Our Trip Down the Rabbit Hole

I love the fall--the colors, the temperatures, the activities, the foods.  And this weekend we went on one of our favorite fall outings:  a visit to the Fairy Houses of the Florence Griswold museum followed by lunch at PizzaWorks, with its good food (great marinara!  inventive pizzas!  that scrumptious Derby pie!) and model trains.  And this time, Ma and Gong joined us.

The faerie house theme was Alice in Wonderland, Steampunk'd.  So, the familiar White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, Caterpillar, and Queen of Hearts, plus gears, gogs, keys, watches, brass, and leather.  It was a beautiful fall day, though a tad on the windy side there along the river.  Still, we had a wonderful time.

I think this was Mama's favorite--the Rabbit Hole re-envisioned as a broken pipe.

The "Eat Me" cake, in the beginning of the story.

I always like the doors and window, these in my favorite installation place under the big tree.

School children made a hundred or more small, ceramic tea party tables which wound between, and through, the trees.

You could actually peer inside this one, to see a garden of metal flowers, all lit by a solar light.  This was the kids' favorite.

A view through the barn doors as we enjoyed cider, hot chocolate, chips, and brownies.

Fall Faerie Fun

It's Faerie Village time again!  We've been for four years now, exploring the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum in search of all the little faerie houses tucked away (2009, 2011, 2012--we skipped 2010, which was scarecrows.)  This year, the theme was the "Wizard of Oz," more from the book than the movie, which was fine because we'd read it a year or so ago.  The kids are older now and so we let them rn and roam around on their own, knowing they wouldn't wander off or touch anything.  As in earlier years, my favorite houses were those made of natural materials, those tucked into the shapes of trees or the land, and those under the giant oak.   The kids aren't as particular or predictable in their preferences.  

After enjoying all the faerie houses, we went for lunch at Pizza Works, the train station pizza place.  And Sis actually ate pizza, which has long been a food she wouldn't touch.  But she ate three slices of bacon cheeseburger pizza!  We were so excited, even though that pizza isn't always available.  Bud and Mama shared a bacon clam pizza while I liked pesto mushroom.  There was chocolatey Derby Pie and caramel apple pie for dessert.

See Dorothy's house on top of the tornado?

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road . . . . "

I loved the Munchkin village under the big tree, which was made by local elementary students and their art teacher.

More doors and ladders . . . .

My paternal grandfather would dry gourds; Goo has, too.

Can you see the tiny pincushion?  There was a checkerboard elsewhere.

Faerie Boats

Do you know how to make a faerie boat? Take two leaves--in this case, something like a wax-leaf lagustrum leaf about 2" long--and one thin, short stick. Use the stick as the mast, puncturing one leaf in two places, curving it as the sail. Then stick this into the other leaf to make a boat. Sure, they don't stay afloat long when you drop them into the raging torrent of your nearby rocky creek, but even the topsy-turvy journey is fun to watch, especially when the older kids tell you the boat sinks and spins because the faeries are having a ride! No wonder my kids love rushing out to meet the older kids, especially when they're playing by the creek.