Autumn at Claude Moore Colonial Farm

Yesterday I took the kids to the Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean, Virginia.  It's one of those places I've been wanting to check out for the longest time, but we would always pass it up for a trip to Great Falls or Clemyjontri Park.  Well, now that we are counting down 7-8 months before our move back to SF, I've started to take a more serious look at my DC area bucket list.

Lots of people know how nutty I am about living history, how much I enjoy seeing places like Colonial Williamsburg or Jamestown.  You really just don't get to experience these things on the West coast.  The Claude Moore Colonial Farm is a small farm located just across the CIA headquarters, that shows how farms in the area were kept in the year 1771.  41% of the population were slaves, most people were very poor, and the majority had farms that grew tobacco for income.

     

The weather was perfect for a stroll, the boys however were as wacky as ever.

   

The animals were great, all heritage breeds, as they would have them in 1771.  Tom, the turkey, thought he was so tough, following us around all puffed up.  The small flock of geese were loud and goofy.

We visited with a farmer who was fixing a rake make from wood.  The barn had tobacco that was harvested in August drying on the ceiling.  After that, we walked over to the hog pen.  Look at those cuties!  (I'm talking about the pigs.)

   

Then we strolled to the farm house down the hill to see how a farm family lived.

     

A fire was already going with lunch hanging in the oven above-- pumpkin stuffed with sausage.  We talked with 2 nice ladies about the clothes they were mending, what kind of mattress they slept on, and how they stored/preserved food. They showed the boys a basket of toys, which to no surprise, entertained them just as well as modern day toys.

   

The farm cat, a beautifully petite black boy kitten, was the boys' favorite part of the visit.

     

After nap we had the playgroup over.  We had a bunch of rakes and leaf bags, but my master plan to take advantage of child labor failed.  After Kerstin and I made a pile of leaves, the kids had a ton of fun playing in it.

Most of us moms stayed inside enjoying Black Sesame-Pear Tea Cake with green tea, and sweet baby Mead.