A trip to the mill

Not the mall, the mill.

It's a bit of a drive to this old mill, but we haven't made the trek in a few years, so we ventured out on a balmy 50 degree night. Not only was it not cold enough to freeze your toes, but it was not crowded. At all.

There is a very cool miniature village which the little kids loved.

And some of the big kids too.

There were trains, planes, trucks and dragsters.

And a very cool little drive in that was playing Rebel Without a Cause. 

Can you tell what's happening here?

The kids sneaking out of the trunks were caught by the police!

Can you tell who's house this is? 

After ogling the miniatures for what seemed like forever, we headed over to Santa's workshop, where the big man himself pops out of the chimney. Every 20 minutes, convenient, eh?

This was Tess's first experience with jolly old St. Nick. After tearing her eyes away from the animatronic reindeer on the roof, she finally caught sight of him and gave him a wave.

Speaking of Santa, we popped into the Santa museum next to see Santas in every size.

 

My wild bunch

Two smiling boys, one girl who didn't think to bring her own coat despite being told to wear a sweatshirt and not to forget her hat and gloves because it would be cold, one moody teen who refuses to smile, and a toddler who's all about the candy canes. 

This really is a site to see. I'm glad we made the trip before it got too cold, or crowded.

They've added a very cool new light show set to music. I don't remember it the last time we came.

Of course, it was crowded, and cold.

You can't tell here but the white lights twinkle, like a waterfall.

Over the river.....

and turning for one last look......

If you're ever in this neck of the woods, you should definitely make plans to stop by the Clifton Mill.