A Peek At Christmases Past

Here is that promised post about Yueltide In The Country! For those of you who may have gone on the tour this year or in previous years, you know the pictures don't do it justice. But for those of you who have not, well, here is a brief glimpse.

The tour starts with a little Christmas caroling:

The first stop is Foster-Tuft's house in 1830. At that time celebrating Christmas was considered pagan. And in the Foster's house, like many others, an argument erupts between the children who want to celebrate Jesus' birth, and the father who is firm in his belief that Christmas is wrong:

Next is the local mercantile in the 1840's. Christmas has become good for business....Christmas sales, Christmas sales, Christmas sales. And this small town shop keeper is trying to find better ways to advertise. One man suggests dressing up like Santa Claus, but at that time, that was considered beneath a gentleman's dignity:

From there the tour ends up in a local tavern/inn in the 1850's, and what commences is a major clash of opinions. By then, Christmas was on it's way to becoming a national holiday, and more and more traditions were being started. The Irish innkeeper feels that Christmas should be celebrated the old way, with parades and pubs and music in the city streets. But one of the guests wants to celebrate it the new way, with family, and a tree and presents, and reindeer that fly:

Next is the church during 1855. The reverend is giving a very convincing sermon on why the the church should take advantage of the Christmas celebrations and use them to educate the population as to the true meaning of Christmas:

After the church, the tour the moves to the Livingston-Backus house, in 1860. It is a festive scene, with the two daughters doing a pantomime of the story The Night Before Christmas. But at the end, a friend comes to share the bad news that South Carolina has seceded, and men will very likely be going off to war by springtime.

Next is the Town Hall. It's 1862, and many of the men are off at war. To keep their spirits up, the local families hold a party. But right in the middle of the evening, the local casualty list from the battle of Fredricksburg is brought in. Women weep as their husband's, fiance's, and brother's names are read as wounded or dead. One young lady is devastated, because she hasn't heard from her young man in weeks. At the very end, however, that young man shows up, and the two get to waltz.

From there the tour travels to another local inn, during the late 1860s. Traveling actors have become very popular, and a few are staying at the inn. Although many of the actors are claiming illness, two actresses are persuaded to give the tour a short skit. They perform the scene from A Christmas Carol where Belle releases Scrooge from their engagement because he loves money now more than he loves her. The two actresses use singing as well as acting, and do a very convincing job.

The last stop is the MacKay house in the 1870's. The lovely Scottish family invites to tour to join in on their Christmas celebrations. First is the lighting of the candles on the Christmas tree, while one of the ladies sings Oh Christmas Tree. Next, they show off their scrumptious dinner, including goose and a pig's head, but no hagus. Finally, they all do a jig while their son plays the bagpipes.

And that concludes the tour. Forty years of Christmas, and just a small glimpse of how it was celebrated. I was part of the Town Hall scene (no surprise, since they have the dancing!), and it was very enjoyable!

Here are some pictures of various things.

The whole group at Town Hall:

Some of the buildings at night. The village is so beautiful, covered in snow and lit by candles!

The snowman Theodore, who managed to survive that random warm Sunday!

Watching the scene at Livingston:

Oh such fun times.....times of laughter, and some times of sadness. Wonderful walks through the snow, lots of great dances, and a ton of waltzing. It was three weekends I will never forget!

A Photoshoot In 1862

I've spent a lot of time lately in the year 1862; it's almost more normal than 2010! The reason.......Genesee Country Museum's "Yueltide In The Country" program. My mom and I have spent our past two weekends at the village, acting out a scene which takes place in 1862. But, since we've been there so often, and have had some extra time, a friend and I couldn't resist taking the opportunity to use the houses for a photoshoot. Here are some of the best:

This one is a favorite. It looks very authentic to the time period.

Another favorite - I love the way that the pattern of the carpet shows so vividly.

My other favorite; the shadows and color is very intense.

Just to try something different - reading some sort of paper. Actually, it was a very sad story. Some young man named Harry was trying to gain his independence, so his uncle got him a place on a ship for four years. But, Harry had to leave before he had time to tell his beloved, Alice, that he was leaving, so as the ship sailed past their favorite spot, he could hear her crying.....

Check back next week for pictures from Yueltide!!!

Pumpkins And Mudcakes - An Off-road Adventure

     This past Saturday was another new experience for me; in fact, it was an experience and a half. Words cannot fully describe the awesomeness that was the Schmidt's Fourth Biannual Off-road Rally; thus, I have pictures.
     The day started with a shoot-out. Basically target practice, and a chance to play with their coolest guns. And I got to shoot some pretty cool ones!
     My weapons teacher hard at work:

Caleb the sniper. He shot the stem off a pumpkin from.....well, I don't the exact distance, but a really really long way away!

Then there is trap-shooting. Trying to see who can hit that orange disk flying through the air first:

Finally, the Bayonet Charge of the Blue Barrels. The soldiers returning victorious with their fallen enemies behind them:

Next, the off-road part began. Just a few of the vehicles lined up, ready to start:

And we were off! And this was only part of the caravan:

Part one was through the woods. Can't you see the trail? Don't worry, neither could I. But I was assured that there was a specific trail marked through there:

Part two was the small pit. Pretty much a muddy swamp. We made it through most of it, but we got very stuck in the deepest part. Yes, that it was you think it is; the water and mud is almost as high as the door, and no, the door is not at all close to the ground:

As we were waiting to be pulled out, the Beast (a.k.a. the Stump-Stomper Mark I) drove into view.....

.....and promptly stalled.

We did eventually get free, and then there was a picturesque moment with Sally (the car which I rode in). And this was right before I drove Sally, my first attempt at driving a stick-shift:

Part three was the Pit of No Return, and it is very apptly named. The muddiest duo, stuck:

On their first attempt through the pit, it took a train of three vehicles to pull them free. On their second try, it took a train of four to get them unstuck. Only one other vehicle tried to get through, and they, too, got stuck, requiring another train of three. Although not very good for driving through, this mud was perfect for playing with and making mudcakes!

     Part four, which I did not get pictures of, was another trail through the woods; only this time, there were large logs to drive over, and a ravine to stay out of. But it was fun.

     The rest of the evening was spent eating dinner and hanging out around a bonfire. It was quite an enjoyable day!!!

Back To Letchworth

     This past week has been incredible. I played volleyball, danced five times, and went the Genesee Country Museum twice. To top it all off, yesterday I went to Letchworth with some friends. It was tiring, but so much fun!!

Stop #1

 Daisies....my favorite!

Stop #2 - The Big Sycamoure. Can't you see it? It's that big green hump of a tree right in the middle of the picture!

Stop #3 - Lunch! Including squash soup and more laughter than was good for us!

Stop #4 - A quaint little bridge and coin-scavenging.

Caleb and Matthew......

The lovely Arianna.....

The guys.....searching for coins.

Stephen was so determined to get two dimes that he took off his socks and shoes!

Stop #5 - Too much fun with the "panorama" setting on Stephen's camera.....we spent more time playing around with that then looking at the views....thus I have only a few pictures!

I loved the stone walls everywhere!!

Perhaps my favorite picture of the day: vivid red leaves in front of the beloved Roseanne.....

Stop #6 - A momentous hike with too many stairs.

Our destination? That little bridge way off in the distance......

The guys......this time in deep contemplation.

The bridge again......after crossing it.

A caterpiller.....he looks so cute and friendly, but he's not. Apparently something on his yellow fuzz creates horrible itching if touched.

Stop #7 - Middle falls......

An awesome old building which has been converted into a restaraunt...

Stop #8 - Final stop, upper falls.

And that concluded our trip to Letchworth!