Fabulous Fall

We've been enjoying unusually great fall weather here in the Mitten this year: above average temps and an exceptionally sunny October. Even now that it's November and we're back to it getting dark ridiculously early, Mom's been able to take walks outside in the evenings without bundling up for an arctic expedition. When fall is like this, I can see why it's Lily's favorite!

Lily has been in such a good mood, we'd probably have been able to talk her into taking home a horse #13 on Halloween. We didn't go there, though, don't worry. 

Halloween night itself was exceptionally windy but dry and relatively warm (50's, as I recall), so our house saw an above average number of trick-or-treaters. We watched them come and go from Mom's bedroom window. Was this creepy? Maybe, but we were stealthy. All anybody who happened to look up could see were Mom's cute stuffed dogs closest to the window, ha ha. Best costume prize goes to the boy dressed as a Hufflepuff Hogwarts student, complete with the classic scarf and a wand.

These, plus an old string of Halloween-themed lights (alternating skulls, Frankenstein heads, pumpkins, and ghosts) were there to greet the trick-or-treaters. One of the owl eyes blew away early on, never to be seen again, but luckily we had extra flowers and on hand!

Once it got too dark to see much, we enjoyed a slice of this jack-o-lantern pizza, helped ourselves to roasted pumpkin seeds and leftover Halloween candy, and watched the finale of a Halloween-themed baking show we'd recorded. All of this while dressed as Hogwarts students ourselves, naturally.

We played Star Stable during, on, and after Halloween as well (the portal stayed open through 11/5), of course, and we continued to participate in almost all of the Halloween activities. 

One major highlight: we didn't run into an invisible wall at this cave/hideout and could finish the Galloper's revenge quest line this year. 

Unfortunately, mid conversation with ghostly Broderick, Galloper and his horse, Morrigan, showed up. They took him who knows where to do who knows what, and Linda and Clara were left with more questions than answers.

Maybe we'll learn more next year? 

This second time around, we've gotten a lot better at completing the races without incidents (like running into things that zap you or even cause you to fail.) We've also ridden the Haunted Trail Ride area enough now that we don't worry about getting lost anymore. 

I'll miss you the most, tagalong ghost donkey!

We've even gotten better at finding the gourds.

The final week of the event, we helped 6 of the 7 wandering ghosts get back to the Keep. 

Most were ghosts of people:

Our favorites were the ones that weren't:

These quests went easier the second time around too. We sadly still don't have access to where ghost #6 was, so that one was on its own.

Until next year, Galloper. It's been fun.

It was sad to see all of it go, but it was time, I suppose. The Halloween costumes went back in the wardrobe, and the sweaters and coats have started coming out.

Speaking of Clara's fantastic magical wardrobe, it just got revamped. The thumbnails are bigger, each page holds more items, and there are more pages to fill. There's even a search feature, which is helpful if you know the name of what you're looking for. The snag: wardrobe contents didn't transfer over neatly from the old format. What was on page two is now on the bottom of page one, etc. 

It was a tedious process to fix, and it must've been way worse for players who had bursting wardrobes before. (Ours wasn't anywhere near full yet.) We really wish there was a way to reorder the pages, or even to just drag and drop items from one page to another rather than having to dump things into the backpack as the in between step.

It's possible to zoom in and rotate the camera on Clara and horse (thank goodness - this default view is not ideal for viewing what's on the horse, especially the saddle bag and pet!), but I do wish they took up more like 1/3 or even 1/2 of the screen rather than being this small. I also really miss being able to see Clara sitting on the horse from the side in the stable lighting, no rotation necessary to see how things look and no boring beige background. Oh well, as far as we know, nothing went missing in the transfer, at least. Long term, it'll be great having more room.

Spooky Carrot

The week before Star Stable's Halloween event was set to begin, they tempted us with another horse bazaar. The breeds on discount this time: the Halflinger, the Mustang, the Trakehner, and the Arabian.

Eveningecho was barely done with her training, and already another one of these... 

