Sunday 26 August 2012

Zippidy do dah........it was a wonderful day

Sunday 26th August

Another special girl's birthday today - she awoke to find out that the mysterious new washing line in the garden was not really a new washing line at all - but her new zip line - well large garden, even larger trees - it had to be done.  First user - obviously the constuctor and G&C were not allowed near for quite some time, but eventually it was up and running.  Only dissenting voice so far is the neighbours dog (but mostly because of the running around and screaming I think).

Party - crazy bowling with friends - full medal ceremony followed - all taken in good spirts except C who didn't like her prize for the slowest ball bowled.


Thanks to Grandma for joining us.

Saturday 25 August 2012

On the trail of the Pilgrim Fathers in Cape Cod

Sunday 19th - Friday 24th August

Most people remember that the Pilgrim Fathers landed in Plymouth Massachusetts after their epic transatlantic crossing on the Mayflower (commissioned in Canterbury Kent), but in actual fact history records that they first came ashore in America at what is now Province Town at the very tip of Cape Cod.  The 100ish Sepratists had left Plymouth Devon in September 1820 and after 8ish weeks at sea arrived in Cape Cod bay in early November 1620.  First job to write and sign the Mayflower Compact (the first government document to be written in USA - full text can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact), in which the settlers promise to support each other to ensure survival and, interestingly, even though they were fleeing religious persecution, swears on-going allegence to the King (King James I).  Whilst anchored here they also undertook 3 forrays ashore to find firewood, fresh water, and investigate the land for crop growing potential.  Ashore they found evidence of the Native Americans who were living there at the time (although the locals fled on sight of the Europeans) and proceeded to ransack their stores of grain to plant themselves (not a great first step in diplomatic relations but likely necessary for survival).  After 5 weeks the Pilgrims decided that the Cape and its sandy soil and dunes was not for them and so set off again to the land mass that they could see vaguely on the horizon, ultimately landing on that famous rock and establishing their settlement.

The Cape though makes a wonderful holiday destination and so we headed here for a few nights camping.  It is one of the biggest barrier islands in the world (forming part of USA National Seashore) and its hooked shape is well known.  It was disconnected from the mainland in 1916 when an entrepreneaur built Cape Cod canal across the isthmus.  It consists of huge dunes and long white sandy beaches on the Atlantic Shore which protect the mainland from Atlantic storms (but at great expense to local erosion - it is about 1000ft narrower now than when those Pilgrims arrived here) and it has grassy inlets and calm harbours on the inside of the hook.  Dotted across the island are fresh water ponds for kyaking and swimming and chocolate box villages New England style of clapper board cottages and tall steppled churches intringuingly named after small towns in UK (Sandwich being a crowd pleaser).   The colours are all creams, lime greems and turquoise blues that you expect and it is of course holiday destination of choice for many rich and famous including the Kennedy's.  This is the sort of place for me.

The Cape is also famous for its lighthouses.  A map of the shipwrecks off the coastline rivals the Cornish coast and so in 1797 George Washington himself as President authorised the building of the first ligthhouse at Highland Point.  Two more followed shortly and, bless those nineteenth century Americans, they decided to shun the British ways of distinguishing one light from another using different flashing patterns, and do it their own way - building two lighthouses on the second site and then three on the third.  Even they realised eventually that this couldn't go on but it does make for some interesting buildings all these years later.  The Cape of course is also where the first Marconi radio signal was received, and where the transatlantic telephone cables come ashore - awash with interesting things to visit and links to UK.

Like our other trips this year, the days were filled with good and interesting experiences - cycling down the old railway line (until one of us went flying and  we needed to turn around), fish and chips on the beach whilst nuturing our family of hermit crabs that we had caught on the receeding tide, wandering around Province town and viewing the various memorials to the Pilgrims, lighthouse tours of the 3 sisters with a Park Ranger, sunset on Nauset Light beach watching the seals frolicing in the waves and best of all a trip whale watching where we saw humpback whales, minke whales, flukes and blow holes by the dozen.  Oh - and did I mention that the girls completed another Junior Ranger badge - the collection is growing.

Even the 6 state (Massechusets, Rhode Island, Conneticut, New York, New Jersey and finally Pennsylvania) 6 hour return car journey back home held some interest - well for the first 30minutes at least.  Another good holiday to round off the summer vacation - back to school and work imminently for everyone.

Sunday 19 August 2012

On the trail of the Revolutionaries in Boston

Friday 17th - Sunday 19th August

Where to go for our family summer holiday was something that puzzled us for a while - east and it gets a bit wet and we had already done some exploring there; south - no way, we couldn't stand the thought of hotter and stickier than where we are now; west - we had left it too late and didn't have quite enough time to justify a 6hr flight; so only 1 option left - north.  We decided to impinge upon the hospitality of some former Sandwich colleagues and take the opportunity to explore Boston and then Cape Cod (see next post).

