Gaver Farm Kindergarten Trip

My youngest son's kindergarten class went on a field trip to Gaver Farm in Maryland. The day was overcast and started cold but warmed up nicely by the afternoon. We arrived with the admonitions to keep our groups together (each chaperone had three or four children) and not to buy anything at the gift shop. Sadly, that also included buying things at the Donut Hut, which looked like the most awesome shop ever.

No purchases today!

First we took a hay ride to pick out pumpkins. My son was a little disappointed that the cart that was not full of hay. The ride was fun nonetheless. We saw pumpkin fields and Christmas tree fields as we rode along.

Hayless hay ride

The big group split up. I had three boys to take around. The farm has all sorts of fun activities that my little cadre of boys enjoyed.

The shortest tunnel ever

A duck race had the boys hand pumping water to move rubber duckies down a rain gutter. The gutters were arranged so that pumps were on both sides. Thus the boys were constantly feeding ducks to each other.

Pumping for fun

Nearby, some goats and alpacas watched without much interest.

Animals on the farm!

My son enjoyed trying to toss rings onto various fruits. He was not very good but did have a good time.

Ring toss

A fire truck converted into slides sat at the bottom of the hill. The boys enjoyed climbing up and sliding down. One side had straight slides, the other corkscrew slides. The only real disappointment with the fire truck was that they couldn't get in and sit behind the steering wheel.

Straight slides

Corkscrew slides

Hose controls outside the cab

Another ring toss simulated lassoing a horse.

Hula hoops or horse wrangling?

They rode on a cow made out of metal containers. They needed boosts but also loved jumping down.

Simulated cow

Another set of slides was attached to a boat. The boys had fun playing captain and pretending the ship was attacked by monsters (aka chaperones like me).

Boat

We walked back up the hill to have lunch. After picnicking, we saw some goats who really wanted us to feed them. Luckily, the "no shopping" restriction was a good excuse not to buy any feed for the critters.

Not always hungry but always ready to eat something

A small graveyard, with tombs dating back to the 1800s, is in the middle of the farm. The kindergartners didn't notice, which was probably a good thing.

A small cemetery

One big attraction at the farm is the corn maze. We went in with enthusiasm. I soon had to establish a turn-based system for deciding which way to go. Every fork in the path was a chance for the next boy to choose a direction. After about ten minutes, the boys were less enthusiastic. In another two minutes, we were picking the path that led us toward the noise of kids playing. Eventually, we had to bushwhack out of the maze. We came across a path that wasn't the exit but that did get us out of the corn.

Paying no attention to the sign

Which way to go?

We did some more activities, including shooting some hoops and riding some tricycles.

That bike is too big!

The day went by quickly. We didn't have the chance to try the big slides because they were still too wet from the previous night's rain. We did make it back to the buses on time and even managed to pick up our pumpkins to take home.

The pumpkin

What To Do With Breadcrusts

L doesn't like crusts on her sandwiches. Such a preference is a bit annoying but I won't go as far as buying crustless bread (which I have seen in the supermarket, to my bewildered horror). After all, J doesn't mind and neither do we parents. So I'll slice off the edges of bread for her. Sometimes I eat them as a snack later but usually I save them up. If we have a big batch (which sometimes requires freezing), we'll take it and feed fish. Here is one such outing:

L gets ready

L throws to the fish!

Enthusiastic (or perhaps aggressive) fish

We were throwing bread in long enough that we attracted the attention of other interested parties, namely a bunch of ducks. We don't discriminate based on species, so we started feeding them as well.

L serves a new customer

Sadly, our actions led to a bit of Darwinian competition between the underwater dwellers and the surface-water dwellers. No blood was spilled but feathers were ruffled.

Ducks and fish go for the same bits of bread!

No clear winner emerged, which makes me want to perform more experiments. Is that wrong?

