Pictured above: A Photo of the cutest Donkey in the world and a photo of Jenny feeding "Star," Ms. Balke's pet cow!
DATE:
9/17/13
DATE:
9/17/13
An Overview of the Project
I decided to tag along with Jenny when she said that she was going to visit her high school teacher's farm. Susan Balke from Cy-Fair High School lives in Industry, Texas and her family owns three farm lands and an old, closed-down neighborhood shop.
We didn't really got to actually feed the animals, haul water, or ride horses as we hoped, but Ms. Balke had us play with the animals. For the cow (named "Star"), we got to feed her treats and threw her some hay for her to eat. We also got to feed three goats from Ms. Balke's sister's place.
During the drive, we pulled over to where there were cows and donkeys. Only one donkey walked up to us, so as we played with the donkey that came up to us, the cows started to get up from the laying positions while two other donkeys started to walk to us. Jenny became fond of the first donkey that approached us and the donkey seemed very fond of us. Jenny was fascinated by how soft its ears were.
We also got to stop by to greet a horse... but not ride it...
Ms. Balke then proceeded to drive us around Industry to show us "the first post office west of Galveston" built in 1838, an old cemetery full of people who first lived in Industry (most people were German), and the Welcome Hall that was built in 1899.
After driving around Industry and coming back to her home, Ms. Balke took us inside the barn and house to show us some special objects that used to belong to her grandparents. These things included old farm tools (including a meat grinder...), phone, sewing machine, lantern, jar (for grease and butter), and a hand-made German lamp cover that represent Ms. Balke's family's homeland in Germany.
My Thoughts About the Visit
Even though I didn't get to ride any horses or haul any water, I got to play with some farm animals while exploring the History of Industry. This portion of the project went from one objective to another. Being able to see the history of a small community is something I have never done before, so to be able to learn about this community with Ms. Balke and Jenny was an interesting one.
On a side note of interesting things, Ms. Balke also told us how Sundays were the days to listen in on the phone because after Sunday services, the ladies tend to get on the phone and talk. At this time, anyone can listen in to a conversation between two people because the whole area share one line. For the men, going to the local pub is their method of "hearing news" in the community.
On a side note of interesting things, Ms. Balke also told us how Sundays were the days to listen in on the phone because after Sunday services, the ladies tend to get on the phone and talk. At this time, anyone can listen in to a conversation between two people because the whole area share one line. For the men, going to the local pub is their method of "hearing news" in the community.
Overall, I enjoyed this private tour of Industry and I look forward to visiting the area again when I go to Brenham for a Blue Bell Creameries Tour!