Hawaii: Day 7

Before we headed to Hawaii, a few people we know recommended things to do, places to eat, and places to go. One of Eric's co-workers has a condo on Maui and was full of incredibly helpful information. Two of the restaurants she suggested were put on today's to-do (to-eat?) list.

We had breakfast at Kihei Caffe and, oh my goodness, was it ever good! Eric had "eggs any way" (scrambled, duh) that came with a biscuit and Spam (Eric was one happy guy!). Annika had the fluffiest buttermilk pancakes we've ever seen ... and to make them even better, she had them topped with strawberry slices. Conor had a Belgium waffle topped with chocolate chips (another happy guy!). I chose the crab cake eggs Benedict. So good! We were all completely stuffed, but in a "I couldn't eat another bite, but I would if I could" sort of way.

After breakfast, we popped back to the condo to digest. Around 10, we headed north to Lahaina, which started out as a whaling town way back when. The drive up was very pretty with ocean views much of the way. The town's architecture was unexpectedly old. There were a few from the 1800s! We peeked in a bunch of the souvenir shops along the way and quickly realized we were just seeing the same shirts/dresses/necklaces over and over again, which made the shopping a relatively quick experience after awhile. That said, Annika did find a cute sundress and Conor found a sweatshirt to wear back at home when the cool weather returns. (Not now! We keep seeing alerts that the PNW is experiencing a heat wave.) 

Lahaina felt very touristy (at least, where we were) and I realized we kept seeing the same things store after store. What really stood out to me was the architecture. The old colonial feel was still very present in the buildings along the main street. At one point, there was even a wooden plank section of sidewalk. It felt a bit like a trip back in time. We even saw the Baldwin Home, which was the home (turned museum) of Rev. & Mrs. Baldwin, two of the original missionaries in Lahaina. 

One of the things I really wanted us to see was the Lahaina banyan tree. It started out as a single-trunked 8' tree that was planted in 1873. Now, the single tree that is 60' tall and spans an acre of land. Apparently, banyan trees not only grow up, but out. There are trunks all over the park and the leaves/branches have created a gorgeous and refreshingly cool canopy. Someone really thought ahead with that tree and the park! Initially, the park was planned to give the local working class a place to escape the heat and find a comfortable place to relax.

On our way back from Lahaina, we stopped at another place that Eric's co-worker recommended, Leoda's Kitchen & Pie Shop, which is in Olowalu. We picked up a to-go lunch and some of their mini pies. Once back at the condo, we sat down for lunch (due to COVID, there was no in-house dining at Leoda's). To say the sandwiches were tasty is an understatement. They were fantastic. The bread is made right there at the restaurant and if I'd known how good it is, I would have inquired about buying an entire loaf of it. It was a delicate wheat bread that had great flavor and texture ... basically, the prima donna of bread.

After all of that delicious food, we needed to burn it off. We donned our swimsuits and headed to the pool. The water felt marvelous! Eric and Annika busied themselves by having races from end to end while Conor and I practiced our underwater handstands. We also had fun standing with our heads under the waterfalls, which are part of the rockery at one end of the pool.

Eric decided to take full advantage of being on vacation and opted to take an afternoon nap. To help him succeed in his endeavor, the kids and I decided to go for a walk. (Quiet condo = better nap!)

Annika, Conor, and I quickly got detoured when we noticed the shaved ice van (Gus the Bus) was parked outside. Win! Gus the Bus is a converted blue/white VW van from the 1960s, and it is beyond adorable as a shaved ice food van. We'd heard of this famous Hawaiian treat, but hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. We decided it was high time to right that very great wrong! I had expected a snow cone, little chunks of ice bits that are flavored with a syrup of some sort. Boy, was I was wrong. It is more like eating fluffy snow, and it is quite delightful. I ordered a POG shaved ice, which was literally POG juice frozen in a huge cylinder and then shaved. Annika had POM (passion, orange, mango). Conor chose a lemon/lime option. 

Gus the Bus

We took our treats to the Kamaole Beach Park I (aka the beach that is across from the condo complex) and happily sat on the sand while digging our toes in the sand and enjoying our shaved ice. After the kids finished their treats, they happily put themselves to "work" creating a variety of sand art and sculptures. I happily sat on the beach, watching the kids have a great time and taking in the glorious ocean views. The breeze kept us from feeling too hot... as did the occasional dips of toes in the ocean.

