This fair week did not disappoint. It was a bit rainy on a few of the days, but we were able to time it pretty well to not be at the fair during the heavier rain times. We were also super thankful we had a nice warm and dry camper to sleep in (Thanks Uncle Jon!). We spent time with the animals, watching lots of pulls and throws, and even had a little fun on the rides the last day. Noah has been saving his money since last year to be able to take a helicopter ride at the fair and he was thrilled with this experience.
Amazingly, James got chosen to participate in the pig scramble this year. That makes our kids lucky enough to get to participate 3 out of 3 years they have entered! He caught a pig, but for the first time we had him sell it back to the farmer. He wasn't too disappointed since he had $40 in his pocket, but he was the only kid who didn't keep his pig so I felt a little guilty about it. We really need a winter without pigs, it is just so much work shoveling and keeping them during the winter. We are also planning a trip in a few weeks where the kids and I will be gone for about 3 weeks which is too long to ask someone to watch them:)
We spent more time in the exhibit halls and museums that we have in previous years (probably because of the rain!). As a result we all learned some really neat things. We spent some time learning about Native American culture/history, participating in an indoor nature hunt, exploring about animal poop, learning the history of singer sewing machines, and finally learning upholstery from a kind woman who spent lots of time teaching and answering all of the questions from our kids.
We spent Tuesday afternoon going into North Conway to check out the Mount Washington Observatory science center. I had been eyeing this place for a few years, but never had a chance to explore it. Next week we are taking a field trip to Mount Washington on the Cog Railway so this was our chance to learn before we went. I really couldn't say enough awesome things about this place. We spent quite a while learning about weather science, solar power, and wind both in general and specific to the research center on the top of Mount Washington. The best part by far though was when we got a private talk with a meteorologist at the Mount Washington weather station via webcam. He taught us all about the different instruments they use, what they track, and so many other really cool things about his job and what they do there. It was pretty amazing to get to directly ask him questions. Noah actually enjoyed this so much he is thinking of perusing a career in meteorology:)
We were so happy Gabe got to be with us at the fair for the whole time this year and can't wait to come back next year!
Amazingly, James got chosen to participate in the pig scramble this year. That makes our kids lucky enough to get to participate 3 out of 3 years they have entered! He caught a pig, but for the first time we had him sell it back to the farmer. He wasn't too disappointed since he had $40 in his pocket, but he was the only kid who didn't keep his pig so I felt a little guilty about it. We really need a winter without pigs, it is just so much work shoveling and keeping them during the winter. We are also planning a trip in a few weeks where the kids and I will be gone for about 3 weeks which is too long to ask someone to watch them:)
We spent more time in the exhibit halls and museums that we have in previous years (probably because of the rain!). As a result we all learned some really neat things. We spent some time learning about Native American culture/history, participating in an indoor nature hunt, exploring about animal poop, learning the history of singer sewing machines, and finally learning upholstery from a kind woman who spent lots of time teaching and answering all of the questions from our kids.
We spent Tuesday afternoon going into North Conway to check out the Mount Washington Observatory science center. I had been eyeing this place for a few years, but never had a chance to explore it. Next week we are taking a field trip to Mount Washington on the Cog Railway so this was our chance to learn before we went. I really couldn't say enough awesome things about this place. We spent quite a while learning about weather science, solar power, and wind both in general and specific to the research center on the top of Mount Washington. The best part by far though was when we got a private talk with a meteorologist at the Mount Washington weather station via webcam. He taught us all about the different instruments they use, what they track, and so many other really cool things about his job and what they do there. It was pretty amazing to get to directly ask him questions. Noah actually enjoyed this so much he is thinking of perusing a career in meteorology:)
We were so happy Gabe got to be with us at the fair for the whole time this year and can't wait to come back next year!
