Fun Friday and a Sunny/Stormy Saturday

We had a half day at work on Friday for a summer bowling competition! It was so fun to have the afternoon off for a work bonding activity! 

We had different competitions like a frame of "bowl with our your opposite hand"and a frame of "bowl backwards between your legs".In the end, my blue team won!

This morning, we walked to the Field Museum for the last weekend of the Horse exhibit. We stopped at the Doughnut Vault on the way and got a pistachio glazed doughnut. It was the perfect combination of lightness and sweetness. I'm not sure I've had a better doughnut. 

We continued along the river walk to walk along the Lakefront trail, in between Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan to museums. I loved the Horse exhibit. I've meant to see it all summer and it fortunately lived up to my hype. We were not able take pictures in the exhibit but here are a few pictures from the Field Museum site. 

Diorama of Early Horse Species

Some ten million years ago, up to a dozen species of horses roamed the Great Plains of North America. Here, two large Dinohippus horses can be seen grazing on grass, much like horses today.

But unlike modern horses, a three-toed Hypohippus tiptoes through the forest, nibbling on leaves. The small three-toed Nannippus, shown here eating shrubs, ate both grass and leaves. © AMNH | M. Shanley [source]

Horse Armor

Germany
A.D. 1480-1500
Iron, brass, leather
Deutsches Historisches Museum GOS-Nr. MI010011; Inventarnr. W 5464

Throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, knights and their horses wore steel armor, often weighing more than 23 kilograms (50 pounds) for the horse, and as many for the rider. 

This German horse armor includes the chamfron, which covered the horse’s head and carried the rider’s family crest or coat of arms, and thecrinet, which protected the horse’s neck and was made of overlapping plates so that the horse could move its head. 

© AMNH | D. Finnin [source]

 Isbelle 2001, by Deborah Butterfield 

This sculpture, constructed of Hawaiian ohia wood and then cast in bronze, was inspired by the artist’s longtime dressage mare, Isbelle. After a career-threatening leg injury, Isbelle recovered to help Butterfield earn her U.S. Dressage Federation rider’s gold medal.

© AMNH | D. Finnin [source]

The Deborah Butterfield sculpture was my favorite because my college had one of her sculptures too! 

Today! Baby-faced 2005 

 Before the Horse exhibit, we also saw the Ghosts of Tsavo!

 When we left the museum, the skies were stormy and ready to burst. 

 We fortunately made it to lunch in Printer's Row before it started pouring.

 After lunch, we took a cab to go see Harry Potter!!!

If that wasn't enough of a cool Chicago weekend, we're now watching Ferris Bueller!

[source]