Vacation Part 3! Concord & Lexington

All I can say is, if you stand on these streets you just can't help but want to sing "God Bless America." The feeling of patriotism is in the air. Many of the stores and restaurants play fife drum music and harpsichord tunes and at any given moment you can see a Red Coat or a Patriot walking the town from different functions and re-enactments. We took our picture several times with both and it really was a special bonus.

We visited Minuteman National Park and saw the North Bridge where the "shot heard 'round the world" rang out and started the whole bloody thing! At the bridge, it was the British on one side and the Patriots on the other. Those poor British soldiers had no idea what they were walking into. They had come from England, only 700 of them, to seize some stockpiled ammunition and talk some sense into those crazy Massachusetts colonists. Little did they know, we had found out and were waiting in numbers twice and three times as much as them. We visited the Paul Revere capture sight and saw the homestead of a family that was living right in the middle of all the action. So much to see; and I can't stress to you enough how every rock and stone and tree speaks to you as you walk through those beautiful woods and then onto the battlefield and across the bridge. It's a feeling that is amazing.

We ate lunch at The Colonial Inn. Again, we have stayed here overnight previously and it is such a cool place. It was an antique by the time the Revolutionary War even came! It actually is the OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY operating Inn in America. And a Redcoat was going in for a drink at the tavern!Louisa May Alcott's home is in Concord as well as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau. We have visited them all in the past but are saving them for next time. I want the kids to know who Louisa May Alcott is before we visit so they get more out of it. My son really loves old homes and touring them. The house in the picture above is Louisa's. Orchard House is its name.

Vacation Part 2! Sudbury, Massachusetts

My husband's favorite places of all in Massachusetts is Sudbury and Concord. I have to break my trip into parts because I'm not good at the blogging thing yet so I can't seem to get all my photos and text to work out well so if you don't mind all the part 1, 2, 3's etc, then please stay with me. I'm so excited to share my trip with you.

As I was saying, my husband's favorite place to go to in Sudbury is Longfellow's Wayside Inn as well as the town of Concord. Longfellow stayed and ate here on many occasions and wrote about it in "Tales of the Wayside Inn'. It was a popular hangout for many of the locals from Concord including Henry Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and for dinners that included another famous local, Louisa May Alcott.

Bill and I have stayed at the Inn as overnighters before though we didn't this time. We did have a wonderful dinner in their tavern room. Lit by candles and kerosene lamps, it's very warm and inviting and you just settle in and enjoy it all. This was a famous stagecoach stop as well. They say the Inn is haunted by a former innkeeper's daughter who loved the Inn so much, she can't bear to leave so she stays to keep watch over the guests. We didn't meet her! The Wayside does a nice thing for its guests when the Summer comes~~they set out big wooden adirondak chairs out in front for everyone to sit and enjoy the night air. It's lovely.

Across from the Inn is the Wayside Grist Mill. We can thank Henry Ford for restoring this beauty. You can go in and see the "works" and although I only love to look at and photograph it, my husband and son enjoy walking through it to see how it works. That's not a postcard, btw, that's a real photo I took.

Lastly, Sudbury is home to the Little Red Schoolhouse. This is the school where Mary Sawyer went to school and was followed by her lamb. It made the children laugh and play to see a lamb at school--you know the rest. Yes, there really was a Mary. You can't go into the school; I photographed through the window. Another favorite and must see every time we go to Sudbury. Simple stops that mean so much.

Vacation Part 1 !

We are back from our trip, and I have so much to write about. It was such a great trip so I thought I would highlight some of my favorite stops and my FAVORITE stop is always The House of Seven Gables. Although I had been to this house many times, I would not think of visiting Salem and not stopping here. We took the tour (again) not only because it was the first time for the kids visiting it, but because we always learn a little fact we didn't know. There is always something new to learn. For example, did you know that the expression "sleep tight" comes from the colonial method of tightening the ropes in the bed that held the straw mattress? They used a big "key" type item and they would tighten it before bedtime, hence the expression "sleep tight." Well, this trip we learned that the expression "it costs an arm and a leg" came from the days when people would have a portrait painted. In the 1700 and 1800's you will many times see just a head/neck shot with just the shoulders. That's because it cost more to have your whole body painted into a portrait. It was quite expensive. It cost an arm and a leg! Those little tidbits just are so cool

Anyway, the House of Seven Gables is a wonderful house. Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote the books The House of Seven Gables and the Scarlet Letter, was a cousin of the relatives who built it and lived there and the house inspired him so much he wrote about it. He lived there briefly. He actually was born several blocks away and in 1958 they moved his birthplace to the grounds of the Seven Gables. His house is the burgundy one in my photos.

