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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Field Trip- Fall Festival and the Exchange Place

 
So Sunday we went to the fall festival at the Exchange Place (an 1850s farm).  The first thing L-bug did was go look at the piggies.  They had a pig painting at 12 and at 2, we missed the 12, but got to see the piggies all painted and we missed the two because L-bug announced loudly that the pigs stink and are gross.  Poor pigs.  In their defense the bathrooms were right next to the pigs. 
 Then we looked at some sheep while L-bug fussed that the alpacas weren't here this year... notice a trend :) L-bug whines a lot.



 He got just a little too close for comfort.  Probably trying to see what food she had for him.
 After the sheep we headed over to the forge where L-bug's friend C is an apprentice blacksmith.  L-bug wants to be like C when she grows up.  C is a blacksmith and an archer and is making her own bow and arrow and is in L-bug's homeschool PE class and she just loves C to pieces. 
 C got to make a kitchen wall hook utensil holder thingy, we only got to watch her making the handle part that attaches to the wall, her mom said she made about three hooks that go on it to hold pots/pans etc.

 I didn't take any pictures inside this building.  It was the store back in the 1820s, and the post office for the surrounding area in the 20-50sish area... it was hard to pay attention with L-bug asking questions and Boo trying to jump out of the stroller. 
 There was a gentleman who carves pumpkins set up, he was carving a face into one just off camera to the right.  Ro-bear wanted to pet that big pumpkin on the ground, but try as I might I couldn't get it on camera. Oh and look on the top shelf, second pumpkin- its Cinderella's carriage.  They even put gold paint around the windows and it has small white pumpkin wheels, very cool.
 L-bug wanted to stop and watch this boy cut shingles for a while.  There was a younger boy doing it first, but he took a break after he messed up a few times, he did get one nice shingle while we were watching.  I image as long as he'd been doing it he just got worn out. 

 This woman told us a lot about utensils the local Native Americans used in the 1850s.  L-bug wasn't too sure about everything being made out of bones. 

 This area was set up by a leather worker, archer, tanner dude.  In other words, he hunted/found (by found I mean roadkill- which he said was most of these furs) his own animals, tanned the hides and all that himself. 

 



 Ro-bear was actually brave enough to go pet furs.
 

 The original hand puppet?  I believe that's  bob cat he's playing with. 

 Next we went and petted the horse.  The horse was pretty irritated at this point though.  The festival had been all Saturday and we were there late Sunday.  Someone held a little kid up to pet the horse and the horse whinnied really loudly and scared the kid to pieces.  That didn't bother Ro-bear or L-bug though.



 Boo, however, wanted to pet the cow.  The cow was having none of that.  It was off laying down as far away as it could get and was glaring at us.

 This gentleman was dying wool.  He's showing L-bug the flower that he used to get the yellow color we'd just seen in the pot soaking.  He also showed us how a drop spindle worked. 
 While some of us were talking with the dye man, Daddy was talking to the leatherman about the bow he had.  Oh and we also learned the difference between hunting arrows and war arrows.  The arrow head was on in different directions depending on whether you were shooting animals or men because of how the ribs are oriented to the body.





 Ro-bear got a little bored watching the drop spindle and jumped into the stroller to pout.

 This table was set up so children could see what washing dishes was like in the 1850s.
 This lady helped the kids churn butter and kneed bread.  L-bug didn't kneed bread, but she worked on the butter for a little while.


 Next came carding wool. 
 Ro-bear got mad because all the thingies were being used and she didn't get a turn right away.



 

 She got a turn and really enjoyed it.
 L-bug washing her wool after she had carded it.



 This table was a craft.  The kids got to paste on different beans, seeds, and berries on to a little cut out. 




 Next the girls got to write with quill pens using pokeberry berries as ink.




 Ro-bear did NOT want to stop writing with the quill pen.
 Next they got to braid rag bracelets.
 Then they got to pound corn.



Finally we watched a gentleman who was carving wood.  The girls were exhausted at this point so we made our way back to the car and called it a day.  It was a really fun and educational trip.

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