A Day in History

In addition to the play this weekend, we had our annual festival when we open the historic house for tours and children's activities, including dress-up, games, and painting.  Sis and Bud decided against attending their morning activities so that they could help out.  They even had new colonial outfits, since they had long outgrown their costumes.  Bud had the same kind of "nutmeg"-colored vest as before but in a larger size; Sis had a red bodice over a shift with a floral print, plus her cap and apron. I wore my new short jacket, with its pink and green floral print, over a navy skirt.

It was a hot day, so I was glad to have air conditioning.  Bud and I did demonstrate the old game of graces outside for awhile, walking up and down the street attracting some attention.  They also both gave tours.  Bud gave his first--he hopped right in talking about how colonists made bread, toasted it, and made butter to go with it; then he moved on to the parlor to talk about tea parties and "liberty" tea and help visitors make tea bags with herbs and coffee filters.  He was great!  Sis has given tours before and gives a good one; she also did some stenciling with a few young visitors, showing them how to paint.

I love that they love the historic house and want to help out.  They've attended programs, planted gardens, ridden in parades, demonstrated games and crafts, and told people about the history of Connecticut.  I love that we can share the history together.  I'm so proud of those kids.

Let the Shrub Ferment!

The recipe I started last night will be ready on the 4th of July!

No, it's not friendship bread or friendship cake.  (Though, now that I type that, it would be a fun summer project!)

It's shrub!

It's that vinegar-and-fruit-based drink that was so popular in colonial America (which got it from the rum- or brandy-based fruit drinks popular in England, which apparently grew out of older medicinal drinks.  And preserving berries or other fruits in vinegar was common esp in the colonies.)  And this recipe for raspberry shrub, from Saveur, is fermented.

Okay, I imagine you're thinking, "you're going to drink vinegar?"  Think of it like the lemon juice or citric acid in a drink, giving it tang (and not like the Romans giving Jesus vinegar to drink on the cross, which, by the way, is mistranslated--the original Greek is something akin to cheap wine, my prof said.)   'Cos there's enough sugar in the drink to balance it out.  Once the syrup ferments on the counter for a month, we'll strain it and add it to seltzer.  Yum!  I've had shrub in a few places, the best being City Tavern in Philadelphia--they make a raspberry shrub, too, based on a recipe of Martha Washington's.  (You can also buy it bottled to add to seltzer yourself.)

Maybe it can be a new tradition for 4th of July--making a batch of this very American drink!


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Fermented Raspberry Shrub

4 cups raspberries
4 cups sugar
4 cups champagne vinegar
4 cups water

Mix all ingredients in a sterilized jar and cover.  Ferment in cool place for a month.

Saveur 

24-Hour Sleepover Special

1:30 p.m.  We arrived at our hotel in Sturbridge, MA.  It's close to Old Sturbridge Village, where Sis and I would be overnighting with the Girl Scouts, and has a cute poster of OSV in reception.  Mama took the kids to the Village to look around; I stayed back and stretch and rest.  It's going to be a long night.

While they're out, I got several emails with photos, particularly of them sledding down the hill and of the woolly sheep in the barnyard.  

Mama even gave it a whirl!

4:00 p.m.   We head to dinner at the Publick House nearby, which is an eighteenth-century tavern turned restaurant, inn, and banqueting facility.  A reception was ending as we arrived; a wedding ceremony was being set up as we left!  We ate next to the hearth in the tavern room and had traditional New England fare:  sweet buns, yeast rolls, pumpkin bread, lobster pie, chicken pot pie, poached salmon, turkey dinner with all the trimmings, Grape Nut pudding, Indian pudding, apple pie, and an almond raspberry tart.  Delicious!  And the historical ambience made it even better.  

Oh, and Sis lost a tooth while eating her pot pie!  That girl, teeth coming left and right these days (which is overwhelming our forgetful Tooth Fairy, named Meadow Larkspur.)

5:30 p.m.   We took a quick break before the evening activities, and then . . . 

6:30 p.m.   Our Hop Into History sleepover at Old Sturbridge Village began!  We had 13 girls and six chaperones, which is almost our full troop sans three.  We got our gear settled into our sleeping space (eventually because we changed places once) and started our evening activities.  I have to say that I loved the education building.  It was an open, airy, light space with dozens of semi-divided "classrooms."  Some had old-time kitchens with wooden tables for prep and hearths for cooking; some had looms, others had printing presses.  Everywhere there were hutches, redware pottery, tin utensils, and other period details.  Definitely an educator's paradise.  (Our sleeping space was in one of these homey kitchens.

7:30 p.m.  Our first activity was making Jumbles, or cookies.  They mixed them in a redware bowl with a birch whisk, using rosewater for flavoring (there wasn't any vanilla in the States in the 1830s, I believe.)  Then we baked them on cookie sheets in reflecting ovens placed before a burning fire.  They also made lemonade using powdery sour citric acid, lemon juice, sugar, and water.  All the girls tasted the citric acid and made pucker faces!  These two treats would form our late night snack. 

Next the girls moved to the painting area, where they outlined dogwood flowers on acetate with Sharpies and then colored them in with paints.  Meanwhile, the guide touched delicately on labor issues and had the girls commute how quickly they would have to work to make a dollar a day.  Sis did the math--one painting every twelve minutes for 10 hours at 2 cents each would earn the dollar.  And the girls didn't work anywhere near that fast!

After baking and painting, the group went on a one-hour tour of the village by lantern light.  I stayed back because it was uneven and icy (apparently it was also speedy and I would have had trouble keeping up regardless.)  I've seen the village by candlelight at Christmas so I didn't feel like I was missing much.  

9:00 p.m. Instead, I lay on my little mat and stretched and drew this mandala inspired by some of the early American art around me. See the 9 square and flying geese and Celtic rope?

10:00 p.m.  When they returned from their hike, we had our snack (I couldn't taste the rosewater) and got ready for bed.  This was the part that made me nervous, both for my own ability to sleep on the floor without messing up my back and also for the girls actually getting some sleep.  The former was easier than the latter!  I set up my mat near the entrance to our little area, with my chair nearby. Sis was on the other side of the chimney near her friends. The girls played cards for awhile and then giggled a lot longer.  They stayed chatty after lights out and the lead staff member reprimanded us a few times.  Of course, I'm such a rule follower that I was bothered by the noise--I would have been one of the quiet girls--but in the end, there's not much you can do to shush a bunch of ten-year-olds!  

