Last weekend was a rare opportunity for Jennifer and me. We had a weekend to ourselves without our daughter and were able to go away for a few days alone. While we missed our daughter from time to time we enjoyed the time spent alone together immensely.
We spent our time camping in Pearl Hill State Park. The campground was very nice, with large sites. We enjoyed the privacy we had without Maura. We arrived on Saturday and enjoyed a quiet evening together in camp sitting by our fire and retiring early to our tent.
Saturday was our wedding anniversary. In the morning we took a long hike to Damon Pond and back. After lunch at camp we left the park for the evening. We drove to Fitchburg where we discovered the Fitchburg Art Museum, a very fine small museum. We spent several hours there taking in their permanent collections and special exhibitions. They have a particularly fine selection of works by Eleanor Norcross, who donated the original building for the museum.
After the museum we took a long drive through the towns west of Fitchburg looking for a good place to eat and something to do before dinner. We failed to find anything of interest to do along our route but we enjoyed our uninterrupted conversation. We did find an interesting looking restaurant, the Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster, Massachusetts. Occupying an 18th century building once used as a sawmill it turned out to be a good choice. We may eat there again if we’re ever in the area. The setting was enchanting, the food was well prepared and they had beer from the local Wachusett Brewery on tap. We very much enjoyed our meal there.
The next day we took our time getting back to the Boston area. We planned a stop at the Nashoba Valley Winery, one of our favorite spots which we visit at least annually. On the way we took a long detour looking for Davis’s Farm Land, and then got lost on the way back. We eventually made it to Nashoba where we took the tour of the winery and tasted several of their products including their newly released whiskey, which was very good. A romantic picnic in the shade of the wine shop patio finished our weekend trip.
Have no fear that Maura was languishing with some boring baby sitter while we went away without her. While Jennifer and I were off together she was having adventures of her own in Maine with my parents. She saw the chocolate moose, ate lobster and went sailing on a schooner. The best part of her trip was she got to spend it with her grandparents whom she sees only a few times a year as they live far away.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Maura Turns Eight
Last week saw the arrival of Maura’s eighth birthday, celebrated in the Ellett household with a three day festival, occasioned both by her birthday and by the presence of my parents, whose visits are always an occasion for celebration.
Friday was her actual birthday and the celebrations began with dinner at Kelly’s Landing, Maura’s choice. She had a lobster. Maura loves to eat anything that once lived in the sea. I had almost as much fun watching her eat it as she had consuming it. After dinner we moved on for desert. We went to Michelle's, for ice cream. A local favorite, Michelle's offers dozens of flavors of soft serve mixed to order and almost as many flavors of hard ice cream. Later we went to an arcade to play games for a while. Maura, her grandfather and I played games and won tickets for Maura while her mother and grandmother did some shopping. We all had a good time and we won enough tickets for Maura to bring home a set of Japanese erasers, probably the best prize she’s ever won at the arcade, though it certainly cost a tiny fraction of what I spent on tokens. That mattered not at all. The fun we had was worth the money spent and would have been even if Maura had brought back no prize at all. I for one would happily have spent my small share of tokens on pinball and air hockey and Maura is a big fan of race games.
The festival continued the next day, Saturday, with a trip into Boston. We started in Chinatown for dim sum at a restaurant Jennifer had been to before and Maura wanted to try. Everyone enjoyed the meal. We all ate way too much. It was a good thing we took a walk afterwards, along the Greenway, through Quincy Market where we took in a street performance and on to City Hall Plaza where we spent some time at the Green Fair. When Maura had had her fill of bouncy houses we moved on to the Science Museum, one of our favorite destinations in Boston.
The highlight of our visit to the Science Museum was our visit to the butterfly garden, which we had not been to before. It was worth the extra charge to see it. The butterflies were beautiful and peaceful. I could have spent hours there, particularly watching the iridescent blue Common Morpho that took up residence on my dad’s hat and seemed content to stay there all day. In the end we had to gently shoo it off when it was time to leave.