Annika's "sandman" creation

By the time we made it back to the condo, Eric was up and ready to hear about our adventures. I promised to take him back to the shaved ice van tomorrow so he could find out how tasty it is first hand. He is definitely in for a treat!!

The rest of the evening was very low key. We picked up dinner from the food trucks (Aloha Thai Fusion and Kina'ole Grill) that park outside the condo complex each day. With our yummy food in hand, we happily kicked up our feet for the remainder of the evening. I read my book, Eric and Annika watched a movie they found on TV, and Conor played a video game. 

Tomorrow will be another activity day, so a little R&R evening was just what we needed.

Hawaii: Day 4

Today was a day I have looked forward to for quite some time. Why, you may ask? Well, let me tell you! It was Molokini Crater snorkeling day with Trilogy Excursions! (Side note: We learned on the boat that it isn't actually a crater. It is a volcanic atoll. Huh!! Basically, it is a lava fin sticking out of the water.) People started calling it a crater at some point in history and the term stuck, even thought isn't accurate.

Because of the time zone change, having early morning events really didn't phase us, which is a good thing. We knew that we had to be at the marina at 7:45, so we were in the car a few minutes after 7 to ensure we had time to find parking and still had time to get to the boat on time. Driving to the marina was no problem (it was only 15-ish minutes from Kihei), and we were lucky enough to find a parking spot quite quickly. (The prep email said to allow for 15 minutes to find a parking spot, so we were a bit nervous. From the car to the boat proved to be our real navigation challenge. We took a bit of a circuitous route to the slip (aka went the complete wrong way not realizing that the odd slip numbers were on one side of the marina and the even slip numbers were on the other - oops!), but we eventually found exactly where we needed to be... and on time!

After checking in, we boarded the boat with the other passengers and were given our snorkel gear by the boat's crew. Before we departed, the crew went over safety information and provided a quick itinerary for the day. The long and the short of it was we'd go to two snorkel spots at the crater instead of snorkeling at the crater and then relocating to Turtle Town (which had 1 foot of visibility thanks to some recent storms that ran silt from the hills down into the water and completely clouded the water). The crew and captain were actually pretty excited about the change of venue because it is rare to be able to go to the 2nd spot due to weather/water conditions. Win for us! 

It took about 45 minutes to sail from the marina to the crater. The trip to the crater was very easy with smooth water and provided gorgeous views for as far as we could see. I was truly in Heaven - on the water with my family on a sunny day with snorkeling adventures just around the corner. Part of the excursion included a continental breakfast, which included fresh fruit and tasty cinnamon rolls that were apparently made using a 5th generation recipe. (Yes, my amazing family all told me that my cinnamon rolls were better!) 

It was highly recommended that people stow anything they didn't want to accidentally land in the water - including phones, hats, etc. - because the wind and waves could result in lost items. Fortunately, our phones being tucked away didn't leave us without photos for the day. Trilogy had a professional photographer onboard to take pictures of everyone throughout the trip. What really impressed us is how she remembered who went with who. At one point (while we were in the water and wearing our snorkel gear, which greatly obscures a person's appearance), she said "OK, I have photos of your husband and daughter, now let's get some of you and your son." Seriously impressive!! 

The Olsons Four

Greetings from Maui

Before long (ok, about 45 minutes), we found ourselves anchored at Molokini anxiously waiting for our turn to head down the stairs and get in the water. We donned our snorkel gear and hit the water with gusto. First of all, even there the water was pleasantly warm and talk about blue!! We had well over 100' of visibility, which was truly amazing!! Eric and Annika buddied up while Conor and I buddied up as snorkel partners. 

Our first snorkeling site is called Tako Flats and it was a perfect location, especially for the kids who didn't have any snorkeling experience. We spent a good amount of time just tootling around going this way and that to see what we could see.  It would have been incredibly easy to spend all day at the first snorkeling spot and still not see everything there. We saw all sorts of fish (note to self: find an online guide to fish at Molokini), countless sea urchin, coral galore, and an octopus that was tucked away trying to remain inconspicuous. Eric and Annika were very excited to see what they dubbed a rainbow fish while they were in the water. The really interesting part of snorkeling at Molokini was how shallow the water could get. It wasn't like a wall dive that had a sheer face to float along. The underwater terrain very gradually sloped toward deeper water. The slope was so gradual, in fact, that it was barely noticeable. 

