Garden Fair Sotterley Plantation

Yesterday Sid and I took Zane, Noah and Stevie to the Sotterley Plantation.  It was built in 1703, which proceeds George Washington's Mt Vernon Plantation.  The event was the Second Annual Garden Fair. We started out by going to the corn crib.

This picture was taken in the back of the corn crib.  The fellow was showing how to make a wagon tire.Since we were the only ones with children at this spot Zane was picked to show how to form the iron into a ring.

I just couldn't resist taking a picture of this grand old tree.  I love the big trees here in Maryland.  This was on the upper slope of where we flew our kite when the wind was blowing.

We had brought our own kite but left it in the car because we didn't know whether we could fly it here.  This is a picture of Sid and the kids flying the kites that were there for the public to fly.  Then Zane and Noah went back to the car and got our kite.

This the back side of the Sotterley Plantation.

This is the backyard of the mansion and you can see some kites.  There is a path on right side of the picture that goes down to the Patuxent River.

The boys are back with the kite and Grandpa is getting it up in the air.  It flew a little but then the wind went down so we went and did other things until the wind came back up.

Stevie had to show us the necessary (outhouse).  It was quite a ways from the mansion.  They had the corn cobs inside that were used and then as we went through the mansion the woman told us when they ran out of corn cobs they used oyster shells.  Oh I'm glad I live today with indoor plumbing and soft paper.

Grandpa and Noah try to figure out the time.  They decided it was off by an hour or so.  We found out during the tour of the mansion that it was set to Boston time.

This couple was roaming the grounds and I asked if I could take their picture. Can't you just imagine back in the 1800's people walking the grounds, in the gardens and playing croquet dressed like this.

This is a picture of the Sotterley Mansion.

They had a petting zoo with Shetland ponies, mules, sheep with their babies, goats and babies, different cattle all in these little pens. One Holstein cow was so big I don't see how she could stand up much less turn around.

Then we all went and had a nurious lunch of Kettle corn and either lemonade or water.

After the tour we went and looked at the slave cabin. It was built about the 1830's. It sure wasn't very big to have 17 slaves live there.

Then Zane, Noah, Stevie and I walked down the path to the Patuxent River and on the way we saw this bald eagle in this tree next to her nest.  Zane had remembered that the nest was there and we were looking for it.  Grandpa had stayed behind.

This is the view at the end of the path.

I had to take a picture of this unique tree root.

On our way back up the path we saw Grandpa flying the big kite. and Zane and the others cut across the field to Grandpa.

The mansion coming up the trail.  Zane is already at the gate to where Grandpa was.

We all took a turn at flying the kite. The kite must have been up a 1000 feet, at least all the string was off the reel.  There was a great wind then.

Then we went and played croquet.  We had a great time.  There was a young girl sitting there, she was overseeing making sure everyone got to play so I asked her to take some pictures.  She did a great job and these are just  few pictures.

This is a one room school house that the boys went to.  We found out that the girls stayed home and learned to sew,  do needle work and learn how to run a home.

Then it was off to Lowe's, then a stop at Burger King and home.

When we got home we found Tina and McKay visiting with Trudy and Baxter.  Tina had stopped at Popeye's and bought some chicken, mashed potatoes and cole slaw.  It was just a great day enjoyed by all.

Enlarging the Garden some more

It is a cool windy day, but as you can see Grandpa decided with the rain we just had it would an ideal time to enlarge the garden.

He makes it look so simple with just one hand.

Don't you just love that hat. You can't find the kind that Grandpa Alva used to wear.  Later on he traded that hat for a warmer beany.

Seedlings, potatoes, blueberries, and rhubarb

This year I'm trying something different.  I didn't make my pots this year and I think I might have planted my cucumbers, squash and pumpkins to soon.  Of course today it is in the 80's and that always makes me think that summer is here and the garden should be planted.

 

My blueberries in both pots are blooming like crazy. So far Bubbles hasn't taken a liking to them.  I even saw a bee in them this morning

These blueberry blossoms remind me of bluebells.  Hopefully we will have a good crop of berries.  We only had one (1) berry last year.

Trudy mentioned planting seed potatoes in containers.  This morning Sid cut up a barrell and we put white potatoes in one and yellow potatoes in the other one.  We layered soil and then potatoes and then soil.  There are about 3 layers in each.  We will see how it works.  I would love to be able to eat young potatoes all summer and then  make a white sauce with new peas. Like Gran used to make, white sauce new potatoes and peas.

A friend of ours moved to Georgia last year and gave Sid some currant bushes.  We have three bushes, all lived and are now full of blossoms.  I can hardly wait to see if we get enough for currant pie and some jelly.