11:30 p.m.  They fell asleep eventually (though we had one girl who got ill, but she got better quickly--and luckily her mom was with us)--and it was the girls from the other groups who were playing flashlight wars and running around in the dark back and forth to the bathroom (their chaperones were asleep in another section--not very smart, but then I guess it meant the chaperones got to sleep!)  Of course, I didn't sleep much at all.  I imagine I slept in fifteen-minute chunks, or so, listening to all the unusual noises and worrying about the sick girl (and the threat of more sick girls, ugh.  But no one else threw up.)  My bed was as comfortable as it could be and I moved back and forth between it and the chair, which is super comfortable.

6:00 a.m.  By the way, those noisy, wandering girls from the other group?  They woke up and started talking--loudly--an hour before wake-up time!!  The Tooth Fairy had visited Sis in the night, though she needed some help finding Sis, and then Sis didn't find the money.  I knew it had been delivered--how do you say that, though?  So I said I thought I'd seen the Fairy, digging deeper. . . . but it was only very much later that we found the money in her bedding.  I think, though, the proverbial cat is out of the sleeping bag.  (Though, I think it had been for awhile.)  On an up note:  I think all the short naps overnight kept my back from tightening up too much because I was pretty unharmed and barely even stiff after a night on the floor.  Not sure if it was preparation or a miracle, but I'll take it!

7:30 a.m.  We had breakfast--bagels, cereal, and Hasty Pudding (made in a crock pot with white cornmeal, salt, and water) served with craisins and sugar.  Kinda like grits, I thought it needed butter and cream!  No wonder it is a "hasty" meal.

8:15 a.m.  We hiked into the snow-covered village that morning to see a storytelling performance in the lovely old meeting houses.  The kids sat quiet and interested in stories about an old wise magic fish and another about a contest with Old Man Winter.  

 9:15 a.m.  We're packed and ready to go.  Al the girls return to their folks, many head into the village.  Mama and Bud pick us up and I get a quick shower before we head back to the Village.  Bud and Mama had driven around doing some Ingress tracking and then played some games in the hotel.  So not as exciting as our night, but they had a good time.

10:00 a.m.  We wandered around OSV, eventually running into our GS friends.  Sis and Bud enjoyed hanging out with them.  I liked watching the cooking demos, as usual--apple pie in the Parsonage and maple cookies in the Fitch House.  We also picked up some beer bread and maple soda in the little shop.

Then we went to the craft center, where Mama made a spile (the little wooden pegs you use to tap trees for maple sugar time) and I hand-sewed a little seed bag.

12:00 p.m.  For lunch, we went to BT's Smokehouse across the street from the Village.  The line was long, as was the wait.  And it was amazing barbecue!  We had brisket sandwiches, St. Louis ribs, pastrami on rye, smoked salmon, and all the fixin's--the very best collards ever, Texas caviar, mac and cheese, cornbread, cole slaw, and more.  Even Tagalong bread pudding.

And thus, at 3:00 p.m., a little over 24 hours later, we returned home from our special sleepover.  Exhausted, excited, stuffed to the gills.  Sis has already asked where we're overnighting next!

Catching Up

Advent
For whatever reason, we have fallen behind in our daily Advent Activities.  I don't know if it's because we are distracted by and focused on the new cats (more on that in a bit), or because we have lots of activities--cookie decorating with GS troop at senior center, piano performance at nursing home, Piano Guys concert, various office parties, two friends' birthday parties, birthday lunch at German restaurant with visit to British grocery store, our annual cookie decorating party, and other things, plus are regularly scheduled activities.

Cats
We've had first contact!  We couldn't tempt the new boys upstairs after we locked up our original cats last night, so we let our cats visit them in the basement.  We were ready with treats, which worked very well--Albus and Hermione approached Mojito, but nothing happened as they all munched away. Later, Hermione and Mojito hissed a bit at each other, but separated.  Mojito even went to eat while Hermione was still hanging around.  We ended it soon after, since it had been pretty promising.  And no one seemed the worse for the wear last night or this morning--no hiding, no litterbox accidents, no obvious stress.  We'll try again.  We realize the basement isn't the best place for them to live, but under the circumstances, Mojito (Mojo) and Patron (Tabby or Petro) are pretty lucky.  And it is temporary.

Colonial Lecture
I gave that lecture to a local AAUW (American Association of University Women) chapter last weekend.  And it went really well!  My light beige body sock arrived the day before so that I didn't feel quite so exposed in my chemise.  'Cos I started out in nothing more than my shift, which is a very flimsy nightgown (and would've been used as such), and stockings.  I then tied on garters, slipped on my leather Merrills (the most obvious anachronistic bit I have--reproduction colonial shoes are too expensive for my needs), and kept going.  A volunteer helped me lace up my stays/corset, skipping every other hole to make it go faster--she used my spiral bobbin to help thread it (the spirals help twist the bobbin through.)  Then pockets, petticoats, bodice, cap.  They couldn't believe how many clothes I had on--are you hot?  can you breathe?  can you bend?  I'm pretty comfortable in my colonial clothes, even the corset, which is a nice brace for my back.  I spoke a bit about the development of the corset as a foundation for heavy petticoats and as a way to achieve the straight silhouette they desired (their clothes were much more fitted than now, tight, and so you really get these amazing lines, esp if you have wide skirts, a bum roll or panniers, an early side hoop.)  Since it's all cotton--the other main anachronism, for it would've been mainly wool, linen, or a combo linsy-woolsey here--I don't get as hot as I could (though I get warm faster than usual), and, of course, now the historic house has AC and heat; it would've been so much colder in the 18th century and you would've needed the wool, quilted petticoats, and numerous layers.  The talk was short, only about 20 minutes, and I could've covered a lot more.  I would definitely do it again, longer and more detailed. And when I changed back into my civvies, I just felt ordinary again.  I like the way I feel, physically (the corset, the change in how I move--sit, walk, even gesture) and mentally (i.e. thinking about the past, getting a different perspective.)  Regular clothes just don't do that for me (mind you, if I wore colonial clothes more often, I probably wouldn't feel that way anymore, either.)

Birthday Celebrations
Mama set up this great present for me--a Lyve app that allows me to manipulate all the digital photos we have in chronological order, updates any of our new photos, let's me share them.  So, I can look back on all the photos we've taken on my birthday through the years.  Or, look at all the photos in a month or year.  And she bought this digital frame that scrolls through them.  Right now, there are pictures of us at Mystic Seaport going past.