The boat's photographer (Lauren with Island Dream Productions) even popped into the water to get photos of us! (This was a really good thing because our knock-off Go Pro died within 4 minutes of its first use - NOT impressed with that! But at least I got the three videos above.) And, let's face it, she could get mind-blowingly good shots with her setup... and did (see below), unlike what we could capture with our little underwater camera option. 

Eventually, Captain Dani sent out the call for everyone to return to the boat so we could move to the second location (Reef's End). She sailed us completely around Molokini so we could see the back side of it. While she did that, one of the crew members taught us more about Molokini, including how the flight pattern of some of the birds (which can have 6-7' wing spans!!!) can signal the upcoming weather (if they're lazily circling in the sky good weather conditions are in store; if they are all hunkered down on the top of Molokini, storms are coming). We also learned how the government used Molokini as target practice during WWII. There are a lot of divots on the back side of Molokini that were caused by mortar hits. 

After our 360 tour of Molokini, we approached our second anchor spot. The crew had to be a little extra careful throwing the anchor rope into the water because there was a group of scuba divers around the anchor. When it was deemed safe, one of the crew members threw the rope to another crew member (already in the water wearing snorkel gear) who tied the boat to the anchor. From what we were told, the conditions to snorkel at Reef's End have to be just right for people to snorkel there and today, they were. We basically drifted along a reef that is the line of delineation between the interior of the crater and the deep blue. (Captain Dani made sure we knew not to go past a specific point because the name of that current is called something akin to "road or current to Tahiti".) The coral and fish were truly gorgeous. We saw a type of coral (cauliflower coral) that was stunningly pink and had beautiful ridges all over. The current was quite a bit stronger on the outer side of the reef; once I realized that, I kept Conor close by and we stuck more to the top ridge of the reef instead of heading too far out in the deep blue. Like at Tako Flats, we saw brilliantly colored fish (some solo and others in schools) and a wide variety of colorful coral. 

We knew it was going to be a shorter snorkel time at Reef's End site than we had at Tako Flats, so after floating along on the reef, Conor and I started to head back to the boat. The current was no joke and seemed to pick up as time passed. I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to make it back without any issue. Soon after making that decision, I happened to look back and noticed everyone else seemed to have the same idea and opted to head back, as well. The group of snuba explorers associated with our boat were very slow to return to the boat due to the current; they struggled with it but the crew member with them helped along and they eventually made it back safe and sound.

The crew served us a very good lunch (teriyaki chicken, salad, roll, and rice). Our stay at Molokini wound up being a bit longer than expected because one of the passengers accidentally dropped her iPhone into the water (WHOOPS). One of the crew members attempted to get it (45' feet down) but wasn't able to free dive that far. So, Captain Dani pulled off her outer clothes (she had a swim suit under them) and swam out to retrieve the phone. I made a comment about grabbing a tank, but she said "for 45' down? Nah!" Mightly impressive!! She was greeted with a boisterous round of applause when she climbed back onboard with the phone in hand. (Luckily, the phone was one of the new waterproof iPhones. Talk about lucky!)

Bye, Molokini

Once the phone was back with its owner and Captain Dani dried off a bit, we sailed back to the marina. The wind picked up considerably as we sailed (as it tends to do as the days progress), which allowed the crew to put up the sails. It was rather exciting to be almost directly under the sails as they went up, I have to say. 

When the day began, Captain Dani made a comment about letting people try steering the boat at any time during the day, so Annika asked if she could on our return trip... Captain Annika at your service. She took the helm and even helped with one of the ropes as the crew brought the sails down as we neared the marina. She did a great job! Captain Dani taught her some basics about captaining a boat and Annika was a very willing student. She soaked up everything Dani told her with gusto!

Captain Dani teaching Annika how to captain the boat

Captain Annika at the helm

Working on her rope-pulling skills

We think we found a summer job for her - crewmate on a boat!

To say we were wiped out after our day on the water would be an understatement. We were pinker than we'd hoped (guessing the zinc oxide sunscreen was a bit less effective than we had hoped, but was required to protect the reef). We've been slathering ourselves with aloe ever since returning to the condo and enjoying the cool air provided by the AC!

We picked up dinner from one of the food trucks outside the condo parking lot. Having two food trucks so close is really quite convenient!! We hunkered down in the living room around the coffee table, ate dinner, and watched the movie Shazam on TV. Nice and low key after a fun-filled, tiring day.

