Labor Day Weekend Fun!

We made a trip up to Michigan to visit Jon's family over Labor Day weekend. We had a nice time visiting and hanging out at Grandma's. Jon and Ray did a lot of yardwork, trimming trees and thinning out bushes, etc. The weather was delightfully cool and we worked and learned a lot in the yard.

Here are some pictures of a few of our scientific discoveries:




(We found tons of these red and black beetles.... need to try to identify them in our nature books.)

Before heading home on Monday, we spent several hours at Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad in Flint. (http://www.geneseecountyparks.org/crossroadsvillage.htm) It was a wonderful field trip for us. We learned what life was like in Michigan 100 years ago.

Here's Adam in the "Doctor's Office" trying out an old wheelchair:
Ray especially loved observing and operating the model train display:

We took a 40 minute ride on a beautifully-restored train!


The boys were fascinated by the blacksmith.


It turns out that we visited the village on a special day sponsored by the United Auto Workers Union. In addition to reduced admission rates and a really cheap and yummy picnic lunch, we were fortunate to take part in several special activities: remote-control race cars, inflatables, a parade, and ice cream treats! What a fun surprise!