Sunday was final day of the festival, the day we shared with more family and friends. Maura’s Aunt Andrea and Uncle Kevin brought her cousins. The Tittlers came by. So did our friend Joe and Maura’s friend Dominic from across the street. We had pizza from Denly Gardens, always a treat, and later cake and ice cream. It was raining so we stayed inside but everyone had a good time anyway. Maura got to show off her birthday gifts and the kids watched Fantasia for a while, which kept them almost quiet, a sure sign that it held their interest.
Friday was her actual birthday and the celebrations began with dinner at Kelly’s Landing, Maura’s choice. She had a lobster. Maura loves to eat anything that once lived in the sea. I had almost as much fun watching her eat it as she had consuming it. After dinner we moved on for desert. We went to Michelle's, for ice cream. A local favorite, Michelle's offers dozens of flavors of soft serve mixed to order and almost as many flavors of hard ice cream. Later we went to an arcade to play games for a while. Maura, her grandfather and I played games and won tickets for Maura while her mother and grandmother did some shopping. We all had a good time and we won enough tickets for Maura to bring home a set of Japanese erasers, probably the best prize she’s ever won at the arcade, though it certainly cost a tiny fraction of what I spent on tokens. That mattered not at all. The fun we had was worth the money spent and would have been even if Maura had brought back no prize at all. I for one would happily have spent my small share of tokens on pinball and air hockey and Maura is a big fan of race games.
The festival continued the next day, Saturday, with a trip into Boston. We started in Chinatown for dim sum at a restaurant Jennifer had been to before and Maura wanted to try. Everyone enjoyed the meal. We all ate way too much. It was a good thing we took a walk afterwards, along the Greenway, through Quincy Market where we took in a street performance and on to City Hall Plaza where we spent some time at the Green Fair. When Maura had had her fill of bouncy houses we moved on to the Science Museum, one of our favorite destinations in Boston.
The highlight of our visit to the Science Museum was our visit to the butterfly garden, which we had not been to before. It was worth the extra charge to see it. The butterflies were beautiful and peaceful. I could have spent hours there, particularly watching the iridescent blue Common Morpho that took up residence on my dad’s hat and seemed content to stay there all day. In the end we had to gently shoo it off when it was time to leave.
Sunday was final day of the festival, the day we shared with more family and friends. Maura’s Aunt Andrea and Uncle Kevin brought her cousins. The Tittlers came by. So did our friend Joe and Maura’s friend Dominic from across the street. We had pizza from Denly Gardens, always a treat, and later cake and ice cream. It was raining so we stayed inside but everyone had a good time anyway. Maura got to show off her birthday gifts and the kids watched Fantasia for a while, which kept them almost quiet, a sure sign that it held their interest.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Lowell National Historical Park
On Sunday Maura, Jennifer and I visited the Lowell National Historical Park, in Lowell, Massachusetts. We hadn’t been planning the trip but Lowell came up in conversation on Sunday morning and we decided to go that afternoon as soon as I was done with church. We loaded up the car and drove to Lowell, arriving around 1:30. At the Visitors’ Center we registered for a free trolley tour and picked up a Junior Ranger book for Maura. Because our tour started in an hour we explored the exhibits in the Visitors’ Center, starting with the multi-media program “An Industrial Revelation”, which was a good orientation for what we would see later in the day. After watching the program Maura worked on her Junior Ranger activities until it was time for the tour to start.
On the trolley tour we rode a restored antique trolley on old railroad tracks through Lowell. Along the way we learned about the trolleys that transported the mill workers around the city and the canals that brought water from the Merrimack River to power the mills. As part of the tour we got to see the River Transformed Exhibit at the Wannalancit Mills. The exhibit, which is rarely open to the public except for guided tours, showed the workings of the mill including the turbine that extracted power from the water flowing in the canal and the gears and flywheel system that transferred that power to the looms and other mill machinery.
