the Arabian and Pintabian for 475 star coins, and the Curly Horse for 510 star coins. 

Apologies for the random player crashing our screenshot - they were sitting there for quite some time, and we ran out of time and patience. 

We're good on the Friesian and Arabian/Pintabian fronts, but we could not resist the Curly Horse. Ironically, they were 10 star coins less expensive the first time they went on sale, back in December 2025. Obviously, we passed on them back then - if I'm remembering right, it was bazaar overload in that timeframe, with us just recently buying our Morgan and looking ahead to buying our Ardennes. 

As an early generation 3 horse, the Curly lacks the... refinement... of more recently-added horses. Its animations, especially its fast gallop, are rather clunky. It also isn't retrofitted at all, meaning it can't wear any of the newer styles of tack. We've passed on most early gen 3 horses for those reasons, but we made an exception for the Curly. Why? Because they exude so much cuteness and charm - they give off huggable teddy bear vibes. 

We loved all of their coat colors, but we had to go with the chestnut because he seemed the most teddy bear like of them all. 

Meet Teddyexpress!

Oof, one of our more awkward girl-meets-horse screenshots

the first ride

No regrets - he's such a sweet guy - but one thing we find super annoying is that every time we get on him, this popup appears. If only there was a "do not show me this message again" option to click. 

As slow-paced as we've been playing, Teddy will probably be our mount for a decent chunk of the Halloween event. We don't anticipate purchasing any Halloween horses (we already have our two favorites), so he's hopefully our last new horse for a while. 

firefly chasing in Hollow Woods

Enjoy the happy, summery scenery now, buddy. Spooky season will be here soon!

Ready or not, I'm going to dive into the main subject of this post now, ArtPrize 2026. It took over downtown Grand Rapids, MI over the past few weeks. It's a free-to-the-public art competition that returns each fall and always seems to whiz by way too quickly. There were over 1000 entries this year spread out over 150+ venues. Mom didn't see all 1000, but she still saw an overwhelming amount of amazing art in person, took photos, and told us all about it.

Throughout the competition, the public could vote on their favorites At the end, prizes were awarded in various categories (2D, 3D, installation, etc.) both to the winners of the public vote and juried vote (aka a panel of art experts.) 

For the record, the public vote grand prize winner this year was Sketchdiet: A Year of Drawing Everything I Ate by Kristin Pennock. It stretched out accordion-style over a looong stretch hallway in DeVos Place. The artist travelled extensively and had food allergies, so this had a bit of a celebratory feel (this is what I could eat, and this is where I was!) In summary, per her statement, "The drawings pushed me to seek new places and foods for variety, thinking more carefully about what I really wanted to be eating, providing a creative outlet, serving as a kind of diary, and recognizing those who became part of the experience."

We're happy for the artist and think the win was well-deserved, but it did not rank near the top on any of our lists.

One that did: Monsterpalooza. A new batch of 50 of these not-so-scary watercolor monsters were on display in the same downtown hotel lobby as previous years. The artist has been creating one of these a day since 2014 and is still going strong! 

one side of the display pillar

These never fail to put smiles on our faces. Keep going for our favorites. I've decided we'll go in birthday order this year to mix things up, because why not?

Felicity's pick: laundry monster

Julie's pick: freeze pop monsters

 Bethany's pick: Michigan-shaped ice cream monsters

(Superman ice cream is her favorite! :))

my (Lily's) pick: rootbear

We also all loved this one, Unexpected Beasts. It's chaotic and not very cohesive but great fun. 

The beasts were crafted mostly out of unexpected items the artist found on her property.

Felicity's favorite: spider

Julie's favorite: hedgehog

Bethany's favorite: tortoise

my favorite: owl tree

Next up: each sister's top 5 entries!

Felicity's picks:

1920s Harbor/Fishing Village

a quaint historical scene built out of legos!

So much detail and so much fun!

Mom spent a ton of time admiring this one.

The Pause

Felicity was intrigued by this painter's unique style and appreciated it even more after reading the artist's explanation. She chose to paint this security guard, someone she barely knew and found intimidating. The painting took over 500 hours for her to complete - a lot of time spent in the presence of that security guard. A snippet from her statement: "What began as an inquiry into difference became an experience of recognition. Through the intimacy of prolonged seeing, fear gave way to empathy, detachment to tenderness. In this work, I celebrate the profound dignity and beauty that exist in every person, especially when they first seem distant from us. The painting stands as a testament to the transformative power of attention: that to truly see another person is, eventually, to love them."

