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.

The Cape (6/13/10)

Today my parents, Tommy, and I went with Norm and Judith to their summer cottage on the cape.  I forgot to bring my camera this day so I will be asking my mom for the pictures she took.   It was a 100 year old cottage that has been in Judith's family since the early 1940's.  It was really cool to see the old construction that is still functions today.

Norm and Judith took us to the Lobster Trap which is a nice little seafood shack.  I had some great whole clams which you can't in the south.  I'm not much a fish fan but I love clams and lobster!

Katie, Steven, Tommy and I ordered Chinese for dinner and watched Twilight!  Katie and I are obsessed and I only wish I could be there to go see Eclipse with Katie.

New Friends (6/12/10)

Today my mom and dad came over to meet Katie, Jeffrey, Steven, Kelly, Noah, and Betty.  We had a great breakfast cooked by Kelly and Katie brought awesome Dunkin Doughnuts coffee.  It was nice to have everyone meeting everyone even though I had only met everyone the night before.  Still everyone was talking, eating, and laughing!

After a great breakfast my mom, dad, Tommy and I left to meet my dad's uncle Norm and Aunt Judith.  Uncle Norm has been a carpenter all his life and taught carpentry for a living.  He built his house and most of the furniture within.  It was a beautiful home.  Norm built a wooden carosel horse that is hollow.  There is a surprise inside if anyone decided to break it apart to redo it years down the road.

Norm and Judith are amazing people and today is their 62nd wedding anniversary.  Tommy and I learned the secret to a long marriage.  "I'm wrong."  Judith and Norm both said this to one another throughout the day.  It was really lovely to see two people still in love after so much time and working to help one another.

Final Leg (6/11/10)

I'm not a professional teacher but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

We set off for the final leg of the drive to Katie's.  It was a pretty calm ride, at least in the fact that Dorothea didn't get any tickets today.  We talked, some of us cried, and one of us lied (they shall remain anonymous for their protection) then before we knew it we were pulling into Katie's.

We then stayed up until 2:00 A.M. which was crazy!  A long day but a good day!  Tomorrow we meet the family and go to a 62nd wedding anniversary party.

Mrs. Alden goes to Washington DC (6/10/10)

We woke this morning at about 7:30 in beautiful Luray Virginia and had a great breakfast in the hotel restaurant.  Afterwards we set out for Washington DC via the Blue Ridge Parkway and what a beautiful drive it was!  We stopped at overlooks and had some fun before stopping to have lunch in this great little local place that has been family owned since 1963.  It had pretty good food and a neat little country store.

We arrived in DC right at rush hour (this was not thought out)!  We circled for about an hour and a half before finally finding a parking space.  Tommy and I set out to look at all the monuments and memorials which were spectacular.  It took Tommy and I about three hours to get to them all and really enjoy taking in the sites.  We would have loved to have done the Smithsonian but that would take another two days!  Maybe some other time.

Dorothea met new friends, pretty typical of Dorothea, and we ventured into Maryland.  We had some fun watching the need gas light and the needle as we drove towards the hotel.  All in all another great day!

1st Leg (6/9/10)

Dorothea arrived at our house in Winder right on time!  We loaded up all our gear and hit the road.  The only bittersweet moment was leaving our furry child at Winding Creek Kennels.  She is going to have a great time but Daddy was emotionally torn up about leaving his baby behind.  He seems to have recovered as we sit in Luray Virginia.  I'm getting ready to do my online class work and he is watching TV.  Dorothea is staying connected on her phone and trying to make plans with Aunt Karen for Sunday. 

Virginia is absolutely beautiful!  We are surrounded by beautiful mountains and a charming atmosphere.  We heard about the Luray Caverns which are supposed to be really spectacular.  Has the worlds biggest instrument inside that bounces off the rocks.  I bet it sounds amazing! Tommy had some great chicken wings from Anothony's Brick Oven Pizza...the pizza was great too!




We developed a rule on the road (in North Carolina really), what happens in Dorothea's Car stays in Dorothea's Car...except for this bit.

Gas for the car - $60
Fast Food - $40
Dorothea's Speeding Ticket - $? (we will know in August when Dorothea goes back to Charlotte for reckless driving and going 91 in a 65 o.O)
A lifetime of endless blackmail - Priceless.

Now I need to eat and go to class, all from the hotel room!

A Southern Invasion

On Wednesday, June 9th, my husband, my mother-in-law, my mom, my dad, and I will leave on a trip up north.  I'm going to meet my husbands and my dads family that live in New England.  We are going to be stopping in Washington D.C.,  Plymouth, and Salem.  We should be taking pictures and posting them here to talk about the trip.  It should be interesting!