A dairy good time at the farm

The Fair Oaks farm is one of the nation’s largest dairies with 30,000 cows on ten farms in Fair Oaks, IN, north of Indianapolis. Rick and I started our adventure in the café with toasted cheese. Mmmm. Becca had a quesadilla, Jacob nachos, and Faith- a hot dog. They were all good.

We had tickets for a 2pm bus tour, but when we arrived they said the tour would be delayed a bit because there was a calf being born in the barn so we dashed over there to watch. With 30,000 cows they have about 80 calves born daily so I figured we’d get to see one. The cow was having a hard time so a worker was helping her. He attached something to the hooves and pulled. It was slightly disturbing. I was hoping the kids weren’t going to hate me for bringing them there to watch. They seemed ok. Whew! Off to the bus tour.

We did not come in contact with any cows due to bio-security. (We were inside the bus or behind glass windows.) The cows were kept safe from any germs people might bring with them and we didn’t smell any manure, which was a concern of one of the children. This company seems really organized, efficient, innovative and green. They use the manure to create methane for their delivery trucks. They grow corn for cow feed. They use sand for the cow's bedding as it doesn’t support bacteria, it’s easier on the cows elbows and knees and it’s easy to clean. They clean the area three times a day. We went through one of the barns and it was really clean. Becca noticed one of the cows looked like it was having a baby- we could see hooves.

We went to the milking parlor and the cows filed onto a giant merry go round thing for an 8.5minute ride. The first few minutes they get their undersides cleaned and prepped and then the milk is extracted. The milk comes out at 101 degrees, but then it is cooled to 34 degrees. We were able to touch pipes at those temperatures to feel the difference.

They backed up when the ride was over and went on their way


When our tour was finished the bus driver said there was another birth going on in the birthing barn. We once again dashed over to the birthing barn. This looked like the cow we’d just seen on the tour. This cow was doing a pretty good job on her own, but in the end a worker came to assist her. I took video if you’re interested in watching. We spent more than an hour in there watching the mom clean the baby and the baby try to stand on his wobbly legs. There are more graphic pictures- let me know if you want to see the detailed ones I just know some people are squeamish.

They had a 3D 4D movie where things came flying at us on the screen and puffs of air and mists of water shot out at us. It was a fun little feature. Next were interactive displays where we learned cows can smell from six miles away, cows have nose prints like we have finger prints, they hear higher and fainter noises than the human ear and the Romans valued cows so much that’s how they determined wealth.

Parent power merry go round

Finally the good stuff- cheese and ice cream tasting!

Living in the past, playing in the future

History wasn’t my best subject in school. I could easily remember what I was taught and give the correct answers on my tests, but I didn’t get it. Years ago, I set a goal to learn history, to try to understand it this time. Home schooling and this year-long trip have both helped me with this goal. Conner Prairie would be a great field trip for kids to understand history. It’s set up in five periods of time from the past- the Lenape Indian camp, Conner Homestead, 1836 prairie town, 1859 balloon voyage, and1863 Civil War journey.

In the Indian camp we got to throw tomahawks. You’d better be paying attention when you’re learning this or standing behind someone that’s learning! Jacob hit the target, not just the chunk of wood, but the target. Very impressive as none of the rest of us were able to make it stick. He later showed his form when he threw his flip flops into the closet.

Faith created a beeswax candle by repeatedly dipping it for about 45 minutes in the Conner Homestead area. You dip the wick, walk a short little lap to let it harden between layers, then dip again. Jacob thought it looked like fun so he wanted to try. He kept asking the man how fast you could walk. It made us laugh because he’d said earlier little boys weren’t as good because they wanted to go fast and this isn’t a fast process. I figure the lap would have to be made larger for Jacob to be able to go fast and still allow the layer to dry.

We all learned some “new math” in the 1836 prairie town’s school house. The teacher has an interesting math triangle on the board and showed us how you can add, subtract, multiply and divide based on the angle and direction you go. The teacher said the kids went to school from the beginning of December to the end of February six days a week. We also watched pottery being made and a woman working on a loom.

