Summer Bounty

Here are some pictures of this year's garden 

(and a really good garden helper).

The garden, mid-June

Sunflowers with a blue sky

A particularly striking sunflower

Thomas holding the gourd plant that I won at the ALHFAM conference auction.
The seedling was donated to the auction by Karen Becker of the Museum of American Frontier Culture,
who received seeds directly from Africa for the West African village site at her museum.
 (The seeds are not available commercially in the USA).  The gourd grows into the shape of a large bottle with very thick skin and is traditionally used as a water carrier. 

Thomas with freshly picked wild blackberries.
I was so proud of Thomas this year.  He stayed with me until we had filled our bowls.
 The first time I took him blackberry picking (when he was two), he sat in the middle of the field and cried.

Thomas holding a scallop squash with the HUGE plants in the background

Thomas with "Mr. Potato Head"

Thomas in his farming clothes, with walking stick (sword) in hand
and Williamsburg straw hat on head.

Thomas helping Mamaw break "October" beans

Thomas with a platter of tomatoes--Cherokee Purple, Black Krim,
Pink Bumblebee, and Mountain Magic--and Mexican sour gherkins
(the little green balls in the corner)

Thomas with our yield of dried cannellini beans.
Organically controlling bean beetles continues to be my greatest gardening challenge.
These little devils particularly like bush beans (like cannellinis),
and they make it particularly difficult to keep plants alive until beans are mature enough to harvest.
 This year was the first year I actually accomplished this task--but just barely.

Fresh ingredients for minestrone soup

Thomas and the Soldier

Here is the video of Thomas's musket firing lesson with a 17th century English soldier, portrayed by Willie Balderson of Colonial Williamsburg.

Family at Williamsburg

Lance and Thomas joined me at the end of the conference for a family trip to Williamsburg/Jamestown.  The heat index exceeded 110 on one day, which makes me thankful to live in East Tennessee. Here are pictures of some of our adventures.

Lance and Thomas at the Yorktown Victory monument

Thomas making a clay pot at Jamestowne

The family with Pocohantas

Thomas at the newly discovered Jamestowne church.
The identities of the four people buried in the chancel will be revealed later this month, so stay tuned!

Thomas with ALHFAM member Willie Balderson portraying a 17th century soldier and friend of Capt. John Smith.  Hands down, this was the most exciting part of the day, and one of the best first-person interpretations that I have ever seen at a museum. Willie gave Thomas a lesson on loading and firing a musket--and even let him keep the musket ball!  (Video of the lesson will be posted soon.)

Thomas peeking down the cistern at Great Hopes Plantation.  

Lance and Thomas helping stack the wheat at Great Hopes.

Lance and Thomas in the Governor's Palace gardens

Thomas beside a "pretty" flower

Thomas and Lance at the Governor's palace smokehouse
(Thomas requested that he be in a picture with "the meat")

Thomas helping head CW gardener, Wes Greene, draw water from the well

Thomas putting the water into the HUGE watering tub

Thomas watering a newly planted aster

Thomas picking a "White Wonder" cucumber

Thomas (with cucumber) and Mr. Greene.
Helping Mr. Greene in the garden was a real treat.
Thomas says he wants to be a "historic gardener" for Halloween.
I'm not making this up!

Interesting postlude:  I came to the conference with a slice on my hand and left with a shiner on my jaw.  I wish I could say the bruise was the result of me chasing a runaway horse, but alas, the cause was nothing that heroic.  The accident occurred in the hotel swimming pool when Lance and I were tossing Thomas back and forth.  Somehow, Thomas's head hit my jaw instead of the water.