Boston was founded in 1630 by some Puritan colonists from England (not the Pilgrim Father's themselves but settlers who followed close on their heels) and has many links to the parts of American history that we are growing familiar with from Philadelphia.  It was of course the site of some of the famous events in the run up to the Revolutionary war (more about that later) and also the birth place of Benjamin Franklin (who went on to be a significant member of the Philadelphia community after moving south following a fall out with his brother).  Today it is one of the largest cities on the East Coast, capital of Massachusets, gateway to New England, and home to the Boston Red Sox (baseball team), the Cheers bar (from the sitcom) and Harvard University just across the Charles river in Cambridge.  We were all excited to be going to explore.

Boston is a very beautiful city - it has much more of the European historical city about it than downtown sky scrapers (although it has a few of those too).  Boston Common and the public gardens next door could be a park in England, weeping willows trailing in the water made good hiding places for hide and seek and the boats in the lake were very serene.  Beacon Hill is the area of the city
famous for nineteenth century red brick town houses with beautiful windows reminiscent of houses in Bath and cobbled streets.  And it all runs along the banks of the Charles river which was filled with sailing dinghys tacking to and fro whilst we were there.  We spent a pleasant few hours wandering around enjoying the "sidewalks" and had the most amazing coconut and chocolate ice - creams - the only disappointment was that there was not enough time for more mozying in the designer shops (the like of which we do not really see in Paoli).

The tourists though (including us) have all come to follow "the freedom trail"   (www.thefreedomtrail.org), a walk which guides you past the buildings significant in the run up to the War of Independence (known locally as the Revolutionary War).  It follows in the footsteps of the revolutionaries who through their actions, propaganda and media campaigns ensured 
the "taxation without representation" was stopped once and for all.

Since not all of the party has the same appetite for city trails and local history we split the trail into two days.  Part 1 - Old South Meeting House where Sam Adams gave the cry to throw the tea into the sea in 1773; the Old State House where a speech by James Otis on 1761 was said to have initiated the cause of independence; the site of the Boston Massacre where, in 1770, British sailors fired on a 
rioting mob killing several locals and sparking a media campaign of outrage; Faneuil Hall where Samuel Adams and James Otis lectured and debated on the cause of independence; the home of Paul Revere who on the night of 18th April 1775 rode from Charlestown to Lexington and Concord to warn the militia, and especailly Samuel Adams and John Hancock (first signatory of the declaration of independence) of the marching of British troops; and the Old North church upon which steeple church sexton Robert Newman hung two lanterns to signal to Revere the troops movements.  This ride is immortalised in Henry Longfellow's poem "Midnight Ride" (http://www.legallanguage.com/resources/poems/midnightride/).

Day 2 was less walking but just as much history in Charlestown Naval base. Main attraction for us was the Bunker Hill monument - which commenmorates the spot where, in June 1775, the British troops had one of their first encounters with the Revolutionaries.  The Revolutionary Army, although at that stage nothing more than a motley bunch of 1,200 farmers from the various colonies, had taken the high ground a day earlier under the leadership of William Prescott.  They faced the full force of the British army who arrived well equipped and marched up the hill to meet them.  Although the vitory was ultimately for the British, it took three assaults and the British suffered large casulaties.  The scurmish both spurred the  Revoluntionaries to unite into one Army and also gave them hope that, if better organised and equipped, they would be able to ultimately win (which of course they did!).

Now - we had visited everything - seen and learnt lots, but I was still a bit purturbed - something was missing.  Just where was that tea thrown into the harbour?  We sought it out eventually - but - in case you ever visit - it isn't on the freedom trail at all.......(and the gift shop sells the most expensive tea I have ever seen!).













Tuesday 14 August 2012

Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia

Tuesday 14th August

Philadelphia still has many attractions that we have yet to explore and so we went down town today to check out 2 more of them.  First up today, encouraged by the "foodies" in the party, Reading Terminal Market.  This market is entirely reminiscent of the Covered Market in Oxford (even down to the cookie shop in the corner) although it is an American sized version (clearly!).  It was lovely pottering around the stalls of the different traders and seeing the freshly made produce.  I think that it is the closest we have all come to REAL cheese and artisan bread since living in USA.  Unfortiunately the market is not accessible for shopping for us but it has onsoired me to head to our local Armish Farmers market to see what they have to offer.

