The Magic of A Carousel

Don't you just love that magical feeling you automatically get as soon as you see the carousel spinning in front of you. It just makes me feel like a child again. I feel like I am a beautiful princess when I sit upon my creature of choice. This carousel has some beautiful creatures to choose from.

The Coolidge Park carousel in Chattanooga, TN has a wonderful history that you can read about here http://history.amusement-parks.com/tenncool.htm . It is not originally from Chattanooga though. It was first carved in the shop of Gustav Dentzel in 1895 and has traveled around a good deal since then. I am happy that it now calls Chattanooga home so that I can bless my girls with it's beauty.

We spent the past two weekends just taking short journeys near our own town. First we went North to Kentucky to stay at a beautiful old lodge and take a train ride. I will post pictures of that trip soon. This past weekend we went south to Chattanooga's awesome aquarium and made a pit stop at the Mayfield farm along the way to check out how they make ice cream. That was a fun adventure for the girls.

On our way home, we stopped by this beautiful park that is home to this amazing work of art. And it truly is art. It is like some one's big piece of altered art, which is something I can only produce on a tag, or canvas or other small item. But this, imagine just having these amazing resources and creating your own carousel. Mine would have a French theme, of course, and have a huge Eiffel Tower coming out of it's center.

I would love to just have this ticket booth standing in my living room. I just think that would be so cool, although many of you might think that is very odd of me.

This cupid makes me think of the movie "Big" with Tom Hanks. I guess it reminds me of that genie in some weird way. Even that would be cool in my living room.

My oldest chose this silly kitty that holds a treat within his mouth. It was wonderful because we could hold hands while it traveled around (very fast actually and I decided to stay off and take pictures during their second trip). We also held our hands out and flapped our wings.

My youngest was on a horse with it's head down, as if it was going to buck. She loved it and just kept waving in a queen like manner, and I loved sitting behind her and seeing her long hair without a million knots (for a change). She seems to get everything and anything in her hair. My husband, over there on the right, was on a goat. It just seems like something he would choose, even though I know he was on it to be next to my littlest. He does love the goats at the petting zoo though.

I sat upon the horse because it was next to my daughter. But I still felt like a beautiful princess, even though I am a big dork in the picture, and in life.

I think this fish is so beautiful and have even thought about cutting some of these images out to use in my art. My own mini carousel. Oh, that would be a good itty bitty book theme. Create your own carousel animal.

This frog is so precious! You can almost hear him croaking.

The mirrors on any carousel just seem to have this magical quality about them. It is as if you will see someone looking back out at you, and it would seem perfectly normal from a carousel mirror. Just magical...

Hope you enjoyed this beautiful carousel. My family and I will always hold it's memory and if you are ever in the area, you can stop by for a memory of your own.

Rhonda...