friday outing
The kids have Fridays off school, so we went swimming in the morning, then headed to Nederland. There are lots of fun things to do in Ned (besides the grow shops, of course). 🙂 We hit the gem store, the health foods co-op, and the Rustic Moose gift shop.
On our way through town we saw that the Mining Museum was open, and decided to check it out. For a mountain museum, it is actually pretty cool. There are lots of everyday tools and things miners used.
This whole area first drew folks (settlers and miners) for its gold. But it was even richer in silver, and in the end tungsten was mined more than anything else. This is a map of mining claims for Black Hawk. Each rectangle is a claim.
And this is Central City. There was nothing BUT mining claims there!
Tungsten is used in steel manufacturing, and makes up the filaments in tungsten bulbs. The black and gold pieces here are tungsten, and the one on the lower right is mica.
These are blacksmithing tools. There were lots of work opportunities for blacksmiths at the mines. It’s wild, but modern blacksmith tools still look the same today. (Right, Papa?) I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The kids had to guess what these objects were. There was a set of scales, a crucible, a lamp, a lunchbox, an oil headlamp, and lead balls for grinding rock.
They guessed everything and each got a postcard for a prize.
Next stop: Carousel of Happiness!
If you ever come to visit Nederland, you have to ride the carousel. It’s the best carousel ever, and it’s only a dollar a ride. All the animals are hand-carved by a single artist.
“Somewhere Else” is the newest display in the carousel room. It has been shrouded in plastic for a very long time as the artist worked on it, and this is the first time we’ve seen it unveiled. The kids liked the human leg best (see it?)
We each took two rides, then headed to Blue Owl Boutique for…
ICE CREAM!
Blue Owl is a bookstore, and it also has the best ice cream. Not that I would know–sugar makes my head spin, so I stay far away from ice cream. But the kids say it’s good, and it sure looks good.
Mmm-hm. This is one tired boy.
He was more interested in the resident kitty than his ice cream.
No problem–Caleb helped him out. Caleb can usually eat his own and everyone else’s leftovers (no matter what kind of food it is). We call him our human trash compactor…we’re just not sure where it all goes.
After Blue Owl, we headed to Boulder for the rest of the day. We saw this bumper sticker when we got into town, hehee. We walked around Target for while and then got snacks and drinks at Vitamin Cottage. By then it was pouring rain, so we headed home to our small but weird county.
We sure miss Dadda, but it was a good, full day. Zia said it was the best day of her life. 🙂 Swimming, ice cream, the carousel, and three small purchases from the gem store and Target are enough to make it the best day of anyone’s life, right? Right.
Looks super fun! The ice cream, museum, bumperstickers, carousel …. awesome! Somewhere Else looks incredible. All is well in New York City! Working working and more working oh and there’s working in between a steak here or there 🙂 Shmoochies and Huge HUGS to all /:O)
Small but weird, that’s about right Hah
That looks like a super fun field trip. The bumper sticker is awesome! I love that you are self-aware enough to know sugar makes your head spin. How long have you been off sugar? I’m learning there are more & more “common foods” that I just can’t tolerate, but it’s crazy how difficult it is to change a dietary habit – especially when we’re so used to convenience, isn’t it? Slowly, slowly, as it goes. I’ve given up gluten & am coming off dairy. Wow, that was a tangent! Thanks so much for sharing your lovely trip with us! Have a great weekend!
Hi Julie!
I have been wary of refined sugar for probably about 20 years now, but it took me a little longer to realize that natural sugars affect me just about as badly. Now I’m finding that even whole wheat flour has caused me the same type of problems, even though it is supposed to be so unrefined. I’m leaning more and more toward a diet rich in fats and proteins rather than lots of carbs. That’s so good you’ve given up gluten. So hard, since it’s in so many things! Thanks for stopping by–your blog is awesome!
WHAT A FUN FILLED, INTERESTING DAY. IS THAT A BELLY I SEE ON YOU CALEB? LOL YOU ALL LOOK AWESOME.. SO THATS WHERE ALL THE FOOD GOES!!!!
BY THE WAY, CALEB, REALLY COOL SUNGLASSES!!!!
Another awesome day out! You guys are really making the most of your summer 🙂
Thought those mining maps were really interesting. So many claims!
Love the bumper sticker too – l think we’re all a little weird, aren’t we? 😉