We've been home for almost 48 hours. Suitcases are unpacked, laundry is almost caught up, and our regular routine begins again with Awana tonight. It's really good to be home. And we had a great adventure with this trip. I know most people have stopped following our journey by now, but I have a few more thoughts to record, if for no other reason than to write them down to simplify my scrapbooking later. Between Tyler's camera and mine, we have well over 1,000 pictures. But we have many more moments we'll remember...
Overall family favorite places:
Mt. Vernon -- for its open spaces, beautiful landscaping and views, and the feeling of stepping into history
Gettysburg -- for making the battle real as we walked where they walked and listened to the soldiers' stories
Smithsonian museums -- for opening our minds and expanding our ideas as we experienced the "real" stuff, from art to airplanes
Really, there wasn't a place we didn't like. And looking back over our pictures, it's sort of overwhelming to see the volume and diversity of places we visited. We saw lots!! And there's so much more that we could have seen.
Kid moments I'll always remember...
Tyler -- The history of this trip and the real proximity to national politics totally energized Tyler. Normally very composed, a wide grin and a deep sparkle in his eyes took over his expressions most notably in Philadelphia, the Capitol, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress. He left these places inspired and determined to change the course of our country. We'll see what the Lord does with this in Tyler's life. He also loved the visit to Patrick Henry College, even if it left him questioning his own abilities in comparison to their high standards and highly talented students. He would have loved to have read every word on every plaque in every museum... and to have lingered reflectively in many... but we told him he'd have to come back alone to make that happen. This trip just teased him and made him thirsty for more.
Jacob -- Never lacking enthusiasm, Jacob found plenty of opportunities to express it. He might have been in the most perfect position for this trip -- old enough to understand and remember the serious things that appealed to Tyler, yet young enough to enjoy and be entertained by the destinations that appealed mostly to Alyssa. He set off the "don't touch" alarm at the Mt. Vernon museum because the textured upholstery on the antique chairs was begging to be felt. He was carefully monitored by guards (and his parents) at the National Gallery of Art after he nearly touched one of the oil paintings -- he has been taught, after all, that one should experience art by doing it. He spontaneously broke out in song and step -- "Singin' In the Rain", of course -- as we were drenched during our half-mile (or more) trek battling cold wind and rain one DC morning. He sweetly and discreetly checked the status of his sister's ears and stomach throughout every flight and twisty-road drive.
Alyssa -- This girl was a trooper. She endured earaches, motion sickness, short nights, and long walks. She plodded onward without a complaint in the coldest rain even when she wasn't very well covered by the umbrella held too high by her parents. She found her second wind more than once. Other times she cried. She threw up from motion sickness just as we entered the parking garage on the one day we drove into DC. The guys waiting to park our car for us didn't quite know how to best get us out of the way when their waiting line backed up into the street. Still, Alyssa got cleaned up and carried on. She was thrilled at the kid destinations we chose -- Crayola, the aquarium, Hershey, and more. She was entirely bored at some of the places where Tyler most wanted to linger. I'll always remember the vision of her laughing face and hair flying in the wind as she trotted along atop the short concrete wall that encircles the Washington Monument. It was one of those "isn't she beautiful" Mommy moments.
Jacob and Alyssa entertained the otherwise somber faces on the DC Metro. It's really true that everyone seems to enter the "metro zone" when they step into the train. No eye contact. No words. No personality. But Jacob and Alyssa have never heard those rules, so they played "I spy" loudly, announced every stop across the aisles as they followed along with the map, and laughed. After several particularly abrupt stops one day, Jacob loudly exclaimed, "He stops just like Dad!" Muffled chuckles came from everyone in hearing range. (Clarifying note: Craig is a really good driver. Jacob was referring to the dip in our driveway gravel where Craig parks the pickup every night. The dip and and railroad tie behind it create the jerk, not Craig's wild stopping technique.) So Jacob and Alyssa helped people smile on their daily commute, and it was good.
Other thoughts...
