day trip::part two

So we made our way out of the woods and into a beautiful clearing. Ahhhh, the homestead...just look at that beautiful view. Johnson farm is simple and lovely.

Around the grounds we came across a super large cooking pot. Now that would make a lot of brunswick stew...mmmmmm.

We also investigated the smokehouse. It reminded me of Little House in the Big Woods. Boy, oh boy, we are spoiled these days aren't we?

An old rusty tractor/combine sat in the yard beside the log cabin-ish barn. The pictures that I got of the barn's interior didn't come out very clear but it was amazing. There was also an old plow. Again, spoiled, we are. The amount of work that went into every aspect of life is just overwhelming.

In the front yard there were some fun things for the kids...and grown-ups to pass the time. We found a game of ring toss. The rings were made of rope and dipped in wax, I think. Fun! There was also a game of lawn darts. The darts were made of corn cobs (minus the corn) with feathers in the end. Now that was fun. The feathers were attached just perfectly so that when you threw the lawn dart it spiraled through the air. Oh and there was a hoop tied to a stick that was the target. Some skill was required to master that one...again, fun.

Then, on the side porch there was an old wash tub full of wood chunks and some sanded down smooth branches on which to balance the pieces. So simple, yet very enjoyable because none of the pieces were evenly cut so it took lots of concentration.

The girls took turns building this tower and here is the final block being placed before it came crashing down!

This last picture is one of my favorites. Attached to the corner post of the fence that surrounded the house was this great big bell. No doubt, the dinner bell.

So there you have it. The tour around the Johnson farm homestead. Next up...the inside. Happy Wednesday. xoANG

day trip::part one

A couple of weeks ago we went on a day trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's so beautiful there. Cool, fresh air...gorgeous scenery...just what we needed. While we were there we decided to go on a little hike into the woods that led to an old farm...Johnson farm. Tim and I had gone to see this farm years ago and I really liked it then, but now, well now, I love it. It really captures the beauty and simplicity of life. Oh sure, I do enjoy modern conveniences like running water, indoor plumbing, even electricity, but farm living is in my blood. Anyway, the hike was about a mile through the woods. It was beautifully shady and cool. Here are a few shots that capture the essence of the trail.

At the very start we came to this sweet little bridge crossing the creek right before the trail head. The girls love those little bridges and so do I. It's often times the best place to find a nice little frog or to watch tiny little fish darting around.

Then as we got a little ways into the woods we came across this wonderful flower. There were several, of course, but they were growing along the edge of the path. I'm not sure what kind of flower it is, I haven't looked it up yet. It's pretty though....and tough looking with all those spikes!

Next up...a very curious deer. It walked right on the path towards us. It didn't flinch when the girls tried to stifle their excitement, it just sauntered off the path then stopped to graze and study us like we were the fascinating creatures. Very cool.

And then there's this. A rock, a boulder really. It was huge. I would have gotten a picture of one of the girls beside it for perspective but there was no way they were going to get near that big giant butt rock. The giggling was uncontrollable.
The hike in was great and there's so much to share about the farm and it's surroundings. I do hope you'll come again for part two. xoANG

the dresses and the peaks of otter

Okay, so here are the girls in their birthday dresses...not at all to be confused with their birthday suits! ;=) What do you think? Well, upon closer inspection you will notice that Miss E's tie is wrapped around her then tied in the back. She likes really long strings on her bows, but I got a little carried away. I thought about cutting them to a more reasonable length, but she wants to keep them long. Now, I fully intend on finishing the skirt that I started for myself last summer...ugh! Poor little skirt...neglected. After that is done I am going to make another dress for the girls using a new

pattern that has lots of gathers and some ruffles OR a vintage pattern that is more simple but has a super cute collar. I haven't decided, but I have lots of fabric screaming to get out of the box!

Now for yesterday's adventures. We took a little trip to the Peaks of Otter with Grandma & Pop. We saw a doe, a deer, a female deer standing on the side of the road. They're pretty tame up there, used to being around people. Then, a little further down the road, in the grass lying down, we saw a fawn. Oh, so cute. Looked just like Bambi. The girls really enjoyed that! When arrived we went into the nature room. There was a nice nature guide in there that showed the girls all kinds of stuff. She shared lots of information and was great with the hands-on stuff. The girls got to touch the turtles. The male had orange eyes and orange spotted legs...very cool, I love orange. Then we go to watch the turtle get breakfast...celery, eggshells, and live worms. They didn't care for the celery and eggshells, but the live worms were a hit! It was fun to watch them snap them up. There was also lots of animal skins. It was neat to compare the softness of the furs. The bear was our favorite part! Then it was time to take the bus up the mountain. There is no way the girls could have hiked the whole thing. Thank goodness the bus goes most of the way up. Only 1500 feet to hike up after we got off the bus. It was the girls first bus ride! They were pretty excited. It was a nice breezy day, although hot. The girls did great. It was their first time up that high. I should have gotten more pictures, but I did manage to get one of Tim smiling! After we went back down the mountain (Sharp Top) we drove to the picnic area by the creek to have lunch. We ate quickly then headed down to the creek to play. The water was nice a cool. Pop and the girls gathered up some rocks to build a dam so the water would be deeper. Miss E kept throwing them as far as she could instead of stacking them, but she enjoyed it! Miss O did a great job picking up the biggest rocks she could find. It was a great trip. We all had fun and no one got hurt! Oh, the light was nice in the woods by the picnic area so I had to take a picture looking up.