From the Wannalancit Mills we rode the trolley to the Boott Cotton Mills where we left the trolley tour to spend some time at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. There we learned more about textile manufacturing and the history of Lowell. Upstairs at the museum were some well put together but fairly standard exhibits on the history of the city and the manufacture of textiles but the most interesting exhibit in the museum was the working weaving room downstairs. The constant noise of the machinery in the large room closely packed with looms gave a real idea of what it would have been like to work there when the mill was still operating and working looms gave an idea of what was really produced there and how it was done. Only a half dozen or so looms were actually producing cloth under the eye of one worker in period costume but it was enough to conjure in my imagination the busy scene where dozens of workers tended hundreds of looms.
Our visit to the Boott Mills allowed Maura to complete her Junior Ranger requirements and since the Visitors’ Center would be closing soon we headed back, making a brief stop at the Mill Girls and Immigrants exhibit at the Mogan Cultural Center next to Boarding House Park. There we learned just a bit about the Mill Girls lives working in early Lowell. We didn’t have enough time to fully experience that museum and that is one of the reasons why we agreed that Lowell is worth a return trip. There is quite a bit that we didn’t see.
At the Visitors’ Center Maura collected her Junior Ranger badge. Then we made a pit stop at Brew’d Awakenings, a few blocks away, for a pick me up before heading back to Weymouth. We’d all enjoyed ourselves and leaned a lot about the history of Lowell and of industry in America.
On the trolley tour we rode a restored antique trolley on old railroad tracks through Lowell. Along the way we learned about the trolleys that transported the mill workers around the city and the canals that brought water from the Merrimack River to power the mills. As part of the tour we got to see the River Transformed Exhibit at the Wannalancit Mills. The exhibit, which is rarely open to the public except for guided tours, showed the workings of the mill including the turbine that extracted power from the water flowing in the canal and the gears and flywheel system that transferred that power to the looms and other mill machinery.
From the Wannalancit Mills we rode the trolley to the Boott Cotton Mills where we left the trolley tour to spend some time at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. There we learned more about textile manufacturing and the history of Lowell. Upstairs at the museum were some well put together but fairly standard exhibits on the history of the city and the manufacture of textiles but the most interesting exhibit in the museum was the working weaving room downstairs. The constant noise of the machinery in the large room closely packed with looms gave a real idea of what it would have been like to work there when the mill was still operating and working looms gave an idea of what was really produced there and how it was done. Only a half dozen or so looms were actually producing cloth under the eye of one worker in period costume but it was enough to conjure in my imagination the busy scene where dozens of workers tended hundreds of looms.
Our visit to the Boott Mills allowed Maura to complete her Junior Ranger requirements and since the Visitors’ Center would be closing soon we headed back, making a brief stop at the Mill Girls and Immigrants exhibit at the Mogan Cultural Center next to Boarding House Park. There we learned just a bit about the Mill Girls lives working in early Lowell. We didn’t have enough time to fully experience that museum and that is one of the reasons why we agreed that Lowell is worth a return trip. There is quite a bit that we didn’t see.
At the Visitors’ Center Maura collected her Junior Ranger badge. Then we made a pit stop at Brew’d Awakenings, a few blocks away, for a pick me up before heading back to Weymouth. We’d all enjoyed ourselves and leaned a lot about the history of Lowell and of industry in America.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Red Monkey Visits Acadia National Park
Last Sunday Maura, Jennifer and I set out on a short family adventure in the form of a camping trip to Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island, Maine. We left home before dawn, the car having been loaded with our gear the night before and we had the roads almost too ourselves as we made the trip to Acadia in very good time, arriving before noon even though we took a slightly longer and slower route than we had originally planned and made a detour to purchase blueberries and maple syrup for the next day’s breakfast along the way.
On reaching the park we stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up a pass for the park loop road, necessary for camping, and a junior ranger activity book for Maura. From the Visitor’s Center we headed to the Blackwoods Campground where we would be staying until we had to head for home on Tuesday morning. We took a little time getting there, stopping at the base of the Precipice Trail in hopes of spotting the resident peregrine falcons (invisible in the clouds) and taking in Thunder Hole (not thundering but still scenic).
