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long as they didn’t do too much fast walking. And older people always liked to do cultural stuff, right?
    Sure enough, Grandma Lake was nodding. “That sounds like fun,” she said. “Which museums do you want to see? How about the National Air and Space Museum? Is that one still your favorite?”
    It was, but Stevie quickly shook her head. The Air and Space Museum! That had to be the most exciting one of all. Stevie shuddered at the thought of what stimulating stories of space travel and thrilling tales of early flight might do to her grandmother’s heart rate.
Grandma Lake probably thinks a young whippersnapper like me can only appreciate an exciting museum like that
, Stevie thought.
But something quieter would be much better
.
    She tried to think of the quietest, most boring museumof the bunch. “Actually,” she said, stirring her peas with her fork, “I’ve been wanting to visit the National Gallery of Art. Could we go there instead?”
    Grandma Lake looked surprised, but she nodded. “Sure, Stevie. If that’s where you really want to go.”
    “Oh, I do,” Stevie assured her. “I really do.”
There
, she thought with relief.
A bunch of pictures should be just the thing. Grandma will love it
.
    Stevie’s mother was staring at her suspiciously. She had dragged Stevie through the National Gallery of Art a couple of years ago, and Stevie had complained the entire time about how dull it was. But Mrs. Lake didn’t comment on her daughter’s sudden interest in art. “That sounds like a nice plan,” she said, passing Grandma Lake the bowl of peas. “We can all go on Monday if you like.”
    Grandma Lake took the bowl and helped herself to a second serving. “So, Stevie,” she said, “your parents tell me you’ve been spending more time than ever at that stable of yours lately. But you’ve hardly said a word about it. I want to hear all about it.”
    Stevie gulped. How could she possibly make Pine Hollow sound unexciting? “Like I said before, there’s not much to tell,” she said. “Not much happens there. You know, we ride, we take lessons—pretty boring, really.”
    There was a small, strangled sound from Alex at that, but Stevie was pretty sure her grandmother hadn’t heard it. After all, didn’t they say that your hearing was the first thing to go?
    “You’re being unusually subdued on this topic, Stevie,” her father said. “Did something happen at the stable today to upset you? You didn’t get into a fight with your friends, did you?”
    “Oh, no, no,” Stevie said quickly. “It was just an average day.” She couldn’t believe her father’s comment. Didn’t he understand that she was only trying to save his own mother from unnecessary stress? “Um, we had a Horse Wise meeting today—that’s our Pony Club,” she told her grandmother. “Today we just rode in the indoor ring and practiced a few different things. It wasn’t very interesting.”
    “Oh, but it must be so much fun to ride every day,” Grandma Lake said. “And having your very own horse must be so exciting!”
    “Not really,” Stevie said, trying to sound sincere. “When you get right down to it, it’s not much different than having a cat. Or, um, a goldfish or something.”
    Grandma Lake looked skeptical, but Stevie just smiled at her serenely. All three of Stevie’s brothers were steadily shoveling food into their mouths. Stevie guessed that they were trying to keep themselves busy so that they wouldn’t be tempted to make any jokes at her expense—or Pine Hollow’s.
    “Well, I think it would be more interesting than that,” Grandma Lake said after a brief silence. “I hope I’ll get a chance to meet your horse while I’m here, Stevie.”
    “I’m sure that can be arranged,” Mrs. Lake said. “Stevieloves showing people around Pine Hollow. Don’t you, Stevie?”
    “Oh, no. I’ve outgrown that, Mom,” Stevie said earnestly. “I realized how dull it must be for people. Grandma would be bored