To be at The House of Seven Gables is so special; it gives you a real feel for Salem. I love the home's prim look and the fact that it has a secret staircase. We spent our whole second morning here. I hope you like my photos. AND the other bonus was, a black cat named Lucky visited with us right on the side street of the Gables. A black cat greeting you at your favorite house~~~I'm in heaven! Oh, and inthe book The House of Seven Gables, there is a character named Hepzibah. I think that's a great name for a cat! MORE TO COME!

Mini Massachusetts Vacation

Today is packing day for me! On Saturday, we are leaving for a three day trip to Massachusetts as a mini family vacation. We are looking forward to it so much. We'll be visiting Salem, Concord, Lexington, Sudbury and Boston. This is one of our favorite trips. Bill and I used to visit quite often, but we haven't been there in recent years so we are really excited.

Some of our plans will include the Minuteman National Park (it's Patriots Weekend), the House of Seven Gables, Longfellow's Wayside Inn, the one room schoolhouse where "Mary" brought her lamb (the nursery rhyme is a true story and this is the actual schoolhouse), Paul Revere's house and more. The kids will learn about the Salem Witch trials, and have seafood on the Pickering Warf. We can't wait. There is so much to do there but we can't fit it in on one trip. Louisa May Alcott's house is in Concord along with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thoreau's homes. Beautiful places to see. I have visited all of them and plan to do it with the kids when Caitlin is a wee bit older. She's excited to see the schoolhouse and Salem and what is so special is to go to Minuteman National Park and actually stand where the Revolutuionary War began. Plus, they have random marches down Main Street of the British and Patriots. It's so cool. ANd we actually go to Paul Revere's house the days of his actual ride! SO that should be extra special.

I have alot of packing to do. There's a pool in our hotel which we will enjoy in the evenings after our long days of touring. Can't forget the bathing suits!

I'll tell you all about our trip when we return!

Robin and Swimmy

I'd like you to meet Robin, our seven year old black cat. Robin adores our beta fish~~as you can see. That would be Swimmy. Robin has a very bad habit. He likes to jump onto wherever Swimmy's bowl is and take a drink! Swimmy never seems to mind. Robin has no intention of eating Swimmy or harming him; he just wants a drink! Swimmy has actually gotten used to this behavior and sometimes swims to the top to almost greet Robin. Friendship!

We have Robin since the minute he was born. His Mom was a stray, and she gave birth to him on our porch. We kept her (her name is Mommy Cat) and we kept Robin. Robin was named by my son Billy who, at that time, loved watching Batman and Robin. Robin is like my middle child. He understands everything and loves to be with the kids. When Caitlin plays dollhouse, you can be sure Robin is right there to play too. He includes himself in everything the kids do which is quite different from most cats who usually fear small children (and rightfully so, if they aren't taught correctly). Robin enjoys visits from our neighbor kids and will stick around them the whole time they are here. He is a big LOVE!

I also wanted to show you a photo of another of our cats. This is Dutchess. We adopted Dutchess in 2006. Our vet's office had her staying with them because her owners had passed away a week apart from each other and Dutchess (an older lady) was left. She had never been anything but an inside house cat. She was heading to a shelter shortly if she hadn't found a home. We had recently lost a calico just like her to cancer and were happy to make her part of the family. I named her Dutchess from the Disney movie, the Aristocats. When Caitlin started talking, she couldn't say Dutchess. She would say "dadooba" so we now call her Dutchess or dadooba! She knows both her names. I call her Dutchie Doodlebug.

We also have Dixie and Red Cat and our two friends outside we feed, Patches & Bootsie. For now, just sit back and laugh at my Robin "visiting" with his buddy Swimmy. And if you come for a visit, Robin will want to be your best friend.

Gifts, Bread, & Girl Scouts

Well, it's been a few days since I've been on, but I have been doing my best to keep up with every one's blog! It has been a busy few days but busy with good things, I'm happy to say.

