Old Sturbridge Village -- July 9, 2011

I simply love that Dave gave me a membership to Sturbridge Village for my birthday. It's one of my favorite places to go. We made a few get-away trips here while back when we were living in New York; never in a million years would I have believed I'd actually be living only a few miles away just a few years later.

We like to come and take in a few different parts of the Village each time we visit. This was probably our third visit this year. I have to admit, it's always a thrill to just get that member sticker at the gate and not have to pay the $20-per-adult admission fee! (And I like the discounts whenever we buy anything!)

It was so pretty to see the field of flags as we arrived at the entrance to the museum ... these represent donations made by members so that underprivileged kids can come visit. Nice huh?

Yesterday we took in a few of the demonstrations. The interpreters were dying wool that had been spun from the sheep's wool they sheared in the spring.

They explained the process of creating the different dyes (some are made from vegetables such as beets, others are crushed up herbs and ... bugs -- yuck!) They soak the yarn in pots suspended over a low fire (don't want that water to boil as it agitates the fibers and causes the wool to "felt".)

We really enjoyed talking with the interpreter at the Fenno Textile Exhibit about how they used the fibers they spun and dyed to weave cloth for clothing, household cloths (diapers, dish cloths, etc.) as well as rugs and blankets. She showed us how they set up the loom, let us take a look at examples of patterns weavers used in the 1830s, and talked a bit about how someone would learn the craft of weaving and how they might make money from the craft.

We stopped at the Grant Store and Bake Shop for a few souvenirs and a very yummy Cranberry Oatmeal Walnut cookie.

Then off to the Bullard Tavern for a quick lunch. Loved some of the sights along the way ...

We loved the demonstration at the Saw Mill -- but it was a bit crowded when we were there. The interpreters explained how they used water power to get the saw to work, how they set up a log to be sliced, and then how the saw actually worked. They have to sharpen the blades after cutting about 600 linear feet of wood, so while one is in use, the other is being sharpened.

It was just a beautiful day to be out in the fresh air and sunshine. Here are a few more pictures from the day -- including one of the kiln that has recently been repaired after a very hard Massachusetts winter!

All in all -- it was a great visit! There's so much more that we want to see. There's going to be a Revolutionary War Reenactment in a few weeks that we're hoping to attend and I'd sure like to take another ride on the river.