Lily tried to rein us in, but her efforts were futile. 

It wasn't the Mustang that did us in. As much as we love their coats, the bucking and lip curling animations aren't our faves. The Trakehner is cute but reminds us of the Jorvik Warmblood, and we already have one of those. We're all set on the Arabian front (love you, Des!)

Our downfall was the Haflinger: fluffy, pony-like cuteness in an always flaxen chestnut package. All of the variations are great, from the light chestnut to the liver chestnuts. We had our hearts set on it being named Carrotcake, though, and for that, the medium chestnuts made the most sense. Eventually, we narrowed it down to two:

These were the most pangare (mealy) of the of the options. The one on the left was more dappled pangare, while the one on the right was more roan-like pangare. I personally thought the one on the left looked cuter from the front (love its blaze), while the one on the right looked cuter from the back (white speckles rather than super light all over.)

The eventual winner: roan-like pangare!

One of our best girl-meets-horse screenshots:

The first ride!

In real life, Haflingers are considered horses, despite the fact that they are frequently pony-sized. (The acceptable Haflinger height range is 13.2 - 15.0 hands, and technically 14.2 hands and under is considered "pony.") I assume they can still be considered horses because of their build, but it's very confusing. On Star Stable, they compromised by keeping them on the small side but a little taller than the ponies. Interestingly, they can't compete in the ponies-only daily training race, but they can compete in the Silversong Pony Championship. Fluke? Perhaps, but we see other Haflingers (and Norwegian Fjords, for that matter) competing in it all the time.

The Halloween event is in full swing now. Jorvik is appropriately decorated, including our home stable, and I like the effect on the new Brickhaven stable theme we're trying out. The portals to Galloper's Keep have reopened, bringing back all the fun (and not so fun) spooky-themed features we remember from last year.

The big, violently green cauldron has blubbed out a full set of tack and clothing already, and it doesn't seem inclined to give any duplicates this year. Instead, we've been getting tons of temporary appearance change potions to use on your starter horse, and quite a few more of the necromeowncer cat pets first offered last year.

It's possible to take home three new free pets as well, which we were all over, of course. 

The first is this dark, red-eyed gourd. I preferred the pale neon one from last year, but we gladly took this one as a reward after several days of completing The Pumpkin Hunt. I especially like pairing it with Tigertin. This hunt is still not our fave - it's a pain to find the big pumpkin to begin with, and then tracking down the 3 well-hidden, camouflaged little gourds can take us ages. At least we know now, thanks to online guides, the 5 locations to check for the big pumpkins. We've been writing down the coordinates where we find the gourds too, but unfortunately these seem to vary a bit more, so it hasn't helped us much yet.

The other two new pets need to be "reanimated" by a creepy dude named Igor on the Haunted Trail Ride. This took us longer because of all the materials necessary to the reanimations. 

The keys weren't hard to come by, and it's easy to barter other items for bones. We found the bunny's collar pretty quickly. Even finding and leaping for the kites in the air wasn't so bad, once we'd found one and knew what to look for. The cat's collar took by far the longest, but we finally found one this weekend and returned to Igor.

Meet Stitches:

And Patches:

Nice pumpkin placement here. XD

Rather creepy, but Star Stable gets points for creativity. They probably won't come out much when it's not October.

Two other new experiences for us on the Haunted Trail Ride this year: 

a giant jackalope has joined the rotation of monsters that chase you through a mountain pass

we briefly rode a Songsorrow

Despite our efforts to steer her elsewhere, she quickly veered into the ocean, with us (and our raven) still on board.

After this, we were not super tempted to go out and buy a Songsorrow, though I imagine they do not do this to their owners. We are not head over heels over any of the other Halloween-themed horses either. 

The new Halloween horses, Bolt the robotic horse and Calliope the carousel horse, are so creative! 

If they weren't based off the Mustang, we'd probably have Calliope on our wish list.

My favorite is Duskgrim, since he isn't at all sinister to me in either of his forms, and he doesn't have antlers. (Antlers on an equine aren't my thing.)