Mama went into work late so we could all have breakfast together--egg sandwiches she fetched from the deli!--and treats (yummy pastries from a special bakery she'd snuck home.)  Sis had hung up a birthday sign telling me I was awesome.  Feeling lots of love from my family today.

And family and friends, far and wide.  Gommie, Aunt Banana, and Lambeth and Mrs. Lambeth have called--it definitely sets the day apart and makes me feel special.  And several of my local friends came over for coffee and cake this morning, bringing treats to share (and some gifts, though I had said not to, which was sweet and appreciated.)  We chatted for two hours, having not gotten together in awhile.  I never get to talk to everyone as much as I'd like, but they're all interesting and seemed to enjoy getting to know each other (there are definitely different spheres, like a Venn Diagram of my life, and they crossed over today.)  I even played a few songs on the piano to show off my new skills!

Tonight, Mama and I are going to a big holiday party and tomorrow we're meeting up with my in-laws to do holiday things.  And Sunday, the kids have another piano performance.  So, all in all, a very special birthday.

Historic Hell

UPDATE:  Why does it always rain on field trip days?  I think of the seven or so days of tours we've had, it's rained 6 times!!  This means damp kids (because they walk over, money being too short for a bus), lunch inside (oh, the smell of bologna sandwiches on a wet day!  It's like wet dog.), and no outdoor activities, so they don't get the full historic house experience AND are restless and extra noisy.  Do we have to make up the deficit in our annual rainfall in October???
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Okay, it's not that bad.  But we have been having a few glitches with the historic house tours this season.  Volunteer shortage is always a challenge and this year is no different, but we're filling in the slots and I'll end up doing about half of them.  Almost a chance for me to wear all my different costume pieces!  (Though, if it doesn't cool off, I'll be wearing my vest instead of my bodices and one skirt instead of two!)

But there have been other things.  The biggest challenge has been our new activity:  making butter.  We talk about prepping for the winter and storing the harvest because there were green grocers. per se.  We used to string apple slices on string and hang them in the fireplace, talking about pie for breakfast and lunch and dinner so that Americans were called "pie eaters," but this year we're making butter.  Kid are fascinated to learn than a.) butter was not available all year long because cows don't naturally produce milk all year b.)  butter was salted to preserve it because there was no refrigeration (butter is still salted as a preservative--buy unsalted; it's fresher.)  c.) butter isn't naturally golden yellow, though it does have a faint yellow hue when it separates--real gold color is obtained using marigold petals and d.) YOU can make butter yourself.

Except it hasn't been working.  In theory, you shake heavy cream (not half and half or, heaven forbid, any low-fat project--you need the fat) in a container with some kind of agitator; this mimics the old-fashioned butter churn with the plunger-stick.   We started with glass jars with screw-top lids and marbles.  I even tested it with the kiddos--voila, butter in less than five minutes.  But on the very first day of tours, in the first class, the bottom of a glass jar just sheared right off, spraying cream, but luckily not glass, everywhere.  I guess there was a flaw in the glass, though I expect better of Ball jars.

Better safe than sorry, we switched to screw-top Ziploc snack containers, the kind in which my kids take apples to school.  But the plastic can't stand up to the use--perhaps it's the marble or the dice (or sometimes the Lego) hitting the plastic, but small cracks appeared in every single container, even on the first go-round.  I even bought a second round of containers, but, still, leakage.

We were going to go back to jars today, but there were two kids with dairy allergies so we returned to stringing apples.  Besides, the class was 45 minutes late, and apples are faster.  Still, the kids are fascinated by the butter and we'll return to that tomorrow.

But the late classes these last two days has been another headache.  Docents have to trim the tour, sometimes by as much as 45 minutes!  That's hard on the fly.  Especially after the kids have been inside all day and are noisy and restless (they go to another museum before us)--with the wet weather, they can't eat outside before the tour or play outside afterwards. (Today, one of the teachers had just given up, wouldn't even try to quieten the kids.) This causes chaos.

Especially with cream flying everywhere.

Summer Fun: Historical Picnic

It was a beautiful day for a picnic, but I was certainly glad not to have been the one tending the joint over the outdoor fire at the historical society's annual luncheon.  A colonial-garbed cook had been up for hours, turning the spit with the giant ham, as well as making traditional New England baked beans, roasted corn on the cob, strawberry-rhubarb pie baked in a Dutch oven, and "haymaker's switchel."

While everything was delicious--particularly the smoke-infused corn and the freshly picked rhubarb in the pie (one of his pie plates shattered in the Dutch oven.  Woe, the loss of a whole pie!)--it was the switchel which occasioned the most discussion . . . because it tasted like thick prune juice!  Apparently used as a thirst-quencher during haying season, the drink contains molasses, ginger, brown sugar, and vinegar.  That last ingredient isn't particularly unusual in eighteenth-century drinks; it's one of the main ingredients in shrub, too.  It provides the acid when citrus wasn't always easily available.  I think I would've liked it more had it been diluted in carbonated water or just plain water.

But I also loved the syllabub, of which there were two kinds:  one was the traditional layered drink of frothy cream and spirits, the other more like a boozy whipped cream with no separate layers.  Both were tasty.  In fact, the second reminded me of my paternal grandmother's Charlotte Russe, which is a cooked custard with alcohol, probably sharing roots with the syllabub.

It certainly made for a relaxing afternoon to spend some time with friends, with a great meal that I didn't cook or clean up after, and having a midday cordial!

A wonderful historically-inspired spread

See the glasses of syllabub and all the pies?

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Haymaker's Switchel

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 cup molasses
1/8 cup vinegar
2 cups water

Mix together and serve.

Adapted from Mrs. L.G. Abell, The Skillful Housewife's Book  (1846)

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Syllabub (the separating kind)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup dry sherry
juice of two lemons
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Beat until cream is stiff.  Spoon into glasses.  Refrigerate.  Let settle about 24 hours.  Mixture should separate with cream on top and alcohol on bottom.

NB:  Substitute Port Wine (3/4 cup) for white wine and dry sherry.  Substitute nutmeg for ginger.

historical society docent

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Syllabub (the thick one)

2 cups of whipped cream ½ cup of white sugar 1/8 cup of white wine 1/8 cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice zest of lemon

Optional toppings: grated nutmeg sprig of mint lemon slice

Whip cream until thick in a chilled bowl. When the cream begins to thicken, add the sugar, white wine, lemon juice and zest of lemon. Continue to whip until thick.

