The One With the Free Ice Cream- TOS Blog Cruise

The TOS Blog Cruise this week is "Favorite Field Trip."  This one requires hopping in the way back machine to Feb 2006 - our very first field trip as homeschoolers.  The Bluebell Ice Cream Factory in Brenham, TX.  It was a two hour drive and I remember on the way there that I was worried about "missing" a day of school.  We were brand, brand new homeschoolers - only 3 months in.  I wouldn't even sign on to Park Day until after the first year and even then I was worried about "missing school."  Now I realize that life is about learning.

Bluebell Ice Cream is a very popular ice cream here in the south, which I discovered shortly after moving here to Texas.  For inquiring minds, my favorite flavor is Banana Pudding.

At the beginning of the tour they show a little movie about the history of Bluebell and the family that started it. I don't remember the details anymore, but I remember thinking it was interesting.

Look how little my boys look! Noodle was in the stroller 26 months old, Bear was 9 and my Super Duper was 14.

During the tour we got to see the ice cream making process.  They had big viewing windows (no pics allowed) and we could see the workers on the assembly lines.  I remember the most fascinating thing was how they made the ice cream sandwiches.  A machine stamped out the ice cream, humans put the chocolate outsides in another part of the machine and as the ice cream passed by, the machine slapped the sides on. Picture a machine that looks like clapping hands.  They made some crazy number of ice cream sandwiches per shift - like 300,00 or some astronomical number I can't remember!

Sporting the free hats they handed out.

Bear, looking thrilled as usual.  Nothing's changed I guess! LOL

At the end of the tour we all got free ice cream.  Woot! Gotta love that.  The above photo was in their little old time looking ice cream shop.

Thanks for joining me on this little trip down memory lane.