Monday, August 4, 2014

Acadia National Park

We had such a great time visiting with my parents in Rhode Island, but before we knew it, it was time to start making our way back.  It came too fast.  We wanted to visit Acadia National Park so we drove north to Maine before heading back west.  Here we are at a little nature trail by the nature center.  There were LOTS of mosquitos there.  And very beautiful scenery.

 Checking out the small nature center

 Grant liked looking at the animals there

 More nature trails


 And a little stream

 Sandy Beach
The water was a little chilly so we just waded


 Anna loved playing in the water anyway

 Grant, as per usual, did not want to put his feet in the sand

 He's so good at not putting his feet down

 John didn't mind the sand and got down to play a little bit

 Acadia has a lot of great rocks to climb on

 Grant liked the rocks too

 More nice views



 We drove up to the parks highest point, Cadillac Mountain and did a little nature walk there too


 Scott found some wild blueberries in the park

The kids enjoyed our little hikes, playing at the beach and seeing the park.
It's a beautiful park.

Tide Pools


On our last day in Rhode Island we visited some tide pools and a nearby lighthouse.  I had a bunch of pictures, so here are some slideshows.  The kids LOVED climbing on the rocks and looking in the tide pools.   We had a great time!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Boston

After seeing the USS Constitution we walked part of the Freedom Trail in Boston.  We started at the Old North Church.  I thought the kids would like to see it 'cause I had read them Paul Revere's Ride recently (the poem in children's book form).  I think it's pretty cool that here is the actual church they hung the lanterns in - one if by land, two if by sea.  The kids thought it was ok.  I think they were most impressed that there were little boxes you could go in and close the door.

We also passed Paul Revere's house (which you have to pay to see) and went along to Mike's for cannoli.  They sell cannoli at most of the grocery stores in Rhode Island, and I've tried those.  But Mike's in Boston is supposed to be one of the best places.  So we tried it.  They were good and rich, and the pastry did seem very fresh.  So we had our Mike's cannoli experience.  Bring cash if you go there.  They only take cash and they are kinda spendy.

We made our way down to Faneuil Hall after that.  The kids were already showing signs of grumpiness and fatigue.  We bought some lemonade and big hunks of watermelon to supplement the kid snacks we had with us.  Everyone seemed to feel better after they were fed and rested.  We also got ice cream.  John wanted to eat his sock instead.


 And then we pressed on along the freedom trail
This is the Old State House and in front of it, is the site of the Boston Massacre

I think that part of a circle on the ground on the right is the Boston Massacre plaque.  And that's Grant following the red brick freedom trail.  It's an actual red trail on the ground all through Boston that goes to different historic sites.  Grant wanted to make sure he was right on the trail!

 Benjamin Franklin statue at the Boston Latin School

 and the Donkey statue there too

 At the Granary Burying ground Matthew found Paul Revere's grave


Grant and Matthew were still pretty lively as we got toward the end of our day, but Anna and John had pooped out.  I was getting pretty tired myself.  It was only about 1.5 miles that we walked, but it was warm and lots of stopping and standing made me extra tired.

And the final stop on our tour was the famous Boston Public Garden.  Make Way for Ducklings is a much beloved book in our house so we wanted to go see the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and the duck statue that is supposed to be there.  And we found them.  Matthew sits on Mrs. Mallard while Grant sits on Jack.

 And then they switched
There were lots of kids sitting on all the other ducklings.  We had to wait our turn for Mrs. Mallard.   But it was cool to see.

 And Matthew with the swan boats in the background
So we survived Boston and sat in a lot of traffic as we left..at rush hour. 

 But we eventually made it home and got to eat some cannoli

Yum!!

USS Constitution

 We visited the USS Constitution, Old Ironsides, in Boston
It's the original boat from the war of 1812, and still in great shape

 On board checking out the cannons

 And cannonballs

 Cannons down below

 Resting on a bulkhead or something

 Checking out the hammocks
The boat was really cool, we accidentally went to a lower deck we weren't supposed to go to - major low ceilings and claustrophobia inducing.  I'm not cut out for the Navy.

 There is a cool museum right next to the ship too with lots of cool displays

 Anna and I solved the puzzle

 There was a puppet show theater with fun puppets and era appropriate food to make a little dinner.   The kids had a great time playing there.

 Admiral Matthew

 John and Grant loved playing with this wooden ship, and wooden people



 Anna liked trying out the hammocks at the museum too

There was a little display to lift a pretend goat up and down as if loading onto a ship.  The kids loved making the goat bleat.  I didn't get to read as many of the adult display info about the ship and war of 1812 'cause I was playing with kids and such.  We had a great time.