The Henry Ford

Niki and I took the kids on an adventure this afternoon to The Henry Ford, a truly spectacular museum in Dearborn, Michigan.  The Henry Ford is about 12 acres under roof of trains, planes, automobiles, 19th and 20th century technology, furniture, farm equipment, etc.  A note about these pictures - the lighting in the museum is fantastic, but makes it very difficult to get good pictures with out a specialty flash on the Nikon.  Plus, I took a lot more pictures of stuff than the kids.

On the way in, the first thing we saw is one of the original Weinermobiles.  There was also a couch that looked like a hot bun with pillows that looked like condiments right next to it.  I did not get a picture of it, but there will be more about that later.

The museum is well laid out, with lots of room between the exhibits.  Niki and I let the kids lead us around.  The kids made a beeline to the planes.  Here is a DC-3.

There was a barnstormer display.  Peter stopped to chat with one of the spectators.

The kids led us to the trucks . . .

To the trains (this is a Canadian snowplow that attached to the front of a steam engine) . . .

To an Allegheny locomotive . . .

To the Lionel model train exhibit . . .  The museum sprinkled play places for kids throughout the displays.  Next to this Lionel model train exhibit (which was right next to the Allegheny locomotive) was a lego station.  This was great for kids our age - they could look at displays, then play with toys related to the toys nearby . . .

Back to the cars - the kids found a 1984 Plymouth Voyager - predecessor to the Big Red Van.

There was a automobile travel display - including reconstructions of hotel rooms from the past, motorhomes, trailers, and this little VW bus.

Holiday Inn sign . . .

Old-school pop-up trailer . . .

We visited the racing car display.  I know that we live in the age of "Xtreme sports."  That's wrong.  The early race car drivers were certifiable - more on that later.  I dug these racing goggles.

Mom, Charlie, and Peter admired a Ford GT40.

This is a belly-tank lakester.  Back in the day, hot rodders would build these out of aircraft belly-tanks (belly-tanks are disposable gas tanks - a fighter jet would drop the belly-tank when it got to its destination).    If I came home at night and told Niki "I found this old belly-tank.  It used to be a gas tank for an airplane.  I'm gonna build it into a racecar and then see how fast I can make it go," she would slap me.

This is one of Henry Ford's 999 racers.  I believe this is the one that he personally achieved 91 MPH with on a frozen Lake St. Clair.  Can you imagine how terrifying that would be?

Craig Breedlove stuffed 4 Chrysler 426 V8s into this rig and proceeded to set a land speed record on the salt flats.

Charlotte found this salmon and grey 1955 Chevy.

A Brass Era Model T.

There is a sizable collection of Lincoln Presidential limos.

Niki and Peter found this pre-fab lunch restaurant (which is operating as a restaurant on the museum floor, just as it did in Massachusetts in the '40s).   

The kids led us back to the airplanes.  There was a fuselage mocked up to look like a DC-3,a  Ford Tripower, and an early Boeing.  Charlotte is ready to take off in her DC-3 seat.  I didn't get a picture, but the Ford Tripower part of the fuselage had wicker chairs for the passengers to sit in.

Back to the cars - the Mustang concept car . . .

And an "exploded" Model T, showing all the parts . . .

There is a sizable furniture and housewares section that we skirted.  Here is an exploded chair.

It was about this time that we lost Charlotte.  We sat down to take a break, and Charlotte disappeared.  After a mildly panicked search, I found her.  She walked over to me, not upset at all, took my hand, and said "I got lost.  I wanted to play in the hot dog."  Turns out she made a beeline for the Weinermobile to play with the hot dog couch.  Then, we sat in a combine harvester.

I did not get a picture of it, but we toured the Dymaxion House, the kids looked a a number of dollhouses, then played in this one . . . 

We're looking forward to returning - and to hit Greenfield Village once it warms up around here.

Stringers go to the Farm

Today, NanaB suggested that we all go to the Wolcott Mill Metropark Farm Center (same place as where we saw Santa this year).  I'm beginning to really like the programs at Wolcott Mill.

Anyway, once per year, Wolcott Mill welcomes kids of all ages to pet baby animals on the farm.  During the course of the morning, we petted a little pony, 3-day old piglets, 3-day old goats and lambs, 2-week old calves, chicks, ducklings, rabbits, and Niki even found a cat to pet.  In addition, we met Fern and Tom, two HUGE draft horses.

My pictures aren't great - it was hard to get pictures sometimes in dark barns, and I was also putting my camera away quite a bit so that I could pet baby animals, too.  

We started in the big farmhouse and paid our admission fee ($3 per person).  Behind the counter, there were some chicks in a cage. Peter took the opportunity to holler "CHICKEN BUTT" at them.  Turns out that Niki spent breakfast teaching this joke to the kids, specifically for sharing with the chicks:

Peter or Charlotte:  "Guess what?"

Chick:  "What?"

Peter or Charlotte:  "CHICKEN BUTT!"

There were tractors there, so I took pictures of them.  Of course.

Peter, NanaB, and Niki meet Ferdinand.  Ferdinand was greeting people at the entrance.  Charlotte decided that Ferdinand was not a baby and headed deeper into the farm to find the baby animals.

Grandma Jo, we found these piglets for you.  These three were less than a year old, and each spent time in a farm worker's arms being held out to toddlers, snorting happily.  When a piglet's snorts turned to squeals, the farm worker would declare the piglet's shift up, and the piglet would burrow in with his fellow piglets.  Peter was ENTRANCED!

Then we we went into this dairy barn, and met this little calf, along with many of the adult mama cows.  This calf wanted whatever was in NanaB's pocket.

