Last Day

Today was our last day in Boston and so we went to the last sights we hadn't seen yet.  We started off our day by going on the Swan Boat ride in the public gardens.  Since Janae and Stefan have gotten hooked on the recording of the Trumpet and the Swan (Thanks to our dear friend, Chris Venditti), they really wanted to pay  homage to the swan.  It was a beautiful morning accompanied by the sweet sounds of a steel string guitar street musician.  We enjoyed the quietness and beauty of the park and then strolled over to church services at Park Street Church.  As providence would have it, I started talking to the young man next to me and found out he is from Colorado Springs, goes to Village 7 Church and his mom teaches at ECA secondary.  They were a young couple that had just graduated from Grove City College and his lovely wife Emma is starting her PhD program in biostatistics at Harvard.  We also met another group of great young people from Ithaca that were in Boston going to school at Gordon College.  We loved this church and met so many people.  We were the last ones to leave today because we couldn't stop talking.

Randy(from Colorado Springs) and Emma Schwager

The Swan Boat

The Public Gardens

 After we left church, we visited the Old South Meeting House. This was built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house.  The congregation included famous colonists such as Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams and Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish a book.  Old South meeting house served as in Puritan tradition as both a meeting house and church. It was beautiful inside and the children loved doing a scavenger hunt to find historical facts and items. On December 16, 1773 more than 5,000 colonists crowded into the meeting house to participate in a fiery debate about the tax on tea.  When final attempts at compromise failed, Samuel Adams cried,"This meeting can do no more to save the country!"  This served as a secret signal to the Sons of Liberty, who were sitting in the back.  They raced to Griffin's Wharf, and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor (Boston Tea Party).  Notice the sounding board over the pulpit.

Old South Meeting House

 We then went over via the water ferry to visit Bunker Hill.  We all made the trek to the top for the beautiful view.  We sat in on a wonderful lecture by a park ranger. Fascinating.  Mark and I have learned so much!  We have immersed ourselves in Revolutionary War History and are ready to clear our brains out a bit.  We head to Maine in the morning.

Bunker Hill Monument

View from the top of the Monument

USS Cassin Young

We finished our marvelous day by going through the Quincy Market for supper.  This is a first rate food court that has all the best foods from Boston in one long hall.  The children had chowda and Mark and I had the best Chinese we've ever had and a swordfish kabob.

Lexington/Concord

We stayed close to our campsite and enjoyed biking around the historical sights in the area the last two days.  Perfect biking weather, sunny in the low 70's.  Yesterday we rode on this great bike trail from our campsite to Lexington.  We did a tour of the Hancock-Clarke House which is the house where Sam Adams and John Hancock were staying.  This was a minister's home who was related to John Hancock.  We were in the bedroom they were staying in and saw the door that Paul Revere knocked on to alert them.  The children liked learning about the chamber pots and that the term sleep tight comes from a method they used to pull the rope webbing under the bedding tight.  We visited Lexington Green and the tomb of the fallen patriots.  It takes on a whole new meaning seeing it and experiencing the predicament the colonists were facing.


Today, we went back to Minute Man National Park and rode the entire battle road as they had their once a year festival where all the houses were open for touring.  Many people were dressed in period costumes and performing their particular craft.  Our favorite was Captain William Smith's House who was the leader of the Lexington Militia and also the brother of Abigail Adams (wife of future President John Adams).  Abigail was there today and I enjoyed visiting with her and asking about her life.  Janae and Stefan loved dressing up in period clothes and reenacting activities of the time.  It was so fun riding from house to house.  It was such a beautiful day and the area is so nice.  The stone fences line the "road" and the scenery is quite lovely.  One farm we rode past had a whole field of pumpkins waiting to be picked and we loved smelling the sweet vegetation as we rode by.  Our last visit was to the Wayside Home in Concord.  This home had housed the Alcott family, Nathanial Hawthorne and then the Lothrop's (author of the children's
 book series Five Little Peppers and How They Grow).  It was very interesting learning about their lives and the challenges they faced.
We finished the day by returning to the visitor center where Janae and Stefan received another Jr. Ranger Badge.


Tomorrow we are going back to Boston one last time to finish up the Freedom Trail and to go to church again at Park Street.  Monday we will take a break from history and head to Maine to explore the beauty of Acadia National Park.  I am ready for a little peace and quiet.  We have had a wonderful stay here but our campground is right next to the airport.  Planes fly over constantly from 7 a.m. sharp-midnight.  Stefan loves sitting in the front watching them and thinks it's great but mama needs some more sleep.

Lexington Green (the rock is where the Patriots  stood there ground, the  pole is where the  Regulars  were)

The Wayside

Boston Science Museum

We spent the day in the awesome science museum.  After 5 hours, we hadn't seen it all and wished we could come back.  Great hands on activities for young and old.  It's great!  We had a special program dedicated to the opposum.  We learned that the opposum is the only marsupial in the N. America.  What defines marsupials is the short pregnancies.  They are only pregnant for 13 days and all the newborns can fit into a tablespoon,  The mother then carries the babies on her back until they are fully developed.  Oposoms protect themselves by opening mouth, like and alligator to show off teeth.  If this doesn't work, they get so scared that they faint.

Boston Boating Day

My favorite Boston picture-Posing with  a copy of the Declaration  of Independence  in front  of  the  
Old State House.  On the balcony is where it was read.  In front of the Old State House is also where in 1770 5 colonists were accidentally killed by British soldiers.  This is remembered as the Boston Massacre.