When we reached Blackwoods we checked in and set up camp. When the necessary chores had been done and we had eaten our lunch we took a short hike down to the top of the cliffs by the shore, and then along the road until we got to Little Hunter’s Beach, where we could climb down to the water. There we heard the sounds of the beach stones grinding together in the surf and searched tide pools to find crabs and periwinkles but no sea stars. Red Monkey, who was with us at Gettysburg in the spring, was with us again and we got his picture next to the small stream that flowed into the sea across the beach. While we were at Little Hunter’s Beach we were sprinkled with the only rain to fall on us while we were in Acadia.
On reaching the park we stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up a pass for the park loop road, necessary for camping, and a junior ranger activity book for Maura. From the Visitor’s Center we headed to the Blackwoods Campground where we would be staying until we had to head for home on Tuesday morning. We took a little time getting there, stopping at the base of the Precipice Trail in hopes of spotting the resident peregrine falcons (invisible in the clouds) and taking in Thunder Hole (not thundering but still scenic).
When we reached Blackwoods we checked in and set up camp. When the necessary chores had been done and we had eaten our lunch we took a short hike down to the top of the cliffs by the shore, and then along the road until we got to Little Hunter’s Beach, where we could climb down to the water. There we heard the sounds of the beach stones grinding together in the surf and searched tide pools to find crabs and periwinkles but no sea stars. Red Monkey, who was with us at Gettysburg in the spring, was with us again and we got his picture next to the small stream that flowed into the sea across the beach. While we were at Little Hunter’s Beach we were sprinkled with the only rain to fall on us while we were in Acadia.
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| Looking at tidepools |
Back at camp we rested for awhile and then made our supper of split pea soup with bacon. Pea soup is a family favorite and it cooked as well on a camp stove as it would at home. After supper we walked to the campground’s amphitheater for the Sounds of Acadia, put on by Ranger Todd, with musical selections by his twin brother, or perhaps alter ego, Toad. We learned how to listen to the sounds of the natural world and heard the sounds of some common birds, frogs and mammals provided by Ranger Todd, with audience participation. For variety Toad (or was it Todd without his ranger hat) led the audience in singing "Rockin’ Robin" and his own song, "Happy Earth Day". The program was fun and informative and I wish we could have attended others but the trip was too short. After the show we returned to camp and had desert, Jennifer’s creation, a stew of peaches and blueberries with dumplings of pancake batter. It was delicious and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. When the dishes were done we went to bed. It had been a long day and we wanted to be well rested for what we had planned for Monday.
What we had planned was a hike up Cadillac Mountain by the South Ridge trail, which begins at Blackwoods Campground. Our intention was to hike up and take the bus back. After our breakfast of blueberry pancakes we set out on foot from camp. We enjoyed the hike up the 4½ mile trail through forests and up the barren mountain ridges to the summit. The trail was challenging without being overly difficult and once we were above the tree line the views were spectacular. We had perfect weather with bright sun and a cooling breeze. When we reached the summit we had climbed from nearly sea level to 1530 feet, the highest point on the island and on the coast.
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| Maura and Jennifer at the top |
At the summit we enjoyed our lunch and the spectacular view in all directions. We got more pictures to document Red Monkey at the top. When we had had enough of the summit we started looking for the bus stop. It took us a few minutes to realize there isn’t one. There is a road to the summit and many people drive up Cadillac Mountain but the bus doesn’t go there. We’d made the mistake of assuming that it did and hadn’t looked at the bus schedule. Since we had no choice we walked down. We chose the North Ridge Trail. It is shorter than the South Ridge Trail we had come up and it ends at a bus stop. It was a good thing that it did because by the time we reached the bottom we were all exhausted. Despite the longer than planned hike we had all enjoyed it, even the hike down.
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| Red Monkey on the trail |
After the bus ride home and a short rest we headed out again, this time by car to Seawall on the other side of the island to explore more tide pools in hopes of seeing the elusive sea star. We saw a great many mussels and legions of periwinkles but no sea stars which will have to wait for a future trip.
After our return to camp it was time to make a fire and dinner. We dined on macaroni and cheese (with hot dogs and summer squash added for some extra nutrition) and then enjoyed our fire. For desert we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores, without which no camping trip would be complete for Maura.