Earth Portals

abstract nature art at its finest

This one was her favorite of the four.

THE MOMENT BEFORE COLLAPSE

What a dramatic painting! We prefer to imagine that he's coming together rather than disintegrating.

Catch my drift

A spectacular driftwood dragon! 

This one was located in a prime spot outside of a museum so got lots of love. 

Julie's picks:

Solitude Trails

Serene paintings of a local golf course that became a nature preserve a few years ago. Julie loved this painter's meticulous detail and the masterful use of color and shadow.

We recognized the area immediately from photos Mom has taken - she's walked there many times. <3

As you can see, the land's gone from manicured, monolithic grass to meandering trails through native plants instead!

Infinite Deep

this massive painting of a great Pacific octopus got its own little dark room with a sign on the door about only entering if you dare. XD

it was so pleasingly textured and sparkly!

Price to Pay

This has the feel of a dragon's treasure hoard, but it's all cast off gold-colored everyday items. Julie appreciated the the beauty in the chaos and enjoyed picking out cute random things like a rocking horse and a rubber duck, but of course the artist had deeper things in mind. Per her statement, "This reflects a broader cultural longing for purpose, beauty, and belonging in a society shaped by overwork, overconsumption, and dissatisfaction. Ultimately, the installation asks: Do we belong here? How do possessions help us claim place in an unstable world? What do we truly desire? Why can’t we have what we want?"

A Gentle Giant

a textile portrait of Yogi, a well-loved brown bear from our local zoo who passed a few years ago the ripe old age of 31. <3

Maeve

A happy, colorful oil painting about living in the moment and enjoying the little things in life.

The artist was there when Mom visited. When somebody commented on how difficult the bubbles must have been, she said she'd concentrate on one bubble per day to keep from getting overwhelmed. :^)

Bethany's picks:

The Hidden Hollow

Bethany loves the depth and vibrant colors in this painting. The artist's short, sweet statement:"A glimpse into a hidden place I’ve always imagined exists, somewhere just beyond the path." Bethany wishes she could go there, as do I!

Endangered Animals

Bold paintings of some beautiful animals we definitely don't want to forget about.

One thing Bethany especially liked was how much blue paint was used in the "white" of the zebras.

Legacy

such a quietly beautiful painting

Magnanimous

def: (adj) very generous, forgiving, or noble, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful

The artist's inspiration: she was lucky enough to swim with three humpback whales in the ocean near Tahiti. "They were aware of our presence and moved carefully around us, watching us with interest and making eye contact... they so graciously allowed us to join with them in their waters, sharing in their dance and song. I would like the viewer of this artwork to feel like they joined us in the water with them..."

The Appreciation Project

This was actually a 3-part entry - there were also some 2D drawings of plant and animal bits displayed on traditional rectangular canvasses and on the sides of 3D shapes - but Bethany's favorite was this part, The Subway People. The artist enjoys sketching people on the New York City subway and then decided to turn them into clay figures. Bethany loved the somewhat cartoony yet still realistic style of these. Each is so detailed, unique, and relatable.

a close up

and one more 

My (Lily's) picks:

Owl at the Edge of Soft Reflections

This one was located in the basement of the B.O.B., hence Mom's unevenly lit photo.

I found this so soft, dreamlike, and beautiful!

The Eyes of the Gods

a glass mosaic masterpiece!

Where Water Whispers

Again, apologies for the uneven lighting in the photo, but Mom was really glad it was there to emphasize all the sparkly bits, which included glass, gemstones, and even two Petoskey stones. I love everything about it, including how the foxes are watching the viewer right back. Per the artist, "Ultimately, Where Water Whispers is a reminder that wonder does not always demand our attention. Sometimes it rests quietly beneath the surface, waiting for us to become still enough to see it."

this is knot a wall but a plane of opportunity

It's dark and ominous, but not so dark and ominous that you aren't drawn in to look at the holes.

So much variety in both wood and knotholes!

The Symphony of Life

The artist took a walk in a nearby park and was inspired to paint this beauty. 

"On that day, standing among the wildflowers, I felt something I have experienced many times throughout my life. The flowers, the light, the breeze, and the observer no longer felt separate. Everything seemed connected, moving together in quiet harmony. That feeling became this painting."

And there you have it, our collective top 20. Congrats for making it all the way to the end! As we tend to think every year, there were so many amazing entries that it was painful to each limit ourselves to just 5! Thank goodness, though, because this post is a marathon as it is. Until next time! <3