Home at Last! (6/20/10)

We left Fort Chiswell around 9:30 A.M. and searched for a Chic-fil-a before remembering that they are closed on Sundays.  So we ate at McDonalds instead then hit the road.  Tommy and I were really excited to get home to our Penny.  She has been staying at a wonderful kennel because it was cheaper than the pet sitter.  She seemed really excited to see Tommy and I.  We got her out of the Kennel around 3:00 and then headed to the house.  We loved our trip but it is nice to be home with our little puppy again.  Aw, home sweet home.

Hershey - Chocolate Town USA! (6/19/10)

Today is the day!  I'm going to chocolate Mecca!  Hershey, PA.  We started with a tour in Chocolate World (if there is any place for me to be it is a place called Chocolate World).  It was like touring the factory without going into the factory.  The cows were a cute touch to the tour.  After the tour I shopped for, you guessed it, chocolate!  Dorothea wanted to go on a Trolley Tour of Hershey which was really great!  We saw the house Mr. Hershey built his wife, heard his remarkable story, and saw the school he founded for orphaned boys.  We also saw the Hershey Kisses street lamps! It was really a remarkable thing.

After Hershey we stopped at the Army Heritage Center in Carlisle, PA.  This was a stop for Tommy.  Dorothea stayed in the car while Tommy and I wandered the trail that had all the Army stuff.  Before we hit the trail we went in the building which is a library that houses all the Generals papers from the Revolution through today.  There was also an exhibit Omar Bradley.

The trail had features from every war including the French and Indian War.  Sometimes it was just a building and other times it was weapons from different periods.  Tommy was like a big kid running around and playing with all the toys.  He asked me to take pictures of him with all the different guns and tanks.  After we spent about an hour exploring the Army Heritage Center we left for our hotel in Fort Chiswell, Virginia.  This was the longest day because we still had five hours of driving after both stops.  It was worth it though!

Homeward Bound (6/18/10)

We left for home today but planning on stopping in Hershey, PA tomorrow.  Our destination tonight was Frackville, PA which is about an hour North of Hershey.  Nothing much to report but riding highway miles.  There was a Cracker Barrel waiting for us to have dinner which made Dorothea happy.

Plymouth (6/17/10)

Today we went to Plimouth Plantation (and yes it is spelt with an i, they intentionally used the spelling used by some guy to distinguish it from the town).  We started out in the village which wasn't there when Tommy went as a boy.  It was really interesting to see the layout of a village and how they constructed their homes and how they farmed versus how the Pilgrims were living.

Tommy asked the Native People questions about what they were cooking and how.  One man was working on a new boat which got Tommy asking more questions.  We learned that they built their boats from Poplar because it was so fast growing compared to Pine.  He also explained that they would strip the bark and use this to build their houses.

We then moved on the settlement and the differences are stark!  Not only in appearance but also in how the people interact with you.  In the village the Native People are dressed in period clothing but speak to you in a modern tone.  In the settlement they are dressed in period clothing and roll play.  Tommy looked at everything, how it was built and so on.  There weren't many people there who were acting and nothing else was really going on in the village.  I was looking forward to seeing candle making and crafts like this but nothing much happened.

After we explored we went to Plymouth to see the Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock, and eat lunch.  On the Mayflower II there are workers dressed in period clothes who are role players and their are workers dressed in regular clothes who will answer questions about the ship in modern tone.  It was really creepy to imagine so many people crammed onto one boat that seems much bigger than it really is.  My mom and I were enjoying the story being told by the Boats Captain and part owner.  He was telling us his history and then explaining how the money from a voyage like the Pilgrims came on was divided up among the crew.  My mom and I could have stood their all day listening to him because he was doing such a fantastic job.   When we were done we departed the Mayflower II and went to lunch across the street.

After lunch we walked up to road a bit to see Plymouth Rock and what a disappointment.  In all the textbooks you read and see pictures of you just imagine that it is much bigger than it really is.  I couldn't believe how tiny it was and honestly didn't see the big deal with it.  But all in all we had a great day and learned a lot.

Lexington & Concord (6/16/10)

Today Tommy and I went with my parents to Lexington and Concord.  We started with the North Bridge in Concord and it was really interesting to see the statues and hear the stories from the park rangers about the meeting at the bridge.  They explained that two British soldiers died and were buried near the bridge and that the British consulate still visit yearly to place wreaths on their graves.  It was so interesting to see that these soldiers from the Revolutionary War are not forgotten by their country

The statue at North Bridge is of a Minute Man with the inscription from a famous Emerson poem about the war.  To be standing at such a historic spot really causes you to think what it must of been like, felt like, and smelt like.  I am grateful for the chance to live in a country were I have so much freedom and I appreciate the men who have fought battles to make it that way, even when it was over 225 years ago that they gave up their lives.

We went to Hartwell Tavern and then to the visitor center to experience a new multimedia presentation about Paul Revere's ride and the shot heard around the world.  It told the story of Lexington and Concord and it was in a manner that really made you think about what was experienced by these people in a time when things were not as easy as they are today.

Salem (6/15/10)

This is the day I was really looking forward to.  This is a town with a dark past and yet they embrace it.  I find it really fascinating.  Tommy and were really familiar with the Salem story but I was looking forward to experiencing it first hand.  We ate lunch at a great pizza place and then took our first picture at the Bewitched statue!  Too cool!

We went with Katie and met my parents in Salem.  We had a quick lunch and then mapped out our route.  We started at the Witches Dungeon Museum.  Little did we know that we were about to get ourselves into trouble.  They were selling a combination ticket with two other museums and we decided to by the combo ticket.  All of these were guided tours and were going to take up all the time.  Salem closes up at 5 P.M. sharp and we didn't get started until 2.  We lost a lot of time running around to all those museums and then taking the tours that we didn't get to spend as much time as we would like in Salem. The pirate tour was fun though!

West Island (6/14/10)

Today Tommy and I went to West Island to visit his Dad and Judy.  Tommy was looking forward to eating the best chowder in the world.  This is from a seafood shack on the corner of Alden Street (appropriate don't you think?).  I got more clams which were phenomenal by the way!

I saw the West Island house for the first time and it is nice.  Too small for my own personal taste but nice.  Tommy's Uncle David just happened to be arriving from Phoenix today.  Tommy and his Dad went to the airport to pick him up and then we had a lovely steak dinner.

Tommy and I hated to leave but there is much to see and do! I am looking forward to Salem tomorrow.