Salem Riverfront Carousel

The last time we came to the carousel Janessa was maybe a little older than Eliana is now and Colin was young enough not to remember it. So what better thing to do on a beautiful day when you all have colds but don't feel like sitting around the house for another day.

Her first ride was on the unicorn named Magic.

Janessa was quite funny on the way to Salem. She had no idea what a carousel was let alone what it meant to ride one of the horses. She told me that she had forgotten her rope. When I asked her what she needed rope for she told me, "to hold onto the horse while she was riding". I tried to explain that the horses were not real and that she would be just fine because they had buckles and Mommy would stay with her and keep her safe.

Ready for our first ride.

Colin chose Abby for his first trip.
She was decked out in red, white, and blue.

Janessa's next choice was named Larry the circus pony.

He was the perfect size for her and didn't go up and down quite as much

as some of the bigger horses.

Colin's next ride was on Francis the mule.

This is Snickerdoodle. She ended up being Janessa's favorite horse.

See the kitty on the back.

Auntie Kelley bought her a post card of Snickerdoodle for a souvenir.

We told Janessa that Snickerdoodle was a kind of cookie but she didn't believe us.

So after nap time we made a batch. She helped roll the dough in the

cinnamon sugar and put them on the tray. They turned out delicious!

Colin's favorite horse was the General. Unfortunately we didn't get a good picture of him.

Auntie Kelley got him a postcard of this horse for a souvenir.

And of course, on the way back to the car he wanted "just one more ride Mom".

Near the carousel is an enormous globe covered in tile. We hadn't seen it before and Janessa insisted that we investigate. I'm glad we did. It was a really cool thing!

Auntie Kelley holding the weight of the world!

Around and around we went. It was hard to see the detail at

the top of the globe because it was so tall.

Colin walking the chain bridge at the park next to the carousel.

They didn't want to leave when it was time.

Maybe we'll bring a picnic and stay longer next trip.