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Spoon the mixture into footed parfait glasses and garnish with a sprig

of mint, a slice of lemon and a sprinkle of grated nutmeg.

Gommie's History

Gommie's visit this spring has involved a lot of colonial history, start to finish.  Last week, she followed along--and even really helped out with some of the needlecrafts--on a school tour at the historic house.  I'm not sure she had ever followed me on a tour before; luckily, it was a small and enthusiastic group of kids who made me look good!  I think she had fun helping them with their sewing and such.  It sure helped us!

Then, this morning, while I was giving a presentation at school, which she couldn't attend, she wandered around town to one of the old burying grounds and explored the headstones.

Afterwards, we went to a local museum and learned more about Connecticut history, well, local history, that is.  Connecticut is not so much a state as a collection of 140-odd towns; local identity is much stronger than state identity, unlike good ol' Texas.  Even after 10+ years here, I'm not sure I could describe the state flag--I know my town seal, though!  And I know the town tree, but not the state tree, flower, or bird.  (Texas: pecan, bluebonnet, mockingbird.)  The only reason I know the CT state song is because it's "Yankee Doodle!"  Anyway, we had a nice chat with a costumed interpreter who also does colonial reenacting--he certainly knew his stuff, from minutiae about George Washington to pedagogical issues of first vs. third-person interpreting, and even the local politics in our town!

Gommie has been reading a lot of my colonial history books while she's here (and more than usually interested in it all) because tomorrow (Tuesday) she's heading to Boston for the rest of the week before flying back to Texas.  She's never really done Boston and is very excited.  She's staying at the Parker House--for the rolls!--and doing the Freedom Trail.  We'll miss her but are glad she's off to even more historical adventures!

Authenticity

When I woke up to an exceptionally dark house this morning, battered by wind and rain, all I could think of was "how am I going to prep for Thanksgiving without any power?"  That's a bit too authentic, even for me!  Luckily, the power was restored in an hour or so, much to the disappointment of the kids, who had to go off to their half-day of school.  So today, I am grateful for people who work on holidays and in bad weather for our health and safety--first responders, public works, and the power people.

We're well on our way to being ready over here.  Sis and I made four pie crusts last night (for two pies, one baked brie, and an extra, just in case.) I've glazed and candied pecans, made two cranberry sauces, defrosted cornbread for dressing, baked sweet potatoes for casserole, and frozen a big batch of dinner rolls.  All while listening to the radio and talking on the phone.  Whew!  If I can find room in the fridge, I'm going to make the Jello salad.

And I've found a new dish:  a whole stuffed and baked pumpkin, the original colonial version of our modern pumpkin pie!  I got the idea from my friend Miss Lori, who made two different stuffed pumpkins with her kiddos a few weeks back; hers were savory, but I wanted more of a sweet custard.  And so I found a recipe last night. 

And went to the store this morning and got the ingredients, already having the pumpkin.

So, we still get a bit of colonial authenticity even with our power back on.

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Baked Whole Pumpkin, or Colonial Baked Whole Pumpkin “Pie”

From Vandetta Williams

1 pumpkin, 5 to 7 pounds

6 whole eggs

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons butter, in tiny cubes

Wash, dry and cut the lid off the pumpkin just as you would for a jack-o’-lantern. Remove the seeds and save for toasting later. (See recipe below.)

In a mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, whipping cream, brown sugar, molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger; fill the pumpkin with the custard mixture and dot with the butter. Cover with the pumpkin lid and place pumpkin in a baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the mixture has set like custard.

Serve from the pumpkin at your table, scraping some of the meat from the pumpkin with each serving.

Yield: 8 servings

Today's Tour

The last historic house tour of the season, the one with Sis and Bud's classes, went wonderfully well.  The rain had stopped before the tour, but they all ate inside--I had brought special deli sandwiches, chips, and cookies for them.  They ate with their friends while I got everything squared away.  When the tour started, Sis joined Bud's class, carrying my phone around to take pictures.

Here's a view of the tour from her vantage point:

We did all the usual third grade historic house tour things:  I dressed volunteers up in colonial garb; they strung dried apples, played with paper dolls, practiced chores like churning butter, and examined recent artifacts uncovered during the construction (namely a broken late 19th-century white ceramic vase/pot.)  We talked about the history of the family, the structure and evolution of the house, clothes, trades, food, seasonal activities, and children of long ago.

And, because the rain held off, we even got to go out to the herb garden that our Brownie troop created.

Sis and Bud didn't answer many of my questions; Sis had said she wanted to give other kids a chance (same with using other volunteers for dress-up).  But even though they were just two more faces in the group, they were my familiar little faces.  And I so really enjoyed today, having waited for it for a long time now.  It'll be two more years before they come back.  I hope I'm still volunteering then, because I'd really like to take them on another tour.

UPDATE:  The kids told me over dinner that both of their docents at the other house (they go to two) asked how they knew so much!!

My "Lousy" Days

Four classes, two days.  I just finished giving in-class programs to the third graders at Sis and Bud's school in preparation for their field trip next week to the historic house where I volunteer.  I entitled it, "Weird but True:  Colonial Life," but maybe should have called it "Ewww But True" because of all the gross stuff I shared--no baths, corn cobs for toilet paper, lice/fleas/nits, mice, trash middens right in the backyard, multiple-seat privies, hay mattresses, also boys dressing in skirts until they were about 7, corsets, long slow travel times, cold and dark houses, etc.  And then we made sachets, using lavender, winter savory, and rosemary, which were designed not only to smell sweet but to ward off bugs!

I forget perhaps how well-versed Sis and Bud are in historic houses, because several of these kids didn't realize that colonists had no electricity, no plumbing, no heat/AC, no well-stocked stores, no plastic, no trash pick up, no hospitals (yes, one girl asked me how women had babies!  She didn't mean physically, thank heavens, but where.)  I think they could barely fathom it.  And I forgot to start so simply because I figured they knew. I won't make that mistake again.  They had lots of great questions--and some challenging ones, like how would Santa get in the house if there was usually a fire--I had to tell them that colonists didn't really dwell on Santa Claus or even on Christmas.  They did not like the picture of the rat skeleton but loved the discussion of toilets the most.  They were shocked by the boys in skirts but pretty uninterested in how syllabub is made straight from milking a cow and not so surprised by the pillow I stuffed with hay to represent the mattresses they had.  They were all pretty surprised by the picture of George Washington's fake teeth and the fashion of wearing white-powdered hair (or wigs.)  They couldn't believe how long travel took (5-6 days between Boston and NY!  And sleeping in inns in bed head-to-toe with strangers!)  And they liked the etymology of "lousy," being full of lice, especially because lice had been going around school.