They did a great job in the Civil war area. We crossed a covered bridge and were in the “town” of Dupont. The town had just been hit by the rebel army a day earlier. A building was black and still smoking. We went into the dry goods store and the shopkeeper told us what had happened the day earlier. There were some added special effects during her talk- a screen came up and showed them crossing the bridge we’re just crossed, they came into the store and ransacked it, a shelf of cans fell on the floor, they shot a light out above our heads, etc. We were recruited to join the fight and passed by the field hospital to reach our training area. We were taught to fell trees and hide behind them when shooting since we didn’t have as much training as the confederate army.

The only area were didn’t get to participate in was the balloon voyage as it wasn’t functioning. It’s a helium balloon that is tethered, but goes up 350ft. I thought it would be neat. Maybe we’ll get to go on a real hot air balloon at some point.

The following day we went to the Children’s Museum. When planning this trip I have been ignoring visiting zoos, aquariums and children’s museums because I think there’s more to see in the area. But this is the world’s largest children’s museum and it was the #1 rate thing to do in Indianapolis. When I presented this info to Rick he felt we should go, so we did. I knew I wouldn’t regret it because we would be learning and playing, but I learned a lot!

They had just added a National Geographic Treasures of the Earth exhibit which contained things explorers had found- an Egyptian tomb, Chinese terra cotta warriors and the wreckage from (possibly) Captain Kidd’s ship. They had a “tomb” set up with the mummy lid broken into pieces that needed to be put back together, hieroglyphics on the walls and other treasurers. They had a machine that you slid over this actual mummy’s body and it would ask you questions like you were an archeologist trying to determine the identity. Questions like “Which shape of face does he best match” and “does he have any amulets” etc. They believe he is Pharoah Seti.

I didn’t realize the terra cotta warriors were found in 1974. A Chinese farmer was digging a well and found the first one. More than 2,000 have been discovered. When Quin Shi Huang was 13 he became the first Emperor of China. He liked being a ruler and wanted to rule even when he was dead so he had all these warriors made to surround him. Current estimates are that there are 8,000! No two are the same. For a hands on activity they had warriors to put back together.

I was really fascinated about the wreckage they found in 2007. They found it in just ten feet of water off the shore of Haiti. There was a pile of 26 cannons and Captain Kidd had said he had thirty. He said his deck was made of teak and they found some teak wood with the wreckage. One of the cannons is now in the museum in a special water mixture while it is zapped electrically to remove the rust and build up from the past 200 plus years. They also had Spanish coins, cannons and other items on display found in the wreckage.

Spanish coins- another clue that it could be Captain Kidd's ship


Downstairs they had a dinosaur display and we got to touch a dinosaur fossil. I asked if touching it was ok because of the oils in our hands and they said that it was fossilized so it was rock like instead of being a bone where it would affect it.

Real dinosaur eggs- remind you of Jurasic Park? Frightening!

On another floor they had an exhibit on Egypt. You boarded Air Egypt jet and the window screens showed the pyramids and Nile that we were flying over. We disembarked and learned a few Egyptian words, exchanged money, purchased items and learned about the culture. There were “homes” we could go into to see what was on tv, the decorations, their clothing, books, etc. We could ”dress” the boys and girls digitally, go into an herb shop and sniff the different herbs, and Faith served me erk-soos (licorice) in a coffee shop.

They had another interesting area called The Power of Children. They focused on three children- Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White- that made history in the 20th century. We watched a short one man play as Anne Frank’s dad, Otto, spoke about what he and his family went through and why he decided to publish her diary. We read about Ruby dealing with integration being the first black to go to school at a formerly all white school. Ryan White dealt with AIDS discrimination in the 1980’s when little was known about the disease.

They had an exhibit on Barbie. So much Barbie stuff- dolls from the past, dolls in designer clothes, Barbie games, records, you name it! There was a runway and clothes to model. Faith was in heaven designing outfits.

I loved playing this Barbie game my aunt owned. Below is the Barbie van I had as a child.

