Yesterday we stopped at Walmart, and the girls bought the game "Sorry". We had played it at the overnight camp and they really enjoyed it, so they wanted their own copy. This morning, they got it out before breakfast and started playing a game. They seemed really into it and didn't want to stop playing, but I told them to set it aside so we could get to Henning's Cheese by 9:00am.
When we arrived at Henning's Cheese, Kay Henning showed us around the cheese museum and then gave us a tour of the factory. She must have made a big impression on the kids, because they all mentioned her in their blogs. I think they really liked her.
Pat and I had made a "thank you" picture for Henning's Cheese. A visit to the cheese factory has been a regular fixture on our trip and we wanted to show our appreciation. They said they would hang it in their cheese museum, so next year, we should see it on the wall!
The kids enjoyed the tour of the cheese factory. They were a bit shy to ask questions, but I prodded them a bit and they eventually started asking questions. Henning's Cheese is most famous for making large wheels of cheese for distribution around America. They can make wheels of cheese up to 1000 kilograms! (one ton!)
They also make many flavors of cheese, including mango fire, horseradish (wasabi), hickory smoked and blueberry cheese. The kids surprised me by saying they like the 10 year old cheddar the best. It has a very sharp flavor, so I didn't think they would like it.
Some of the cheese flavors were very tasty and the kids really like them. Others were not so delicious. Again, anything I liked was met with suspicion and doubt. The kids really don't trust my sense of taste any more. Hahah!
After visiting Henning's Cheese, we had some time to run into Manitowoc to run a few errands. Then we headed back out to New Holstein to the Feider farm for lunch. We gave the Feiders a "thank you" picture as well. Their farm has been a big part of our homestay trip for the past few years and we really appreciate them taking the time to show us around. They are a very nice family and the kids really enjoy touring their farm.
This year, we stopped at their house to eat lunch. They prepared a big meal with sloppy-joes, fruit, and brownies. Win and Po ate three sandwiches each, they are hungry boys!
After lunch, the girls played with Abby Feider. She is only four years old, but she seemed to enjoy "holding court" like a real princess and being the center of attention. The girls thought she was really cute and laughed at all her little girl jokes and actions. I think it is easier for the Thai kids to warm up to a baby, because they don't have to be shy and worry about doing something wrong. So they feel more relaxed around someone younger than themselves.
The Feiders have an alpaca barn next to their home. So we took the kids inside so they could feed and pet the alpacas. The animals are very soft, but a bit shy, so they wouldn't come near the kids, however they had some "fainting goats" that enjoyed being fed. I was shaking some dust off my hand and my wedding ring slipped off my finger and fell into the straw! Oh no! Luckily, Mr. Feider has sharp eyes and he found it. Pat gave me a "you got lucky, Mister"-look and I knew I just had a near-death experience, hahah!
After lunch, we went over to Tim and Angie Feider's farm. They are the third generation to farm that land and their daughters are already learning how to farm too, so they've got four generations of farmers working that land for over 60 years.
Farming in America is very high tech. A single family and some helpers (7 people total) can manage over 600 acres (1500 rai) of land with over 500 cows. They have to milk the cows twice a day and they use computers to keep track of each animal. They use vacuum pumps to milk the cows so they can milk up to 20 cows at one time.
They brought out a day-old calf that had just been born yesterday. It was so soft! The kids tried to give it water, but it was used to drinking milk so it didn't really like water yet. The Feiders let the kids name the calf, so we named it "Jao-ying", which is Thai for princess. We look forward to visiting their farm next year and seeing how much Jao-Ying the Cow has grown!
The Feiders had parked a tractor outside so the kids could take a photo. At first the girls didn't want to climb on the tractor, but then they found out that it costs more than a BMW so then they wanted to be Motor Show Models. Haha!
After the farm, we drove over to Wal-mart in Chilton to get some food for dinner. Pat and I planned on making tacos Thursday night, brats on Friday night and spaghetti on Saturday night. The kids really loved the tacos, but we had to push the girls to eat them because they wanted to finish their game of "Sorry". I also pushed the kids to get ready for bed quickly because tomorrow is a big day. We have to get up very early in the morning to go to Divine Savior school in Kiel.
The Feiders gave us some coloring books, pencils, and key chains to give to the kids. It's all about Wisconsin dairy farming. Thanks!
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