A week of fun... and now I need a nap

Last Sunday, the kids and I headed up to Whidbey for the annual 3-day kids' golf camp at Useless Bay Golf and Country Club. Our kids adore going up to the island for this camp. They get an extended stay at Bestemor and Bestefar's house (win!), they get to go swimming (win!), they get to have fun playing some golf (win!), and they get to play with Bestemor and Bestfar's dogs for a few days (win!), Conor went trout fishing with Bestefar (win!), we celebrated Annika's birthday (win!), and I went salmon fishing/crabbing with Bestefar (win and win!).

This was (I think) the kids' 4th year at golf camp. Each year, they have so much fun, get to meet new kids, and they grow as golfers. This year was no exception. On Monday, they swam for almost 2 hours and then did golf camp for 2 hours. Whew! Tuesday's weather wasn't as cooperative, so they opted to skip the pool that day. (I was grateful for the overcast sky because it meant sunburns weren't an issue.) On Wednesday, the sun was back, so out came the sunblock again! Conor is a huge fan of hitting balls at the driving range. Annika liked being out on the actual golf course for the first time ... it made her feel like a real golfer!

Entertaining themselves with the "Coca Cola Went to Town" song

Pool fun

Conor at the driving range

Our little golfin' dude 

Annika at the driving range

Great swing!

He hit a 150 yard drive!!!

Bestmor and Bestefar gave Annika an incredible birthday gift ... a scrapbook from their trip to Ireland! For each day, Bestemor wrote a short summary of the day's events, included photos, and a few mementos. Annika LOVED the book and we love seeing her smile from ear to ear as she looks through it and remember her amazing trip with her amazing grandparents. She giggles are things remembered in the book, and tells us so many stories that the photos and write-ups remind her of.

Annika reading her bday card

Looking at her scrapbook

On Tuesday morning, Bestefar and Conor hit Deer Lake to go trout fishing. From what I was told. things started off reallllllly slowly. Not a nibble or a bite for a long time. They wound up catching 2 trout the last half hour (or so) that they were on the lake, though, so all was not lost! (Thanks for catching a future dinner for us, guys!!)

Conor and Bestefar say "WOO HOO!"

 I worked from the island Mon-Wed and took Thur-Fri off to go salmon fishing with Eric's dad. I'm pretty sure it was his life's goal to have me catch a salmon. He's taken me out a number of times over the past few years and the only thing we ever caught were dogfish, a flounder, and rocks. This year, he was determined to change my salmon fishing record.... and we did!! We were up very early both mornings and at the boat launch no later than 5 AM. The only thing we caught on Thursday was a crab (yum, but not exactly what we'd hoped for in the big scheme of things). Friday was our day! We wound up with 9 keeper crabs in the traps. I also caught a pink salmon (hooked and reeled it in myself - boo yah!), and Jack hooked a king salmon that he had me reel in. In addition, Jack caught one heck of a ling cod (40-ish pounds!) that we threw back after taking a few photos.  Talk about a fish putting up a fight!!!

Early mornings

Jack navigating to good fishing spots

That's one BIG ling cod!!!

My king!!

:Look at my pink!

On the ferry heading back home ... with our annual "post golf camp" ice cream treats

After fishing and cleaning up the boat on Friday, the kids and I repacked the car and headed home. We were tired, but in a good way! (I'm sure as soon as we headed up the driveway, Eric's parents were in their chairs with half-closed eyes!) Unbeknownst to the kids and me, Eric sneaked down to Tacoma the day before to bring home our new pup (Huck). The original plan was I'd pick him up on Saturday after Annika's Irish dance competition, but Eric had an even better plan in mind! Talk about a surprise!!!! The kids had NO idea that we were adopting a new dog ... I had no idea he'd be at the house waiting for us! 

Annika and Conor meeting Huck

Isn't he cute??

Huck checking out the back yard

As if spending 6 days on Whidbey and bringing home a new pup weren't enough, Annika had her first feis (Irish dance competition) on Saturday in Tacoma .... AT BELLARMINE!! So, we were (once again) up bright and early so we could check in at 8 AM. Annika had quite the cheering section - Fr. Fred, Troy/Staci/Kat/Ian, Drew/Sandy, and my best friend Kate were all there to watch her dance! She walked away with 2 bronze medals and a trophy for 2nd place. Not too shabby, if you ask me!

All ready to dance!

