LARVALBUG LENS, January, 2017
Right after Christmas this past year (2016), Tom, Vicky, Lucas, Isabella and Amie, along with two Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs, took a road trip from their farm in Turtle Lake, WI, to Padre Island in Texas. The weather was warmer than up north (though it was a cool and very windy day when this photo was taken) and they got a chance to romp on the beach instead of shoveling snow. Larry and Val, plus their dog, Peri, joined them for the fun in Corpus Christi. Besides eating seafood, a visit to a local botanical garden, playing in the surf and beachcombing, one of the main highlights of the excursion was going horseback riding along the seashore. While Larry and Val took pictures from the ground, the Wisconsin five took an hour ride on the sand. The company providing the horses, inventively called "Horses on the Beach," took great care in pairing horse personalities with rider experience. Lucas is shown keeping his spirited steed, which constantly wanted to go faster than the other mounts, occupied by riding in large circles. He enjoyed the challenge of controlling the feisty horse, which the owners probably assume will eventually learn to behave through engaging with a succession of capable equestrians.