When I was a kid we went on a family vacation somewhere (must've been Denver and then somewhere else because I have a coin from the US mint there...) but I also came home with a mini replica of the Liberty Bell. All these years, I thought that I'd been to Philly and seen the Liberty Bell because why else would I have a souvenir of it...and my brother also thought we'd been there but my parents have since informed me that we never went to Philadelphia (I can't remember where they said that we picked it up). Does it seem weird to anyone else that we have a souvenir of the Liberty Bell from somewhere else besides the Liberty Bell? Well, that has been remedied this week. We now have three miniature Liberty Bells from...the Liberty Bell museum. My life has come full circle. Dust, I didn't get you one though, you'll have to go full circle on your own.
Independence Hall
Inside Independence Hall on the judicial side. When Jeff and I were there in the Spring, they had really great tours that told you incredible things about what happened there. Well with it being Winter, there were no tours, just a guide you could ask questions. It's one of those things where you wish you remembered enough to pull the cool info you know they possess out of them to make it more interesting for the kids...but alas, I couldn't remember all the cool things they told us about and the kids didn't get the love of Independence Hall and the things that transpired there that I hoped they would.
The original chair for the Speaker of the House. This is the only original piece of furniture in the room.
I don't know what I'm doing here...pulling up my pants perhaps? Thanks for the flattering picture Kat.
Inside the Welcome Center, they had some great displays. In this one, you could lift a musket and realize that they were actually pretty darn heavy to be lugging around.
Here we are with George Washington before a little film (that had seen better days) about the events surrounding Valley Forge.
This is the Memorial Arch at Valley Forge. It was full dusk as we were driving around and rainy to boot but still really beautiful. Nice shot with the flag Jeff!
Gorgeous Satined Glass called, "Washington's First Prayer at Valley Forge" from the National Cathedral.We also went to the US Mint where they were minting Arkansas quarters that day. It was a very interesting and educational highlight but of course we couldn't take any pictures due to security.
Carl unfortunately was sick this trip and the last day (when we went to the Mint) just couldn't find the energy to keep going. So while he and I napped, Jeff and Maglet walked across the street to investigate an area full of these huge Monopoly pieces and statues. As you can imagine, Maglet was happy to pose in every photo.
I just loved seeing this and had to take a picture of the moment, in the moment...not a good picture I realize, but you get the idea. :)
The kids were playing a game where a person would toss in a clear or white straw (or in our case a plastic pop bottle lid) while everyone else hides their eyes, then everyone turns around and tries to find it, when it's located "Straw" is called out and the person can jump in to get it, if they miss then anyone else has a shot. The kids had a great time playing this together. It was the first time they were really ALL able to play something together in the pool (translate that to mean that Maglet was thrilled to be in with the big kids). 
Missletoe, you've created a monster I tell ya! She was "belly floppin" all over the place!Wednesday morning Jeff left to fly onto NC. So the kids and I packed up the van and drove through 6 states in as many hours. The trip home was thankfully uneventful except for the near pants pee by Kat who drank a record amount of orange juice at breakfast. However, I wouldn't ever attempt this drive with my directional dyslexia without a GPS system, thanks Jeff for letting me use yours. I did it!!! Woo hoo!
And for those of you who missed the lunar eclipse on Wednesday night, here's what it looked like from our house. Nice shot Kit Kat!
6 comments:
Looks like a great little vacation! Glad you made it home safe!
Great shot of Maglet over the pool, looks like you were suspended in mid-air for that pic. Fun times. Lots of history and fun times with the fam!
Wow! So much to comment on! I think I have to say that the pictures of Maglet next to the Monopoly pieces are my favorite from this batch. And her belly flop shot is hillarious!
Looks like the whole crew had a great time!
Excellent shot of the eclipse!!!
Wow! What a great trip! We have never been to the mint or Valley Forge, you have inspired me!
We went to Philly back when Pops was living in DC. Pops was so excited about going to Independence Hall that after the tour he literally ran to the back of the line and we did the tour again. He kept snapping pictures everywhere. I didn't realize until I developed the film he was more interested in the building than me because I only caught glimpses of my elbow or leg here and there.
Maglet, you are a SHARK! I can't wait to swim with you again!
I LOVED seeing and reading it all...Maglet stole the show with the belly flop!! Way to capture the moment! Hope the family gets feeling better too!!
Okay, first off: I have a mini Liberty Bell from when I was a kid, too, though I never set foot in Philly until Missletoes and I road-tripped through there a couple of years ago. I think I may have gotten it in DC when I was younger, but now that I think of it, that seems odd. Maybe someone brought it to me as a souvenir..
Secondly, I'm very jealous that you saw Arkansas quarters being made. Thanks for mentioning it, and for not making a joke about Arkansas. I love my home state.
Third, Maggie is some kind of amazing! Wow-what a fish!
And finally, your family is adorable. :)
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