We enjoyed a fun afternoon Sunday. There is park near my grandma's house that features around a dozen old buildings from the late 1800s, all of which are set up like houses or shops from that period. Every year this park hosts an "Old Settlers Picnic" one weekend in July. They have a parade, musical performances, and the buildings are open for touring, and they also have a carnival and food and merchandise vendors. I have gone with my family every now and then over the years, and I hadn't been for a few years, so Seth and I took my sisters and went up after church. We looked around in the old buildings for a while. Doing so always makes me think about what life would have been like for the early settlers. When I was a child, I loved to pretend I was in the "olden days", and I sort of wished I actually had lived back then. Although their simple lifestyle still appeals to me, I am thankful for many of the modern conveniences I have that they didn't. The volunteers that keep up the park have done a great job preserving the past, and I always enjoy my visits there! When we were done looking, we stopped by my grandma's house to say hi to her and my aunt and uncle and cousins.
A trip down memory lane - I have several pictures like this of my younger self sitting at a desk in the schoolhouse.
Using an old-fashioned wheat grinder.
One of my favorite houses at the park.
An old wagon - can you imagine having to put everything you own in something like this and traveling thousands of miles across the country to a new home?
