Day 20

Well, considering the time - I think that Amy won't be writing about our visit to her alma mater today.

We left Grand Rapids at 6:30 a.m. and drove down to Chicago - aiming to get to the Education Department breakfast at 9:30 a.m. Little did we remember that the time change would give us an extra hour...and so we were early (now isn't that a shocker?!) Don't worry, we arrived at 10 a.m. as we decided to stop over at a friend's house...and well, you know how it goes.


We met quite a few of Amy's old classmates - most of whom were named Amy. Kinda crazy, if you ask me. We saw the campus...had some lunch...saw some more campus...got the class picture (around 50+ people) on the steps of the Billy Graham Museum and sadly, no photo to show for that (though it might be in the next Wheaton publication). After that, had dinner & hung out with good friends.


Tomorrow is a day of rest...then a few more visits with friends and back home we go on Wednesday!

Hangin' with good friends at Wheaton for the day!

The family in the heaven room of the Billy Graham museum.

I'm at Mommy's college!

Day 19

As we went to my Alma Mater today - it was my turn to journal!

We headed over to Calvin in the morning and visited the Nature Preserve after picking up our Alumni packet. Sadly, we forgot our camera at home and so, we missed taking a few pictures of nature-things. Then we headed over to visit my friend Todd's work and saw his office and learned more about what he did in computer engineering. We headed back to Calvin and I showed the family where I used to live, take classes, etc. We went back to the house and the kids hung out for a while...then we headed back to Calvin for the Block Party. As it was raining it turned more into a "food free-for-all" and many Calvin students enjoyed free pizza or tacos from the local businesses supplying the food. We managed to get some food for the kids and visit with 4 other couples from the 1994 era at Calvin and enjoyed watching our 15+ kids playing around in varying capacities. We were amazed at the size of the fieldhouse (indoor pool, track, and multiple gyms) and even did some running with the kids. After that, back home and preparing for the trip to Chicago in the early AM for Amy's 15 year reunion stuff.

Scott

Here we all ar...lots of kids...a few alumni!

The kids had a blast at the indoor track - of all places.

Ryan, my Calvin-friendly son...we took a quick snapshot at the Calvin sign before heading home.

Day 18

Today was a light day as our U.S. History trip activities have come to a close. Amy and I have our 15 year reunions at Calvin & Wheaton...and we plan to show the kids around each of our campuses Friday/Saturday.

Day 17

Today we went to Greenfield Village in Michigan. It is a village where they moved houses to it. There are real slave quarters. There are some cabins where some inventors and some famous people lived like the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, and George Washington Carver. He learned how to make things out of peanuts like peanut butter. There was a freed former slave house that had newspaper covering their walls to help cover the cracks between the wood so it wouldn’t be so cold. Thomas Edison was the inventor who made the lightbulb work. We saw his laboratory. He also made the phonograh and we got to see how it worked but we couldn’t really understand what the words said. We went to a glass blower who had to blow the glass into a certain size. The glassblower had these pinchers that he used when the glass was really hot and he made pumpkins, bottles, tree ornament pickles all out of glass. Then we went to a tavern. We ate 19th century food. We ate squash, a croquette, and we ate some noodles that were covered with bread crumbs and had a special sauce.
Good night!
Brendan


The pottery guy made some interesting urns!

The food was quite tasty - and just like food in the 1800s!

Thomas Edison's office - cool!

Day 16

Today we did quite a bit of driving. We were going to go to Uncle Tom’s Cabin but we missed the exit. So we went to a Museum that was about slaves. There we watched a video about the slaves and the people who settled in Buxton, Ontario. After the video we walked around and saw the tools that they brought with them and lots of things that were used to punish the slaves if they ran away. One of those things was a collar that had big spike-things on them with little chains on them so if the slave tried to run away again, they would be caught because of the noise.
Buxton was a place where slaves were free and a man named Reverend King owned 9,000 acres. He had rules like – you had to have a picket fence around the front of your house, your house had to be a certain amount of feet from the road, and your house had to have at least 4 rooms in it but no less. We saw a house that a former slave had made and it was a single man who had passed it down to other people.
Then we went to a barn that had an apple cider press that made apple cider. Also, we saw a machine that separated grain from the chaff.
Then we went to a school house that 14 African Canadians attended and 2 white students in the first year and as the years went on, there were more white people than African Canadians. It was a Christian school and one of the regular schools had to shut down because they did not have enough students. In the school cloak rooms, the girls had to come in on the left side and the boys on the right. One teacher had to teach up to 9 grades. When you got to 7th grade, you went to high school. When you finished 9th grade you went to college.
The assistant curator’s name is in the acknowledgements of the Elijah of Buxton book that I read. I suggest you read it!
Allison


One of the ball & chains on display - this was before the slaves were free and living in Canada.

This man's ancestors came to Buxton, Ontario - he is in the acknowledgements of the book that Allison read - Elijah of Buxton (great read!)