They all seemed to enjoy the sachet project, though one class ran so long that they'll have to save making theirs with their teacher next week (that was my only disappointment, especially because it was Sis's class.)   They followed directions for a pinch of this and a spoon of that well enough, even managing to bundle the cheese cloth into a little packet, but many of them couldn't tie.  I never dreamed that third graders would be unable to tie a knot or bow.  It's a great project, but prepping materials for 100 students would be my limit--I'm not sure I could do the sachet project with all schools if and when we could expand the in-class program (that would be 700 or so strings and cheesecloth squares!)  I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it.

It was fun to be in Sis and Bud's class, though neither of them answered any of my questions, letting the other kids have a turn.  I had a few pictures of them--Bud at the archaeological dig in the backyard, Sis cooking in the fireplace.  And a picture showcasing the Brownie troop because they built the herb garden, which provided the winter savory and rosemary for our sachets (but not the lavender, as our plant didn't flower, so I bought buds in bulk.)  Everybody got a kick out of recognizing people in the photos--one class wanted me to take their picture at the house, too (but permissions being what they are, who knows!  Which is why this post is un-illustrated.)

So in a week, I welcome them to the historic house, on the last tour day of the season.  It's been a pretty good one, but I'll be glad for a bit of a break.

Our Colonial Bit of Earth

Our Brownie troop planted a colonial-inspired herb garden at the historic house recently.  And they had such fun getting dirty, though they were oppressed by the heat. So now the house has a raised bed with several herbs in it:

• Costmary (chrysanthemum balsamita tanacetoides)  Gray-green serrated leaves used as bookmarks to repel bugs, hence nickname “Bible Leaf.”  Infusion also used to treat coughs.
• Lavender (Lavandula vera) Oil and dried flowers used for perfumes, sachets, and even baked goods.  Also used for pain and to repel mosquitoes.
• Marjoram, Sweet (Marjorana hortensis) Leaf used for flavoring many foods, in perfumes and sachets, and as an infusion for headaches.
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Needle-like leaves used for flavoring teas and food.  Also used for digestive ailments and headaches, as well as to fight germs.
• Sage, Garden (Salvia officinalis) Gray-green leaves used for flavoring poultry stuffing, pork, or in making a medicinal tea to aid digestion.  Native Americans mixed it with bear grease to treat sore throats.
• Savory, Winter (Satureia Montana) Smooth and shiny leaves used for culinary purposes, or to relieve bee stings.
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris or serpyllum) Leaves used to flavor foods and as a tea.  Oil of thyme is still the basis of a patent cough medicine.

Sis planted the thyme herself.  

My goal is to search out some more obscure herbs--like my favorite, costmary or "Bible Leaf," which we received as a gift from another local historic house.  My wish list includes feverfew, angelica, yarrow, tansy, comfrey, lovage, lemon balm, valerian, chamomile, and the like.  But that will be next year.

We hope to have the girls sign up to take a week to water/weed the garden and then we'll return in the fall to help with more gardening.  We're not the most talented gardeners--our house volunteer noted that the girls didn't know to weed out the dandelions!--but they are enthusiastic.  

It's great combining my two volunteer activities--the girls got to do a major community service project and the house now has an herb garden to share with visitors (which will include all the girls on their third-grade field trips next year!)  I'm not a great gardener,, as you know, but I'm very enthusiastic about an historical garden.  

Now if I could just translate that to our yard!

In the City That Always Sleeps Late

We went to Washington, DC this weekend, primarily to see the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at the National Gallery.  But we also squeezed in a few good meals and other sightseeing activities both in DC and beyond.

Friday

We took the kiddos out of school early so we could beat the traffic into DC.  Armed with lots of snacks and many audiobooks, we drove through Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland before reaching DC.  (I don't think we actually entered Virginia, but I'm not certain.)  We made only one major stop, at Booth's Farmer's Marker outside of Wilmington; it's a collection of stands inside a large building, mainly owned and operated by the Amish.  Which means we had to explain the Amish to the kids--since they haven't seen Witness!  We bought some jams, some baked goods (mmm, pound cake and Amish butter cake), potato chips, a pickled tomato, a container of Amish baked lima beans, and lunch--typical diner food followed by pie and homemade tapioca pudding.  We eventually got into DC and checked into our hotel.

Saturday

We were up and at'em very early, only to find that nothing seemed to open before 10, which felt rather late.  We took pictures on the Mall while waiting for the National Gallery to open so we could see the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition, or what Bud kept calling "the art show."  It was a lovely exhibition, with many works I'd seen at the Tate or in other Victorian shows.   The labels weren't very consistent in information, but I could fill in the gaps for each painting by telling the kids about the realism in detail (especially plants!), literary preferably medieval  subject matter, overt symbolism, and all those big-haired models-cum-artists'-wives.  I'm not sure the kids really took to the PRB, at least not as much as to the Impressionism and Fashion show.  Sis liked a few of the images of Jesus, like Millais's Jesus in the House of His Parents; Bud wanted the stuffed wombat in the gift shop!  He also liked Millais's image of The Huguenot on St. Bartholomew's Day.

We skipped the rest of the museum in favor of lunch at the National Museum of the American Indian, the best food on the Mall:  wild rice salad, hominy and asparagus salad, aqua fresco (tamarine, red currant, and guava), fry bread with honey, garbanzos with aji peppers, squash with aji peppers, spring green beans with pork, roasted sunchokes and nettles, arroz con negro, yucca cake with black beans, bison steak, roasted salmon, tres leches cake, orange cake, and lastly maple pudding.  Oh, and Sis had chicken fingers!  Afterwards, the kids played in the rainbow cast by the prism in the wall of the main gallery while Mama and I figured out the rest of the day.

So, we went to the Museum of American History and saw several iconic favorites:  Lincoln's hat (Sis's favorite), Dorothy's red slippers (Bud's favorite), Kermit the frog, an old Apple II, an old cassette Walk-man, and the dresses of the First Ladies.  I also liked seeing Julia Child's kitchen.  We all played "I spy" with "America's Doll House."  And we all were struck by the giant flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the "Star-Spangled Banner."  Of course, it's no longer just hung in the foyer, as when I saw it back in the early 80s, but has its own exhibition space, complete with a real rocket.

