All summer long we have been watching the corn grow in some nearby fields. I love to watch the corn grow and ripen, as it's such a visible sign of the passing of summer. (This started when we lived in Dover, and I clocked so many miles driving the rural country roads of Southern Delaware and Eastern Maryland.) Without any prompting from me, last spring David became obsessed with watching corn, starting when we first saw the little green shoots pushing their way through the soil. By June he was already talking about the harvest--in particular, combines. Every time we drove past those fields, which was many times a week, he wanted to know if the corn was big enough to cut with a combine yet. As I mentioned, this started back in June. So it was a long, long summer of watching the corn grow, waiting and waiting for those combines to appear in the fields. Alas, harvest season is finally upon us, and, after months of obsessing about combines, we are beginning to see them with frequency, and a dream came true--David got to ride on a combine!!
Some good friends, Dave and Rebekah, invited us up to their extended family's farm near Sidney, Ohio, with the intent to let the kids ride on the combine with Uncle Larry. We were a few weeks early for corn, so David and his friend Clara got to help Uncle Larry harvest soy beans. Needless to say, David was very excited, and jumped at the chance to climb up the combine and go for a ride. (I have to admit that I jumped at the chance to go with him! Luckily, Greg was under impressed with the combine. But this city girl was giddy with excitement. Farming is a mystery to me, and I couldn't wait to talk to Uncle Larry. Among other things, I learned: soy beans have only been a crop for the past 40 years, which is really recent in the history of agriculture, and, as such, they have never been harvested by hand, only with heavy machinery; in the past soy beans were grown solely for animal feed, and it's only in the last few years that they've begun to be used in everything from plastics and beauty products to frying oil and diesel; Proctor & Gamble is a big buyer of soy beans--for their health and beauty products; a farm is about 1000 acres per family, so if there are 3 siblings farming full-time, then the farm is probably about 3000 acres big; what you've heard on the news about the demand for corn and soy beans going way up is definitely true; the crop is sold at an "elevator"--this is where it leaves the farmer's possession--and there it is processed, sold to big buyers, and shipped out on trucks and trains. So now you know too. By the way, riding in a combine is really cool, sitting high up and watching those huge blades turn.)
As fun as riding in the combine was, David had even more fun watching Clara in the combine. Then he could see the combine in action. He was especially excited when the combine came back to empty its tank into the big trucks. He was so happy that he was shouting for joy and dancing a jig (which you can see in the third picture down).
After our big combine adventure, we headed to downtown Sidney to eat at the famous spot, The Spot, for hamburgers. Even the current President Bush has eaten there. (In fact, I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and onions, and was informed that what I had ordered was termed the "George W. Bush Burger." You can imagine the momentary horror on my face. At least he and I can agree on what should go on a hamburger!) As out-of-towners with two hyper kids and two babies in tow, we were quite the spectacle for the locals, who gawked with open mouths at our bouncing, laughing children. By the time we left, our side of the restaurant had completely cleared out. I can't blame them! But we enjoyed our burgers and, even more, the pie. Yum!We spent the night at Dave's parents' big, old, beautiful farm house. (Come on, don't we all dream about owning a big, beautiful, unique, old--but conveniently updated--house?) It was a fabulous house. We built a fire in the backyard and made s'mores while the kids ran around like crazy chickens. I'm sad this is the only picture of Clara and David that I managed to get because they were playing so well together. They were adorable.
Not to be outdone by her brother, Mary joined in the fun too.
Mostly Mary was on a mission to eat the rotten (really rotten!) apples that had fallen to the ground. It never ceases to amaze me the gross stuff she sticks in her mouth. But she sure is cute!
After harvesting (which is dusty business) and wrestling in the backyard, David and Clara were filthy, so into the bath they went, together (sorry, Future David, for humiliating you with this fact), where the fun continued. Then off to bed, and despite David's pleas otherwise, this is where the friends parted ways until morning.
Not to be outdone by her brother, Mary joined in the fun too. 
Mostly Mary was on a mission to eat the rotten (really rotten!) apples that had fallen to the ground. It never ceases to amaze me the gross stuff she sticks in her mouth. But she sure is cute!
After harvesting (which is dusty business) and wrestling in the backyard, David and Clara were filthy, so into the bath they went, together (sorry, Future David, for humiliating you with this fact), where the fun continued. Then off to bed, and despite David's pleas otherwise, this is where the friends parted ways until morning.I think the best part was after the kids went to bed, and Greg and I sat outside in the chilly fall night, huddled around a warm fire, talking with friends. We had a marvelous time, and we are grateful to Dave and Rebekah for inviting us, and for Dave's parents' warmly welcoming us into their home. Dave's mom even sent us on our way with a jar of homemade raspberry-peach jam! This was a trip to the farm that will not soon be forgotten!
