I’d never have a chance to sit down and write. Technically I should be folding laundry on this semi-stormy day, but I wanted to sit down and write a bit while I’m awake. I’ve been busy nonstop for the last couple of weeks, I got a chance to visit sheep shearing day at a farm not to far from here, they raise a cross of Romney, Border Leister, and Texel breeds. I managed to pick up several pounds (yes, you read that right) of wool
Right now it is packed away, awaiting our move. In a few weeks I will be able to break it out and start processing it!! I have plans for this lovely bit of wool which include maybe selling a pound of it, it also may or may not include a floor loom. I’ve got time to think it over.
Now before I continue I need nay, want to give a shout out to this awesome spa called Organical Botanical, I was able to go as a Mother’s Day present, I had been before but it is just an awesome place to be, the prices are incredible. When you walk in you get a peaceful sense of calm, the scents in the air are soothing and the entire atmosphere is just amazing.
These are the only items in our bathroom cabinet.
(I am in no way getting paid for this, I truly love this place), if you live near East Greenwich RI, I highly suggest checking it out!!
Our main reason for this trip was to go see Joel Salatin, however, it quickly got turned into a home school trip while planning it. It was nice to be able to travel with the kids and for them to see more of the country. We took an afternoon to visit Lancaster Pennsylvania and the kids were able to learn about the Amish lifestyle and took a tour of a replica of an Amish school/house.
They also got to visit Turkey Hill to see how ice cream is made (the factory way), and to make their own favors, “packages”,& “commercials”
My favorite part was the all you cold eat ice cream and all you could drink tea 😉
We took a drive on the Shenandoah skyline
we stopped for a bit to walk part of the Appalachian trail and the kids made fairy houses.
Now I am afraid of heights and my husband, while a good driver, still manages to scare me with his teasing, which is how the first honeycomb in my bee keepers quilt (another Tiny Owl Knits project) came to be
I didn’t have stuffing for it and forgot my crochet hook at home, but I think it turned out nicely.
We were able to take a tour of the Shenandoah Caverns as well, or as my kids called it, the bacon caverns
it was very beautiful inside and despite my fear of small spaces, I was able to see 95% of the cavern, while Toph assured me that the 5% I didn’t get to see would not have worked out too well for me.
We spent some time at the Frontier Culture Museum learning about people who came (or we forced over) to settle in America from Germany, Ireland, and England, and Africa and what their lives were life before coming over
We were invited to pick spinach from the garden with the ladies of the German house
Each house grows food related to the country that it is based upon. Most of the houses were taken down piece by piece and numbered and then shipped over to America and put back together.
After the Frontier museum, we finally got to our main destination Polyface Farm, it was exciting to be there and to hear all that Joel had to say (though Toph has read just about every single book Joel has written, so it was more just to be there then anything else).
They loved playing with the resident akbash
The tour was about two hours long, though we stayed long past that time to chat with Joel
Leif picked out a shirt and decided Lorelai needed the same.
We ended our day driving over the blue ridge parkway
Which again, was another nerve wracking drive and is how this honeycomb came to be.
We ended the educational part of our vacation with a trip to Jamestowne settlement
Last but not least, the kids did so well on the trip not complaining (well…they did, but not as much as we expected they would), that we ended our trip at Busch Gardens, where Lorelai got to see her latest animal obsession
a grey wolf
Have a great day folks!