Maybe next year, assuming he's still available then?

For now, we are content with our even dozen equines. Carrotcake spent his first weekend with us in Halloween overload. It doesn't take that incredibly long to complete the daily Halloween tasks. What had us signing in so much was that Star Stable has another championship ribbon event going on. The championships happen every half hour, on the half hour. 

So... yeah, we challenged ourselves to earn them all this time, because aside from the skull, they're pretty cute. We also didn't want it to take the whole event to get them, since now (October) is the time to be wearing them. This meant competing like it was our job over the first weekend, ha ha. Poor Carrot was already fully trained by the end of the weekend - he must've been exhausted!

We've had our highs and lows. A few placings, a few close calls, and a few epic fails. (There's this one big log on the Valedale course that seems to be our nemesis...) Overall, I think we are slowly improving with practice, but we still feel like we're the comic relief competitor a lot of the time. You can earn anywhere from 1-5 points per completed championship, and we're most likely to get 3 or 4. That meant participating in somewhere around 70 championships to earn all of the ribbons. As of Friday night, 10/18, we earned the final Carousel Horse ribbon! High fives all around, everybody! 

As the above hints at, it wasn't just Carrot who helped us persevere through all those competitions: Frosty, Tiger, Des, and Magic did their parts as well. Whew, truly a team effort! The other horses will get to enjoy the event at a more relaxed pace now, though we still like to compete at least once a day for the token reward.

In real life news, we had a double surprise come our way this weekend. 

First surprise: at long last, our Hogwarts fantasies can be fully realized! 

Apparently, the Hogwarts uniforms (with the pants) were finally on sale a few months back, and Mom took advantage. Mom hid them away and gave them to us this weekend. =) They work great with our Hogwarts sweater, tie, and scarf sets.

Second surprise: in order to get free shipping, Mom added...

She comes with the name "Mighty Mae," and she's supposed to go with the current Girl of the Year, Lila. 

No Lila or her Barbie-like horse for us, but we'll gladly take the dog! We've changed her name to just "May." She's a happy, gets along with everybody type of dog, so fortunately she hasn't caused any drama among the other pets. We think we may give in and let her technically be Bethany's second dog, since Scampy especially likes her. 

ArtPrize 2024

Lily here. We've been shaking things up a bit with our posting order lately. Don't worry, nothing's wrong with Felicity. Bethany just wanted to be the one to talk about the Medieval Fair last time, and I wanted a chance to write about ArtPrize this year, so Felicity will be doing the next one once we're nearing Halloween.

ArtPrize came and went all in September this year rather than lingering a bit into October, which is a little sad, but we're just happy it happened. For anyone who doesn't know, ArtPrize is an art competition held in and around downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, where various buildings and outdoor areas serve as art venues for a fleeting few weeks in the fall. All of it is free for the public to view and vote on. Public vote and juried vote winners in various categories (2D, 3D, installation, time-based, etc.) are awarded cash prizes at the end. 

Mom did her part again by going to see a lot of fantastic art in person, telling us about it, and taking lots of photos. Some of said photo taking went on while she was holding a dripping umbrella, so if the framing is a little off, that's why, ha ha. We will share with you our personal top 5's, but first, here's what won the public vote's grand prize!

Dynamic Sunset by John Katerberg

Per the artist's statement, this is an oil an acrylic painting of the Grand Haven, Michigan pier. Instead of using a conventional canvas, however, he paints on a (very heavy) sheet of brass and welded steel. He then strategically grinds away some of the paint to reveal the metal underneath. Once he's done, he coats it all in automotive clear coat for protection.

He explains it better than I could:

"The painting you see before you represents the most difficult, yet rewarding project of my artistic career. This creation has taken a year of my life, plenty of sweat, and even a little blood. As a Purple Heart Veteran and lifelong artist, I have learned that both life and the creative process are full of hardships and challenges that we are called to turn into beauty. I call it Dynamic Sunset, capturing the sun’s brilliance breaking through a storm and reflecting off the waves below."

