Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Annual Strawberry Picking Trip




Every year we enjoy going to pick strawberries at a local farm.


Each of the boys got their own bucket this year. I wanted lots of strawberries to bake with and have some extra to freeze.


Joshua filling his bucket. He was really fast.


The older he gets the harder it is to get a good picture of him. He hates to have his picture taken.... as you can tell.


And he's done.


Seth was on a mission to find the best strawberries he could.



About half way there.


Wow! That is an interesting find.


Wonder what causes that?


 Noah was around here and there filling his bucket.



Okay, there are some really weird strawberries here...


I'm just saying... look at that thing!!! No GMO's here RIIIGHT!


Looks like Noah is done too.


Everyone's basket is full and ready to go.


Here are a few sweet pictures of our strawberry picking friends Zenobia, Ezra, and little Alizeah.


 Alizeah, with her bucket.


Ezra, showing me a strawberry...


and a flower.


My favorite picture out of the hundreds that I took that day! SWEEET!


Ezra, playing with Joshua while we were standing around chatting.


Looks like Alizeah wants to join in on the fun too.


Well here is our strawberry stash. I guess we have some baking to do.

that is, if any make it home!!!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Williamsburg (part 2)

This is day two of our Williamsburg trip. We decided to visit Jamestown Settlement.



As you get closer to the settlement there are many places to pull off and read fascinating facts about the history that took place there.


 Evidently they have lively wild animals that are native to the area as well. We ran into a delusional black bear and...


a motionless deer. Oh Dear!


We learned a lot about the Powhatan Indians and the way they lived.


Here we are sitting in one of their huts.



This was for a small fire inside the hut.


They hung a lot of their tools and other belongings on the side of the hut and on the ceiling.


Noah taking a quick nap on their bed. It was surprisingly soft.



Cooking bowls and baskets.


The straw contraption hanging from the ceiling is actually a kind of fishing net. The fish swim into the larger opening and get trapped in the narrower end.


This is the outside of the huts. They remind me of something out of Star Wars.



This is where they did their cooking. This guy was telling all about their diet and how they would prepare the food.


Here is an example of some of the types of foods they would have eaten.


Cool pot... I love pottery.


So then we moved on to where the settlers lived.


I just couldn't stop looking at the buildings... the way they were constructed and their wonderful colors.


This nice lady was telling us about the history of the settlers and how they lived.

i wonder how many pictures of her there are?



I love this picture! (Look at the color of that building!) We met this inquisitive roaming rooster. He made sure you knew he was there. I think he liked all the hubbub.


Noah thought he would try to sneak up on him.


Loove it! I think I will make a few prints of these pictures and hang them somewhere in my house.


Seth sitting in a pew at church.


Looky whose preaching!


Like father like son. Hey Noah, you might want to wait until you are a little taller. I don't think anyone in the congregation can see you!


The majority of the pictures left are of the inside of the buildings.



Tobacco hanging from the ceiling to dry.




Now we walked over to where the ships were docked.





Seth, pretending to be a ships' mast that was getting hit by a canon ball.




I like the name of this ship.



A few pictures of the guys overlooking the water.








One of my favorite pictures of Seth.



The boys had fun exploring all through the ships.



The people who worked there were very knowledgeable about the time period.


Here we were learning about how they used these different tools to measure speed, determine direction, and measure the depth of the water.




These next few pictures are of their garden area. I thought it was kind of cool that they used raised beds. Also I noticed how they used straw, twigs, and larger branches as covering to protect the plants.








A few more pictures from the Indian village.





I want one!


Here we are learning how they made rope from plants.



Do you see it?


Look closely...



It's a heart.



Noah still trying to sneak up on that rooster. Mr. Rooster I would run if I were you.








I think someone needs some new shoes.



Mike and the boys trying on their armor.






I think the Indians had better beds.





Here is the kitchen building.



More hearts.


And lastly... the blacksmith.



This was a great family vacation. Very informative. I would definitely like to visit again sometime soon.