Hoffest 2013

Every 2 years our neighborhood has a "block party" called Hoffest. This year was Bavarian-themed, and we were told we could only bring potato salad or pretzels. I chafed against this due to the fact my man always brings his cucumber salad, and this year we were successful at growing our own cucumbers, so it was bound to be even better. Never are there any leftovers, the neighbors love that stuff. So I was happy when one of the hosts gave in and said we could bring it. Yah!


We put on our "Sunday best" and made our way up the street to the party, my man carrying his large bowl of cucumber salad.

At the party we sat at the outskirts as usual, we're not popular, we didn't grow up here after all, and everyone else did. Isabel, our housesitter, sat near us with Sonja, the Icelandic horse owner who took care of me and Mara that one ride by riding her horse very slowly and letting me put Mara's nose in her fluffy tail.

I wanted to thank her for that, but Isabel and Sonja were the only teenagers at the party, and they seemed to have a lot to say to each other. I never got the chance.

The hosts and many guests wore traditional Bavarian attire - lederhosen and drindle. I have to say I loved the lederhosen - the leather knickers stitched with fancy designs, they were exactly up my alley when it comes to style. Of course, girls can't wear them. Please google "drindle" if you don't already know what the girls have to wear to Oktoberfest etc.

There was live Bavarian music - what we call Oompa music - but it was funny, I asked, and no one comes from Bavaria. These people are all NordrheinWestfalen. The host man and wife sat center "stage" with matching clarinets. What a cute thing to see,  in their outfits. Their son sat behind them, playing the drums with much concentration. His name is Tilo, and I congratulated his mother on how well he can drive a tractor to drag that arena I ride in. He's only 12. She said he can't wait to drive a real car on a real road, but that will have to wait til he's 18. This is Germany.

And since this is Germany let me describe the bartenders. They're the little siblings of Tilo, and the youngest people in the party. They were wearing those felt Bavarian hats with blue and white ribbons in a good-natured way. (I had to ask myself what kind of purpose those hats serve - they have no real brim to keep the sun/rain off, they're made of felt so the rain comes through...maybe they are just supposed to identify you as Bavarian.)

Again in my life, I'm ordering a drink from a kid who cannot see over the counter, but tries.

I was happy they had Paulaner to drink. I am so sick of only having Koelsch available.

The other members of the live band were trumpetes and French horns, so you can imagine what the music was like. I loved it though, I clapped extra loud for every song. I find it funny that young people are interested in playing Oompa music. Hm!

Then the DJ took over and started playing German classic hits and that was great. People started dancing. One guy grabbed me as I walked by, to see if I'd consent to dance with him, but I escaped back to my man. At this point people were getting  a little tipsy.

At that point the host started giving out free Schnapps shots. (We had to pay a mimimal price so far, for our drinks. Even 50 cents for water, if you can believe that.)

Finally the terrier people invited us to their table, and things got better for both of us. At the terrier people's table were the Kraemers, you know them right? The ones who have that Garden-from-Hell that my horse has such troubles with I had to make a video to show you all?

The lady works at the post office and my man had fun talking to her about my saddle delivery, and how the fit kit just arrived, after being thought lost in the mail. I told her again how much I appreciate Germany's blindinly-fast shipping of 1-2 days.The drinks started flowing from all sides. At one point I had my Paulaner beer, and a glas of Sekt (champagne) that someone gave me, and a shot of Obstler from the host. They would have given me more but I signaled defeat. My man was like, whoa....

Then they said, "So, how's the horse?"

They're not horse people bu they've stood there and watched, amazed, repeatedly, as Eryn and I have tried to get Mara down that grassy slope past their place.

"The horse, she's not easy, thanks for asking."

Then they let me in on something.

"You're not the only one."

Huh?

"Your horse - she doesn't like our property. No other horse in this town does. We have no idea what it is about it - is it something we've done - why do all horses start a fight with their riders as soon as they get to our house?"

I was stunned. No......really?

"Yah, this week we had to have an excavator to rip up our driveway for replacement. Frau L (Haflinger lady) could not get her horse past our house."

The husband agreed, "Yah, often, one has to pull the horse from the front, one has to push from behind. What is it about our place?"

I said, "I don't know - it's everything. The chickens flapping around in their huge coop, the curtains on blueberry bushes, the SHEEP at the bottom as a bonus, and that one-eyed garden gnome. Really, I have no idea."

I was relieved to know I wasn't the only one with a horse who cannot stand that hill.

Then the music got louder, the people with young children left, and the dancing included lots of "dipping" of the women - which were mostly the two teenagers, Isabel and Sonja.

I was amused to see these young people dancing to American hits that  no self-respecting American teenager would dance to. I love dancing and wanted to dance, but I won't dance to "What a feeling."

The party went on and on, and even though my man doesn't drink (never has), he was singing along with all the German classics so that I could understand the lyrics. I am getting to know some of them.

Of course we had to hear "VIVA COLONIA"  (Long live Cologne/Koeln) about 3 times - even though this is a Bavarian party. That is probably never gonna leave the German hit list.

Finally we walked home, and I went straight out to the barn to see what Bellis and Mara were up to.

Well, Mara was in a state. The loud music from the party was disagreeable to her.  I understood. ("What  a feeling"?!!??!)

I gave them some hay and hung out with them, Mara was not about to start eating, she was not able.

Only once before have I seen Mara purposefully test our electric fence - that was when the shepherd moved his entire flock down our street one day.

This time she put her nose to the wire and I saw a blue flash and she was gone. She ran off and sadly, into another wire 20 meters away. Today I saw that two posts were bent or ripped out of the ground from when she hit them. Poor girl, she had two 10,000 volt shocks in just a few seconds.

On the other hand, I'm glad to see she knows the fence now, because last week I found donkey and horse outside the fence, they'd just slipped/pushed under it, when I'd forgotten to turn it on. I don't think that will happen for a while.

24 hours later, Mara's eyes were still huge from her experience. She's on a whole 'nother level of agitation this weekend. Let's see what to do about it.....