Annika all ready to jig

After the feis and lunch at The Spar with Troy/Staci/Kat/Ian, Annika and I made a quick stop at Johnson's Candy (DUH!) before driving back home. I'm pretty sure I would have been a lump on the floor upon arriving at home had I not been welcomed home by a very waggy little puppy who likes to nibble on ears that are within reach. :)

We Are Farmers Now

Last weekend, the Olson Four and the Russell Two shed our city-dweller personas and became farmers! (Be amazed, dear readers, that all of us returned from rural life ... it was with some hesitation that we did so.)

What in the heck am I talking about, let me bring you up to speed.  Late last summer, we learned about Hoehn Bend Farm, which is located in Sedro-Woolley. We tried to get a reservation for 2016 but were informed that they were booked, so if we wanted a summer stay it would have to be in 2017. In January (when reservations for the summer can be made), I hopped on the website and got a farm weekend reserved. The farm house can hold up to 6 people, so we invited our friends Dave and Anne to go with us. As an added bonus, we got the OK to take Buca with us. Win!

This is a working farm and guests are invited to be as involved (or not) in the day-to-day farm activities as they want to be. Umm.... it was a no-brainer to me that we'd get involved. Why go to a farm if you don't get your hands a bit dirty?? The wide-open land was practically screaming out to me. Plus, they have animals (cows, goats, miniature donkeys, chickens, and a pig) right there! Many people would cringe at the idea, but I could hardly wait to get there!

I was like a kid waiting for Christmas in the days leading up to our departure. I'm sure I had a stupid "crazy person" grin on my face the majority of the time.... I didn't care. I was going to a FARM! With animals! 

FINALLY, the big day arrived. We packed our stuff, loaded up the car, piled in, and headed north. Unfortunately, our drive was a bit longer than we'd hoped because of Friday afternoon traffic on the freeway, but even that wasn't as bad as it could have been. About 2 hours after we left home, we pulled into the farm's driveway and were greeted by the smell of fresh-cut grass and Farmer Jean's open arms. (Farmer Jean is a woman after my own heart. She loves to plan and document things. We "get" each other and that was obvious from our months of emailing back and forth leading up to our weekend on the farm.) Soon after, we met Maggie (the dog) and Farmer Terry, Jean's husband.

Our backyard and view for the weekend

We got the lay of the land and were invited to look around right away. We also learned the three rules of the farm: (1) Don't touch the hot wire, (2) If you open a door or gate, close it right behind you, and (3) Don't go near the pig (Polly) with food or if you smell like food.

Naturally, we were drawn to the animals and were anxious to get a bit more familiar with them. We learned their names, a bit about their personalities, and how they came to be residents of the farm. We also learned that the goats love name-brand saltine crackers (no generic brand will do for them!!) and Polly the pig doesn't like bell peppers (that's my kind of pig!).

One of the "Spice Girls"

One of the cows getting some lovin' from Farmer Jean

Eventually, we pried ourselves away from the animals and farmers to get settled in the farm house, complete with a mud room (I now have mud room envy!), 3 bedrooms, full kitchen, full bath, and a deck (where we ate dinner both nights). The farm house was very cozy and I felt even more connected to Jean when she made sure to point out where the first aid kid was. (I told you ... two peas in a pod!)

Soon after unloading the cars and figuring out who would sleep where, we headed back outside to help with the evening's farm chores. We piled into the Jeep and trailer to help Terry and Jean feed their herd of cows, some of whom are pregnant and due any time. (I hoped a calf might be born over the weekend, but no such luck.)

Farmers Terry and Jean, and Maggie the dog driving us out to the cows

In the trailer feeding the cows -- Farmer Terry pointed out this is the
first time he's had swimsuit-clad farm hands.
The next day, he claimed he'd never had PJ-clad farm hands when he realized
Conor was still in his jammies!

Dinner? Get mooooooovin'!

Did we hear it is dinner time?

The critters on the farm were a definite draw from the get-go and they didn't disappoint. The miniature donkeys were wonderful (although, Buca might disagree after they unequivocally evicted him from their area at one point), and the goats have such a comedic personality. Polly the pig adores being scratched behind her ears and wants every ounce of affection possible.

James (aka Bond James Bond) and Prissy

Prissy and me

Ginny says "moo"

Me with the herd as the sun set behind us

Polly says "put down the camera and please scratch me"

Cluck!

We're now pretty sure that Conor is part goat!

