Saturday 27th October
Today I had the pleasure of accompanying G and two of her friends into Philadelphia for a family performance of the Philadelphia Symphony orchestra. By chance I had stumbled upon the event when idly searching for local things to do - a series of 5 family concerts in a year - certainly our sort of thing. First up was the music of American composer Aaron Copland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Copland) and a concert on the theme of cowboys and callaberos.
The concert was held at the Kimmel centre (http://www.kimmelcenter.org/) in downtown Philly and even the train ride was an adventure for these girls. The orchestral concert hall itself is built in the shape of a cello and that is pretty interesting to see. The orchestra and audience were clearly ready for fun with many dressed for the part. The event was introduced by the orchestra's new musical director (Yannick Nezet-Seguin) - he didn't seem quite so prepared for the fun appearing somewhat apologetically on stage with what appeared to be some half hitched props. The concert itself was hosted by Jamie Bernstein - daughter of Leonard Bernstein. She skilfully guided us through excerpts from "Billy the Kid" and "Rodeo" nicely setting the scene for the audience and introducing the different instruments, tempos and musical mood from enormous prairies through one horse towns to Mexican villages. She even got us all singing by teaching us a couple of traditional cowboy tunes - poor "Old Painter".
We all had a fun day out rounded off by takeout chicken and FRIES (I will gloss over the scuffle that broke out in the restaurant between the staff and a lady "acquiring"something to drink as we were waiting - I don't think the children will be mentally scarred). A quick round of Happy Families on the return journey to round off a pleasant trip.
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Sunday, 21 October 2012
The pumpkin patch
Sunday 21st October
Call us naive, but we thought that pumpkins were pretty much pumpkins and that there were bigger ones for carving and marginally smaller ones for eating. How very wrong we were! The season of Fall, which will culminate with Thanksgiving, has seen a positive proliferation of gourds of all shapes and sizes springing up wherever you look. There are huge ones balanced on hay bales at the end of drives. There are carved ones springing up along drives. There are towers of them balanced around doorways like bay trees to welcome you. There are gooseneck ones artfully curving around mail boxes and fences. There are green ones, white ones, orange ones, knobby ones, smooth ones, small ones, large ones, stripy ones, spotty ones - in fact it is fair to say - it is gourd - tastic.
Eager to join in the gourd fun, we headed to the attractively named Milky Way farm (http://www.milkywayfarm.com/) to visit their pumpkin patch and choose our own. The farm is set in rolling countryside which was all very reminiscent of the home counties. We started with a foray into the maize maze and spent a pleasant half an hour lost among the tall stalks entertained by the farming quiz. A short stroll across fields to the pumpkin patch, and we were in gourd heaven selecting from hundreds of pumpkins. A lot of discussion - not one which was bruised, not one which was too elongated, not one which was too scarred - finally two suitable carvers were chosen and a novelty "peanut" pumpkin for the mantelpiece. We loaded our pumpkins into the hay wagon and headed back to the farm. Much drier than last time we visited a pumpkin patch 3 years ago!
The day was topped off by ice-cram from the creamery. In my opinion it is the best ice-cream so far on this side of the Atlantic although the grown ups were marginally let down by choosing the seasonal pumpkin (which of course really meant cinnamon). Delicious peanut butter caramel, rocky road and coconut though (what is it with the children and coconut flavoured ice-cream?). We will definitely be back for that again.
I am still not sure how I feel about the environmental impact of all these gourds - surely the land could / should have been used for growing food? I can't deny though that the houses do all look great.
Call us naive, but we thought that pumpkins were pretty much pumpkins and that there were bigger ones for carving and marginally smaller ones for eating. How very wrong we were! The season of Fall, which will culminate with Thanksgiving, has seen a positive proliferation of gourds of all shapes and sizes springing up wherever you look. There are huge ones balanced on hay bales at the end of drives. There are carved ones springing up along drives. There are towers of them balanced around doorways like bay trees to welcome you. There are gooseneck ones artfully curving around mail boxes and fences. There are green ones, white ones, orange ones, knobby ones, smooth ones, small ones, large ones, stripy ones, spotty ones - in fact it is fair to say - it is gourd - tastic.
Eager to join in the gourd fun, we headed to the attractively named Milky Way farm (http://www.milkywayfarm.com/) to visit their pumpkin patch and choose our own. The farm is set in rolling countryside which was all very reminiscent of the home counties. We started with a foray into the maize maze and spent a pleasant half an hour lost among the tall stalks entertained by the farming quiz. A short stroll across fields to the pumpkin patch, and we were in gourd heaven selecting from hundreds of pumpkins. A lot of discussion - not one which was bruised, not one which was too elongated, not one which was too scarred - finally two suitable carvers were chosen and a novelty "peanut" pumpkin for the mantelpiece. We loaded our pumpkins into the hay wagon and headed back to the farm. Much drier than last time we visited a pumpkin patch 3 years ago!
The day was topped off by ice-cram from the creamery. In my opinion it is the best ice-cream so far on this side of the Atlantic although the grown ups were marginally let down by choosing the seasonal pumpkin (which of course really meant cinnamon). Delicious peanut butter caramel, rocky road and coconut though (what is it with the children and coconut flavoured ice-cream?). We will definitely be back for that again.
I am still not sure how I feel about the environmental impact of all these gourds - surely the land could / should have been used for growing food? I can't deny though that the houses do all look great.
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Ice-cream social
Thursday 6th September
Well - everyone back to school for the new school year. There has actually been something quite comforting about the return- mostly because it is, at least in part, familiar and a reminder that life does not continue to be one constant assult of change. It was good to see friends again and there are plenty of new ones to be made as the school muddles all the children each year. Whole thing is kicked off by an ice-cream social evening - still warm enough for shorts and T-shirts (and even the insects seem to have died down although the cicadas are still chirping away). It is very nice to have friends at the bus stop now (our previous stop was a little lonely) even if our Cape Cod whale did not quite make it to school in one piece.
Well - everyone back to school for the new school year. There has actually been something quite comforting about the return- mostly because it is, at least in part, familiar and a reminder that life does not continue to be one constant assult of change. It was good to see friends again and there are plenty of new ones to be made as the school muddles all the children each year. Whole thing is kicked off by an ice-cream social evening - still warm enough for shorts and T-shirts (and even the insects seem to have died down although the cicadas are still chirping away). It is very nice to have friends at the bus stop now (our previous stop was a little lonely) even if our Cape Cod whale did not quite make it to school in one piece.
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.
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.
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.
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!).
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!
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!
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