In the morning we broke camp and headed home. I had to work in the evening and there was a long way to go. The weekend was far too short but despite the busy pace it was fun and relaxing.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Purgatory Chasm and the Blackstone Canal
It’s been a rough summer with little to write about but last Friday it was time for Maura and I to have a father and daughter outing. When our original plan to visit the Boston Harbor Islands proved impractical so we settled on a trip to Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, Massachusetts with a possible side trip to the Blackstone Canal. When our morning chores were done we loaded our lunch and hiking gear in the car and hit the road. An hour and half later, after winding our way through the Massachusetts countryside and getting slightly lost (a necessary part of all of our long trips together) we arrived at last at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation. After a brief stop to eat our lunch of salami and cheese sandwiches we made our way to the Chasm itself and began our first hike of the day.
Purgatory Chasm is a fascinating geological curiosity and also a fun scramble around, over, through and sometimes under rocks. Carved by glaciers in the last ice age the chasm resembles a seventy feet deep gorge without a stream at the bottom. Much of it is choked with boulders fallen from the granite walls making it a rugged and challenging hike. The boulder piles create talus caves and narrow crevices that can be explored by the adventurous and young and the tumbled landscape is weird but beautiful though it is marred by trash and graffiti left by thoughtless visitors. Maura and I walked down the trail to the base of the chasm and then returned by a route that took us along the rim before cutting back into the chasm on the way to the top. Maura explored caves and both of us ventured though a crevice where I tried to show Maura how to chimney climb. She wasn’t willing to try it so I had to help her out of the crack but it was still fun for both of us.
Back at the top of Purgatory Chasm we took a short rest in the shade. We purchased treats at the ice cream truck that was parked there—an ice cream sandwich for me and an enormous ice pop for Maura. Both were thoroughly enjoyed. From there we headed to our next destination, the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge, on our way home. We stopped at the visitor center at River Bend Farm for awhile. While we were there I took in the historical information about the region, the canal and the industrial revolution in the Blackstone Valley. Maura was a bit tired and not much interested in history for the moment, though she often is. After the museum we took a short hike on the tow path, between the old canal and the Blackstone River itself. The walk was pleasant and mostly flat and Maura’s interest in history revived in the outside setting when we stopped to read the descriptions of what we saw in the interpretive guide I'd picked up on the way to the trail.
When our walk was over we headed home. Before we started driving the only unfortunate event of the day occurred. I tried to call Jennifer and found my phone dead. I’d considered stopping for dinner on the way but unable to contact Jennifer I decided we should head straight home. We took a slightly longer route to avoid traffic at rush hour and arrived home at 6:30. Jennifer had not eaten dinner either so we all went out for a meal together to close out the day.
Purgatory Chasm is a fascinating geological curiosity and also a fun scramble around, over, through and sometimes under rocks. Carved by glaciers in the last ice age the chasm resembles a seventy feet deep gorge without a stream at the bottom. Much of it is choked with boulders fallen from the granite walls making it a rugged and challenging hike. The boulder piles create talus caves and narrow crevices that can be explored by the adventurous and young and the tumbled landscape is weird but beautiful though it is marred by trash and graffiti left by thoughtless visitors. Maura and I walked down the trail to the base of the chasm and then returned by a route that took us along the rim before cutting back into the chasm on the way to the top. Maura explored caves and both of us ventured though a crevice where I tried to show Maura how to chimney climb. She wasn’t willing to try it so I had to help her out of the crack but it was still fun for both of us.
Back at the top of Purgatory Chasm we took a short rest in the shade. We purchased treats at the ice cream truck that was parked there—an ice cream sandwich for me and an enormous ice pop for Maura. Both were thoroughly enjoyed. From there we headed to our next destination, the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge, on our way home. We stopped at the visitor center at River Bend Farm for awhile. While we were there I took in the historical information about the region, the canal and the industrial revolution in the Blackstone Valley. Maura was a bit tired and not much interested in history for the moment, though she often is. After the museum we took a short hike on the tow path, between the old canal and the Blackstone River itself. The walk was pleasant and mostly flat and Maura’s interest in history revived in the outside setting when we stopped to read the descriptions of what we saw in the interpretive guide I'd picked up on the way to the trail.
