Harvest Festival

Last week we went to a harvest festival a few miles outside Little Rock. It was a little like the State Fair in that there was admission to be paid, then carnival-type food to buy, and other activities and things to pay for separately (with Harvest Bucks, just like ride/food tickets at the fair) but much more low-key and beautiful than the State Fair. Don't get me wrong, lights and garish rides and air-brushed t-shirts have their own kind of beauty, but this was more up my alley.

Jason spent some time showing Violet how to skip stones.

There was a banjo and fiddle (Pickin' an' Fiddlin') contest going on. We had great seats across the lake from the performers. We could hear the music perfectly but still sit in the shade to eat our food.

Violet didn't want any of the food items that were on offer for lunch until we spotted apples that were destined to be caramel coated. I think if she'd known that the caramel was an option she would've gone for that but, in her ignorance, she was perfectly satisfied with the gigantic (plain) apple. And some kettle corn later on...

There was a hay maze.

And a hayride, during which Violet offered me some kettle corn. We all ate a ton.

It was a lovely way to spend a beautiful Fall day.

State Fair

Field Trip

Violet had her first school field trip this week and I had my first experience as school field-trip chaperone. I'm not sure that title is merited since Violet was my one and only charge - kids under four had to be accompanied by a parent - but it felt like a milestone of some kind. It was definitely nice to spend a little more time than I normally have to see and interact with some of the kids and parents at her school.

The people at the pumpkin patch had an impressive lineup of activities for the kids. First we watched some pig racing: 

Then there was a hayride but I didn't get any pictures of that because the wagon was crowded and there wasn't a good opportunity. After that the kids got to feed farm animals that must not do much of anything besides interact with small children - chickens and mini goats and maybe a mini donkey.

There was a cow train: 

Violet, mid-wave

 And then some clambering on a play structure made mostly out of hay after the cow train:

Violet seemed a little confused by the field-trip aspect of the adventure; she kept pointing kids out and telling me they went to her school. She also asked why we went to her school before and after the pumpkin patch so I'm not entirely sure that she knows it wasn't just an adventure for the two of us that happened to put us in the same place as a lot of people she already knew. I do know that she definitely wants to go back.