The Acorns Visit - July 11th

Well, our summer visitors, the "Acorns" (a fictitious name, tis true), arrived at around 1:00 PM on Friday.  We've been very active for the last few days, and I haven't had time to post any pictures yet, so I decided to take advantage of this morning while pretty much everyone is still asleep (we stayed up late last night watching an absolutely spectacular lightening show!) to post a few...

I'm going to go by the day, instead of in parts one, two, etc.

So, July 11th - The Vintage Barn

It worked out nicely that the Hat Band was scheduled to play at the Vintage Barn Antique Sale.  The Acorns got to hear them play, meet the A family, and browse through the antiques.

Noell, me, and Mrs. Acorn (Kim)

 

The Panhandle Polecats also played - sorry, I know this picture is rather pathetic.

After we went home, some of us went swimming and boating...

Alex and Mrs. Acorn went turtle hunting...

and they caught several!

That evening, we had a "Folding Frenzy", to catch up on the folding...

 

We have proof that Mr. Acorn did something besides sleep and eat on his vacation...;)

Happy Trails Folks!

the Virgina Reel & Crickets

This Tuesday, our family and the As headed over to the F's house for a rendezvous style get together in honor of our mutual friend, Mr. S, who was visiting from California.   Mr. S used to live up here, and was the person who got the boys (and girls:) interested in muzzle loaders and rendezvous.  We haven't seen him for about...two years?  Three?  I don't remember, but it's been a while:)

"Hey!  You guys are taller than me!"

Me, Ellen and Kellie

Although we didn't do any shooting, Alex brought a few of his guns to show Mr. S.

Alex, with his appendage, Tilda;)

After an excellent dinner of chicken, biscuits, potato salad, and other really yummy food, we...well, as hard as it may be for you to believe, we danced the Virginia Reel!

And, we got the boys to do it too!=)  A BIG thank you to Alex and Mr. A for helping us to round up the boys who tried to escape;)  You'd have thought we were trying to poison them...

Ahhh, and here's were the crickets come in - Matthew (aka Peppy), didn't want to dance.   Alex made him a deal, "You either eat ten crickets, or you dance".  Faced with a decision like that, Matthew did what most 12-year-old boys would have done - he opted for the crickets.   No, he hasn't eaten them yet, but, according to Alex, "He will":)  I'll keep you posted on that...;)

I have some video clips I'd like to post, but we'll see how that goes...

"Oh, come on Matthew!  We need one more boy!" 

Since Matthew preferred eating crickets to dancing, my Dad graciously consented to dance with Lilly...and proceeded to have a very good time:)  He said that, aside from playing his bass, he enjoyed the dancing the best.  See what you missed, Matthew?!

Do-si-do!

Alex and Kellie sashay down the line

 

Christopher and I go under the bridge

Aubrey and Ellen sashay down

 

Christopher and I "reel the set"

Alex and Kellie go under the bridge

I think all the girls went around smiling for the rest of the night.  And after seeing the splitting grins on all of the boys faces in these pictures, can anyone doubt that they had fun too?:)

It was very fun, and we will definitely do it again sometime!

After dancing, we got out our musical instruments, and played a few songs for Mr. S.

The Modern Mountain Man ;)

Part of our enthusiastic audience

Happy Trails folks!

What I found on our camera card...

The guys at the Rockin' B Ranch, on opening night (the same night Dad and I went to the rally)

The boys at the Rockin' B on Rockin' Bluegrass night.  The Hat Band was one of four featured bands.

Ha!  You're not so big now, Alex!;)  Yeah, in my dreams=)

 

Mitts took shelter in a rather interesting spot during a thunderstorm:)

 

I love the way the tree tops show up in contrast to the black storm cloud!

 

Our container garden - potatoes and peas, I believe.

Speaking of gardens...

Now here's a garden!

 

The Fs have a lovely garden this year, with pretty much every plant imaginable in it.

How many people does it take to plant potatoes?

 

Well, in this case it took six - one to plant them, and five to watch.  But isn't that how it always is?

I don't know that we did much to help plant the garden, but it was sure nice to see the Fs, and we all had a good time...I think:)  The little girls were very well behaved, but the "big" kids...well, we won't go there;)  Yup, we had fun=)

 

This is at the sheep farm that Alex is buying six lambs and one ewe from.  The lambs will be butchered this fall, of course, but he'll be keeping the ewe for breeding.

The farmer's lovely Great Pyrenees dog had a litter of puppies - good thing I didn't go with them to the farm.  I would have taken one of those cuties home!:)  Or maybe two...;)

 

This is the ewe that Alex is buying.   She's 2 years old, and she had her first lamb this year, which is coming with her.  We'll be bringing them to our house around the end of July.

Ahh yes...tar=)

 

Yes, today I got to paint tar onto the potato cellar we are putting in=) 

Tar is actually quite interesting...and messy.  Note: I put on old clothes for this job, and wore a baseball cap - I sure didn't want any tar in my hair!

 

Anyone got some feathers?!

 

It's, it's...nooooo! the TAR MONSTER!   Aggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I used about five pairs of vinyl gloves all told - they got messy rather quickly.

 

Alex - always original...

 

and funny...

 What in tar-nation's goin' on 'round here?!