An afternoon at Greenfield Village

 

I needed this day.
I've been trying to get down to Greenfield Village for the past three months. Our annual pass doesn't do us a whole lot of good if we can't even get there.  The whole one car thing  made everything difficult. While normally we'd go on a Sunday - because I didn't have a car all week long, our Sundays had to be spent doing other things.

Which stunk.

So, with the vehicle back (we got it back twice this week - and are bringing it in one more time on Monday. Don't ask) and our Sunday's back - combined with the fact that this is the first year the village will be closed in December (I asked a worker and they said yes - it is strictly an economy based decision)  with the exception of Holiday Nights (which costs, even for members, and this family of six can't afford it) (darn Jeep) and also with the fact that three of my kids started sniffling this week and I played the part of the complete germaphobe and kept them home from Sunday School because THEY CAN NOT GET SICK before my brother's wedding - put all that together and we spent an extremely relaxing day at the Village.

Someone said - How can you put relaxing and village in the same sentence????

But it was. 

I think it had a lot to do with the fact that the place was so empty. I'm apparently very relaxed in empty places. 

 Walking through, one could easily assume even that the buildings were empty, but they were all active. We have our favorites, and we try to visit a new place each time.  I love the pottery building.  There was another lady in here painting, but my picture of her didn't turn out.  I asked her, however - how long she's worked there, explaining that I have more than a few pictures of her in my albums.  She said she's been there 19 years.  They become familiar.  

And this guy - oh, I wanted him to give us a personal tour of the whole village.  I didn't recognize him - but boy, was he a wealth of information and entertaining besides.  The kids all skipped out of there saying, He was the Best!

The glass blowing house is always a family favorite.  He's making an ornament holder - it was very cool to see it made. 

All four of our kids came.  And they even behaved.  I think they liked the whole 'the place was empty' factor as well.  

They also enjoyed that there were no lines for the carousel and that we actually said yes, they could go!

I was a little regretting that I didn't have the kids dress for their pictures - but I didn't want to add any stress to the day.  I just needed to relax.  I still need to take three of their photos though. *stress*

completely empty. 
Thomas the Tank weekend would be so much more fun if it was like this.

Allan has a couple of photography assignments this week - so he was busy capturing some images.

 We really got hungry after stopping at this farm.  They always eat food that is grown or raised right there at the village....although in today's case they did have some halibut which they said would have been purchased.  They were also eating mutton from the Firestone Farm.  We were really hungry after leaving there. 

We made our way along sidewalks covered in goose poop (I've never seen it like this before - it was VERY HARD to traverse) back to the van.

And ate our cheese and makkara (lunch meat) sandwiches while pretending it was a mutton and roast dinner with potatoes and carrots.  That farm did a number on our stomachs.

We then went and tracked goose poop all over the museum. 

That's the Fisher Building - and now my boys all want Lego's for Christmas.

We made planes

 

and threw them.

Sat in the other airplane
Lit up the lights
Walked though the George Washington Carver exhibit

 
Emotionally scarred little girls who we've never met

And then the kids got completely out of hand so we left.
And got pizza on the way home

A much needed relaxing day.

Now tomorrow things start to get really crazy........

 

 

Comments

[Kate Storey]

What a great post, Sharon! I love the pictures - you have a great eye. Glad you were able to spend a relaxing day with your family at BOTH the village and museum - kudos to you for being able to fit both into one day, and with four kids, no less! :-)

Thanks again for visiting - hope your car situation makes it easier for you to visit more in the new year!