When our walk was over we headed home. Before we started driving the only unfortunate event of the day occurred. I tried to call Jennifer and found my phone dead. I’d considered stopping for dinner on the way but unable to contact Jennifer I decided we should head straight home. We took a slightly longer route to avoid traffic at rush hour and arrived home at 6:30. Jennifer had not eaten dinner either so we all went out for a meal together to close out the day.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Camping Near Gettysburg, or the Adventures of Red Monkey
Last week was April vacation for Maura so we took a family trip. We chose Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as our destination. I had always wanted to go there and see the place where the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. It also had the advantage of being close enough to drive to for a long weekend but far enough south that it was likely to be warmer than here in Massachusetts. We knew we wanted to camp, because we all enjoy it, but local campgrounds aren’t open yet in April, with good reason.
We left before dawn Thursday morning and made good time. Our route took us through six states. We were in our third state before we stopped for breakfast and in Pennsylvania already by the time we stopped for lunch. We reached Caledonia State Park, on the western slope of South Mountain, in plenty of time to make camp and dinner before nightfall. We set up our new tent and constructed a shelter over the picnic table with a tarp and some rope tied to trees, with a few spare tent poles to keep the tarp above our heads as we cooked and ate our meals. Desert we made over the campfire. No camping trip is complete without roasted marshmallows when camping with a seven-year-old.
On Friday we drove over the mountain to Gettysburg. We followed the auto tour of the battlefield. For me the highlight of the tour was when we stood on the top of Little Round Top, where the Union forces had arrived in the nick of time to keep the Confederates from taking the high ground that dominated the Union lines, thereby perhaps winning the battle on its second day if they had succeeded. Then we went to the High Water Mark of the Rebellion, where Pickett’s charge briefly broke the Union line, only to be driven back by a counterattack, turning the battle into a Union victory. In my mind’s eye I could see the progress of the battle and almost smell the powder smoke and the blood. I have a better appreciation now of the incredible courage and fortitude shown by both sides.
Along the way during our tour we stopped to take pictures, featuring Red Monkey, won in a carnival game the day before we left on our adventure. We have pictures of him at the Peace Memorial, on Little Round Top, at the High Water Mark, and at the top of more than one observation tower. There is even a shot of him in the barrel of a cannon.
While I could have explored every corner of the battlefield and stayed there for our entire trip, Maura and Jennifer were both a little tired of military history by mid-afternoon and we decided to spend some time in town. We wandered around the streets of Gettysburg for a while reading historical plaques and doing some shopping. Before we headed back to camp we visited the David Wills House, a museum in the home of the man responsible for creating the Gettysburg National Cemetery, at the dedication of which Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. President Lincoln stayed there the night before he gave his famous speech and we had the opportunity to learn more about the cemetery and the Address on our visit to the museum.
On Saturday we took the morning off from history to enjoy nature for a while. We hiked on the Charcoal Hearth Trail, and a few bits of other trails to connect it to our camp. The trail climbed Graeffenburg Hill through mixed forest of hardwoods and pines resplendent with the greenery and flowers of high spring. Despite the few rain drops that fell on us before we made it back to camp it was a wonderful hike. The trail was steep, rugged and long enough to be a challenge, but not too much of one. We felt like we had accomplished something when we arrived back at camp but we still had enough energy to enjoy the rest of our day.
After a rest in camp, a shower, and change of clothes we headed back to Gettysburg for a few hours before dinner, which we planned to eat in a restaurant in town. On the way from camp we visited Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum, billed as the largest elephant museum in the world. The museum houses Mr. Ed’s personal collection of elephants—carved elephants, plushy elephants, elephants in photographs and elephants on circus posters. The museum is free, and a lot of fun; and it is attached to a candy shop that sells wonderful homemade fudge.