We spent the afternoon in the hotel, resting and napping, then ordered dinner from Hill Country BBQ.  Yum!  I know we'll be in Texas soon, but it was nice to have some authentic Texas food--collard greens, pinto beans, baked beans, potato salad, green bean casserole, sausage, brisket, chicken, banana pudding, and even white bread!  They also had Big Red, which I remember from childhood (we made strawberry ice cream with it at camp!).  

After dinner, we headed to the monuments.  Sis and Bud really wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial, so we were there at sunset.  And it was a beautiful evening.  But I didn't like all the steps--funny how fear of heights can hit me at such odd times; I could barely enjoy being at the top of the memorial. We then walked to the Vietnam Memorial, including the statue to the women, and then WWII, where we talked about how their maternal great-grandfather fought in WWII in Europe.  We reiterated the purposes of memorials and stressed that they had to act respectfully, though several huge groups of kids weren't.  The city is so pretty at night, beautifully well-lit.  And the kids are so rarely out at night.  It was a late one for us, but well worth it.

Sunday

Again, we waited and waited for our morning attraction to open--the pandas at the National Zoo!  We'd been once when the kids were seven-months old to see the seven-month-old baby panda and then again a couple of years ago before the "baby" panda went back to China.  I don't believe the kids remembered either trip, but I think they'll remember this one.  Especially because Tian Tian came right up to the front of his enclosure to munch on some bamboo--we could even hear his teeth cracking the outer sheath.  We didn't stay long at the zoo but did ride the new Conservation Carousel, which is solar powered!  The kids rode it twice (adults just once) and then had fun petting some San Clemente goats.

After lunch on the go and a few hours in the car, we arrived later than expected at Valley Forge.  We still managed to explore the huts the soldiers lived in, visit General Washington's headquarters, drive through much of the park, see the artifacts in the Visitor Center display (gaming pieces, surgical tools, shoes, etc.) and visit the gift shop (I bought some tours for our historic house activities; the kids and Mama collect pins--and smooshed pennies.  Sis got some postcards for friends and her teacher).  My Revolutionary War history is spotty but improving, but I do know more than a second grader!  For now.  

The rest of the day is a blur of traffic, rest stop food, and more audio books.  More of a wimper than a bang but still a great weekend.

One Down

Our first week of tours at the historic house are over.  I did two of the tours--one was great, the other was good enough.  I've added some new bits to this year's tour--some more Revolutionary War facts and a section about colonial music.  We even play a recording of "Yankee Doodle" with different lyrics, first the British ones and then some American ones making fun of George Washington.    To go with the music, I added a lap harp the students can play to our activity centers; there's even sheet music for "Yankee Doodle."    I also changed the weaving activity--instead of a small inkle loom, we now have a more historically-accurate paddle loom on which women and girls would make tape, or ribbons.  And today, with beautiful weather (and because the class arrived 45 minutes early and we were stretching things quite a bit), the students played outside.  First, it was boy vs. girl in a race of wooden hoops.  Then they lined up to play snap the whip, tumbling all over the ground.  All in all, a good week.  I look forward to four more.

Colonial on the Brain

I've spent most of the day preparing for next week's docent training on colonial life in our town for our 5th-grade tours.  We're adding music to the tour and so I've been listening to various 18th-century songs:  fife and drum, church music, ballads sung in taverns, early sea chanteys (though there is some debate about whether they're in the same category as 19th-century sailors' work songs), dance music (contradances, cotillon, jigs, reels, etc), and the music of West African captives (including spirituals).  Definitely an eye-opening morning.  Or should I say ear-opening.  (For info, see here and here.  For music samples, listen here.)

Then I went to make copies for training and stopped at a friend's house, which just happens to be a colonial and one of the oldest houses in town.  It's marvelous and I loved getting a tour through all of its nooks and crannies, architectural phases (including probably late 18th-century addition), and beautiful details--Delft tiles around the fireplace, square nails in the door hinges, ceramic chandelier never wired for electricity, and even kitchen table made out of an old door!  Yes, I had a little house envy.  But if I lived there, I'd want to wear colonial clothes all the time, cook in the fireplace, and forego electricity!  I'm not sure my family would put up with that for long.

Which is why I love being a costumed interpreter.

(And why I just bought new stays and a straw hat!)

The Pilgrimmage

Last week we looked at the forecast and it said that Saturday's high would be 75F!  We knew we had to go somewhere outdoors and ruled out Mystic and Sturbridge Village . . . then we remembered Plimoth Plantation, the trip that we keep planning and then having to cancel for health reasons.  And here we were, relatively healthy and with good weather.  So, off to Massachusetts we went for a mini-vacation.

Plimoth Plantation
I thought Plimoth Plantation was wonderful, from the recreated English village to the Wampanoag homesite, from the 17th-century food in the cafe to the children's discovery center.  But best of all were the costumed role-players who portray actual 17th-century folks, complete with one of 17 or so regional British accents!  It took a bit of practice to talk to them without referencing anything after 1627, and the kids were too shy to try, but I had several conversations with various women and men and learned so much.  We arrived just in time to talk to one of the role players who was cooking the noontime meal, dinner, in the one-room thatched houses; she was making a boiled chicken with sorrel sauce over a fire built right on the dirt floor which smoke went up the open chimney (no damper to keep rain out!).  She talked a lot about how she preferred English onions and garlic to native grown, couldn't really find uses for any native plants!   They apparently even got their butter from England!  And she didn't think much of cornmeal cakes for bread.  Other interpreters talked about how they sprinkled water on the floor to dampen down the dust but couldn't waste ox blood on it (their cattle were mainly for work--if there were no oxen, men had to to do labor--and were trying to increase the herd), though it would really seal a dirt floor; how kids didn't do a lot of the chores we think of--like hauling water or helping with cooking or milking cows--because it was too difficult or dangerous (they could milk goats, though); how they brought all their furniture over with them, which cost a fortune to pay sailors to move things so they didn't bring much, but as everyone was a farmer in the plantation (until they worked 7 years to pay off the company for their travel, etc) and couldn't practice trades, they had to get everything like furniture, flour, even clothes from England; how they were in church all Sabbath "because it's the Lord's day not the Lord's hours!"; how they said "just so" for yes and "win-e-gar" for vinegar; me as an interpreter; how they ate "sallat" of various greens and boiled egg dressed with sugar and "winegar" and oil of olive with the knives they wore attached to their belts.  Oh there was so much more but I might just bore you with recitations of pilgrim stuff.  Especially if you did read Mayflower!  I also really liked their costumes--the rough, heavy materials, the thin leather shoes that tied on, the tight white caps and high outdoor hats.  Makes my 18th-century costume look very comfortable!


