Day Trip; Road Trip

AG Trip

We have a lovely extended family in the AG Trippers.  The group gets together about four times a year.  

We usually miss the fall one because we're in Coolspring, but the ones we do attend are always a blast!

The latest is coming up in April and we haven't shared July and January with you!  So we wanted to do that today!

July 2024

This time Lanie went along.  It was right around the Summer Olympics so we dressed for the US and Paris.

We saw a chipmunk at Nonna's!  Then headed south.

When we got to Tyson's Corner we were a little hungry so we found Capital Musubi.  It was delicious!

Then we were off to the AG bistro for the big party! This is the time when we get to photo dump a little bit.  (giggles)

January 2025

Back to Tyson's Corner with a new plan!  Meet at the food court then shop at AG.  Kaya went along.  Her first trip to visit the Trippers. 

We found Boba right away.  The menu was fun.  We ordered a Matcha Bubble Milk Tea and an Aurora Lemon Lychee konjac bubble refresher.

The matcha was a bit powdery and she forgot the purple part of the lemon, but both very tasty.

Celebration time!  

Arrived at AG.  What a fun parade we were from the food court to the store!

Who do you think will accompany Melody in April?

*Tea Time with Melody Q and the AG Trippers are not sponsored with American Girl.  

Brainstorming Session 1

Event Planning

Our favorite spot to hang out in town is Chibi Cafe Co.  We've met other friends similar to us there and it is fun to chat with them.  One day Leader Chibi approached us to see if we may want to help plan an event for fellow Chibi enthusiasts.  Of course, we said yes!  So a few weeks ago Xyra took us to meet up with Nonna and Trinity to start the process.  

We ordered Boba tea and cho bites.  Super tasty brain food.  

We established a date - August 3, 2025 and started to discuss what we'd like to have available and do that day.

Look for future brainstorming session updates and details on the event. 

For now, if you are in or near Southeastern PA and East Greenville, mark your calendar and SAVE the DATE for a meet up.  

Thank you for stopping by.  Come again soon.  Don't forget to follow us and our community page on Facebook.

#ChibiCafeCo

Tina Looks Back in Time

Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

Hi, all!  You've seen it before, usually  in August or September, our visit to the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival.  The festival authentically, as possible, demonstrates home skills and trades from the 18th and 19th centuries - that's the 1700s and 1800s - from the Pennsylvania Dutch in the Goschenhoppen region of Southeastern PA.  This geographic region is north and west of Philadelphia, so Addy Walker could very well have encountered these people and their skills.

This past August I donned a 19th century styled outfit and ventured to the festival.  I wanted to see what Addy may have experienced and known how to do.  Here is what I saw and learned.

You already know that Xyra demonstrates churning butter, so the first thing we did was to set up the butter demonstration.  At first we started out with a small table, we were figuring out how to make it work.

Then, as everyone was checking on the demonstrations, we were offered a larger table.  "We'll take it!"  So much better!

Then the ice man came around.  I remember reading in Happy Birthday, Addy that Addy's Poppa hauled ice.  The illustration was very like the wagon at the festival.  The ice man gave us ice for storing the butter.

I tried my hand at churning.  It went well, but I was grateful for assistance from other visitors.

Then we went exploring.

At the stage I found a lovely flower box and the sandwich board announcing the morning concert.  

I have to tell you, the folk festival grounds are split by a road.  The road is like a time machine.  On one side are all the home skills and trades for the 18th century and on the other 19th century.  These next sites are all 18th century.

Nearby was the printer and his printing press.  Printers would print flyers, leaflets, newspapers, and books! 

The wood carver had many little birds.  They are distelfinks - a stylized gold finch - but the lovely colored birds reminded my of Addy's parakeet, Sunny.  Which bird is your favorite?

Redware is a popular type of pottery in this region.  This lovely vase is filled with beautiful yellow flowers. 

On the other side of the Antes House garden we found the textile skills.  This is a type of ribbon.  It is used on straw hats and as ties in all the women's clothes and the closure for aprons, skirts and short gowns.  I'm not sure Addy's mother would have used ribbon like this or not.  Perhaps for some but not for others. 

Straw hats protect from the sun.  At this demonstration they show the different types of straw plaits used in hat making.  Addy wears a lovely straw hat in her books.  Hers is a different shape.  The ones made at the festival are wide brimmed that set on top of a woman's or girl's cotton bonnet. 

These woven domes are bee hives. 

These are two remedies.  I'm not sure what the sumac lemonade was used for; however, the other is clearly a cough medicine.  If you didn't live near the druggist, you learned how to use the local herbs and flora to make remedies.

What a darling cradle!  This would be perfect for Addy's Ida Bean.  Although, she's not really a baby doll.  Every doll needs a bed.  The young women at this demonstration teach visitors how to make tow dolls.  These are cloth dolls made from scraps, stuffed with leftover flax tow fibers, then sewn shut.  We have one at home.  Her name is Linney. 

The food was wonderful!  My favorites were the chicken bot boi (aka pot pie) and apple butter. 

Just next to our butter demonstration were the pastimes and games.  This girl tried walking on stilts.  This is a popular past time!  Addy's Poppa made her stilts in Happy Birthday, Addy. 

I had such a good time learning about the skills and trades of the Pennsylvania Dutch in the Goschenhoppen region north and west of Philadelphia.  I don't know if Addy Walker or any of her family ventured outside of Philadelphia, but I know some of the wares from this area, like our butter, made it to the markets in the city.  

I hope you enjoyed my adventure.  Maybe I'll go again this August and have more to show you.  What would you want to know about?

Which is your favorite photo?

Have you read the Addy Walker books by Connie Porter and illustrated by Dahl Taylor.  I'm going to re-read them before the end of the month!

Thank you for stopping.  Come visit with us again soon!

Best wishes!

#GoschehoppenHistorians

#GoschenhoppenFolkFestival