Arriving in Gettysburg a few hours before dinner time we took in a bit more of the town before we ate. One place we went was the Shriver House Museum, a house restored as much as possible to its appearance in 1863, when the battle was fought. On our tour of the house, led by a guide in period costume, we learned about the experience of the people who lived there and of their neighbors during and after the battle. Though only one civilian died during the battle it produced much danger and hardship for the people of the town. Maura particularly enjoyed the Shriver House because the family had included two little girls, about her age at the time of the battle, and their story was part of the story told on the tour.
Though we couldn’t get a table at either of the restaurants we had planned to eat at we had a nice dinner in the Springhouse Tavern in the basement of the Dobbin House tavern. The food was good, as was the atmosphere with colonial décor reflecting the construction of the building in 1776. The spring gives the room its name bubbled in one corner. The tavern also had the advantage of being less expensive than the main dining room, probably a good thing for us.
After dinner we headed back to camp and went to bed. We were tired and planned to hit the road early in the morning. During the night heavy rain fell but fortunately our tent was up to its job of keeping us dry. We hit the road early as planned, stopping for a delicious diner breakfast on our long trip back to Massachusetts.
We left before dawn Thursday morning and made good time. Our route took us through six states. We were in our third state before we stopped for breakfast and in Pennsylvania already by the time we stopped for lunch. We reached Caledonia State Park, on the western slope of South Mountain, in plenty of time to make camp and dinner before nightfall. We set up our new tent and constructed a shelter over the picnic table with a tarp and some rope tied to trees, with a few spare tent poles to keep the tarp above our heads as we cooked and ate our meals. Desert we made over the campfire. No camping trip is complete without roasted marshmallows when camping with a seven-year-old.
On Friday we drove over the mountain to Gettysburg. We followed the auto tour of the battlefield. For me the highlight of the tour was when we stood on the top of Little Round Top, where the Union forces had arrived in the nick of time to keep the Confederates from taking the high ground that dominated the Union lines, thereby perhaps winning the battle on its second day if they had succeeded. Then we went to the High Water Mark of the Rebellion, where Pickett’s charge briefly broke the Union line, only to be driven back by a counterattack, turning the battle into a Union victory. In my mind’s eye I could see the progress of the battle and almost smell the powder smoke and the blood. I have a better appreciation now of the incredible courage and fortitude shown by both sides.
While I could have explored every corner of the battlefield and stayed there for our entire trip, Maura and Jennifer were both a little tired of military history by mid-afternoon and we decided to spend some time in town. We wandered around the streets of Gettysburg for a while reading historical plaques and doing some shopping. Before we headed back to camp we visited the David Wills House, a museum in the home of the man responsible for creating the Gettysburg National Cemetery, at the dedication of which Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. President Lincoln stayed there the night before he gave his famous speech and we had the opportunity to learn more about the cemetery and the Address on our visit to the museum.
On Saturday we took the morning off from history to enjoy nature for a while. We hiked on the Charcoal Hearth Trail, and a few bits of other trails to connect it to our camp. The trail climbed Graeffenburg Hill through mixed forest of hardwoods and pines resplendent with the greenery and flowers of high spring. Despite the few rain drops that fell on us before we made it back to camp it was a wonderful hike. The trail was steep, rugged and long enough to be a challenge, but not too much of one. We felt like we had accomplished something when we arrived back at camp but we still had enough energy to enjoy the rest of our day.
After a rest in camp, a shower, and change of clothes we headed back to Gettysburg for a few hours before dinner, which we planned to eat in a restaurant in town. On the way from camp we visited Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum, billed as the largest elephant museum in the world. The museum houses Mr. Ed’s personal collection of elephants—carved elephants, plushy elephants, elephants in photographs and elephants on circus posters. The museum is free, and a lot of fun; and it is attached to a candy shop that sells wonderful homemade fudge.
Arriving in Gettysburg a few hours before dinner time we took in a bit more of the town before we ate. One place we went was the Shriver House Museum, a house restored as much as possible to its appearance in 1863, when the battle was fought. On our tour of the house, led by a guide in period costume, we learned about the experience of the people who lived there and of their neighbors during and after the battle. Though only one civilian died during the battle it produced much danger and hardship for the people of the town. Maura particularly enjoyed the Shriver House because the family had included two little girls, about her age at the time of the battle, and their story was part of the story told on the tour.
