A Day on the Farm

Though it was a COLD and BLUSTERY day, my sister, BIL and I took my niece to a nearby farm that offers special events during the fall, including hayrides, corn mazes and a plethora of other activities for kids. In the past we have always spent an afternoon at Epelgaarden. However, everything was on an accelerated schedule this year, and by the time they were able to clear a weekend, the apples were all gone. So, we decided to try Schuster's Farm this year. Here are a few pics from yesterday.

This is what the sky looked like all day--dense cloud cover that occasionally looked like it wanted to rain or snow, though no precipitation was forecast. The day's high was 48F, but felt much colder with sustained winds at 12mph and gusts up to 25mph. We had freeze warnings both early Satuday and Sunday mornings, as temps dipped below freezing overnight.

My niece, bundled up for the cold. Don't you love the Smurf hat? *g*

In the activity area, there were a variety of slides, a jumping pillow, barrel train, corn ball, and miniature golf--among other things.

Jumping pillow. I had never heard of or seen these before, but the kids loved it.

In the barnyard there were a variety of chickens (hens and roosters). There were also supposed to be ducks and turkeys, which we did not see.

We did see a donkey, two llamas, about a dozen goats, rabbits and some kittens.

View of a nearby farm.

Walking through one of the corn mazes. Notice how short and scraggly the corn is this year due to the drought. My sister is only 5 foot 2 inches and was taller than the corn in some places. Usually it should be well over all our heads and a lot denser.

Schuster's actually has three corn mazes. We only did the small and intermediate ones. The large one takes an hour to an hour and a half, and we were already quite cold by this time and getting hungry. We even skipped the hayride this year.

And, of course, there are pumpkins of all shapes and sizes available for purchase. One may also buy corn shocks, hay bales and decorative corn. Inside the farm store there are baked goods, caramel apples, and hot chocolate or cider. There is also a concession stand near the activity area.