Dudley Farm

So it's taken me a little bit longer to post the pictures from Dudley Farms than I had planned, okay, a LOT longer, but here they are. Friday after Thanksgiving we went to an old farm built in the 1800's that was packed with fun! Old fashion fun that is! Grinding corn, feeding turkeys, pumping water, hand washing clothes, chasing butterflies, catching grasshoppers, smelling roses, collecting acorns and the such. Doing all of this outdoors on beautiful land with beautiful weather made it all the more fun. We even got to take a walk and hear the autumn sound of the crunching leaves under our feet while watching the leaves peacefully falling from the oaks. This was something I was longing to do and it truly felt great!

There is something special about going back in time, back to a time of living simply that I simply love! Something about it gets my heart pumping. The older I get, the more I'm falling in love with things from the past. Anything with a vintage or antique flair seems to grab my attention these days, and secretly I giggle inside knowing that as I age, I grow more and more like my mom. Or mama as we say it on the farm! If only my mama could have been with us to see how much her 5 grandchildren loved life on the farm.














{Fletch was still snoozing in the truck at this point}


Oh how I wanted to load this rocking chair in the back of the truck and bring it home with me.

Notice I take a whole lot more pictures the princess than I do of the princes? G is always the one with a ready smile whenever she sees me hold up my camera. The boys rarely have a second to spare for me. And the big difference is that she actually loves having her picture taken. The boys just cooperate when they feel like gaining brownie points!








{my cousin kim explaining how the mule driven sugar cane grinder works to her son dillon and fletch, gracie, ava, kaya and colt. they actually still use this!}

{I loved all the old photographs and also wouldn't mind bringing the piano either. not that I could play it or anything.}



{gracie and ava seeing how the youngest children and baby slept in the parents bedroom. don't get any ideas girls! the dudley family raised 8 girls and 4 boys in this small little farmhouse. go dudley's!}





















{me getting a corn lesson. don't quite remember what it was called. I was focused on not loosing a finger! I do remeber hearing that they used the corn husk as their TP though. I wonder if theirs came in an extra soft quilted version?}



{This man who was in a movie with Drew Barrymore said Gracie looks like a little Drew. Who knew!}




{kaya grinding corn}




{one lucky turkey who survived another thanksgiving}










{dillon's such a handsome boy!}




{daddy and son observing butterflies}

If we lived closer, I could see us spending a lot of time on this farm. Sadly due to the 2009 budget cuts, they are considering temporarily shutting down Dudley Farm. Do you think they'd let us come take over for a bit? I'd love to! We could be like the Little House on the Praire! Oh that would be great!