Apple Cider press (Amy would like one of these - ha ha)

The school house - original building!

Day 15

Today we went to Ontario and saw Niagara Falls. We went into a boat and went close to Niagara Falls. There were all sorts of minerals in the water. After that we went back to see the falls again on land. We went to the Rainforest Café and had a lot of fun. Then we walked back to the museum outside the IMAX and read about the people that went over the falls. Lots of them died going over. We learned about a boy named Roger got swept away with only a bathing suit and a life jacket and survived the fall and the Maid of the Mist (boat) picked him up. He was only 7 years old!
We went to the Laura Secord house and learned about the war of 1812. She helped the British. We got back to our hotel and went swimming and I found $3.10 on a chair. Then we went to IHOP for dinner.
Now we are going to watch “I Love Lucy” and eat popcorn.
Ryan


The U.S. side of the falls...

Some originals at the Rain Forest Cafe

Maid of the Mist - more mist than Falls.

Niagara at night - cool colours. Big mist in the middle...

Day 14

Well, today was pretty uneventful - driving over 8 hours from Boston to Niagara Falls...just a few pitstops and fall colours. Enjoy, nonetheless. We'll have a kid reporter tomorrow on our adventures as we dip into Canada for less than 48 hours...

One just can't capture the fall colours of Boston - we tried!

I don't know why we thought this so cute...but Kaleigh was so happy to play Allison's Nintendo...

Finally arrived in Ontario...around 8pm (EST)...

Day 13

Well, it's the weekend again - a time for "rest" for the kids.

Today we headed to Boston on a tour called Boston for Little Feet. It was pouring rain and the tour guide gave us more of an art & architectural tour than a historical one...but we were able to see some of the key historical sites nonetheless.

After the tour, we decided to go to Lexington & Concord as there was a trolley ride and we could see many of the sites from the trolley. We then saw a movie explaining the ride of Paul Revere and how that started the American Revolution. It was quite informative and would have been nice to see first...before going to all the other sites we went to...but yet, a wonderful learning experience.

We slipped into the Louise May Alcott house but decided not to go in as time was quickly slipping away. Allison did enjoy getting some snapshots in front of the house where Little Women was filmed.

All in all, a great day.

Tomorrow we head to Niagara Falls!

Scott

This was King's Chapel...a real old bell in the belfry - recast by Paul Revere...no steeple, though. That little iron-fenced part in the graveyard (below the two pillars) is an air vent for the oldest subway in the U.S.!

Our tour guide in Boston - standing on a street plaque dedicated to the first school in the U.S.

Ah, the fall colours...just starting!

The "Little Women" house.

Day 12

Today we went to Plimoth Plantation. We walked around and saw lots of people dressed up in different costumes. We saw ancestors of the native tribes who lived in the area before the pilgrims landed. We also saw pilgrims who settled in Plimoth. It was so interesting to hear the people that were dressed up – acting really well. One lady asked if I would like to help her ground the pepper. It was really fun but at the same time, it was hard. I enjoyed it…
We went to the craft centre and saw a person making pottery and another person making native head dresses. He used porcupine hair and dear tail, dyed them, and put them in the head dress.
Then we travelled to the Mayflower II. We went on board and saw where all the passengers slept and where the kitchen was. We also saw where the captain and sailors slept. We were told that they had baskets – they put lobster in the basket to catch eels and fish. After that we went to a case where the Plimoth rock was kept. I bet that you would think it was a big humungous bolder but in the picture, you will see that it is not that big.
Then we drove an hour and arrived at Auntie Sarah and Uncle Nick’s place. We had pizza for dinner and had lots of laughter and conversation.
Allison

The natives of the Plimoth area spoke English and shared what they did - quite informative!

This dutch-accented lady played her role VERY well. I (Scott) even spoke a little Dutch with her.

These hair pieces were fantastic - this one was made to look like the woodpecker's plummage. This native was from Quebec.

The longboat off the side of the Mayflower II.

Allison loves this pic - Plimoth rock is quite small, non?

Day 11

This morning we took a bus to the subway. We then went on the subway to Battery Park. There were ferries that dropped you off at Ellis Island. We went on the ferry and passed by the Statue of Liberty. The statue was a sign of freedom for people that came into port from England, Russia, and Italy. Then we went to Ellis Island where they came to be checked by doctors to see if they had any diseases. They were asked questions and looked through their belongings. They only could bring around 10 things from their home to America. Some of them were sent back to their home because they had bad diseases or didn’t answer the questions right. This was bad because the trip was very harsh and they did not want to do it again. After Ellis Island, they went to New York to live or go to other places.
We went to Time Square. I liked seeing the ferris wheel at Toys R Us. Then we went back to our van in New Jersey.
Brendan

On the subway in NYC!

On the ferry heading to the Statue of Liberty.

Ellis Island - Jersey City in the background.

Times Square - Toys R Us in the background...

The ferris wheel inside.