Philadelphia, also known as the City of Brotherly Love (due to the ancient Greek name - according to Wiki at least), is also home to Robert Indiana's famous LOVE monument.  It was put up in JFK plaza in 1976 to commenmorate the USA bicentennial, removed briefly in 1978 before being returned due to popular demand.  The statue frames one end of Benjamin Franklin Parkway which flies a flag from every country in the world.   The plaza's single shoot tall water fountain also proved very fleshing on this hot hot day.  It is as iconic in the flesh as the images.

The trip down-town was rounded off nicely with a family first - Philly Cheesesteak - a local speciality consisting of griddled steak, chopped, cooked with - you guessed it - cheese and served in a hoagie - which translates as an enormous hot dog roll for the British readers.  Not for every day we think!

Monday 13 August 2012

Dutch Wonderland

Monday 13th August

This is a post by guest blogger C.

We went with our friends Pumpkin to Dutch Wonderland ( http://www.dutchwonderland.com/).  It is a park which is quite a long drive from our house (well for a 6 year old at least).  We went on the roller coasters - I liked the big one because it was really fast and fun.  We also went in a turtle which swirled around really fast - I screamed a lot.   We watched a show called The Frog Prince - the frogs were doing lots of diving tricks including diving off the very top of the castle.  It made a giant splash and I got wet!  At the end we went on a great big water slide in a float.  I hope that we can go there again another day!  Thank you Pumpkin for a very good idea.

Saturday 11 August 2012

Tree house adventure

Saturday 10th August

This is a guest blog by Pumpkin junior who is staying with us this week enjoying some of the hot weather.  In G and C's garden there are lots of tall trees so they thought it would be fun to go and see some tree house possibilities at a tree house festival.  The festival was at Tyler arboretum about 20mins drive.  We went in about 10 different tree houses.  My favourite was one which was up on a platform and decorated with really amazing coloured stones.  I liked it because it was pretty and I like pretty things.  The grown ups liked the one which had curved supports and a see through platform but that might be a bit difficult to build.  There was also a competition for a garden chair design - we liked playing on the one like the hungry caterpillar because we could balance on the caterpillar body. We also visited the butterfly house and saw more monarchs and we also played some games to guess what everyday objects came from trees and also finding out about different bird beaks.  I liked the hawk beak and using it to dig up a mouse.   It was very hot so we went back for a splash in the pool.

Friday 10 August 2012

Was the summer of ........ 2012

School was out for 12 whole weeks - should we consider this a childcare nightmare or an opportunity for an education of a different kind?  One thing is for sure - it is far too hot and sticky to contemplate going to school and for us the option of decamping to the beach for 3 months is not a reality.  So summer camp it was.

In January I had attended a summer camp fair at the local High School to find out what the options were.  It rivalled my recollection of Fresher's fair as stall after stall vied for parental attention and money.   There is nothing that can't be done - crash courses in the 3R's, languages, sports, adventure, day camp, residential camps, nature camps, religious camps, Eco camps, save the world camps - the list was endless.  We plumped for 3 different camps - and this is what they thought.......

The first camp we did was day camp.  It was the best camp because we did a mix of everything and we had to try to catch Carly Quickhands who was a cowboy who had stolen money from the bank.  The reward was 100 popsicles.  My favourite thing was drama - we learnt lots of new dances and played musical statues.  "I threw a wish in the well....." was my best song.  I was camper of the week.

The second camp we did was half a day of nature and half of tennis.  I liked nature camp because we went fishing and caught lots of minnows.  We went canoeing as well.  Tennis camp was hard work - we had to run around a lot even though it was hot. C was camper of the week.

The last camp was art camp.  I did 4 classes - drawing, mud works, puppet making and Cassatt to Seurat.  My favourite lesson was puppet making.  I made a puppet cake and ginger bread man and some shadow puppets.  At the end we put on a show for the parents.

Next year I would like to do a theatre summer camp.








Monday 6 August 2012

Citizens Bank Park

Monday 6th August

Guests from UK was the spur we needed to finally get tickets to see the Phillies play at their stadium - Citizens Bank Park.  We joined 41665 others who were out on a Monday evening to watch them play the Atlanta Braves.  We had seats behind the plate but were up very high - one advantage of that is being able to see William Penn's statue and the other sky scrapers of Philadelphia in the background.   The pitch was quite a bit bigger than the one we are used to seeing for T-ball and softball (especially the out-field).  The most exciting part of the match was that the Phillies got one home run - it was celebrated with lots of music and a flashing Liberty bell.  Unfortunately though they didn't win because the other team got 6, or maybe even 7, runs by the end of the 9th innings.  One was very controversial for the home crowd as it was scored from a seemingly foul ball.  We were amaze at how good the players were at catching.  V now knows who Ryan Howard is and that her tennis coach saying she hits like him is not a good thing....... We liked the cotton candy and the  still lemonade and watching the team mascot and his antics on the pitch between innings.  We will be back.