Lessons to learn, Maybee

I'd volunteered to be a driver for the Girl's class field trip today, not so much out of the goodness of my heart but because I was curious to visit the destination.

The Maybee Farm, near Schenectady, was built some 300 years ago by Dutchman Jan Maybee, and remained in his family until the 1990s. It is now open as a historical attraction, with an excellent schools' programme. The Girl and her classmates, plus attending adults, were directed to the different features of the farm and given explanations by costumed interpreters. The kids got to try their hands at butter-making, visited a blacksmith who showed them how he made iron nails, were introduced to the fife, drum and firearms of the militia, and saw how a 17th Century colonial family would have lived. They also learnt about traditional wool processing and, incidentally, met a chihuahua in a knitted sweater.

There was also a presentation by a Native American who explained how much healthier his ancestors' lifestyle was compared to that of the European settlers, who even that long ago had a shockingly bad diet and had forgotten how to live harmoniously with their environment. Not much change there, alas, plus we did a pretty thorough job of wiping out the people that could have enlightened us.