This artist had been showcasing his masterpieces in the fountain at a veteran's park for several years in a row, and every year, they have been breathtaking. They're some of my all-time favorites, to be sure. He got a spot in one of the most well-visited venues this year (the Gerald R. Ford Museum), and I think this really helped it get the attention it deserved.

Well done, Mr. Katerberg! This one would've been in my top 5, but I plan to choose 5 others to highlight later and let this one just be our grand winner. 

Before we get to those, though, I also must mention that another one of our favorite artists is still going strong. He (John Jurries) began painting one not-so-scary watercolor monster a day back in January 2014. Over 10 years and 3800 monsters later, and he still has not missed a day! 50 of his favorites from this last year were showcased in a hotel lobby.

Here are our personal favorites:

Bethany's pick: oreo walrus

Felicity's pick: breakfast beaver

Julie's pick: goat milk

my pick: iceberg polar bear

Finally, as promised, we have each picked 5 of our favorite entries to highlight. Enjoy!

Bethany's Picks:

Baby Africa

The artist was inspired to make these paper mache creations when looking at her photographs of an African safari she took in 2015. So much cuteness, and the artist took such great pains to display them well in this macaron shop! (Mom reports that the macarons looked delicious, but she didn't purchase any.)

Bonzo the Dragon

Whoa, so much detail on this little metal guy!

Once Upon a Wimblebild

Per the artist, this piece "celebrates the magical feeling of stepping into a public library." And my goodness, this is one crowded library! Bethany had a great time picking out various classic literary figures in the chaos, like Zorro, Winnie the Pooh, and Aladdin. 

The Turtle Clan

The artist, a member of Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and a member of the Turtle Clan, made this using sinew, glass seed beads, porcupine quills, and hide. It is gorgeous and also jam packed with symbolism.

"What do the whales say"

There must have been speakers nearby, because Mom says she could literally hear faint whale song while viewing this beautiful painting. We love that the artist chose to rotate the canvas the way she did - it helps add to the "sinking into deep water" feel of this. These are humpback whales, which are known for their white markings, huge size, and beautiful songs. This artist has painted horses in previous years. As much as we loved those, this is awesome in its own right.

Felicity's Picks:

 Cracked knot clock

The statement from the artist was so well done that Felicity told me to just share it:

"The cracked knot clock stands as a symbol of life's complex journey. How time is not always linear, but often a tangle of moments or memories. It teaches us to embrace life's imperfection. Secret compartments represents the parts of time not seen." Mom went back to this venue on the final day of ArtPrize because there was so much art she loved here, and she got to watch this being disassembled for transport elsewhere.

Poppies on Fire

Sad, haunting beauty. 

Somewhere Between Something and Nothing

Bizarre, kind of alien, and yet somehow so likable...

Untamed Life Forces

Woodsy nature scenes crafted out of wood itself? Yes, please! Felicity especially likes the second panel with the staggered birch trees and mento-like moon.

Tough as Nails

The circular base is 6 feet in diameter and peppered with thousands of nails in different sizes and colors that don't look like much, but the reflection on the cylinder in the middle reveals... a perfect African elephant!

Julie's Picks:

 A Fly On the Wall: Exploring the Tapestry of the Human Condition

The artist's explanation was rather lengthy, but in summary, "These anthropomorphic dioramas come together as a collective group to tell a story of the human experience."

Some were positive...

...and others not so much.

Breaking Boundaries

Chaotic, yes, but there's something quite eye-catching and pleasing about it. The artist's explanation was deeper than I thought to go on my own, but it's interesting enough to repeat.

"Breaking Boundaries depicts the complexities of the human experience; it’s a visual emotion that captures your curiosity.

Each layer impacts the other and informs the next, the same way experiences shape humans. Every experience plays a role in the next. Every layer creates more nuance and complexity, as does each human experience. The accumulation of experiences is a universal aspect of being human. The combined layers in Breaking Boundaries make a whole, the same as the collection of one’s experiences creates a person. What does your collection of layers look like?"

