The weather suddenly turned cool and crisp - well, at least in Shanghai terms. Daytime highs about 75F  with a cool breeze that keeps David feeling like we're in Australia. I've enjoyed the blue skies with white puffy clouds and finally feeling like it's possible to enjoy the outdoors.

During the Summer, we realized we really hadn't explored our city or the neigborhoods to their full extent so we made a conscious decision to actively look for new adventures as the weather cools. This weekend it seemed like the stars aligned so we ventured out to horse stables in QingPu, about an hour west of Shanghai.

They had a wooden horse for cowboy and cowgirl wannabe's.

We signed the kids up for a half an hour "assisted" ride. Raili was visibly nervous to get on her pony while Kai took off before the handler could catch the reins. In fact, Kai was squealing from joy when the pony took off in a fast trot. I was simply hoping that the "bobber" would stay on. He did. And Raili also loved her ride - she can't wait to be 6 years old when you can start taking riding classes.

We had a great time with the goofballs. Wonderful xiaolongbao dumplings afterwards and TimTams for desert. Happy Fall!