Great, gorgeous independence

We had a wonderful Fourth of July. Our dear friends were up from Pennsylvania to join us on our annual pilgrimage to Brown's Berry Patch. That's about a 45-minute drive from Rochester, which is significant around here because we're spoiled with getting anywhere within 20 minutes. Waterport is midway between Rochester and Buffalo, out in the middle of nowhere. It not only has great cherries and strawberries and raspberries and blueberries to pick, but a terrific little "Barnyard Adventure" playground/maze/farm animal section for which they charge about $3.50 per person to play as long as you want. Awesome little store inside, too.

Since we go there every year on July 4, I had the idea a month ago to ask Farmer Brown's daughter, who is in charge of publicity, if they would be willing to offer a free pass into the Barnyard Adventure for all KidsOutAndAbout.com readers. I'd create the coupon and people would need to print one for each person.

I'd had the idea, I confess, mostly because I knew that we'd be going, and I wanted to save our family the extra $14. So, quite self-interested. But of course, I wanted it to have the effect of bringing lots of readers out to Brown's. And they thought it was a great idea. But little did I expect it to have quite the effect it did. Apparently, there were literally hundreds of people out there in Waterport using their coupons to get in. The people in front of us into the Barnyard Adventure had one. So did the people in back of us. I saw two coupons blowing over the ground in the wind. And then when I was in line to pay for my cherries, Mrs. Brown found me and hugged me, and someone else recognized me, and then there was a chorus of "Oh, that's you? Hi! I read your web site!" and "That's why I'm here!" all around me. Very odd. Fun, though. I felt great. I love the idea that it brought them so much business. Mrs. Brown said that it's been a very slow season so far because of fuel costs, and she was totally lit up to see the crowds there on Friday. It was a gorgeous day, too...so, to be fair, I'm sure Mother Nature had more to do with the crowds than my coupon. But still.

A little idea, a few minutes creating and posting a coupon, a mention in the newsletter...and then, crowds of people out there having a blast, saving money, and picking pounds of cherries with their kids...and a huge profit (at least I hope) for the worthy folks at Brown's Berry Patch. You gotta love capitalism.

Here are some photos of the girls and Dario:





Ella picking cherries:


Madison picking cherries:


A few of the best people in the whole world:


Tony and Tatiana are from Cuba, and there is nothing like spending Independence Day with them. They are so INTO it. The cherry orchard is like what everyone imagines paradise to be...handfuls of the sweetest fruit just there for the picking. Unimaginable under a communist dictatorship. Tatiana said it brought out the Cubana in her whenever one of the cherries hit the ground--painful, the idea of it being wasted when so few people there get adequate nutrition.

And then an afternoon of cooking and making cherry ice cream, and fireworks at Harris Whalen Park with a couple of other dear Objectivist friends, Tom and Susan. One of those great, uncomplicated, satisfying days.