Meeting up with the De Soto Expedition

This morning was a fun morning with a skit at KidPak based on "The Little Engine that Could."  Nerdo here was that very engine, and the costume was pretty funny for it.  We ordered some train costumes, or at least small train-shaped tents.

You can see Camille here in her costume...

And Calvin wearing his.  These two trains weren't really willing to help out, but of course there was a little engine that could.  He did his best to help out, and yes, the whole audience was chanting along with him, "I think I can!  I think I can!"  It was a fun morning, with a great message about determination.

Afterwards, we picked up Madison's friend Jolina, and went back to the Northeast Georgia History Center, to join up with the De Soto Expedition!

Here you can see some of the members of the expedition, who clearly had no idea what they were in for.  It sounds like this expedition was a three-year nightmare  But these were some of the first Europeans to visit the Southeast - you can see the different types of armor and weaponry the soldiers carried with them into battle.

This is the classic Spanish conquistador outfit.  That little fin on the top of his helmet?  All decoration, completely useless.  That is, unless he's airborne I suppose.  Then you can possibly use it to steer somewhat, like the Rocketeer.

This gentlemen was explaining to everyone the different classes and different outfits people wore, and also the different weaponry as well.

Madison and Jolina were up front to see the arrows, as you can see above.  But there were all kinds of other weapons too, including the crossbow.  Apparently, though it was pretty effective for that one shot, it took a little bit too long to load, at least when compared to that bow and arrow.

The new and more popular weapon was this rifle, which you can see is about to be demonstrated below.

Ready... aim...

FIRE!  This was surprisingly loud.  It impressed everyone very much.  We learned that this little round ball that was shot was nothing more than a little round ball, and that's the reason why all ammunition - when shot - are called "rounds."  There you go.

Anyway, this was a perfect afternoon.  It was so pleasant out there, and there was a lot of information being shared.  We enjoyed it quite a bit, along with all the others in attendance.  There were two of these sessions - here's a group picture of the first.

You can see Madison and Jolina there, along with Mommy and Daddy in the back.   It was a decent sized group in attendance, with several others inside doing other activities as well.

Afterwards, we were exploring a bit in the back, where the girls were learning first how to wash clothing!

Yeah, it took a bit more effort back in the day, and after a bit of scrubbing here, the girls really began to appreciate the importance of washing machines.

Nevertheless, they kept at it, almost as if enjoying it.  We told Madison we'd get her a bucket and a washboard if she'd like to do this sort of thing for fun at home!

There were tents in the back, and there was cooking too, some delicious looking fish that made us really look forward to the end of the fast here.

I mean, the smell was delicious.  The fish was being fried, and it was all cooked in the way that members of the De Soto Expedition would prepare things.

Help me Obi Wan.  You're my only hope.

Afterwards, the girls got into a role-playing game indoors, one where they each took a different side in a battle between Tuskaloosa and De Soto's men.  Madison chose the side of the Mississippians, and just like the actual battle itself, it went better for her.  The Indians set a terrible trap for the weary explorers, who were looking for food and supplies.  Inviting them in, the Indians were quite misleading with their intent, as it all was a trap.  One might be tempted to feel sorry for De Soto here, but if you read up about his own behavior, you realize that he had it coming.  The expression is, "He who lives by the sword dies by the sword."  He didn't die by the sword here in this battle, but the losses were substantial.  He came to the Southeast to steal, kill and destroy.  By this battle's end, his men were more than likely pretty sick of it.

Here the girls are, doing some coloring sheets and a few word searches as well.  Oh, and they got out their shovels for a bit of archeology too!

They were digging for random items in the sand, looking for bits of evidence of civilizations that came to these large plastic tubs before our time.  Seriously though, it was all set up really nicely, and the girls working there were quite informative, teaching Madison and Jolina along the way.

Ah the quilt pattern maker.  The girls made a few designs here, and then it was time for a bit of tradition, our meeting with the Atlanta Historical Dance Society.  I believe this young lady's name is Kat, and she's always fun to dance with.

She taught the girls some much older dances this time, and it was great fun to join her on the dance floor.

This dance was a bit more complicated than others, but it was still a good time for everyone.

They spent a good deal learning the moves in order, and sort of running through it all in slow motion. And then... it was time to give it a try.  The music turned on, and the girls were giving it a spin!

They did well, considering it was their first time.  And there was a lot of smiling and laughter, which is pretty much the whole point of it all - a good time had by everyone.

I think Madison's favorite part of the dance was this one below, where one party "nags" the other, and then they switch roles later on.  You can see Madison getting nagged here.

Anyway, it was a fun time with the De Soto Expedition.  We all had a good time, staying until the very end this time.  We'll see what's up here next, but it's always educational for all of us - Mommy and Daddy learned a lot too.  But it's also fun, a great time together.