August 24 - Sight and Sound

Although I don’t subscribe to the idea that people who don’t have sight can automatically hear better, I do think that perhaps we tend to listen more carefully. I know that I am way more attentive to sounds than when I relied only on visual cues. Perhaps that is just one of the reasons I enjoyed our week’s holiday in Cardston in southern Alberta.

If you want to see or hear horses, Cardston is the place to go. This year, we happened to be there during Heritage Days and there was lots of activity. From our campsite, we often heard the neigh and snort of horses in the distance and the clatter of hooves as horse and buggy wheeled by on the road behind the campground.

The two days that I enjoyed the most were the days we went to the Heavy Horse Pull and the day of the parade. Lyle took pictures at both of these events and I have included them at the end of this post.

The Heavy Horse Pull was interesting and new to me. I had never experienced one before. The beginning where the horses actually pulled the load was too far in the distance for me to see anything, and the final jockeying of the cart against the dock to unload some sort of box was also too far away. Fortunately someone on the loudspeaker described all that was happening. Nevertheless, we lined up against a fence at the midway point and the sound of the horses and the rumble of the wheels of the cart as they passed by was as clear as a bell.

Parade Day was also exciting and I do love a parade. There were so many, many horses in the parade. We sat on the side of the road in our lawn chairs and Lyle described to me the different kinds of buggies and carriages that came along. Cardston is also home to the Remington Museum. This museum gives an excellent display of transportation in the early days and it is definitely worth a visit.

So, last week I wrote about Sight and Sensation and this week is Sight and Sound. What will come next? Perhaps I will think about sight and the sense of smell!

Lyle took the first picture below at the Heavy Horse Pull. Apparently, the horses were quite large! The second picture was taken on the day of the parade and is of one of the carriages passing by.

Heavy horse pull

Parade in Cardston