Stone house in Pennsylvania

More Pennsylvania cuteness

Quote from Polly.  "I've seen more antique shops in the last five miles than I've seen in my entire life."

A road sign

Destination Wednesday

We made it...barely

 

Visiting with a lovely family in Virginia, which is just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday started out beautifully.  Pennsylvania country side, Maryland countryside, so pretty.  We had three hours driving time to get to DC, no problem.  We have done a few three hour drives in the last three weeks.  But yesterday was special.  Special Bad.

Don’t get me wrong here.  The kids have been amazing on this trip.  Sparky has been amazing.  Me…I don’t know.  But anyway.  Out of roughly twenty five days of travel, probably three have been trying, difficult days.  That’s incredible, don’t you think?

Day progressed badly.  Then it got worse.  By the time we reached our very nice hotel, it was time to leave for dinner.  Kids were disappointed, but accepted their fate.  Except some people.  Who, eventually, was forbidden to speak for the rest of the drive because the drivel coming out of his mouth was offensive. 

Anyway.  A couple of weeks ago, which seems like exactly several months ago, we met a lovely home school family when we were visiting the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre outside of Quebec City.  Turns out they were from just outside of DC.  They invited us to give them a call when we got into town, so we did so.  We were now on our way to their house for dinner.  All the grumbling was hard to take and we were wiped out from the day.  Truly, we were wondering if it was a good idea to go for dinner at people’s house we did not know when we were all so unbelievably miserable.

But, obligation oriented and socially starved people that we were, off we went.  Truly, it was a little beacon of sunshine in our difficult day. And in our trip. The kids had lots of fun, we had a great meal, but even greater conversation and it was an evening spent with people we anticipate a friendship with.  Never turn you back on an opportunity to get to know someone, I say.

NEXT DAY, September 15th


Oh man.  Here we are, our first morning in DC.  We ask the kids what they would like to do first.  Huckleberry says, “National Art Museum!  Cool, let’s do that first!”  The professor (not his real name) says, “What’s that?”

“Y’know, Van Gogh and all that.”

“Cool, yeah, let’s go there” 

It warms a mother’s heart.

So yes.  We did two Smithsonians, the Postal Museum and the National Art Gallery West.  And we did see Van Goghs, and Renoirs, and Monets and Manets and Cassats and Rubens and tapestries and sculptures and furniture and Marie Antoinette's writing desk and helmets from the first Crusades, decorative and gilded.  A. Mazing. Going back while the boys are at the space museum, for sure.  I don't actually care much for space.

Dear friends and family at home.  We really miss you all.  See you in a week.  Love you guys.  Love, Mammal and family.

Photo update

gate to Harvard Yard

Munro Tavern was the spot where the Redcoats, Lobsterbacks more correctly known as British Regulars were to gather to regroup and tend to wounded men the first afternoon of the initial skirmish.

my lap while Sparky drives

George Washington Bridge

a scuzzy place we stopped at en route to somewhere

life on the road with well trained troops

September 11 and 12

The last couple of days are going to be in point form.  Yes, that busy.
Went back to where we started in Boston, Lexington and Concord.  The history is rich and we wanted more of it.   All agreed.  Boston Rocks.

• Drove through the town of Cambridge to check out Harvard on the way.
• Did some more Revolution cool stuff.
• Visited Minute Man National Historic Park.  BTW, they were called Minute Man (and not just ordinary militia) because they made a vow to always be ready to serve their cause on a minute's notice.  They were the cream of the Revolutionary militia, and we able to deploy quickly and efficiently. 
• Stopped at Concord, site of major Revolutionary activity and also serious literary-ville.  Home of Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Also, home of Ephraim Bull.  Didn't know that did you?  He invented the Concord grape.  With a little help from God, of course, but all Concord grape strains and variations and every Concord grape out there can trace it's little roots back to the sweet and classic New England town of Concord.
• Stayed in some quite dumpy hotel in some city.  Somewhere.  There was no butter and no syrup for the waffles.  Why have a waffle maker you might ask.  Not staying there again.
• Got out of there in a hurry.  Went to a very cool place for the day called Old Sturbridge Village which they boys thought would be terribly dull and had a fabulous day talking to the costumed and charactered park interpreters and such.  Think Barkerville except 1830's agricultural New England.  
• Stopped at Wethersfield on our way to New Haven, Connecticut.  This is the setting for the book The Witch of Blackbird Pond by one of our family favourite authors, Elizabeth George Speare.  Gorgeous old Puritan town near the Connecticut River.
• Arrived in New Haven.  Ate soup out of pop top cans  heated in the little microwave and granola for dinner.  