The goats in the bed of "their" 1948 Dodge truck

So, what sorts of farm-based tasks did we wind up doing? Oh my! So many!! The adults learned how to drive tractors (yeehaw!) and wound up showing we have quite a knack driving farm equipment here and there. Who knew?? The kids helped collect eggs and transported the chickens to their outdoor coop in the mornings and back to the barn each night. Annika, Conor, and Anne also took the mini donkeys (James, Prissy, and Wee-Wee) on a walk around the field to get some exercise and nibble on the freshly-cut grass. We also helped feed the various farm critters and learned some basics about caring for them.

Conor showing his egg-hunting prowess

Annika "helping" Farmer Terry

Conor and James chilling in the field

The kids walking their donkeys

Anne trying to convince Prissy to walk with her
(Prissy was too interested in snacking to listen to Anne's "STEP UP! PLEASE??" commands)

Yup. I drove a tractor, too! This was my view from the driver's seat.

Annika and Wee-Wee

Maggie was the ideal kiddo and donkey supervisor

Annika and Wee-Wee

Dave maneuvering the tractor

Eric, tractor driver extraordinaire

Annika feeding the chickens

Eric escorting Coco, the escape artist to the coop

Conor and Annika transporting the chickens from the barn

Conor and Anne with the morning's fresh eggs

While out in the field, Farmer Terry explained how farming kids learn to drive at a much younger age than their city-dwelling counterparts to. He then offered to teach our kids how to drive .... his Jeep that was pulling a trailer ... in a huge field. Why not?!? So, all three kids got a turn behind the wheel and loved every second of it. (Side note: On Sunday morning as we packed up the van, Conor asked if he could drive us home. Sorry kiddo, I-5 and a grassy field are not exactly the same driving conditions!)

Annika getting last-minute instructions from Eric before she hits the accelerator 

Conor behind the wheel of the Jeep

While we did dive into farm life and help out, we also had time to relax and enjoy our rural environment. A hammock swing hangs from the apple tree just outside the farm house, and that swing was rarely without one of us in it. It was so popular among the kids that we adults had to set timers to make sure there was an equal amount of swing time for each munchkin.

A hammock, a sunny day, and a bag of Pirate's Booty.... what could be better?

Annika relaxing in the swing

Laughter all around

Happy boy

Yup, I even got a few turns in the swing

Good buddies!

We also filled our free time with playing a lot of frisbee, baseball (well, our version of it), and the kids ran through the sprinkler so much that they turned pruny! Buca also enjoyed his leisure time on the far and was incredibly grateful for the wading pool the farmers filled up for him.

Buca was grateful for the apple tree's shade -- we topped out at 96 degrees!

The kids had lots of fun in the sprinkler

The Three Farming Amigos

Anne showing off her inner-country girl

Dave and Eric enjoying some leisure time on the deck at the end of the day

This was a common sight all weekend long

Annika getting ready her her next pitch

Farm girls chew on grass, right?

And so do farm boys!

Frisbee galore

Run, Dave, Run!

Eric enjoying some R&R after a busy day on the farm

Anne's action shot

Batter up!

The extra news from our trip is Conor lost another tooth while we were at the farm. The was sitting on the deck wiggling it when out it came. Who knew farming was so good for tooth loss???

During some down time, Farmer Jean took us on a tour of their other property, which was purchased by Terry's grandparents in the early 20th century (1910 or 1917, I believe). Part of the property was used as a Christmas tree farm, which was abandoned many years ago. The trees grew into a forest and frame a very pretty meadow. We also saw the bulls/steer, a frog pond, and some incredible old buildings. The barn on the property was built in 1904 and is preserved by the Historical Society. How neat is that??

The kids in front of the 1904 barn

hat a view!

We went lots of places in the Jeep over the weekend

Maggie keeping up with us as we drove through the field

Abandoned Christmas tree farm

1904 barn

Antique farm equipment

Don't mess around with farmers or their stuff!

On our way home Sunday (with Eric behind the wheel, not Conor), we found ourselves recapping our weekend away. Eric said he wasn't sure what to expect and what expectations he did have were blown away. He very much enjoyed the hospitality and ability to really get involved on the farm. Terry and Jean are not only farmers ... they are educators (Terry used to teach 4th grade) and do an incredible job sharing information about the land, its history, and why/how they do what they do. We are so grateful they welcome people to their farms and hope to return for another fun stay at the farm.