Mama was disappointed that Dad had to work late on Friday night. They normally do their grocery shopping on Friday nights. She needed to pick up a prescription and buy some soda, so that had to be done first thing on Saturday morning. Dad didn't get home until 10:30 p.m. on Friday. We drove Mama crazy because we were whining about Dad being late.
Saturday, they went grocery shopping early to get that done. They brought some treats home for us. We were completely out!
The folks then drove to LaSalle, IL to take a ride on a
canal boat. It is pulled by a mule. That is how they used to do it in the 1800's. The canal was hand dug. People traveled from LaSalle to Chicago via the canal.
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| This is Larry and his handler. Larry pulled the boat. |
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| This is the boat. |
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| Close up of Larry. |
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| Learning about Larry, mules and the canal. |
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Scout is like a mule because when mules get tired or don't want to work, they just stop. They will not work themselves to exhaustion like a horse will. We all know that when Scout doesn't want to walk any more, she just stops. When she doesn't want to do something, she doesn't. Yep, Scout is part mule. What Mama? I am like a mule too? Well, it's just because you want to walk the wrong way. We need to walk around the lake like it's a race track. It's just not right to go the opposite way.
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| Larry at work. There is another mule named Moe who shares the duties and a goat named Curly. |
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| Larry pulling the boat. |
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| Going down the canal. |
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| The canal actually crosses over the river. |
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| The river below the canal. It is quite low due to drought. |
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| View of boat from the bridge. |
The folks said the ride was really smooth. They enjoyed spending an hour on the canal. The towpath that the mule walked on is used by walkers and bikers. Mama said it was nice and shady and would be a great place to walk.
After the folks left LaSalle, they went to Starved Rock State Park. We will tell you about that tomorrow. Yep, a mini cliff hanger. LOL
Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Not Stubborn Like A Mule, But He Knows What He Wants