We saw a Gutenberg Bible with our own eyes. We saw the only DaVinci painting in the western hemisphere. We drove through inner city slums when we got temporarily lost in Jersey City. It was the only time the kids have seen an area with garage door barricades protecting store doors and windows, and the groups that hang out at street corners. We walked where the Founding Fathers walked. We walked with lots of people who are different than us. We looked out at New York and New Jersey from the crown of Lady Liberty. We learned there are beautiful farms in Delaware and New Jersey, and we relaxed in the rolling green hills of western Virginia. We glimpsed the bicycles and buggies and clotheslines of Amish life. We experienced heavy fog, cold rain, and smiled at the sun. We felt new respect for the freedoms that we so quickly take for granted, and new respect for those who fought so that we could have them. We are free to worship as we choose, live where we want to, home educate our children, and speak our opinions with respect. We looked across hundreds of acres of graves in Arlington and began to understand the phrase "freedom isn't free" in a deeper way.
This trip was education at many levels, a vacation from our regular routine, and an adventure I hope we'll always remember. We're so grateful to have had this opportunity... and we're just as grateful to be home.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Safely Home at Last
Whew, we are now home. We are all very tired, but very glad to be home. Our trip home was uneventful for the most part. On Saturday we did enjoy driving through the Virginia countryside though. We went to a place called Polyface Farms. I don't know how many of you have heard of it, but the owner, Joel Salatin, and his farm are famous for focusing on organic farming. What that means is that all the animals are naturally raised so that there are no antiboitics, no hormones, none of those things that make even most grocery store meat not very healthy. He applies this natural approach to all his farming. So we decided to make a stop by there. It was fun to make a quick stop and see some of the farm. Here are a couple pictures.
We loved the beautiful Virginia countryside.
We caught an early flight back to Denver from Richmond through Atlanta. The flight went fine, and we got home without any trouble. The only thing that went wrong was that when we got back to our car at the hotel parking lot in Denver we found that our car had been broken into. The driver's door window was completely gone. Someone had come and cleaned the glass up but whoever broke in ransacked the whole car. Thankfully they didn't take anything but what little change was in the ashtray. So the only loss was the window. Of course we had known all along that we had to accept all responsibilty for the car, the hotel wasn't liable for anything. So, insurance is covering the cost of the window replacement which will take place tomorrow morning. However,that meant that we had to drive all the way from Denver back to Bayfield with no window. Dad didn't put anything over the window because he knew that that would mean that he would have to slow down in order to keep the plastic on. So we had a windy and at times cold ride home. But everything else went well. We are all very, very tired and glad to be home. Thank God that we got home safely and that the car was okay except for the window.
Thank you everyone for following our blog, I hope that you all enjoyed travelling with us.
Quote: "What!?" Us trying to hear each other over the wind and the CD player.
We loved the beautiful Virginia countryside.
We caught an early flight back to Denver from Richmond through Atlanta. The flight went fine, and we got home without any trouble. The only thing that went wrong was that when we got back to our car at the hotel parking lot in Denver we found that our car had been broken into. The driver's door window was completely gone. Someone had come and cleaned the glass up but whoever broke in ransacked the whole car. Thankfully they didn't take anything but what little change was in the ashtray. So the only loss was the window. Of course we had known all along that we had to accept all responsibilty for the car, the hotel wasn't liable for anything. So, insurance is covering the cost of the window replacement which will take place tomorrow morning. However,that meant that we had to drive all the way from Denver back to Bayfield with no window. Dad didn't put anything over the window because he knew that that would mean that he would have to slow down in order to keep the plastic on. So we had a windy and at times cold ride home. But everything else went well. We are all very, very tired and glad to be home. Thank God that we got home safely and that the car was okay except for the window.
Thank you everyone for following our blog, I hope that you all enjoyed travelling with us.
Quote: "What!?" Us trying to hear each other over the wind and the CD player.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Last Day in the D.C. Area
Today we decided to not do much. We slept in late and spent most of day in the hotel catching up on things (like the blog).
Dad, Jacob, and I did go to the Air and Space Museum at Dulles. There are actually two Air and Space Museums. This one is out by Dulles International Airport and is in a huge hangar. Just the three of us went since Mom was fairly bored by the time we left the Air and Space Museum in D.C. So just the three of us went and we loved it. There were a ton of airplanes, many of which we recognized, which made it even more fun. Some of the highlights were: a test space shuttle (it's full size, but never went into space, nor was it intended to), an SR-71 Blackbird (fastest plane in the world), a Concord passenger jet, a host of old warplanes, the Enola Gay (the bomber to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and several sole survivors (the only or one of only a few remaining aircraft of its type). Here are some pictures.
