Baltimore

On our way to Philidelphia, we stopped in Baltimore to show the boys the National Aquarium.  What a wonderful visit!  We stayed at the Mount Vernon Hotel, which was very near the Inner Harbor.  Not only was it reasonably priced, but the staff was friendly and helpful.  It was located in a historic part of town, surrounded by several museums which I would’ve loved to visit but, sadly, did not have enough time.  Another place we’ll just have to return to! 

While the Aquarium was on the a bit pricey, the dolphin show was great.  We all loved it!  I marvel at those wonderful creatures and relish any chance to get close to them.  I look forward to having a real dolphin experience when the boys are older.  We also used our reciprocal membership with the Virginia Living Museum to get into the Maryland Science Center.  The most popular exhibit there was the interactive dinosaur exhibit.  The boys were able to measure true to life dino footprints and even sat in some! What a nice addition to the trip!

 

 

 

 

 

More Baltimore

Philidelphia

We recently took a trip to Philidelphia to visit my stepsister and her husband.  What a great time!  The city is an interesting mix of old and new.  I wasn’t always comfortable in Historical Philidelphia because it wasn’t wrapped in a nice neat little package like historically preserved Williamsburg (which I also love).  The historical sites in Philly are hidden all over the city between what has grown up around it.  We walked and walked and walked, surrounded by contemporaries in the flesh and the spirits of the past.  At the end of the day I was happy to have seen the original Liberty Bell and many of Ben Franklins haunts– one of the boys’ chunky board books come to life!  I was also left a little disatisfied because there was so much left undiscovered. Obviously more trips north will be needed!  The boys really didn’t care about any of the fantastic historical sites in their own right, but they found many ways to enjoy our jaunt around town, including the wild ride provided by Daddy and Uncle Jim.  Who needs Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion?

This was one of my favorite sites. I can't remember what particular historic building this was, but I it seemed to be a once much wider house that was somehow squshed down to size to make room for the new.

Walking down the streets with sister, Barb.

Real cobblestone street. Loved it-- though not too comfy to walk on!

I couldn’t help thinking about all our founders and their peers accomplished.  Their many, many talents.  What stops us today?  Is it that we are all plastered in front of the TV and other modern entertainment?  Who has time to think?  For sure, these men and women did not have constant media blaring other people’s thoughts constantly in their brains. ….and so their wheels had time and space for their own creation.  Another reason to hit that off button more often!

The Indepence Hall clock tower.

The Train Ride

The highlight of Kalani’s trip to Philidelphia was definitely the hour long train ride from Doylestown to Philidelphia…almost all above ground!

More Pictures from Philly

A Philly Break

The Uncle Jim ride.

The Dad ride.The Uncle ride. Who needs Busch Gardens?

The Boy Mummy

Mummy!

So, of course, when one studies Egypt, one must study mummies.  And the only way to really understand a mummy is to be a mummy!  Here is Keona getting into the spirit!

Kalani’s Picture

Kalani doesn’t draw a lot, but when he does he dives right in and the most delightful stuff comes out.  On this day, giraffes were the order of the day and I was allowed to take part in this collaborative drawing.  I was instructed to draw trees and grass.  Kalani drew a daddy giraffe and a baby.  There is a definite influence by Keona as the giraffes are playing with toy TORNADOS.  Go figure!

Mummies and Art

So today we went to the Chrysler Museum for their latest traveling exhibit: To Live Forever– Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum and really enjoyed it!  We saw sarcophaguses, mummies (human and canine), scarab beetles, hieroglyphs, canopic jars and more.  Perfect for us since we are in the middle of our study of Ancient Egypt.   Of course, the boys were most interested in the mummies.   I have to hand it to the Chrysler as the staff was extra helpful and nice today.  They made every effort to engage the boys and myself in the exhibit and to tell me about other activities they might be interested in.  Once we had seen the  mummies, Kalani was anxious to head upstairs– as if he knew what was there!  I was unsure, thinking we had done well enough for the one exhibit, but since he seemed interested (Keona had lunch on his mind), we headed up to check out some paintings.  What a great time we had.  Kalani had a lot to say about some paintings and some strong opinions of others:  ” I don’t like any in this room!” Next!  LOL  But we did have some good discussions about some.  Both boys asked if we could go back to that museum “next time”.  Pretty good for a place that does not cater at all (before today) to children.  I was happy to see them enjoy themselves at a place that was NOT plastered in primary colors and hands-on exhibits.  In December, we look forward to taking a trip to DC to see the traveling exhibit of the Terracotta Warriors and I hear there is a wonderful train exhibit at the US Botanic Garden.  We absolutely have to go there.  Next!

Wright Brothers National Memorial

     We recently made a day trip down to the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk, NC.  What a great day for four exhuberant boys!  I hadn’t been since they put in all the new stuff for their big celebration a few years ago.  We didn’t even get to everything because the life-size replica of the plane that they could climb all over was enough for hours of fun….and yes, grownups can climb up, too.  After that, we climbed the hill with the monument at the top and we were ready for the dune across for Kitty Hawk kites.  In the end, icecream was on everyone’s brain and we went in search of Diary Queen.  So if you are looking for a great daytrip from Hampton Roads…check it out!

The plane that you can crawl all over. What boy wouldn't like that?No worries about damaging anything; it's all metal!

The view from up there was apparently the best.You can get up and look over Orville's shoulder. Cool!

The workshops. We did not get down to these. Next time!

You can get up and look over Orville's shoulder!

Plenty of sand!

Kickin' it...

Hide and Seek....

Keeping his bud safe!