Suburban Steam at Zion Schoolhouse

Last week, Dad and I went to the Suburban Steam Steampunk Festival at Zion Schoolhouse.
We just had to go because Zion Schoolhouse isn't usually open to the public. (It is available for pre-booked programs.)

It took me a week to get this blog post up because I had to figure out how to get the pictures from the camera's CF card onto the computer.  It was my first time using a DSLR camera.

Dad & I took pictures of each other.

Zion Schoolhouse was built in 1869.  Children from the nearby farms went there to learn Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Geography, History and Agriculture.

At the front of the classroom you can see their piano.

There was a display of clocks on the piano.

I thought this was fascinating. 

I really want to learn more about how land is surveyed. 

This map shows which countries were under British Rule. I forgot to look at the date but it must have been from the Edwardian era (based on the picture of King Edward on the map).

Here you can see how the classroom was set up.
The back of the chair in front is the desk of the chair behind it.
Can you imagine if you wanted to adjust your seat?

Inside the school room Mackenzie House had a display with their portable proof printing press.

I can never get tired of using it!

We checked out the other displays outside too. Of course, they were all related to Steampunk which is like mixing futuristic Science Fiction with the Steam Technology of the Victorian & Edwardian Eras.

Here we were doing tea leaf readings.
By looking at the leaves in your cup you're supposed to learn something about your future... I still don't get it, but the tea was strong.

This is a music box that can play multiple songs by changing the barrel in the middle.

Eatons used this to test the quality (strength) of the threads in the clothing they sold.

There was a Victorian Sideshow...  He was trying to free himself from a straight jacket while running away from people with phone books.

We saw our friends from Scarborough Museum. I think they perfectly illustrated Steam Punk!

And there was also a display from Fort York.

Chamber Music Camp

This year, I didn't do the TDSB Summer Strings, but I did go to the Kingsway Chamber Music Festival.

We had a concert on Friday.
It was in the beautiful All Saints Anglican Church.

I had so much fun working with my coaches.

Sharon Burlacoff coached the piano students.

 And Valerie Gordon was one of my String coaches.

I played viola in a String Quartet and a String Orchestra and I also got to do 2 piano duets and to accompany some young violinists. We even got to compose our own piece.
I loved every minute of it! 

Thank you to everybody involved with the Kingsway Chamber Music Festival, especially Sharon, Valerie, Elyssa, Liza, Michelle, Rexan and Julie!
Hope to see you all again next year!

Strawberry Odyssey and the Scarborough Museum

Mom, Dad and I went to Scarborough Rib-Fest... and while we were there we, of course,  we went to the Scarborough Museum.

There have been lots of changes.

The cello has been restored!

(You can see what the cello was like before here.)

And they have a wonderful garden!

We got to talking with Adrian about the garden... so it led to us offering some of our strawberry plants to them.

 We have lot of runners from our strawberries at home....

So, last week, (Aug 3) we carried some of our strawberry plants and a few borage seedlings with us on our way to my class at the Royal Conservatory.

These little plants got a little tour of the city.

Here you can see the Crystal from the Royal Ontario Museum in the background.

And here you can see the plants at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

After all of that, we went back to Scarborough, to the Scarborough Museum and donated the plants to their garden.

Me with Madeline and Adrian at the Scarborough Museum

It really is a nice garden.

We went on another tour of the house.

Here is one of their sewing machines.
(My Mom really loves sewing machines.)

And here are a couple more pictures from the upstairs.

And downstairs we got to see some things we had never seen before.

Can you see the rocks in the cabinet?
Victorians liked to collect things.... I guess we are like that too since we also have a small rock collection.

We also saw a small gramophone which we didn't notice before.

This record was on the large, Sonora gramophone.

It is "Ma! - Medley Fox Trot" by Harry Raderman's Jazz Orchestra.
(Click here to listen to a recording of it.)

 I saw new pictures on the Stereoscope.

And there was a Sewing Machine hidden in the dining room!

We also looked at a replica 1906 Sears Roebuck Catalog.

 By the time we were through, we saw the strawberries already in their new spot.