On the top floor they have a carousel that’s nearly 100 years old so the kids went for a spin. They also had different playhouses, video games from the 70’s- forward. Rick and I played Pong. It went faster than I remembered! We also played Pacman. Jacob played Mario and the girls play Indiana Jones Lego video game. So it was another great day of learning and playing for the whole family!

Fireworks of Glass created by Seattle artist Dale Chihuly. This is looking up from below and above. It covers four floors!

Twenty three is the number of the day

I’d planned on going to see Pres. Benjamin Harrison’s home in Indianapolis today. Last night when I was doing my final research about our trip figuring out the directions, hours, etc I realized it would be his 178th birthday. Upon arrival we signed a huge birthday card for him and upon our departure we got to partake in cake and ice cream. It was yummy!

Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president of the United States. He was also a Brigadier General and he preferred to be called General over President. The sign outside his house notes that “Brigadier General Harrison lived here blah blah blah and oh yeah, he was President also." Well, maybe not exactly those words. Click to enlarge the photo if you'd like.

His wife’s name was Caroline and their house was 10,000 sq feet and cost $29,000 when they purchased it in 1874. The ceilings are 12 feet high, most of the furniture inside was their actual furniture and the carpet, at least in the front room, was 137 years old!

The formal living room above, family room below. The kids are looking through 3D viewers.

Caroline was an accomplished pianist and she was an artist as well. She painted several things in the home and she created her own Presidential china pattern while in the White House!

Some interesting facts about Harrison-
He only served one term because his wife was ill and died two weeks before the election.
He remarried and had another daughter when he was 64. (He had a son and a daughter with Caroline also.)
He died when his youngest daughter was four.
He set aside 13 million acres that later became the national parks.
He added six states to the country-North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, and Idaho.
Displaying the flag at schools and public buildings was instituted during his administration.
They were the first family to have a Christmas tree in the White House.
Electricity was installed in the White House during his term.
He was an attorney like Lincoln and campaigned for Lincoln.
His grandfather was our 9th President.

Our next stop was at the NCAA Hall of Champions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association started to form when Pres. Roosevelt responded to a negative article about college sports being evil and the injuries and deaths involved, specifically mentioned football’s Flying Wedge. Roosevelt brought together six football experts from Yale, Princeton, Harvard to come up with a statement to condemn brutal and unsportsmanlike play.

Jacob and Becca run from the Flying Wedge while Faith joins the fellas

How many NCAA sports are there? Twenty three- just like the 23rd President’s birthday today. We read a board on each sport- the history, great stories of athletes and accomplishments over the years. A cross country runner, Slafka- Univeristy of Pittsburg, Greenburg, had a brain tumor and four brain surgeries. Doctors told him he couldn’t run, but he told them that’s how he dealt with stress. “My foot tends to drag a lot and I would fall quite a few times during practice and in races; any race where I didn’t fall was a good race.”

Former NFL great Jim Brown saying he’d “..rather play lacrosse six days a week and football on the seventh”. He is the only person in College Football, Pro Football and Lacrosse Halls of Fame. His entry in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame reads “Considered by many to be the greatest player ever to play the game of lacrosse.”

Other celebrated tidbits- Pat Summit’s 1000 wins in basketball. Field hockey is one of the oldest sports, it’s even written in the tombs in Egypt. Western Washington University women’s rowing team won four consecutive rowing titles. Wrestler Cael Sanderson, an Iowa State 2002 graduate, amazing 159-0 record. He went on to win Olympic gold in 2004. Many of these students had high GPAs. “For every hour spent on the playing field, two should be spent with a book.” Arthur Ashe

The second floor was interactive! We shot hoops in their gym. To keep with the theme of the day I shot from a special spot on the floor. Number 23, Freshman Michael Jordan, sank a jumper with 17 seconds left to give U of North Carolina the championship, so I shot from the spot he shot on the floor. It took me several shots, but I finally made it.

