The 3-week state shut down didn't affect us much personally, but it did many others. Because of the beautiful day we decided to go back to the Oliver Kelley farm, a state historic site which was closed until just yesterday. We learned that they pretty much just cared for the animals during those three weeks. We took the horse drawn trailer ride, and the horses were noticably sluggish compared to last time. The driver said he's had trouble convincing them it's time to get back to work after being unemployed for 3 weeks. Also, if you look at the middle picture, they weren't able to care for the large garden in front of the house so it was quite overgrown with weeds. In the foreground is what they've been able to take care of after 2 days, but there's quite a bit more behind them. We helped haul a couple loads of weeds from the garden to the animals and brought some water into the house for some cleaning.
A couple of the birthday parties we celebrated.
We said goodbye to little Nicky.
And made some memories together, including this trip to Oliver Kelley Farm (before the state shutdown).
And the Fridley 49er days parade.
