1830's

Today we returned to the Northeast Georgia History Center for another event that was a lot of fun.  As you can see here, Madison brought along some of her friends as well!

Our other friends were there too, part of the Atlanta Historical Dance, teaching Madison and her friends some choreography from the 1830's.  You can see they were having fun!

The 1830's was the theme of the day, specifically Georgia (or at least the Southeast) during that period of time.  Madison and her friends are holding up some slat boards, and the dance instructor is wearing costuming she literally created the night before.

Each time we've gone to this event, Atlanta Historical Dance has been there - although it was just one dancer this time around.  The girls had a great time listening to older music and dancing a reel or two in the old building there.

Outside, soldiers from the 1830's marched in, wearing their gear and carrying their rifles, along with other supplies.  They were marching in formation, and sharing with us all they could about the life of a soldier back during that time.

You can see the gentleman in white above wearing the costuming of a summer soldier, a lighter cotton with a more reflective color.  Unfortunately, it also makes him look like a chef.  This was probably by design, as it would be highly unsettling for enemy armies to see a line of militant chefs charging forward.

Of course, the highlight for the kids was the moment that one soldier actually fired his weapon.  There wasn't any ammunition in the rifle, but it still made a loud enough "BANG" to get the kids jumping, and when the presentation about soldiers was done, a small kid asked, "Can he shoot the gun again?"

The soldier obliged, a secret treat for all of us.

It was pretty warm outside, so these winter gear outfits must have been pretty hot.  For the most part, the gentlemen were off in the shade, talking about previous encounters and conflicts, and perhaps complaining about their eight cents a month wages.

One thing we all did together was grind corn, which you can see above.  The stump is hollowed out somewhat, and the corn gathered there inside the holed out area.  A large stick is used to grind the corn down to dust, something usually left for the ten-year-olds at the time.  Madison and the girls were twelve, but they would have to do.  The corn had to be ground, after all.  Someone had to do it!

But Madison actually enjoyed this part.  She told me it was somewhat calming in a way, a kind of relaxing activity.  Kids in the old days probably came to visit one another, and at the front door they were saying, "Hey, you want to come over to my place and grind corn?"

As you can see, the building there is such nice scenery, a rustic preservation of life from a much earlier time.  A front porch like this made for a nice photograph, and the three girls were happy to have a seat and pose.

Afterwards, we were inside the museum for a bit, watching the tornado that devastated much of Gainesville in 1936.  That's the way it's advertised - in fact, the advertisement tells us you can actually "touch" the tornado that destroyed Gainesville in 1936.  This the girls of course did.

I'm somewhat skeptical about this being the same tornado. 

Anyway, we had a great time at the museum, and then afterwards, the girls went over to their neighborhood's pool, and that's where they swam for about another hour.  They spent a good four or five hours together, and had a great time!

Mommy was spending time with the girls' mother, along with several other moms, all this while Daddy was watching over everyone.  I managed to type a few things up at the pool, including the first script for a host video for Summer Xtreme.  Always with Summer Xtreme, huh?

So we all got home together, and there was some piano practice, and also some studying for an upcoming math test on Monday.  Madison took a bath, and Daddy worked on the "Acting Up" class tomorrow as well, setting things up for that.

Tonight we watched "Twister," which has a lot more language in it than I remember.  Still, Madison thought the tornadoes were cool, and got a sense of what being a storm chaser is like.  Of course, it's all dramatized to fit a 90's summer blockbuster, but it's still a fun movie.

We read afterwards, almost done with our "Prayer of Jabez" devotional, and we're also reading another book - finally one that's not related to Neverland.  It's a book about the Cobalt Squadron, which from what I understand only two people in this group are in "The Last Jedi," and one of those dies in the first ten minutes.  So the outlook for the Cobalt Squadron is kinda' bleak.  But Madison saw this book at a Book Fair at the school, and she wanted to pick it up - so we're reading it now!

After prayers and zerberts, and the usual hide-and-seek games at bedtime, it was an early night for all of us.  We have another big day tomorrow, and today was a day filled with fun too!