It’s Never Too Early for Halloween

| September 16, 2018

Sam may not be ready yet, but Zach is!

Which Do You Prefer?

| September 3, 2018

Sam recently bought a piece of art done by a musician we both like, Juliana Hatfield. It just appealed to him and I had no objection. I like the color and the simplicity. When we hung it, Sam was not as impressed as we were. She said she could do just as well. So, she made her own. We were very impressed with her work and even posted a copy of the two pieces of art on Ms. Hatfield’s Facebook page with a note that Samantha was inspired by the art. Sam’s is on the right. Our budding artist!

Reading to the Kitties

| August 27, 2018

Today I took Sam to do something I have been promising her we would do for ages. We went to the local animal shelter, the Providence Animal Center, and she read to the cats. The shelter has this program for school aged kids partly for the benefit of the cats and party to help kids not be afraid to read (cats are not a very critical audience). We got Zach and Penny here but it has been completely remodeled since we were there. The cat room is much nicer and more cozy for the furry babies. Sam has a few books called, “Three Stories You Can Read To Your Cat” and “Three More Stories You Can Read To Your Cat.” She thought they would be perfect.

She did spend some time reading, but she spent much more time just petting the cats and playing with them, which is fine too. It is always good for them to be socialized. I hope we remember to go back and do this again soon! I’m just glad I got out of there without Sam begging me to take someone home!

The kitties seemed to enjoy her company as much as Sam enjoyed theirs. 🙂

Off to Amish Country

| August 25, 2018

When we realized how much Sam enjoyed visiting the farm we wanted to take her to a full blown Amish farm to see what it was like. We figured she’d have fun, but it also wouldn’t kill her to see that food doesn’t come from a supermarket like magic and that people work really hard to supply our food. We visited Old Windmill Farm, which if you have never been, I highly recommend. The family could not have been nicer. Before the tour started, we had the chance to visit some of the goats and to feed them. Sam loves feeding animals!

We were taken on the tour by one of the daughters in the family and a family friend, who was learning how to be a tour guide. One of Sam’s favorite parts was getting to hold a baby piglet! It was so cute. A lot of adults on the tour held the piglet and boy, do they squeal and wiggle like maniacs! They are so loud! But when Sam held the piglet it just sat in her arms quietly. I think the piglets like little people better.

Sam tried everything she could at the farm, including milking a cow, which she said was “easy”.

She fed mules…

…and baby cows! It is too cute. They have giant baby bottles! When they start sucking if you want to pull it away, it’s a workout! They really hold on tight. We all liked feeding the baby cows.

There are also a ton of wild chickens running around and the Amish catch a bunch of the chicks. Sam got to hold one of those too!

The farm used to be a dairy farm, but apparently, it is very hard to be a small dairy farmer today because there are so many large corporate farms that push them out, so the cash crop for the family is soybeans. Sam and I had fun racing through the field and I got to eat some of the freshest edamame I have ever eaten.

After the tour was over, we shopped in a local shop (Sam bought a cute doll and some handmade doll clothes) and then we were off to the Strasburg Railroad for a ride!

Mark bought us tickets for a dining car so we could eat lunch while riding the rails.

After driving all that way, we wanted to make the most of it, so before going home we visited some shops in Kitchen Kettle Village. Sam was excited to decorate a cookie (which I had to eat, of course, because she wouldn’t even taste it).

Sam loved everything about the trip. The farm, the horses and buggies we saw going down the road, the shops, you name it. I hope it’s not our last trip to Lancaster County!

Martin Guitar

| August 20, 2018

Today we took the BEST day trip to Nazareth, PA to visit the Martin Guitar factory. Since Mark and Sam have been playing guitar together, Mark thought it would be a great experience for Sam to see how some of the best guitars in the world are made. Martin has been making world-class guitars for over 180 years and the factory is right in Nazareth, so off we went.

Before the guided tour started, there was an opportunity to play some Martins, so Mark and Sam went right to it.

The tour was amazing! You walk right next to the workers as they are doing their jobs. I mean, RIGHT NEXT TO. As in, if you wanted to you could literally touch the stuff on their tables. Crazy!

Sam got to touch some guitars and guitar pieces as we went through.

All in all, Sam loved it, and so did we. It really helps to reinforce her interest in playing guitar.

Before we left, Mark couldn’t resist trying a few more….

Since we made the long trek to the factory, we made a short detour a few miles away to the Klein Farms Dairy and Creamery. Mark thought Sam would enjoy seeing a real farm, albeit a small one. Sam absolutely loved feeding all the animals, and then having freshly made ice cream!

One of Sam’s favorites were the baby piglets. How cute are these little things?

She also discovered that hungry animals can be a bit slobbery. 🙂

I never thought we’d get her to leave the cow barn. I had no idea Sam liked cows so much, but there you go.

We had a great day! It was such a fun day trip. Every summer we say we are going to take a bunch, and this year, we are managing to do it!