So this past weekend John, Katrina, our parents and I headed out to Sturbridge, MA which has a live history village (akin to Williamsburg). Ever since I met John, I have heard about the Publick House's apple pie with cheddar cheese for breakfast, so it seemed natural in planning a weekend away for him that I would pick a place where he and his parents had fond memories. We headed up on Friday and drove the whole way up with a quick break for lunch. Katrina slept most of the way as she was getting over a head cold that everyone else was also getting over. What can I say? In our family we do a lot of sharing.
Saturday was our lazy day. We took in some of the local sites and did some shopping. Our plan was to go on a brewery tour in the afternoon, but after we drove up to the site, we learned that they only do tours for large groups. Instead of tasting beer samples, we walked around their wild animal preserve and fed the goats, emus, pigs, and Shetland ponies that we saw. Katrina held on tight to me, but got a big kick out of some of the larger animals.
Sunday was our big day. It started out with breakfast with Santa, which was something that my mom took me to every year while I was growing up. We were convinced that Katrina would be nervous and probably cry when she saw the big guy, but she sat patiently on his lap while we snapped pictures. It was only when he reached out to hold her hand, that she pulled back and looked a bit worried.
In her Santa meeting dress 
After her morning nap, we headed to the village and walked around looking at the barns, hearths, blacksmith, tinsmith, potter's shed, and general store (among others). I was most excited to find a bottle and breastpump from the early 1800s! I didn't know that such a device existed, so it was neat to learn that the idea of a breastpump has been around awhile (and thank god, has advanced a lot!).
Barrel Maker 
Bottle 
The pump 
After our evening meal (yes, we overdosed on apple pie, sticky buns, and seafood at the Publick House), we headed out to the Christmas Candlelight Village in which the Old Sturbridge Village is lit with candles and the Christmas spirit abounds. We took in the old music performances, learned how to make tin icicles (of which we now have quite a bit adorning our tree), printed Christmas cards with ink blocks, and talked to the "locals" who taught us how to make plum pudding, mulled cider, press tobacco, roast a chicken, and make whisks out of birch branches. It was the perfect end to a very nice weekend.