Hmm, I'd like to think mine might have a bit more sky blue and shimmer in them...

Happy to See Ewe

A hand-hooked wool rug depicting some happy sheep living in Vermont. Who can look at this and not smile?

It'll Be Ok In A Year

Not sunshine and roses like the last piece, obviously, but we all could immediately relate. Here we see a sad ghost enduring minor problems throughout a year. Per the artist, "The overall message is that the everyday struggles of living your life are never as big as they seem and sadness fades over time."

Unfinished Business

This is a near life-size oil painting of the artist's 17-hand warmblood, Estrellas Remarkablez, in the horse's youth. It's the Australian artist's third painting, and it took 5 months to complete. We really wish we could have seen some photos of the actual horse, but alas. This could well have been in any of our top 5's, but we let Julie have it for obvious reasons.

My Picks:

Taylor Swift Eras (Terra's Version)

Each of these small floral paintings was inspired by one of Taylor Swift's albums. Mom, my sisters, and I all enjoy Taylor Swift's music and are familiar with the albums, so we immediately "got" what the artist was doing. The paintings are simple yet elegant, and they look quite lovely hanging together. I think she did an excellent job in making her floral choices and explaining why.

For example, for Taylor Swift, album #1, this is what she painted:

And her explanation: "The vibrant teal pot and the youthful daisies are full of promise and expectation, just like her debut album."

Sisters on the Grand

These three goldfish were hanging out outside the Gerald R. Ford Museum and were each free to turn with the wind as they wanted. This meant that they were sometimes facing different directions from each other, which made them a challenge to photograph as a unit. Mom finally got her photo of them all facing the same way on the final day of Art Prize. The artist indicated that they are meant to represent herself and her two sisters. She, the middle one, has often felt she didn't belong with the others.

Promenade de' Carousel 

My sisters were surprised I still chose this due to what's on the far left. (His eyes periodically glow, what's with the platform shoes, and why is he so huge?) But, I couldn't not give some love to the flamboyant carousel ponies and (also rather out-of-place) swan. 

The swan had been rocking a black crown, but it was stolen near the beginning of ArtPrize. It got returned by the end, at least, and was back in place when Mom made her second visit, on the last day.

Ephemeriality

This free-form dried plant creation really invites one to meander around and admire it from various angles. I appreciated it even more after reading the artist's explanation:

"This installation is an abstract garden inspired by the landscapes that shaped my imagination as a child. Our experience of time appears to move faster as we grow from childhood into adulthood. The suspended movement of the forms is my attempt to freeze time and embrace a fleeting moment of wonder."

I'd say they succeeded! Here are some close ups:

Northern Brilliance

Last but not least, the same artist who has made spectacular, sparkling, stone-studded paintings of Michigan landscapes in previous years was back again, and this year's entry did not disappoint.

going closer...

...and closer yet. (Yay, Petoskey stones!)

The artist's eloquent explanation:

"‘Northern Brilliance’ is a celebration of the vibrant landscape of northern Michigan at the peak of fall, presented as a large-scale triptych within my signature gemstone series. Using over 16 types of semi-precious stones, I’ve crafted a piece that invites viewers to step closer, shift their position, and experience the artwork from multiple vantage points. Just as the landscape reveals new facets with each change in perspective, I hope to evoke a similar mindfulness in how we approach the complexities of our own lives. Life's situations often require us to look beyond our initial impressions and examine them from different angles to fully grasp their depth and beauty. This painting serves as a metaphor for that practice—encouraging us to pause, reflect, and perhaps discover a hidden brilliance in the very moments that challenge us. In art, as in life, sometimes the most profound insights are found not by looking harder, but by looking differently."

Another masterpiece, most definitely!

There you have them, our top 20. Whew, putting this all together took forever, but I think we'll be happy to have it to look back on later. I hope the art made your day a little better too! Until next time!