While we were at the museum, Mom and Alyssa were at the hotel finishing laundry and just relaxing. When we came back and told them all about all we saw, Mom was even more glad they stayed at the hotel. So we agreed that next time we come to D.C., the boys will go to the history and air museums while Mom goes to the art gallery.
Well that brings you all up to speed. We fly home on Sunday so our East Coast Trip is almost over. We sure have enjoyed it.
Quote: "This Air and Space is definitely better than the other one." -- Dad and me telling Mom about the museum at Dulles.
Dad, Jacob, and I did go to the Air and Space Museum at Dulles. There are actually two Air and Space Museums. This one is out by Dulles International Airport and is in a huge hangar. Just the three of us went since Mom was fairly bored by the time we left the Air and Space Museum in D.C. So just the three of us went and we loved it. There were a ton of airplanes, many of which we recognized, which made it even more fun. Some of the highlights were: a test space shuttle (it's full size, but never went into space, nor was it intended to), an SR-71 Blackbird (fastest plane in the world), a Concord passenger jet, a host of old warplanes, the Enola Gay (the bomber to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and several sole survivors (the only or one of only a few remaining aircraft of its type). Here are some pictures.
While we were at the museum, Mom and Alyssa were at the hotel finishing laundry and just relaxing. When we came back and told them all about all we saw, Mom was even more glad they stayed at the hotel. So we agreed that next time we come to D.C., the boys will go to the history and air museums while Mom goes to the art gallery.
Well that brings you all up to speed. We fly home on Sunday so our East Coast Trip is almost over. We sure have enjoyed it.
Quote: "This Air and Space is definitely better than the other one." -- Dad and me telling Mom about the museum at Dulles.
D.C. Day 3
Back to D.C.
On Thursday we returned to D.C. and again took the metro. This time though we got there around mid-morning so we almost didn't find a parking place. Thankfully we asked a lady who was walking by if she was leaving and she was, so we got a space.
We decided that this would be our last day in D.C. since we were all borderline sick and getting up early in order to get into D.C. early would just make us worse. Also, Friday (today) was supposed to be rainy and miserable. So we decided to let this be our last day in D.C.
Today we started with the National Museum of American History. This museum was unbelievable in the amount of stuff that they have. This was another museum where it would take forever to see and read everything. Some of what we saw included: the star spangled banner, a rebuilt house chronicling the people who lived there from the 1700's to the mid-1900's, we saw an exhibit with the different first ladies' dresses, we also saw artifacts from Abraham Lincoln's life like his top hat and wood chopping wedge, we saw an exhibit on all the major wars that America has been involved in, and we saw an amazing exhibit on American transportation. Get ready, because here come some pictures of that overwhelming museum.
This is a gunboat from the Revolutionary War that was sunk, but then raised back up.
This is a piece of the World Trade Center. This was a somber moment.
Next we went over to the National Gallery of Art. This was pretty neat. I'm not too much into art, but it was still neat. This was a big highlight for Mom though.
This is the only Da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere.
Next, we went over to the Air and Space Musuem for a quick stop at the gift shop that we hadn't been able to get to the other day. After that we went over to the National Archives. Seeing the originals of our founding documents was great. It was rather short, but still very much worth it. Of course, they didn't allow pictures so there is really only one picture that I want to share with you all from this place.
That's about it for Thursday. We really enjoyed our last day in D.C. and even though we didn't get to do everything that we had wanted to do I think that we still saw a ton and had a great time doing it.
Quote: Mom: "Are you swiping it on the right side?"... Dad: "... Nope, that would explain it." -- Us trying to run the card through the machine so we could get out of the parking garage... only after we had decided the machine didn't work, driven around to a different exit that only accepted long term cards, and returned to the machine we thought was broken, wondering how in the world we were going to get out of this place. :)
On Thursday we returned to D.C. and again took the metro. This time though we got there around mid-morning so we almost didn't find a parking place. Thankfully we asked a lady who was walking by if she was leaving and she was, so we got a space.
We decided that this would be our last day in D.C. since we were all borderline sick and getting up early in order to get into D.C. early would just make us worse. Also, Friday (today) was supposed to be rainy and miserable. So we decided to let this be our last day in D.C.