We had a fun lunch in the cafe, which offers some period foods:  peppery stewed "pompion" pumpkin,  cucumbers in sugar, sauteed squash, peasecod (kinda like a colonial samosa!), stuffed quahog, Indian pudding, rosewater cheesecake with almonds and raisins, spiced Shrewsbury sugar cookie, succatash with lots of meats and corn and limas, plus fried fish, lobster roll, and modern Thanksgiving dinner plate.  


Then we visited the Wampanoag homesite.  Here, actual Native Americans, many of them descendants of the original Wampanoag, populate the village engaging in 17th-century activities while maintaining their 21st-century attitudes.  I understand the rationale behind the lack of role-playing Indians, which can be highly offensive to them.  However, many of the interpreters seemed, well, bored and pissy.  A few stressed that this was just a 9-5 job, that they appreciated that the museum tried to include them but . . .  Of course, that sounds like I wanted happy, cooperative natives, but I think what I really mean is that because most of them seemed unhappy, it reminded me of 19th-century exhibitions of native peoples for the pleasure of white Western audiences.  And that is neither pleasant nor a good precedent.  Now, it wasn't all of them:  one young man talked to the kids and I about the gauntlet he was sewing in leather for his bow arm, the mishoon they had hollowed with wood, the fishnet he would be working on again soon, the training of interpreters with the Mashantucket Pequot museum (which he had heard was closing?!).  I think he is the reason--plus the games of skill and coordination (ball and cup, catch with fur-stuffed leather bags)--that the kids liked the Wampanoag site better than the Pilgrims.  


We finished our visit at the discovery station, where Sis dressed up in pilgrim play clothes and we cooked clams and baked bread while Mama and Bud played Fox and Geese, a marble strategy game.  Oh, and we quickly went through the Thanksgiving exhibition and movie, which wasn't very meaningful to them as far as offensive stereotypes of the pre-PC era go.  At one point, Bud asked where the 3-D IMAX was, and I laughed and replied that the 3-D pilgrims were down in the village!


Plymouth
For dinner we ate at Wood's Seafood in Plymouth Harbor--it was fabulous!  Mama and Bud shared a lobster, meaning she did all the work and he ate it all (he'll still eat almost anything but potatoes).  She also had a seafood platter with scallops, shrimp, clams, etc.  And I had fried fish (because sometimes I'm not a vegetarian, especially on vacation when I don't just want mediocre iceberg salads).  We walked the wharf with ice cream from Ziggy's (Grape Nut!  Maine Black Bear!  And of course strawberry and chocolate), watching sunset and waiting for first star, which is so much later than the kids usually get to stay up

On Sunday morning, we breakfasted at the All-American Diner, which had great food--crunchy French Texas toast, buttery grilled Morning Glory muffins, corned beef hash Egg Benedicts--and the grumpiest waitress.  It was one of the themes of the day.

The Mayflower II was our first sightseeing stop and was just as informative and interesting as Plimoth Plantation.  The pilgrim in the hold, who was sewing on a poppet, told us how it was dark (windowless and candleless), airless (and they couldn't go above deck), and so scary with the storms, illness, and prospects of the new world for them. And the ship was small--smaller than the Morgan, the 19th-century whaler at Mystic!  I really don't know how they did it, though I suppose once you were on board it was too late to change your mind.

The Rock.  It's a rock.  I didn't know they'd moved it several times, breaking it in the process.  Nutsy.

Newport
So we headed home via Newport, RI, stopping first at Beavertail Lighthouse sitting on an outcropping of rocks on Narragansett Bay.  We couldn't climb the current tower but did sit on the ruins of the 18th-century tower, enjoying the breeze and the view.  We're hoping the kids get lighthouse fever like we have and made a point of showing them Rose Light, which you can actually stay in--maybe for Mama's 40th birthday!

In Newport, we had lunch at Brick Alley, which had great food but another grumpy waitress.  When she brought me the wrong bruschetta appetizer, instead of getting the right one, she tried to bring me the bits of it--raw--to cobble together my own and was shocked when twice I had to tell her that it wasn't going to work, that I wanted the dish I ordered the way it was meant to be (broiled and melted not cold and raw!).  And then she took offense!   Seriously?  I'm guessing they have a policy that she would have to pay for the mistake, which is why she tried so hard to have me take it.  It was good, though--bread with sauteed spinach and mushrooms with melted gorgonzola and walnuts and a  balsamic reduction.  Mama and Bud shared some mussels.  Bud had a lobster mac and cheese while Mama had a lobster roll.  I had a delicious lemon piccata scrod (yep, fish again).  And Sis got bacon mac and cheese.

Fortified, we drove around Newport, admiring the great colonial houses--so many and so well-preserved, but our goal was the Breakers, the Gilded-Age Vanderbilt mansion.  We got the audio tours but gave up on them pretty quickly as one headset broke and we realized we were like automatons (I know, I'm a museum educator, but I really don't like audio guides for myself.  I'd much rather have the text to go at my own pace, skip stuff, dwell where I want to).  So we took them off and I gave the tour!  I mean, I've been there before (with Mama and Gommie years ago) and seen enough Gosford Park and Downton Abbey to make sense of a great house.  Their favorite part was the dumbwaiter!  Bud wants one for our house, four of which could fit in the great hall alone.  Sis wants both an internal and external balcony.  And they liked the soccer-field sized yard for somersaults and cartwheels.

A few last notes on our wonderful weekend:

• Thank heavens for audio books, without which they'd never put up with such long car rides.  We almost had a crisis because one of our stories wasn't engaging and another had a damaged disk, leaving Little House on the Prairie as fallback.  We always travel with several.
• There were no Starbucks where we were, which was surprising.  Lots of Dunkin Donuts, though.
• Traffic was a big issue, both to get to Plymouth and just in driving around Newport.  I mean, Newport was worse than midtown NYC!
• MA coast is very quaint and picturesque and touristy and fun and historical; I'd love to go back there and visit many other places.
• Next time, we should picnic for one meal a day--it takes too much time to eat out two meals.
• Coming home late on Sunday is ok (we usually avoid it) . . . until Monday!