Frederick Oktoberfest 2014

At the end of September 2014 we went to an Oktoberfest in Frederick, Maryland. It was held at the fairgrounds and was a fun time for young and old. Especially for those who could drink beer.

Unassuming entrance to the Oktoberfest

We entered by the front of the fairgrounds and immediately ran into a pen with two alpacas in it. The owners have a farm and make alpaca wool products. We were more interested in petting than in purchasing.

Two alpacas

Such a sweet face!

Across the fairway a group a booths were selling souvenirs and strudels. We didn't buy any souvenirs and waited (but not very long) to buy a strudel. It was delicious!

Sales of souvenirs and strudels

The main building was the fest hall where food and beer were served while polka music played. We spent a good bit of time in there, enjoying the band (Mike and the Continentals) and the folk dance company (Bairisch und Steierisch). The company would perform during dance breaks and invited audience members to join in. I was off getting beer or I would have gladly volunteered.

Dancing in the fest hall

L had cider, not my beer!

The beers I did have were the following:

• Hefeweisen by Brewer's Alley and Monocacy Brewing Company--a great, refreshing wheat beer.
• Oktoberfest (Marzen) by Brewer's Alley and Monocacy Brewing Company--would have gone well with food but a little strong on its own.
• Oktoberfest (Marzen) by Flying Dog Brewery--another strong beer that needed some accompaniment to set it off. We had a pretzel that made it just right.

Other than the strudel, we didn't have any German food, which is a bit of a shame but I'm sure we would have spent too much time trying to convince J and L to eat.

Later on, the band had a polka contest. By that point, my sister and niece had arrived so they held baby N while my wife and I danced. We came in second place!

Auntie and N

Such a sweet face!

Happily, there are no pictures of our performance so you, dear readers, can't tell if we just didn't have any competition (except for the winning couple, who won a certificate and some free beers) or struggled our way to the top.

Outside were plenty of booths selling a plethora of wares from home-made clocks to clothes to jewelry to t-shirts to candy.

Photo op at the dirndl and lederhosen booth

Beer themed t-shirts

My favorite (though I did not buy it)

Roasting peanuts

L got a gummy rat at the candy shop which she ate while we danced.

Looks like a gummy snake in this picture

Too much rat makes L look like she drank my beer

Also outside a local wood carver was demonstrating his art while selling his products.

Wood carving with power tools!

Samples for sale

L on a bench

Bear and J

Bear and L

The most popular spot outside for J and L was the kids' zone. J loved the bouncy castle, L the crafts. She decorated a pumpkin and stuffed a scarecrow. The area also included a DJ and dance floor but the DJ was playing more adult music than I thought appropriate. Maybe that's why no kids were dancing.

Approaching the kids zone

The kids tent

L's pumpkin

Making a scarecrow

Happily, we avoided making the scarecrow until we were ready to leave, so we didn't have to carry it around, just back to the car. A fun time was had by all!

Frederick Bits

Here's some of the neat things we saw in Frederick but didn't get their own post.

We saw a covered bridge, but it wasn't a charming countryside one. This bridge is the city-slicker cousin.

The antique advertises itself

L saw the country cousin at the Frederick Visitor Center.

L in Anatomy of a Covered Bridge

She also saw an old-style bicycle. People were not allowed to ride it.

L and the bicycle bigger than her

I was surprised to see a few buildings in town that were still in need of urban renewal.

Roofless!

The City Hall is in great shape with a nice fountain in front.

Frederick City Hall

Frederick City Fountain

We saw many porches with dogs on them. Some were gentle enough to pet!

A sphinx-like pose

L unafraid (probably since he is tied up!)

Many other charming buildings are scattered about town. Truthfully, most buildings in Frederick are good-looking.

Barbara Fritchie House

Frederick's castle!

A charming residence

Frederick museum

Frederick is a nice place to visit and a good hopping-off point to other destinations. Lots of American Civil War battlefields are in the area. We did not think the kids would be interested. Maybe later when they are older we will go back and do more exploring!