Greenfield Village

Monday
While Roger was in at the plant today, I took myself off to Greenfield Village in Dearborn. Greenfield Village, together with the adjacent Henry Ford Museum form the nation's largest indoor-outdoor history museum complex. Based on his desire to preserve items of historical significance and portray the Industrial Revolution, the complex houses a vast array of famous homes, machinery, exhibits, and Americana. Nearly one hundred historical buildings were moved to Greenfield Village from their original locations and arranged in a "village" setting. The museum's intent is to show how Americans lived and worked since the founding of the country, thus the Village includes buildings from the 17th century to the present, many of which are staffed by costumed interpreters who conduct period tasks like farming, weaving and cooking. A collection of craft buildings such as pottery, glass-blowing, and tin shops provide demonstrations while producing materials used in the Village and for sale. The transportation system provides rides by horse-drawn omnibus, steam locomotive, a 1931 Model AA bus (one of about 15 left known to exist), and authentic Ford Model Ts. I was unsure whether to purchase a ticket just for Greenfield Village, or a combo ticket which includes the museum. I suspected there would be enough in the village to keep me occupied for the day, but I decided to play it safe and get the combo ticket - for one thing I thought I may be glad of some time in the air-conditioning later in the afternoon. However, it clouded over some later in the day, preventing it from feeling too hot, and as it was I could have done with more time in the village itself, so I never used that part of the ticket.
In the evening Roger and I ate with one of his visiting colleagues from Singapore, then finished up with a dip in the indoor pool and hot tub.

One year ago: Cheers to Dads!