A blast from the past

We've lived in Burnaby for ages and had never been to the Burnaby Village Museum or the adjoining carousel before last week. Consider this post a rousing endorsement for both!

Let me list the ways in which the carousel is awesome:

1. We were the only ones on it.
2. The ride is accompanied by a Wurlitzer Military Band Organ, which sounds like an entire band coming out of a single player!
3. It goes really, really fast. When they tell you to hold on with two hands, they mean it.
4. It was spared from destruction by amazing volunteers who've restored it to incredible beauty.
5. Once it was restored, the city of Vancouver had a chance to have it for $1...they turned it down.
6. The look on Abner's face once we started turning was priceless...sheer joy.

Abner chose to ride horse #8, Treasure. The ride operator commented that it was rare for a little girl not to choose the frilly pink and purple horses - that's my girl!

The whole museum was awesome with lots to see and do for all ages. We all agreed the tram was our favourite, but I also enjoyed the homemade butter samples at one of the houses! I'm actually thinking of trying my hand at making some of my own, but I'll go for an electric mixer (12 minutes) instead of the hand-cranked, glass churn jar (over half and hour!).

If you're tired of hearing your kids whine about how bored they are with all of their toys or that they don't want to do any chores, this is the perfect place to show them just how easy they have it these days. The museum interpreters are happy to tell stories of Burnaby in the 1920s and how kids often had to entertain themselves with nothing but a glass jar and a few clothes pegs...after they'd swept the entire house, hung the laundry, made their beds, helped in the garden and finished their homework, of course.