Today we started with the National Museum of American History. This museum was unbelievable in the amount of stuff that they have. This was another museum where it would take forever to see and read everything. Some of what we saw included: the star spangled banner, a rebuilt house chronicling the people who lived there from the 1700's to the mid-1900's, we saw an exhibit with the different first ladies' dresses, we also saw artifacts from Abraham Lincoln's life like his top hat and wood chopping wedge, we saw an exhibit on all the major wars that America has been involved in, and we saw an amazing exhibit on American transportation. Get ready, because here come some pictures of that overwhelming museum.
This is a gunboat from the Revolutionary War that was sunk, but then raised back up.
This is a piece of the World Trade Center. This was a somber moment.
Next we went over to the National Gallery of Art. This was pretty neat. I'm not too much into art, but it was still neat. This was a big highlight for Mom though.
This is the only Da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere.
Next, we went over to the Air and Space Musuem for a quick stop at the gift shop that we hadn't been able to get to the other day. After that we went over to the National Archives. Seeing the originals of our founding documents was great. It was rather short, but still very much worth it. Of course, they didn't allow pictures so there is really only one picture that I want to share with you all from this place.
That's about it for Thursday. We really enjoyed our last day in D.C. and even though we didn't get to do everything that we had wanted to do I think that we still saw a ton and had a great time doing it.
Quote: Mom: "Are you swiping it on the right side?"... Dad: "... Nope, that would explain it." -- Us trying to run the card through the machine so we could get out of the parking garage... only after we had decided the machine didn't work, driven around to a different exit that only accepted long term cards, and returned to the machine we thought was broken, wondering how in the world we were going to get out of this place. :)
Baltimore
On Wednesday we decided to go to Baltimore instead of back to D.C. We made two stops in Baltimore: Fort McHenry and the National Aquarium.
First, Fort McHenry. This is the fort that was attacked by the British during the War of 1812 and kept their flag flying, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the Star Bangled Banner. This place was great, it far exceeded what I was expecting. I think one of the reasons for that was what they did after their little information movie. This movie explained the circumstances of the attack and the attack itself, but as the movie was ending they played the Star Spangled Banner and while that was playing they lifted the screen so we could see the fort with the flag flying overhead through the oversized window. It was very moving; it was beyond words to be sure. The star-shaped fort itself was very cool. I could just picture turn of the century troops marching along the walls and down the corriders. We really enjoyed our visit there, even though it wasn't too long. Here are some pictures.
Baltimore Harbor from which the British fleet shelled the fort.
Yes, this flag has only 15 stars because that was how many states were in the Union in 1814.
After the fort we headed over to the aquarium. Most of our pictures didn't turn out very well here because of the water so I won't post too many pictures. The aquarium had a huge open tank for rays and a couple sharks and even a sea turtle. They also had a really cool dolphin show.
The dolphin show was a lot of fun.
The last thing that we did at the aquarium was a 4-D theater show. This meant that in order to make it 4-D, they had the normal 3-D glasses but they also sprayed water at you, sprayed bubbles or snow at you, they had wind, they had a poker in the seat to spook you at just the right time, and a little thing by your ankles that moved back and forth as if rats were running by your feet. It was very fun, though it was kind of scary at times. That was about it for that day. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed it.
Quote: "I'm not going to trust them anymore." --me in the 4-D theater, after the wagging tail under my seat caught me by surprise while they were showing bats flying around on the screen.
First, Fort McHenry. This is the fort that was attacked by the British during the War of 1812 and kept their flag flying, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the Star Bangled Banner. This place was great, it far exceeded what I was expecting. I think one of the reasons for that was what they did after their little information movie. This movie explained the circumstances of the attack and the attack itself, but as the movie was ending they played the Star Spangled Banner and while that was playing they lifted the screen so we could see the fort with the flag flying overhead through the oversized window. It was very moving; it was beyond words to be sure. The star-shaped fort itself was very cool. I could just picture turn of the century troops marching along the walls and down the corriders. We really enjoyed our visit there, even though it wasn't too long. Here are some pictures.
Baltimore Harbor from which the British fleet shelled the fort.