The Pilgrimmage, in Pictures

Not pictured:  my favorite part of Plimoth was the costumed  role-players.

Look, Ma, no hearth!

Obligatory view down the center of the English Village at Plimoth.

That's the Mayflower II in the distance.  Tide was out every time we were near water!

Waiting for the first star, with a view of Plymouth harbor.

Mayflower II

Beavertail Lighthouse, site of third oldest in nation.

Narragansett Bay, off Beavertail Light

Great minds (mine)

think alike (Mama, but in lower resolution 'cos her camera is too fancy for the  blog.)

The Breakers in Newport.  "Mantions are cool!"

Actually, my favorite houses in Newport were the 18th-century ones.  Would the Pilgrims have come if they knew this was in the future??

Tastes of History

Mama and I have taken to watching Chef Walter Staib's PBS series, Taste of History, which focuses on the foodways of 18th-century America.  We knew of Staib from the historical restaurant, City Tavern, in Philly, where we've eaten twice (most recently with t he kids over Memorial Day weekend)--the first time, ten years ago, we actually met the chef, who came out to talk to us and signed our copy of his cookbook.  He is famous for researching, recreating, and celebrating colonial foodways.  And it's not just baked beans and apple pie but surprising combinations of fresh ingredients and international spices (and meats many Americans don't eat anymore--kidneys, oxtail, or tongue, anyone?).

But we didn't know he had a tv show--Emmy-winning, no less--until we visited the Tavern again.  And it's wonderful!  There are historic houses, costumed interpreters, old recipes, and open-hearth cooking!  Plus his charming and enthusiastic explanations, in his endearing German accent. With soccer over for another half-hour, we just watched the episode where the chef goes to Montpelier and cooks for the interpreters reenacting James and Dolley Madison.  You can watch the fourth season now on PBS, or old episodes on WE, I think, or on DVD, which is what we have.

It's really perfect tv  for us in these anxious times.

Lunch, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Saturday

• The new World Trade Center--we admire the tower from NJ
• Vince Lombardi rest stop--nothing like cinnamon buns for breakfast!
• Independence Visitor Center--big, new since we were there 10 years ago, and a great anchor for the site; kids pick up Junior Ranger booklet (and complete enough activities to earn their Independence ranger badge) and trading cards (which they earned by answering questions posed by rangers).
• Liberty Bell--but only from outside, as we wouldn't brave the lines
• Independence Hall, again just from the outside, but an up-close look at the "Great Essentials" documents--Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution
• City Tavern:  Sally Lunn bread, Anadama bread, sweet potato roll, shrub, mushroom toast, lobster pot pie, chicken pot pie, fried tofu a la Ben Franklin, all served by costumed interpreters in a reconstructed 18th-century building.  My favorite stop, both for the food and the atmosphere.  I got the chef's Taste of History DVDs for home.  
• Ben Franklin's Print Shop, complete with Amos the mouse from Ben and Me, which we read before our trip.  This was the kids' favorite stop in Philly.
• President's House archaeological site discovered during building of new Liberty Bell center, with outdoor exhibition on Washington's slaves.  My second favorite stop.
• Free Quaker Meeting House
• Ben Franklin's grave 
• Shopping--hammered dulcimer cd, magnets, Philly puzzle, soap, mob cap, NPS pins and patches, Junior Ranger vest, books 
• And all the while, I hum, "Open up a window . . . It's hot as hell in Philadelphia!" from 1776.  
• Dinner at Iron Hill Brewery: pomme frites with garlic rosemary aioli, quinoa salad, egg roll sampler, shrimp, cheeseburger, ice cream, oatmeal cake
• Sis and Bud shared a pullout sofa in our hotel suite, but Sis came to us in the night to complain.  "Mom, Bud feels my warmth and keeps scooting over.  He thinks it's you and he wants to cuddle.  So I keep pushing him back, 'Stay on your side!'  I even threw Mr. Big over to the other side, but he just keeps cuddling with me!"
  

Sunday

• Competition begins early, with Bud's first two forms back-to-back.
• Gold in broadsword!
• Gold in staff!
• Sis plays DS and chats with Ma and Gong.
• We have chicken and broccoli, fried rice, pork buns, and noodles for lunch.
• Masters' performances of various wushu-kung fu and tai chi
• Team competitions are fascinating, with whips, double swords, etc.
• Gold in nunchucks!
• I asked Bud if he heard people cheering for him when he was doing his kung fu forms.  "No, Mom," he explained, taking his first position and sweeping his arm around in the way he usually begins, "I think, 'I am the best!  I am the best!  I am the best!'"
• We take some pictures, talk to his master, watch several more divisions.
• Dinner at the brewery again with Ma and Gong, before they head home.  Bud practically falls asleep at the table.
• We chill in the hotel, but kids get second wind won't fall asleep.

Monday

• We "sleep in" and leave hotel by 8:30-something.
• We head to Animals & Acrobats at Van Cortlandt Manor in Hudson valley, essentially an old-fashioned circus
• Boston Circus Guild:  acrobats, trapeze artists, other aerialists, all to "Emperor Norton Stationary Marching Band," all dressed in steampunk.  Kids love woman with hoops, trapeze work, partner acrobatics, etc.  Sis wants to be an acrobat!
• Lunch of hot dogs, turkey sandwich, pasta salad, bean salad, lemonades
• Double servings of Blue Pig local ice cream in the high heat--"double the yum!" Sis says.
• Visit the Cabinet of Curiosities, with Fiji Mermaid, mastodon, and invisible woman in a box!  Bud declares, "There is no magic!"  I tease him about being a realist.  Then I ask about the Tooth Fairy.  He stands perplexed then answers, "The Tooth Fairy is different because she's not creepy!"
• Circus Arts hands-on.  Bud tries juggling; Sis excels at this big yo-yo.  Both walk on tight rope and try stilts.  
• Flight of Raptors display birds of prey and Two by Two have animals, including a huge, hot, brown rabbit reclining in the shade of its enclosure.  "He's a melting bunny," Sis declared.
•  Mama, Sis, and Bud conspire to buy me an adorable giant stuffed hedgehog.
• We head home around 2 pm, missing traffic almost completely!
• We get the AC on quickly and sit around the rest of the afternoon, reminiscing about our great weekend.