It's Feast Day!

After intermittent rain all week, the skies cleared and the grounds dried quickly. 

Cars, trailers, and 21st century items were cleared away and Fort Ouiatenon became a place where you could go back 250 years and experience what life was like in a French outpost on the Wabash River.

Lisa, Leslie, and me in front of our trading tent before the grounds opened to the public.

Despite the high and fast waters, the French Voyageurs all landed safely and were ready to begin trading.

The grounds looked amazing - you can see the blockhouse in the back.

Leslie and Rick led the opening ceremonies procession around the grounds and up to the blockhouse. This fife and drum corps followed them, and then Lisa and I walked with two other women behind them. (My ears still ring from that bass drum!)

Following us were the Wea and Potawatomi Nations, and then seven more militia bands behind them, all of whom would speak or play during the opening ceremonies. 

When the procession arrived at the blockhouse, Lisa and I were introduced to Monsieur Yannick Tagand, Consul General of France (right) and his aide and then stood with them during the ceremonies. He joined Leslie at the podium and gave a speech midway through.

Honestly, the rest of the day passed in a blur. I spent a lot of time helping Rick sell merchandise and didn't get out to walk the grounds. 

Curt and his family dropped by to see us. Lukie was so overwhelmed at seeing Aunt Lisa and Grammy in such unusual outfits that he wouldn't talk to us! (You can barely see his head behind Mila.)

 

Former students dropped by, too! Brooke (left) is a civil engineer in Indianapolis, and Madeline teaches first grade in Lafayette. (She was also my aide when I taught SOAR after retirement - it is so much fun to have a former student as a colleague!) 

These sweet twins were in my very last class.

This guy wasn't in my class, but his mother was! She was my student teacher years ago. (And a really good one, too!)

The Feast is over and already the grounds have been cleared and Fort Ouiatenon is quiet again.

But echoes from the past will always remain. 

(Leslie and Cee in the late 1970s at the spot where the French Voyageurs brought their canoes in.)

The Feast: School Day

After anticipating The Feast of the Hunters' Moon for months and working "sew" hard to prepare, it finally happened. There's so much to share, I think the best thing to do is to break it down into a couple of blog entries. (I'll come back to our summer visit with Jessica, I promise!)

Today's is about Friday, the day teachers are invited to bring their classes out before the Feast officially opens. Participants are still setting up for Saturday and Sunday, but many volunteer to set up early, dress in their period clothing, and interpret the history of the time period for the students.

I volunteered to work Registration that day and got to see Lisa arrive with her class.

While there had been a lot of rain the previous week, the grounds weren't too muddy. The Wabash, however, had climbed its banks a bit and was very silty. Would it be dangerous when the French Voyageurs arrived on Saturday?

A man interpreting the French Voyageur life speaks to a class alongside his canoe.

Another French Voyageur who isn't presenting and is still setting up his site for the weekend.

Mary Bush, a member of the Potawatomi Nation who taught hoop games to the children. She's also representing her nation in the Miss Indian World pageant at the Gathering of Nations Powwow later this year.

After I finished working my shift at Registration, I met Leslie at the blockhouse and worked as her assistant the rest of the day. Lisa joined us for about fifteen minutes and Leslie gave us our instructions for the next day. 

We would be walking behind her in the procession of the militias and indigenous peoples as part of the opening and closing ceremonies. We needed to know where to stand when the march arrived at the blockhouse, when to give her her script, and when to take that script back before the procession marched away and the event officially began.

She also dropped some news that made us a little nervous - Yannick Tagand, Consul General of France, was coming down from Chicago to join us and would also be speaking. (Photo from Consulat General de France a Chicago.)

He would be standing with us during the opening and closing ceremonies. 

Alrighty, then! Take a deep breath, right?

Summer 2021: Visiting Jessica/Family Fun

After spending time in Iowa with Sarah's family, we headed west to Utah for a visit with Jessica and her family.

JC had helped me pick out some treats for Cambria and Titan when we shopped at the Stringtown grocery and what he suggested was a big hit!

One of my favorite things during our visit was having the kids join me at 7:00 (on the dot!) every morning in the basement. I blogged and they chatted.

While we were there, a windstorm down the mountain tossed the furniture around in  Jessica's pergola and blew ripening peaches off her trees.

It was a lovely place to sit and I spent time out there reading or with Jessica, Craig, Andrew and the kids just chatting.

Titan playing a little Hop on "BoomPop."

Reading to Cambria.

Jessica has a lovely open floor plan in her home.

We made stepping stones together, two for Cambria and Titan to keep, and two for us to take home for our stepping stone garden.

The pergola was the perfect place to work on them. (Cambria is on the patio choosing things to put on her stone.)

We even had enough leftover concrete to make a small family stone - everyone contributed a decoration and voted to write "Grammy 2021 Boompa" on it.

The stepping stones cured quickly in that dry mountain air 

and we were able to put them into the mulch around the pergaola before we went home.

We had a water fight after making the stones, but I can't find any photos of that as I write. I'll keep looking, so stay 'tooned!

Summer 2021: Visiting Sarah

 In July, Craig and I headed west to visit Jessica and Sarah. We stopped at Sarah's in Iowa City for a few days on our way across country. Here are some photos and highlights from that trip.

Something big happened for this guy while we were there.

He was ordained an elder by Craig and a counselor in his ward bishopric. Afterward, I was blessed to be the first person that JC ever gave a blessing to. That was a very special moment for us both.

It made me feel a little misty eyed to see my mother's cookie press used as part of Sarah's decor. Every single Christmas until she died, my mom made Spritz cookies with that cookie press.

Sarah and Todd's Green Bay Packers living room - lots of green in there!

Blue enjoying the doggie bed that Lisa sent over for her. (It was way too small for Nashie.)

Although it was hot, we went to the Farmers Market downtown and walked around.

Then we had dinner at the Iowa River Power Plant Restaurant, always one of our favorite places to eat when we are in town! (Trinity had to work so we brought some food home for her.)

We chilled with the dogs (Craig with Rhett)

and we went out to the Amish market and cheese factory in Stringtown.

Yeesh! Now that's a candy bar!!

Perhaps the best part was playing games as a family every evening.

The lowest score I have ever seen in Sky-Jo! Wow!

All too soon, it was time to get back on I-80 and head west.

But Sarah, JC, and Trinity were also hitting the road, too.

They were heading to Nauvoo to do some baptisms together.

Of course, they sent me at least one picture with horses in it.

We were sad to leave them, but happy knowing where they were. 

Next up? Utah and Jessica!!