Ford, Victoria, what's the difference?

We often hear people talk of a Victorian Christmas and all its traditional charms. In fact, we've heard ourselves mention that ultimate of Christmas experiences from time to time. But we're here to tell you that a Ford, as in Henry Ford, Christmas is really just as magical and full of traditions. Tonight we took some time off (thanks to Calvin's wonderful Grandma and Opa) and went to Greenfield Village's Holiday Nights event. We went last year, too, and it was just as beautiful, but this year it was an adult date night and that allowed us to enjoy the evening at a more relaxed pace, sans freezing, whining toddler, and follow it up with drinks with our good friends. All the icons from the holidays of old (Santa on the roof, roasted chestnuts, open air skating, and mulled cider with hobo bread) combined with some modern conveniences (blowing heat in the old court house) made for a fantastically magical event, one that we plan to make an annual tradition (and Calvin can join us when he's old enough...to drink). Yes Ford built a very nice village, and a very beautiful Christmas tradition to boot.

There's no sugar in wooden eggs

Halloween, that sugar laden pinnacle of the child's fall calendar, has come and gone, blessed by the orange rays of a miraculously warm fall sun. We're holiday fans here, and Halloween is no exception, so after breakfast we packed up and headed into Ann Arbor for the costume parade and trick-or-treating along Main Street.  Calvin chose his own costume this year (from an array of offered ideas, of course), opting to be a scarecrow - the easiest (and cheapest) home cooked costume ever: I got a number of fabric swatches from my godmother, Lonnie, and used thick thread and large stitches to put patches on a $2 resale shirt; for his head, a $1 straw hat to which I added ribbon from my craft collection and a couple of additional patches; and for the icing on the costume cake I added handfuls of straw (from the farm down the road) to his sleeves and hat. He was pretty excited about the costume, and everyone else seemed to enjoy it, but he was nervous about approaching strangers to say trick-or-treat.  The candy collecting process, however, was a big hit. In fact, having made rounds in both Ann Arbor and later in our own neighborhood, he came away with copious amounts of candy, none of which we thought he needed to eat. In the end we made a deal with him and he traded in all of the candy he collected (which we promptly passed back out to kids at our own door) for the opportunity to pick out a new toy. Therefore, today, instead of a sugar rush, he has a brand new carton of wooden eggs for his kitchen, with which he is at least equally as happy (the toy lasts longer anyhow) and we are much happier.  I think next year we will be the dreaded house in the neighborhood that passes out raisins.

More pictures in the Halloween 2008 album.

The joys of fall

Pumpkin patches, hay rides, hot drinks, stews, cider mills, and doughnuts, just to name a few. Fall is my favorite time of year and my list of favorite things during this season could rival even Julie Andrews. Even this morning's bright white frost, which made me move my morning run indoors to the treadmill, brought a smile to my face. That's what a crisp fall day is all about. So we spent this crisp fall day (which, at nearly 60 degrees, wasn't all that crisp later in the afternoon) taking in the many joys of this rich season. The first three, and more, we covered this morning at Wing Farms (the same place where we picked up all of our free rocks this summer!) with a farm animal visit, a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, and hot cider with fresh doughnut to warm up. Calvin, who is going to be a fall lover like his mom, enjoyed every bit of it, even the rough kisses he received from Champ, who, incidentally, was the cow who taught him to moo this time last year - the only real word he was saying at the time (I double checked my dates on that one - could it really have been only a year ago??? Yes). Both Champ and Calvin are much bigger now, and possibly equally more vocal! We came home from that excursion toting two bundles of corn stalks, a bale of hay, and two pumpkins, all of which now grace our festive front porch.

And after a refreshing afternoon nap (for Calvin, that is, since Jon and I spent that time weeding gardens and spreading 2 cubic yards of mulch) we climbed back in the car and headed to Spicer's Orchard in Fenton to meet with old friends, John and Ashley, and their two boys. Spicer's didn't have a Champ, but they did have a "train ride" (think hay ride, only the wagon looks like a train), a big (and messy) sandbox, and really, really good pies. Since fall is also about warm homes and warm hearts, we ended the evening with great company, great dinner, and one of the aforementioned great pies.  Our friends' oldest son, Noah, is only seven months older than Calvin and the two of them played together wonderfully, even well past their bedtimes, allowing us adults to share some stories, some laughs, and some wine before calling it a night.  Yes, fall is one of my favorite things.

Rainy fall days

We like to spend them oustide.  Calvin is the proud owner of a great second run rain coat and pair of (luckily) matching boots which he begs to put on every time the ground even appears to be wet, so when we actually saw rain falling this morning we headed out to catch some rain drops and puddles before music class. Unfortunately the fall weather in Michigan is as fickle as a contestant on elimidate and by the time we stepped off the porch the rain had stopped and we were forced to make do with meager puddles and damp grass.  Oh the utter disappointments of childhood–if only we could embrace them as adults we would never lament a rainy day in all our lives.

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.