Photos coming.  Heading to DC tomorrow-ish.

A few more Random Photos

Cannon balls

the two photos above are the balcony on Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was first read to the people of Boston by George Washington...it is has been read from this balcony each year ever since on the Fourth of July

The neighbourhood

The USS Constitution

September 10th, Boston

We spent another day in Boston today.  Toured Fenway Park, which was a total highlight for the boys, but Polly and I thought it would be kind of dull.  So wrong!  The tour guide was totally excellent, very funny and had a great accent.  On the topic of accent, last night a waitress at the restaurant we were at had the most incredibly Boston accent I've heard.  I told her I could listen to her talk all day and asked her where she was from.  Ahm Frahm Heeyah!  She exclaimed vehemently....throwing her hands out.  Her Town.

On the "Green Monster" at Fenway, Oldest ballpark in the US

 In the press box

View of the diamond from the press box

 

You can take this tour around the harbour in small ferries so that you can get a good look at the Boston skyline, it's a short ride, and we got dropped off at the Naval Yard which houses the old famous naval ship, The Constitution, Old Ironsides.

Boston from the Harbour

The architectural details slay me everywhere I go

Cool

This one's for you, Mr. K, hope for the future

So. Tired.

What a day this was.  We are finding with every big city we encounter, we have one marathon day, and then calm down a bit.  Today was our Boston Marathon.  We were up early and out the door to catch the train (just for the experience) into downtown Boston.  It's pretty wild catching the train when you live in a small town and it is a foreign idea.  We felt like white tourists, do not doubt that for a minute.

Amongst the Black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Asian, Jewish and even the very ethnic look of the Italians, we were clearly the visible minority.  Reading our map and wearing our day packs we stood out like sore thumbs on the train stations and streets of Boston, but mostly we got smiled at and helpful comments, the Bostonians are very sweet.  In a rough sort of way.

So our day started with the Grand Tour of Boston with a trolley tour company (very popular in this city)  with entertaining and informative guides who walk you through the major sites and areas of the city.  After that, lunch at the Cheers Pub, which is actually the Bull & Finch Pub, but the one that Hollywood designed the Cheers show after (very deeply cultural experience, moving, really) we rode the Swan Boats.  And, as luck and good city tourism planning would have it, there they were, the Trumpeter Swans, two of them, on the lake in the Public Gardens of Boston.

Boston Common

Cheers Pub (The Bull & Finch)

The Swan Boats

Following the Freedom Trail

Boston Garden has a really interesting design quality.  Years ago (around 1900, I believe-pre-automobile at least), a famous landscape designer planned city garden/green spaces around the perimeter of the city.  These green park areas, including Boston Common are referred to as the "Emerald Necklace."  They make a striking contrast to the architecture of the city as you are through, around and in it.  The trees in these areas were chosen as examples of trees all over the world.

We saw all the highlights on today's tour, including Fenway Park, the Old City, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Berklee College, MIT, Cambridge, TD Gardens (Boston Bruins Arena) and more.  Once we were off the trolley, we started the foot tour, well laid out pathway of the Freedom Trail, which highlights the areas, people and politics of the American Revolution.  This is how we spent the bulk of the afternoon, ending the tour at the Old North Church, famous for it's steeple, which housed the the two lanterns "Two If By Sea" that signified the town to be ready for the British who were approaching Boston by sea.  One lantern in the steeple would have meant that they were approaching by land.

The Old North Church, at the end of the tour and obviously in the North End of Boston is also the home of Little Italy.  So we wandered about Little Italy to find a place for dinner.  The proprietors of these establishments, dozens of them by the way....hung about the doors of the restaurants to encourage the walkers-by to try them out.  We ended up at a little noisy place where we had a lovely evening, eating and chatting with the staff.