Starting the New with the Old

With the new school year close enough to hear we took a trip back in time and headed to Heritage Hill. We spent several hours there and ended the trip with a couple slices of Happy Joe's Pizza. It was a kid focused event on the Hill and many of the old buildings were showcasing games from the 1800's, including a rolling a hoop on the ground and trying to through corn cobs through it, and another in which you try to toss rocks into different sized hoops and of course the old favorite roll a hoop and beat it with a stick. Apparently there were no shortages of hoops during this period. The old trapers cabin was focusing on fire making using flint and steel. The kids thought this was way cool and when we got home we too made some char cloth on the grill and tried to start a fire the old way. We then moved up to a magnifying glass and by evening thought paper and a match should do the trick. As a side note the grill we used for making the char cloth was the same one that was used to make cookies and pizzas just a few days prior--becoming a very versatile patio tool. The growing season is showing her bounty and we are starting to harvest the hops around the yard. The kids always love to help out during the initial harvest, and by initial I mean about the first 15 minutes of a three week harvest. Sophia's hat was her choice, but I think it was based on functionality in the sun rather than a satirical protest towards me, although I could be wrong. Merrick also got a new haircut and the beautician, at his request, put so much product in his hair that he thought he should go to the mall. Only later did he decide that he shouldn't go to the mall because all the girls would think he was a rock and roller. Testosterone influenced Illusions of grandeur start so young. While on a walk after supper a pig-tailed girl with pink streamers on her bike came toward us with her mom, and shirtless, shoeless Merrick rolled back his shoulders and started strutting like a morning rooster. Being summer we did find some time to lounge in the hammock even though "we" snapped two of the sun-aged ropes another sign of summers approaching demise.