Saturday

This Saturday I let Mike sleep in and took the girls to the Farmers' Market early. It was so nice to see all the friendly farmers and to take in the harvest. We bought a yellow watermelon from Mr. Pasour and his twin girls, some peppers from Jenny at Creekside, DELICIOUS bicolor corn from Mr. Hoyle, snaps from Mr. Avery, as well as peaches, honey and a few other things. All weekend we were enjoying the foods and we are hoping that the harvest will continue for as long as possible.

After a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal with peaches and honey, we decided to go to the Schiele's Backcountry Farm. Most of the buildings there are actual historic structures. They tore down a barn and are bringing in a historic barn in the Fall. Bessie the Cow is at a "barn and breakfast" in the meantime!

first view of the house as you walk around the corner from the parking lot

A world away!

It is so beautiful there! It is one of my favorite places to take the girls.

corn crib

View of the blacksmith shop and kitchen garden from the main house porch

Mike and the girls listening to the reenactress talk about bundling and drying lavender




She showed me a neat trick for aging metal boxes, like Altoid or candle tins. Just throw them in the fire, and the paint is burned away and a nice patina is created. Then hammer down any raised lettering and you have an antique. I'm going to try it with the tins of Burt's Bees lip balm.

playing with a doll

My simply raised girls were practically fighting over the stick-and-rag doll! They offered proof that a faceless doll with sticks for legs and arms and a torn bed sheet for a dress would have been a welcome plaything!

herbs and peppers drying in the house

main house and garden

I love this picture. I hope to play with the cropping on Photoshop, but I just loved the lines of it.

Lords-and-Ladies flower

Lela instantly found and identified this flower from her Flower Fairies of the Autumn book. And she remembered the advice of the faeries to not eat the berries!

Catawba Indian replica domicile

In two years of visiting the Schiele, this was the first time we have been in the Catawba Indian village. It was beautiful and they were well made structures. Mike would know, since he orchestrated the Nansemond Indian village at First Landing when we lived there.

turtle and fish pond

always time for creek play!

After all that walking and adventuring, the girls needed to cool down in the creek! It is a very different creek from McDowell where we usually play. In the picture it looks like a large sandbar but it is actually a large slab of rock with beautiful quartz veins running through it.

After getting wet, going back to the car and donning new clothes, and a few tantrums, and a vile of arnica spilled in the parking lot, and one pair of underwear too few, we decided to go into the museum.

Catawba woman tending corn - beautiful baskets in front

We capped off a great day with some fun and games after a locally harvested dinner. A favorite after Erin's co-op lesson about toads, we played hop toad.

Lela hopping high

Laurel takes a turn

Laurel hasn't reached the stage where she is able to hop with both feet off the ground, so she was more skipping over the stick.

My favorite picture of Liv hopping