Charlotte, showing a calf how to pose.

There were plenty of barn cats cruising around, and Niki (and later, Peter), spent some quality time with this guy.

In this barn, a farm worker told Peter and Charlotte that if they sat together, very still, they could hold this little kid.

Charlotte and her little striped kid. 

This was a neat old Farmall.  You can see the dairy barn and the sheep and goat barns in the distance.

Peter  really liked the chick.  I did not get a picture of the duckling we petted.

Our final stop was the horse barn. They did not have any colts to touch, and having just read Farmer Boy, I can understand why.  But, they had these HUGE 13-year old draft horses, Fern (in front) and Tom (in back) for us to meet.  Niki was brave and said "Hi" to Fern.

Another picture of Charlotte and Peter greeting Fern.  Each of them let me lift them up to pet her nose.  Fern's hoof had to have been as big around as little Peter's head!

Here's our little Farmer Boy and Charlotte-Pony!

Happy Easter from four little bunnies (and a dog)

Wedding in Nappanee

We were very grateful to be invited to Brandon and Brittney Williams' wedding in Nappanee, Indiana this weekend.  We left the kids with NanaB and GrandDad and joined Grandpa Spike, Auntie Erin, Grandma JoJo, Meem, Pop, and Greatest Aunt Janet for the action

First, Niki and I met Spike and Erin at the Miles Lab burger bar in Elkhart, Indiana.  Food was excellent.  Company was better.

The wedding was at Amish Acres, just west of downtown Nappanee.  The wedding ceremony was in a barn theater on the property. 

The wedding ceremony was fantastic.  Normally, I find those things really boring, but the officiant really hit the sweet spot of conducting a meaningful, fun to watch, short wedding.   Here is JoAnn and Erin at our table at the reception, which was also on the property.

The second-most beautiful woman at the function.  (Brittney took those honors, seeing as it WAS her wedding . . . )

Grandpa Spike was enjoying himself.

The table decorations were sheet music with candles.  This song looks sweet.

This one not so much . . .

The view from the reception hall.

After the receiption (where we were delighted to catch up with Jordan and Anna), we dodged Amish buggies in the dark to buy beer, and then headed over to Great-Uncle Leo and Aunt Bev's for beers and basketball.  Brian, Melanie, and Beaver-Dodger Cam joined us, as well.  Since this shindig WAS in Indiana, it should be no surprise to anyone that Great Uncle Leo, Bruce, and I wound up in the garage looking at Great Uncle Leo's impeccably-restored 1944 Allis-Chalmers tractor.

The next morning, we had breakfast at Amish Acres before going our separate ways.  Niki, her Diet Coke, and Spike.

Greatest Aunt Janet, JoAnn, and Niki (Amish cookies not pictured.) 

Meem, Niki, and Pop!

Biker chick

Charlotte got her first two-wheeler for Christmas, but claimed she wouldn't be able to ride it until she was five years old.  True to her word, she started riding it on her fifth birthday (with training wheels, though).  We didn't take any photos that day, but here is one of the biker chick braving the cold to practice on the driveway.

Children

When did my babies become children?

Not to forget Peter's birthday (almost three months ago!!!)

Poor Peter.  I should have posted ages ago about his Batman-filled third birthday.  His obsession with Batman has lasted eons (in toddler years, anyway), so we seized the opportunity to wrap his presents in Batman paper.  We did give him things OTHER than Batman, but he still called everything a "Batman present".

We Face Timed with Grandma JoJo while we opened a very special present.  It started with a book about how a nearly three-foot-tall Batman doll was in Texas, looking for Peter.  It ended with said doll "knocking" on the front door and finding him!  Peter was so shocked he could only maniacally giggle.

Charlotte helped take pictures of the present opening.  Notice the awesome tent clubhouse that Auntie Erin, Uncle Andrew, and Sonia sent.

More Face Timing with Grandma JoJo while Peter opened -- what else? -- Batman pajamas!  Notice the shirt I appliqued for him.  It's the number "3" out of -- what else? -- Batman-print material.

No matter what present he opened, Peter always came back to check in with his new BFF.

Here's another shot of Peter with his favorite guy.  I hope Batman didn't notice that Peter was cheating on him by wearing a Spiderman shirt.  That IS a Batman cape Peter is wearing, though.

Happy third birthday to our big boy!  More on his birthday party with the Stringer side later.

Charlotte's "Cousins" Party

Charlotte had her "Cousins" birthday party this weekend.  For the first time, ALL of her cousins got together for a party!

Our little birthday girl!

Before NanaB, GrandDad, Quinn, and Maisie came over, Spike, Charlotte, Sonia, and Peter played a game with the balloons.

Quinn and Maisie arrived, and Quinn, of course, immediately hugged Sonia.

 Before having lunch, we tried to have a Strawberry Shortcake-themed game.  It included Charlotte feeding Grandma Jo ice-cream while Grandma Jo had her eyes shut.  Brave Grandma!

It also included the cousins trying to break the world record for combing each other's hair at the same time . . .

The kids had a pizza lunch - Charlotte's favorite!

After lunch, the kids all helped Charlotte open presents.  The cousins took turns bringing presents to Charlotte.

And, the cousins helped her open her presents, too.  In a couple of cases, I'm pretty sure the cousins opened the some presents before they even got to Charlotte . . .

Erin came up with Sonia to help celebrate Charlotte's birthday.  It's always nice to get the two prettiest twins in the world together.

 Then, it was birthday cake time!

YUM!

After dinner, Spike fell into a cake coma . . .

 . . . until Maisie crawled on top of him and poked his face until he woke up.

The end.