Both my rhubarb plants made it another year.  I transplanted them last fall to a better place and they are looking a lot better.  A friend brought me another root this spring that I put in the ground today.  Hopefully we will get enough for a rhubarb custard pie.  If not maybe just a rhubarb cake.

Easter

Yesterday we started out coloring eggs at Trudy's.  She always buys 1 dozen eggs for each of them and then buys extra for Grandpa and me, at least this year.  I think I bought and boiled our eggs last year even though we take them to her house every year to color.

Every year we try something different, this year it was this spinner.  It made cool looking eggs.

Ceci still used the wax crayon before coloring some of her eggs.

Zane still used his fingers instead of spoons.  You can tell from Trudy's hands she has been helping.

Grandpa can't figure out if he likes this color.  He finally wiped it off and colored the egg a different color.  You can tell he has been eating hard boiled eggs with katsup as he goes.

Egg in the yellow color and one in the spinner.

For someone who didn't want to color eggs he is doing alright.

Everyone was having fun and enjoying being together.

Great looking eggs.

You can tell all the kids loved coloring whether on the eggs or on the face.

Poor Bubbles, Baxter took a picture of her through the kitchen window but she kept looking through the window at us thinking she was missing out on something.

This Easter morning Grandpa got up and made his baking powder biscuits.

Then I made golden rod eggs.  You know hard boiled eggs, white sauce which you put in the eggs whites, sprinkle the yolks on top with smoked flavor papika, serve over biscuits. Yummy.

 Then as usual the Easter Bunny left our bucket over at the Bainters and the kids and Trudy brought it over to us this morning.  That Easter Bunny doesn't seem to know where we live.

Then to top it off we have been watching a wonderful general conference reminding me what is really important, our Savior's resurrection.  The messages have been beautiful.

A wonderful day with the girls

The boys stayed at Tina's last night.  Trudy took me up to leave our car at the car dealers to have some work done so we left the boys at Tina's for the night.

The next morning Trudy, Cecilia, Stevie and I went to Waldorf so Trudy could shop with the two boys and I would be there when the car was finished.  On the way we stopped and had our hair done.

There is nothing like getting your hair washed, cut and styled to make you feel good.

On the way up to Waldorf there were so many of these beatiful trees.  This I thought was neat because they had planted the trees all along their driveway.

Before we went to Tina's, Trudy, the girls and I did a little shopping.  I spent more than I should have, but I had fun.

We visited at Tina's for awhile and then Trudy went shopping with the two boys and I stayed at Tina's and had a great visit with her.  Both my daughters are so wonderful and good to me (so are my sons).  Then Tina took me to get our car and  I brought Baxter, Ceci and Stevie home.

  

On the way the home we stopped at Rite aide for some presciptions and I handed Ceci my camera so she could take some picures of the parking lot at Foodlion.  I love shopping there because there are so many trees instead of  just blacktop like in Utah.

Stevie in the car

There are trees blooming everywhere.

Ceci taking a picture of herself.  She didn't take a picture of Baxter, I don't know why.

Of course you know that Spring is here when you see Rita's open.  I wonder what Peeps Ice tastes like?

I love this tree, I think it is a weeping cherry.  It was a lot prettier a couple of days ago, but I didn't have my camera.

There are a lot of big trees in our area.  I think Ceci likes them also.  She took a lot of good pictures.  Too many to blog.

When we drive up to our driveway, who is waiting,  Bubbles.  She is quite the dog.

Sorry for such a long blog.  I'm trying out something new.  I like it except I can't find the spelling check.  Tina said she couldn't find it either.  Oh well.

I had a great day.

Another new toy hmmm maybe not a toy

It must be spring!!!!. When they put up this fence we lost some garden space. So we have thought about enlarging the garden. Not as easy as it sounds.

Grandpa and I came home from a doctor's appointment yesterday to find Baxter struggling with a front tine tiller of a friend. Trudy, Baxter, Grandpa and I piled into Trudy's truck and went to True Value in Leonard Town and bought this tiller.

Here Baxter had already finished the garden spot and had tried to open up more area by taking out some grass. You can't see but on the other side of the fence is a tree. The roots are very shallow here and I think you would have to take a ax to them to get rid of them so you could garden. So maybe we will have less garden this year.

I have already started tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, and crenshaw and have them in the sun room waiting to have them spout. I guess that is what spring does for you.

I love spring. On the farm I loved to go see the new colts, new little calves with their mothers, watch the alfalfa green up, the grain and the grass turn green. I love the smell of the good earth, the crocus, daffodils and the iris blooming. It starts to warm up and my body warms up also. What a wonderful season of the year!!!!!!