Annette Nylander is a small-town kind of gal who happens to teach computer science.
So it only makes sense that she ordered her groceries online and then decided to pick them up in a horse and buggy.
As Nylander's draft horse, Beauty, pulled a red and black buggy through Loomis on Wednesday, the Penryn resident's two-stop shopping adventure turned into a bit of a parade as people asked what on earth she was doing.
"The eco-friendly way to come to town and pick up your groceries," declared Nylander, who clomped along 2 miles of rural roads to the Loomis shopping center.
When the local Raley's opened an e-shopping lane, allowing customers to pick up groceries ordered online as they stay in their cars, she couldn't resist bringing low-tech and high-tech together.
The more difficult task was getting Beauty, an 8-year-old Percheron, prepared to ignore the buzz of traffic and banging of construction.
Beauty came to Nylander as a rescue horse with scars, both physical and mental. Over a period of months, she was saddled, learned to be led, and eventually learned to pull a buggy. Nylander was escorted by her daughter Shasta, who rode an Arabian named Bonita.
Beauty passed Wednesday's test with ease, Nylander reported.
Upon their arrival at Raley's, a clerk loaded three bags of nonperishable groceries. The oddity wasn't lost on employees as they snapped a few pictures, some as they fed Beauty a carrot.
The next stop: the local feedlot, Foothill Feed & Gift.
Loomis, population 6,600, is surely changing, but Ted Greenfield, the owner of Foothill Feed & Gift, said Loomis is still the kind of town where folks buy hay, oats and feed.
Nylander grew up in the El Dorado County town of Placerville before moving to the Sacramento suburbs of Fair Oaks and Citrus Heights.
"I've lived in the city, but I'm a country girl at heart," the community college professor said.
Nylander said she's been working with horses most of her life. She has dedicated the past few months to getting Beauty ready to pull.
Nylander and Beauty recently took part in the last two days of the Highway 50 Wagontrain and plan to participate in a seven-day ride.
"It's a long stretch from that technical garbage," she said. "It gets me away from my computer."
Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.
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