This was our 3rd Farm Day in a row at sister Ruth's and Don's farm. Every year it becomes bigger or better or more memorable, as family members gather for one Saturday every August to experience what we've all decided is genetically inside of us: FARM.
This year there were 37 of us (as many as when we're all at the family cottage over July 4th!). And THIS year Donica and I decided to take grandson Nicholas (age 8) with us. We wanted him to experience FARM! So while I work on all the other pictures, here is a post of Farm Day as experienced by Nicholas, covering the span from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon.
All day Friday was a day of preparation before the rest of the family (read cousins) arrived on Saturday. Nicholas followed Uncle Don everywhere, helping to feed the chickens their grain...
...and the garbage scraps from meal preparation.
And of course, Don and Ruth's son, Peter, was also part of the follow-around mix!
Even Lesley's beau, Brian, got in on the action as Uncle Don instructed Nicholas on how to load and shoot a BB gun, aiming at a quail egg set up in the fire pit. (Don't worry, Amy and Dennis! I watched the entire thing and they were very "cautious" about the whole thing!)
Then all the sports stuff had to be put up, like the Badminton set, with Lesley.
And sand had to be tossed for a nice play-pile for the wee kids...
...and cookies needed to be made (again with Uncle Don) for the entire clan.
In between all the hard work, there was plenty of down time, of course, with games on Uncle Don's computer...
...and even some coloring. You may remember from a couple years ago that Nicholas is an expert colorer. He still loves to do it, as an art form!
Then the tribe arrived, little by little, around noon on Saturday! Aunt Susan had to line up the older kids since she just got a new camera and had to test it out. Nicholas was the oldest, by 2 months!
Then he had to show all the cousins around, since by now everything was old hat for him. The rabbit (which Uncle Don was "babysitting" for one of his students)...
...and the quail! If you asked him what his favorite thing was, I'm sure he'd say "The quail!" At every whip-stitch he wanted to go check on them and see if there were any new eggs hatched (3 or 4 new ones several time a day). He picked them up (the quail) and petted them and even kissed them Good-Night!
There was badminton...
...eating (of course)...
...swimming in the hot tub...
...and playing Nintendo with Eli before the last of the family left for home.
It almost makes me tired to think of everything he did during such a short span of time! He got home to Atlanta Sunday night just in time to go to bed...before school started the next day: THIRD GRADE!
The photo album of just Nichoas at Farm Day will put more flesh on these bones. But these images here give you an idea of why we go each year and why THIS year he went with us.
THANK YOU once again, Ruth and Don. Here's to another fabulous experience of FARM!
The photo album of just Nichoas at Farm Day will put more flesh on these bones. But these images here give you an idea of why we go each year and why THIS year he went with us.
THANK YOU once again, Ruth and Don. Here's to another fabulous experience of FARM!