Though we couldn’t get a table at either of the restaurants we had planned to eat at we had a nice dinner in the Springhouse Tavern in the basement of the Dobbin House tavern. The food was good, as was the atmosphere with colonial décor reflecting the construction of the building in 1776. The spring gives the room its name bubbled in one corner. The tavern also had the advantage of being less expensive than the main dining room, probably a good thing for us.
After dinner we headed back to camp and went to bed. We were tired and planned to hit the road early in the morning. During the night heavy rain fell but fortunately our tent was up to its job of keeping us dry. We hit the road early as planned, stopping for a delicious diner breakfast on our long trip back to Massachusetts.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Disaster, Adventure and Fear of the Dark
Last week was a tough week at our house. The nor’easter that dropped eight or more inches of rain on us flooded our basement. The knee-high water wrecked our water heater and shorted-out all of the electrical parts of the furnace. We had to have the gas and the electricity shut off to the house for safety. For a few days we had no lights, no heat, no hot water and no way to cook inside. We were greatly inconvenienced but we did our best to keep up our normal live. Maura still went to school, skating lessons and Girl Scouts. Jennifer and I still went to work.
As inconvenient as it was being without gas and electricity the experience was not all negative, especially for Maura. We were camping in our own house. While it was chilly at night, and in the early morning, the rain was followed by several days of mild sunny weather and it was never so cold that piled blankets could not keep away the chill. We ate out a few times partly because we were pressed for time. The whole family enjoys eating out, though Jennifer and I worried about the money we were spending. When time allowed I set up the camp stove and cooked outside, which Maura loved. It really made the experience seem like a camping trip and has Maura fired up for our planned expedition in April.
Having no power had an additional benefit I would not have expected. We had been leaving the hall light on when Maura went to bed because she was afraid of the dark. We couldn’t do that when there was no power so she had no choice but to go to sleep without it. When the lights were back on she asked her mother to leave the hall light off. Sometimes all it takes to get over the fear of the dark is to spend a little time in darkness.
Everything is back to normal in our house now. The water is out of the basement, the power and gas are on, and we have a working furnace and water heater. I’ll worry every time it rains for awhile and we’ll probably be installing a pump the summer, though it won't see much use. We’ve lived in our house for more than ten years and despite the fact that our foundation has cracks we can see through and our basement has a dirt floor and no drain we’ve never had serious flooding before, even when we had almost as much rain. The flood of 2010 will be one for our personal record books, one we hope will not be repeated in our lifetimes.
As inconvenient as it was being without gas and electricity the experience was not all negative, especially for Maura. We were camping in our own house. While it was chilly at night, and in the early morning, the rain was followed by several days of mild sunny weather and it was never so cold that piled blankets could not keep away the chill. We ate out a few times partly because we were pressed for time. The whole family enjoys eating out, though Jennifer and I worried about the money we were spending. When time allowed I set up the camp stove and cooked outside, which Maura loved. It really made the experience seem like a camping trip and has Maura fired up for our planned expedition in April.
Having no power had an additional benefit I would not have expected. We had been leaving the hall light on when Maura went to bed because she was afraid of the dark. We couldn’t do that when there was no power so she had no choice but to go to sleep without it. When the lights were back on she asked her mother to leave the hall light off. Sometimes all it takes to get over the fear of the dark is to spend a little time in darkness.
Everything is back to normal in our house now. The water is out of the basement, the power and gas are on, and we have a working furnace and water heater. I’ll worry every time it rains for awhile and we’ll probably be installing a pump the summer, though it won't see much use. We’ve lived in our house for more than ten years and despite the fact that our foundation has cracks we can see through and our basement has a dirt floor and no drain we’ve never had serious flooding before, even when we had almost as much rain. The flood of 2010 will be one for our personal record books, one we hope will not be repeated in our lifetimes.
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