Yes, this flag has only 15 stars because that was how many states were in the Union in 1814.
After the fort we headed over to the aquarium. Most of our pictures didn't turn out very well here because of the water so I won't post too many pictures. The aquarium had a huge open tank for rays and a couple sharks and even a sea turtle. They also had a really cool dolphin show.
The dolphin show was a lot of fun.
The last thing that we did at the aquarium was a 4-D theater show. This meant that in order to make it 4-D, they had the normal 3-D glasses but they also sprayed water at you, sprayed bubbles or snow at you, they had wind, they had a poker in the seat to spook you at just the right time, and a little thing by your ankles that moved back and forth as if rats were running by your feet. It was very fun, though it was kind of scary at times. That was about it for that day. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed it.
Quote: "I'm not going to trust them anymore." --me in the 4-D theater, after the wagging tail under my seat caught me by surprise while they were showing bats flying around on the screen.
D.C. Day 2 Continued
Here we go again. I'll have to try and find my place from last time so please bear with me.
Let's see now, I think that the last thing I told you all about was Arlington and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. So since I have already described that, let me post a couple pictures of it.
This was a big highlight of our trip for Dad. So we then hurried over to Arlington House. We hurried because we only had about 30 minutes before the last bus back to Lincoln left. On the way I took a couple pictures of Arlington itself. It is a very beautiful and serene place.
Arlington house was pretty neat. All the furnishings were gone because they were working on restoring it. It was a little dissappointing to see an empty house, but at least that meant that we didn't miss much as we hurried through it. Here is a picture of the outside.
There is one picture of the inside that I want you all to see. It is a bare room, but if I remember correctly this is the room where Lee decided to resign from the U.S. Army and leave the Union. So try to take away the restoration tools and picture this room furnished with Lee inside making that monumental decision. That's why I took this picture.
We made it back to the bus, though we still had to half run to get there in time. We decided to wrap up the day by seeing some memorials on the way back to the metro station. The first one, the Korean Memorial, we saw before Arlington but I'm including it here with the rest of the memorials.
The Korean War Memorial.
The Vietnam War Memorial
This is the Vietnam Womens Memorial. Dedicated to the women who fought and served as nurses during the war.
The World War II Memorial.
If I remember correctly, every star stands for 100 men who gave their lives in this war.
All these memorials in close succesion made for many somber moments, but I really enjoyed this. It's good to reflect on the sacrifices made by others to protect our freedoms. Thank God for those who did and those who do now protect our nation.
After all this we made it safely back to the hotel. We were very tired from all the walking, but we all enjoyed the day very much.
Quote: "We sure saw a lot today." Almost all of us.
Let's see now, I think that the last thing I told you all about was Arlington and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. So since I have already described that, let me post a couple pictures of it.
This was a big highlight of our trip for Dad. So we then hurried over to Arlington House. We hurried because we only had about 30 minutes before the last bus back to Lincoln left. On the way I took a couple pictures of Arlington itself. It is a very beautiful and serene place.
Arlington house was pretty neat. All the furnishings were gone because they were working on restoring it. It was a little dissappointing to see an empty house, but at least that meant that we didn't miss much as we hurried through it. Here is a picture of the outside.
There is one picture of the inside that I want you all to see. It is a bare room, but if I remember correctly this is the room where Lee decided to resign from the U.S. Army and leave the Union. So try to take away the restoration tools and picture this room furnished with Lee inside making that monumental decision. That's why I took this picture.
We made it back to the bus, though we still had to half run to get there in time. We decided to wrap up the day by seeing some memorials on the way back to the metro station. The first one, the Korean Memorial, we saw before Arlington but I'm including it here with the rest of the memorials.
The Korean War Memorial.
The Vietnam War Memorial
This is the Vietnam Womens Memorial. Dedicated to the women who fought and served as nurses during the war.
The World War II Memorial.
If I remember correctly, every star stands for 100 men who gave their lives in this war.
All these memorials in close succesion made for many somber moments, but I really enjoyed this. It's good to reflect on the sacrifices made by others to protect our freedoms. Thank God for those who did and those who do now protect our nation.
After all this we made it safely back to the hotel. We were very tired from all the walking, but we all enjoyed the day very much.
Quote: "We sure saw a lot today." Almost all of us.
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