Strawberries & Patios
On Sunday, the three of us went strawberry picking with Genevieve & Jim out at Aufdenkampe Family Farm in Vermillion. We pulled in around 10:20am and wandered around the strawberry field for a good hour filling up our buckets. The weather was pretty much perfect, with enough clouds to keep the sun off and temperatures just right. M and I took turns wrangling Birdie while everyone else picked strawberries and chatted. It was the opening weekend of the strawberry season, and we were mostly alone in the field.
Birdie had a great time. It took her a bit to understand the concept, but soon enough she started tugging strawberries off of vines. Some she dropped, some that were green or otherwise unsuitable were taken away from her, but we let her stuff some of the ripe ones in her mouth. Soon enough her face, hands and clothes were covered in strawberry juice. It was a glorious, adorable mess. I was particularly amused by the strawberry stain on her butt where she plopped down to sit and landed on a ripe berry.
When I was kid, my mother had strawberries in the garden, which were covered by a net in a usually futile attempt to keep the birds from claiming them. There was never very many of them, and my mother did most of the picking. I seem to vaguely recall going berry picking once as kid for something that grows on taller bushes like blackberries or raspberries, but I can't tell you if that was in North Dakota or somewhere else or if it even happened at all. In short, I don't have a lot of experience going berry picking, but I had a fine time doing it this time around.
After we paid for our pickings and cleaned up Birdie, the five of us reconvened at the Brew Kettle in Amherst a few miles away. The restaurant has a very large patio that you can enter without going through the building, so we hooked Birdie's portable high chair to the table and enjoyed a nice meal out. This was our first non-takeout restaurant meal since March 7, 2020, ending that streak at 816 days. Our streak of not eating INSIDE a restaurant continues.
Of more interest, this also means that the Brew Kettle was Birdie's first meal at a restaurant. In addition to the food we brought in with us (mostly goldfish crackers and mandarin oranges), she had most of a kids order of macaroni and cheese and a few french fries. She also tried out a dill pickle slice. She was very cooperative and chill throughout the meal. After Birdie practiced her high fives with Genevieve & Jim, we headed toward home. Birdie managed to stay awake the whole way and passed out pretty thoroughly upon our return.
It was a very good day. Many thanks to Genevieve and Jim for suggesting strawberry picking. We may have to go pick other berries and fruits later this summer. In the meantime, we've got all sorts of strawberries in our fridge and freezer!
Birdie had a great time. It took her a bit to understand the concept, but soon enough she started tugging strawberries off of vines. Some she dropped, some that were green or otherwise unsuitable were taken away from her, but we let her stuff some of the ripe ones in her mouth. Soon enough her face, hands and clothes were covered in strawberry juice. It was a glorious, adorable mess. I was particularly amused by the strawberry stain on her butt where she plopped down to sit and landed on a ripe berry.
When I was kid, my mother had strawberries in the garden, which were covered by a net in a usually futile attempt to keep the birds from claiming them. There was never very many of them, and my mother did most of the picking. I seem to vaguely recall going berry picking once as kid for something that grows on taller bushes like blackberries or raspberries, but I can't tell you if that was in North Dakota or somewhere else or if it even happened at all. In short, I don't have a lot of experience going berry picking, but I had a fine time doing it this time around.
After we paid for our pickings and cleaned up Birdie, the five of us reconvened at the Brew Kettle in Amherst a few miles away. The restaurant has a very large patio that you can enter without going through the building, so we hooked Birdie's portable high chair to the table and enjoyed a nice meal out. This was our first non-takeout restaurant meal since March 7, 2020, ending that streak at 816 days. Our streak of not eating INSIDE a restaurant continues.
Of more interest, this also means that the Brew Kettle was Birdie's first meal at a restaurant. In addition to the food we brought in with us (mostly goldfish crackers and mandarin oranges), she had most of a kids order of macaroni and cheese and a few french fries. She also tried out a dill pickle slice. She was very cooperative and chill throughout the meal. After Birdie practiced her high fives with Genevieve & Jim, we headed toward home. Birdie managed to stay awake the whole way and passed out pretty thoroughly upon our return.
It was a very good day. Many thanks to Genevieve and Jim for suggesting strawberry picking. We may have to go pick other berries and fruits later this summer. In the meantime, we've got all sorts of strawberries in our fridge and freezer!