These spots are other great shots taken from the floor

Flinching at a 70-80 mile an hour tennis ball coming straight at you. It's the blur on the left of the screen.

Virtual soccer and football- I want one of these for our next house!

Faith gets ready to fence

Becca measures her vertical jump

The rest of the afternoon we spent with re-enactors playing baseball, a broom maker and blacksmith. The broom maker was kind enough to give me a cake tester- a bunch of sorghum tied together. I just break one off when I need to test a cake. We spent a long time with the blacksmith. The kids helped him create a dinner triangle and several crosses that they personalized with their names.

Faith cranking up the heat

Jacob striking while the iron is hot

Becca showing some muscle- making a dinner triangle

Personalizing a cross

Springfield- the city of Lincoln in the Land of Lincoln

We left the Chicago area and headed south to Springfield. Along the way we came to Normal. I was hoping for a sign so I could have one child pose in a Y and the other two in a B for Y B Normal, but alas, we did not find a sign. Rick thinks we didn’t find the town. I thought we ate lunch there, but he thinks it was Bloomington so we are not sure you can even get to Normal;)

Springfield was another great town with lots of history. Maybe I’m just an optimist. Or maybe all the places we’ve been to are great. I guess it’s like one of my favorite Lincoln quotes “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” We’re having a great adventure and learning everywhere we go.

In the little historical area where Lincoln’s home is located you can stroll down the streets, tour the only home he ever owned, play games from that era and watch videos in the visitor center. Two blocks away is the train depot where he gave his farewell address, his law office and the old state capitol where he served in the legislature and gave the "house divided" speech. The following night we went to his tomb where the 114th Infantry regiment performed the flag retreat. The group was dressed in period uniforms and it was very ceremonial with a 21 gun salute and a cannon that surprised many of us. Lincoln, his wife and his three young boys are all buried there. His eldest son lived to 83 and was buried at Arlington National cemetery at the request of his wife after serving as Secretary of War for Garfield and Minister to Britain for Harrision.

The only home Lincoln owned. Springfield, IL. He bought it as a one and a half story home for $1500 and added on to it as the family grew.

Becca and Jacob loved this game, but it was $26 in the gift shop.

The Old State Capitol where Lincoln served in the legislature, made his House Divided speech and laid in state

Flag retreat at the tomb of Lincoln

Rubbing Lincoln's nose for luck

At the Lincoln library we learned about the 256,000 soldiers from Illinois that fought in the civil war. Five thousand died in battle, another four thousand died from wounds and 22,000 died from illness/sickness. We saw the frightening surgery and amputation kits they used during the war. The north had the technology to survey the land in the south using hot air balloons and that helped them strategize.

Across the street the Lincoln museum was a wonderful representation of his life. You started out in a log cabin and walked through his life and into the white house. The country was literally and figuratively torn when he was president and it showed through walls and walls of editorial cartoons and quotes. There were state of the art movie theaters that made me feel like I was at Disneyland watching a 4D movie- the cannons firing during the war shook the room and even made smoke rings. They had a four minute civil war movie that displayed one week of the war per second with the north/south boundaries changing and the tally of the numbers lost going up.

Our family with the Lincolns in front of the White House

Faith playing house with the Lincoln dolls, Rick and the kids playing in the background. Rick enjoyed building with Lincoln logs also.

Things we learned that we didn’t know
Lincoln’s dog was named Fido

Mary dated his rival Stephen A Douglas

Douglas was known as the Little Giant standing at 5’4”

The plot to kill Lincoln involved also killing the Vice President and Sec of State the same night. The man that was supposed to kill the VP backed out and got drunk instead. The man to kill Seward stabbed him, but he couldn’t slit his throat because he was wearing a neck brace from an earlier injury.

They lost a son in Springfield just before he turned four, they lost another one in the White House. Mary then lost Abe and then a third child a few years later.

Neither Rick nor I learned this stuff in school. I think if they put this information in school kids would pay attention.

Faith brought us breakfast in bed to celebrate our 20th anniversary

We're on our way to Indiana and into the eastern time zone today.