Day 10

Today we went to Amish stores. We saw lots of quilts (including little church bags and quillows), crafts, and baking. At one of the Amish stores, we had a soft pretzel. We saw quite a few Amish buggies and we went by a school with the children playing outside and staring at us. In one of the stores, there was a little sign about the Quilt Pox. It is in the picture below.
We went to Valley Forge and saw lots of houses that soldiers slept in during the cold winter during the Revolutionary war. We saw General Washington’s house where he stayed – which was much more deluxe than what the soldiers had to live in.
Then we had a long drive and parked near the subway system of Philadelphia. We boarded the subway and took it to 8th & Market Street. We arrived at the Independence Hall Visitor Centre. We had a tour of Independence Hall and saw the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed and a court room. Then we walked to the Liberty Bell and saw where the big crack was. After, we walked to Benjamin Franklin’s printing press and saw an old printing press that was used. We would have seen it in use but we arrived too late.
It was dinner time so we went to the Old City Tavern. There we had turkey pot pie and drank water out of pewter goblets. This food was the same type of food that they ate in the 1770s. Our waiter was dressed in clothes from the 1770s. We then started our way back to the subway and just barely made it. We arrived back at our van and had a long drive to our hotel in New Jersey. We are VERY close to New York City and will be going there tomorrow.
Allison (typed by SV)


A little bonnet for our author today...

The warning in a quilt shop we visited...

The cabins for the soldiers at Valley Forge.

Independence Hall

Hiding one of the cracks of the Liberty Bell.

Some 1770 style grub at the Old City Tavern in Philadelphia.

Day 9

Our kids are such troopers. I took down - word-for-word what Ryan shared today. He was so excited about the last two battlefields we visited...that he just talked about that today...and Allison will report about our visit to Amish country today and tomorrow - on Day 10! Here's Ryan's report:
On Monday, we went to Antietam and learned about General Burnside and what he did. He tried to get over a bridge and it took 4 hours as 500 people were defending the bridge on the other side. When the 500 men lost ammunition, they fled and General Burnside took two more hours dawdling and setting up his troops. He then went to attack General Robert E. Lee. Just then A.P. Hill’s troops came in but were really hungry and they just marched 17 miles. When they came, they attacked General Burnside and Burnside retreated. The hair on the side of our face was named side-burns after General Burnside.

Today, we went to the Gettysburg National Military Park. We saw a movie about Gettysburg. The Union troops were on Cemetery Ridge and Culps Hill. There were two more ridges called Little Round Top and Big Round Top. Big Round Top was really rough (rocky and lots of trees) so they did not go there. They forgot about Little Round Top.
The Confederates wanted to put a canon on Little Round Top to shoot the Union off of Cemetery Hill. One of the Confederate Generals marched to LRT and he stopped for camp and said he would take it in the morning. One of Union officers went and found out that the Confederates were going to take LRT so he took some Union troops there to defend it. When the Confederate General came and attacked LRT, the Union kept them back. When the Union troops ran out of ammunition, then they started fighting with their bayonettes. Then later, when the Confederates were weak, General Lee told General Picket to attack Cemetery Ridge. General Longstreet said it was a bad idea and suggested going around to attack. General Lee told Picket to charge…he attacked with 12,000 of his best men and broke through. He retreated and lost 7,000 men during that charge. When he came back, he had around 5,000 troops. Then they went to a river but it was flooded and they could not retreat. Union General George Meade did not attack General Robert E. Lee but General Lee defended his camp really well to keep away attack. General Lee went back to Virginia and was safe. This was the first victory for the Union.

Ryan standing just above where the 500 Confederate soldiers held off thousands of Union soldiers trying to cross the river.

This is the bridge the Union soldiers tried to cross. Brendan is standing beside the general with the famous facial hair.

So many monuments - this is of the confederates trying to break the Union line on Cemetery Ridge.

Our kids are such a blast...ha ha ha!

Day 8

Today we went to a Civil War battlefield called Antietam. We went to the theatre and saw a movie about men who had died for their country. The south was fighting against the north. Then we went to the cannons and saw different types. One fired a cannon ball which exploded into little pieces called shrapnel. Then we toured the battle field. We went into a road called Bloody Lane. It was called that because so many people died on the road. We saw a memorial to Clara Barton. She went out into the battle field and helped the wounded soldiers. We went up a tower and we saw the whole battle field. Finally, we went to a bridge called Burnside Bridge. The North tried to cross it but the South kept shooting them with sharp shooter. Eventually they made it across.

Bloodly Lane - so many dead in this part of the battle.

The cannons were not ridden like this...

From the tower - the battle scene on one side...

Charging over the Burnside Bridge.

Day 7

Here is the installment from today...a rest day of sorts...
We went to church...relaxed in our friends' backyard...a bit cold for a swim for us adults, though...

Maymont park in Richmond, VA...wonderful!

Lots of cool animals and gardens...a nice long walk...