Back in time

Today, thanks to the thoughtfulness of a good friend, Calvin and I enjoyed a wonderful day surrounded by the trappings of the past.  In the many, many years that it has been since I last visited Greenfield Village (during daytime hours, that is) I had forgotten what a fascinating and educational place it is.  We spent hours meandering through tree lined streets dodging only Model Ts and their close cousins (funny looking cars, trucks, and busses, according to Calvin), and horse drawn wagons;  at Susquehanna Plantation we watched them quilting at a rough-hewn kitchen table; at the Dagget Farmhouse we watched them spin yarn and prepare their supper over an open fire before  giving us a tour of their large garden and kitchen preserving techniques (drying and pickeling);  at the Victorian era Firestone Farm we watched the farm wife do the wash in a pot of boiling water over an open fire, and the farmer and son drive a team of Percherons and plough the land to sow the winter wheat.  It's this, that sudden feeling of having been dropped into another time and place, that for me is the best part of the Village.  Calvin did seem  fascinated by the costumes, although he most assuredly didn't have a grasp on their temporal significance or that of the rest of our surroundings, but the best part of the village for him was probably the authentic steam locomotive that continuously circled the park (just ask him about engine number three some time).  And if the locomotive wasn't it then the favorite must have been Firestone farm where he got to pet the Percheron horses before they went to out to work, and then watch the pigs fighting over their slops.  Next in line would have to be the glass shop where we saw men working with white hot glass (there's something amazing about watching glass drip and ooze...).  Regardless of our favored moments, though, the whole Village was a real hit and we owe a big thank you to Leah for taking us with her.

As always I took a number of pictures; you'll find them in the September, too album.