I received an incredible package from my buddy Gina of Cat Nap Inn Primitives yesterday and was I ever bowled over by what she made for me. She hand crafted a prim garden glove that is so creative. I had admired it when she made them and showed them on her great blog but to see it in person was something else. So much attention to detail; penny stitched and all and I love it so much. I also unwrapped a beautiful embroidered doily (tea-stained) which I think looks lovely on my kerosene heater under my little Easter bunnies. I think even when Easter is over, I will leave the doily there cause it fits so nicely. AND if that wasn't enough, she made this great black cat (I have two real black cats, ya know) and it's like a door stopper type item. My husband really liked that alot! Again, beautiful craftsmanship, lovely buttons for eyes and her stitching is so perfect. You must check out her etsy shop. I love it all so much Gina, and I love you as well. Although I am crafty, you are really top notch. I only wish I had your skills. Not exactly sure where I'm placing the kitty but for now he is at the base of my staircase, and I am really liking him there.

I have spent so much time doing planning and paperwork for Caitlin's Girl Scout Daisy Troop. It really took up more time than I thought it would this week and thank heaven Mom drove me to my little destinations for paperwork drop off. For those of you who don't know, I have a rare degenerative eye condition and I don't drive (never have) because I don't have peripheral vision; I have tunnel vision so I'm kinda like a horse with blinders on----funny, lately I'm not resembling a horse as much as I am a "cow" but that'll be another future post when I discuss my need to diet. :) SO back to the driving thing, Mom has helped me out by doing some of the driving for my paperwork stuff. It's a big pain being a non-driver but thankfully I have a wonderful family and friends and a husband who never rushes me in stores! I get it all done and I get my Dunkin' Donuts coffee as well since I am addicted to being in the car with a coffee. So in doing all this Girl Scout stuff, I can't help but wonder why, oh why, can't Moms pay attention and get their paperwork back to me properly or on time? It's a signature or a permission slip; just menial stuff but I guess everyone else is busy, not me, though ;) We have had a nice troop and it all comes to an end May 20th for the Summer. We have a magic show coming up, an amusement park trip and we are marching in the Memorial Day Parade. I have a nice group of 13 girls and they will continue as Daisys next year as well in first grade,then it's onto Brownies after that. I enjoy it all and had planned to be a Daisy leader way back when Caitlin was born. I was never a Brownie or Daisy as a child but I wanted Caitlin to experience it and hopefully she will make friends and love it.

With all the Girl Scout stuff out of my way yesterday, my son and I finally had time to do the bread baking! We used the King Arthur flour and recipe he received from school (see last post), and we had so much fun. He loves to cook and what my pictures don't show is that while we were waiting for the dough to rise, he had breaded and fried up some chicken cutlets for dinner with me! He has always loved the kitchen. Caitlin is making brownies after school today. That's her specialty, and she has learned to crack eggs so nicely.

Have a great day!

King Arthur & the Birthday Princess

Good Morning to you all on this very rainy day. I am thankful it is raining, though, as upstate New York is getting snow! Not us; just rain. Long Island usually has good weather patterns~~not too hot in the Summer and not too cold in the Winter and some snow but not mega snow. This year we really got hit with the cold and the snow.

Caitlin celebrated her birthday on March 28th and her class had a celebration as well. My Mom, she's seated in the rocker in the classroom picture, came to sing Happy Birthday as well in her class. It was a great day. She enjoyed her cupcakes and Scooby Doo fruit snacks! What a birthday Princess.

Yesterday my son came home from school with a bag of items from the King Arthur Flour Company. This was such a wonderful thing. King Arthur Flour Company visited his school and demonstrated how to make bread! The program is called "Life Skills Bread Baking Program" and King Arthur visits schools across the nation showing kids how to bake bread from scratch! They even went that extra mile and provided a 2lb bag of unbleached flour, 2lb whole wheat flour, yeast, and a dough scraper along with directions and a booklet to make your own at home! I thought it was so great because I feel that home economics have been so underestimated in recent years. I just heard that several schools in NJ were dropping their home ec classes and replacing them with even more technology classes and the students (thank goodness) were protesting it. There is room and a need for both! I take my hat off to King Arthur for being so generous with their time and money. Anyway, my son, who has always liked to cook and has cooked with me since he's three years old, wants to bake the bread on Sunday. He said he learned how to braid it, too! He's gonna be a great husband someday!

I got some great sunflower seeds the other day. I'm gonna start them in the house and hopefully they grow big and tall! I love them! I'm sure my birds will too!