Greeting business people from Liverpool

Wednesday, September 14th-Since it was forecasted that it would be a glorious day, we opted to take advantage of focusing on Boston boats today.  We started of with the infamous amphibian duck tour.  Our guide was witty, fun and very informative.  We quickly learned while viewing the sights that Boston is the first or oldest at  many things:
*Necco candy, baker's chocolate and jelly beans all came from here.
*Boston Subway station is the first in the nation
*Boston Public Library oldest lending library in nation
*MA first state to abolish slavery
*Alexander Bell invented the phone here by accident, was meant for a tool for his deaf wife, Verizon now sits on the site where Bell's office was.
*MGM-Ma General Medical-First to use eather and first xrays here
*Union Oyster House-oldest restaurant
*50 colleges here, average age is 33, Ironical considering how old city is.
*Harvard oldest university
*Bunker Hill Bridge-Largest Suspension bridge in the world.
Other Interests:
The Dark Tide-The molasses flood that killed 30 people
Land Fill Project that took 40 years to complete
*With exception of August, every month has a three day weekend, city that likes to celebrate ie Bunker Hill Day on June 17thh


The highlight for Janae and Stefan was getting to drive Miss Emma Science once we were in the Charles River.


After this fun and educational experience, we took a boat taxi over the harbor to visit the USS Constitution.  We experienced a guided tour with the Navy and it was really interesting learning about "Old Ironsides".  She is the oldest (213 years old) commissioned warship in the world and she has become a symbol of pride as well as an ambassador  for our country.  She was made in the Boston Harbor and  after winning a total of 33 battles starting with the Battle of 1812, Boston claims  her as their one and only undefeated team.  Paul Revere even did some metal work on her.  She is made out of three layers of wood the middle layer from live oak.  The canons would bounce off her sides.  What caught Stefan's interest were the 8 year old boys, "powder monkeys"  who were taken on by the Navy to run the gun powder up and down the narrow steps.  The ship weights 2200 tons and the anchor 5400 lbs.  What I thought was really interesting was where the word skuttlebut comes from.  The skuttlebutt held the water and this was where the sailors could talk freely (they had to be quit on duty) and thus where gossip would occur.

Riding the boat taxi

Here's Miss Emma Science in the mirrors

Old Ironsides

The Harbor on a Wednesday evening

On our walk back to the subway this evening we walked by the Old State House.  They were hosting a meeting with the governor and business people from Boston and Liverpool so this group was there to greet them.

Whale of a Good Time-Glouchester, MA

What an awesome day!!! Not a cloud in the sky as we set off to whale watch with the Seven Seas Whale Watching Company out of Glouchester. This active fishing town was established in 1623 and still is a working fishing village.  We passed 10 pound island and learned of it's history.  We went out to Stellwagon Bank which is a 19 mile long, 6 mile wide feeding bank. We saw humpback whales and one minke whale.  It was absolutely thrilling!  Just being on the sun kissed water with the wind blowing our hair was a treat but then to meet the most magnificent creatures of the sea in their own territory goes beyond words.  To hear them and see them move so effortlessly was beautiful.   The highlight was looking over the boat to see a big green object.  We thought it was a coral reef and then soon realized after he surfaced that it was a whale.  We learned they look green because of all the photoplankton and the water is actually green.  It's the reflection from the light that makes the water look blue. We learned that the humpback whales have baleen which is a fingerlike material that hangs from the roof of their mouth.  The average whale has 1000 plates and this works as a strainer to get rid of the water.  Also, humpback whales are identified by the black and white markings that are all different under their tales. Whales don't drink salt water but rather get their moisture from fish and their own blubber.  We got to hold a piece of baleen and remembered that this was the material that corsets were made out of.  We learned that the sperm whale is the only large whale with teeth and the rest of the large whales have baleen. Our sun kissed, exhilerating day was topped off with a lobster meal.  Great day was had by all!!

Minute Man National Historic Park-September 12th

working  on jr. ranger books

Walking to the North Bridge

Our musket man

The North Bridge

Minute Man Statue

Riding the Battle Road

The Hartwell Tavern

The world's best ranger!!!

History really came alive for us today as we visited this awesome park.  The beginning of the Revolutionary War came alive as we watched the awesome multi-media presentation at the visitor center, saw where Paul Revere was captured, sat in the tranquil setting by the North Bridge, walked the bridge and imagined what it was like on April 19, 1775, we rode our bikes on the battle road in the Brooks Hill area which follows the route taken by the minute men as they raced ahead to ambush the British soldiers on their way back to Boston, we stopped in at the Hartwell Tavern where we observed a musket demonstration and stood in the front room and imagined what might have been going through Mary Hartwell's mind to see the British Army march so  magnificantly by her front window: a sight that would normally be a sense of pride under different circumstances but now she prays and worries about her husband and her 5 sons who were minute men.  We learned that William Dawes and Samuel Prescott also made the midnight ride with Paul Revere but Prescott was the only one who made it to Concord, we learned that they shouted "The Regulars are Coming" since they were all British.  We thought about the sacrifices and thoughts surrounding their decision to fight for freedom when in essence they were committing treason.  
It makes us incredibly thankful for the courage and resolve of our forefathers that we can enjoy the blessing of freedom.  We marveled at the statue of the Minute Man and learned that the 23 year old sculpter would later sculpt Lincoln's Monument in D.C.  Our day started to crumble though with some whiney, grumpy children  until we ran into the world's best ranger, who encouraged and lifted all our spirits. Thank you Kevin Kavenaugh!!!

Boston 9/11

Here we are in Boston.  We stepped off the T at Park Street and went immediately to a service at Park Street Church.  It was a very vibrant and alive church, much like First Pres. back home.  It was an incredibly moving service especially with the significance of the day.  Boston is a sister city to New York and this congregation had been impacted greatly.  Just sitting in pews where so much history had occurred and hearing how God has continuely  moved powerfully in people's lives was incredible.  This church, built in 1809 was the place where William Lloyd Garrison launched his passionate crudsade against slavery from the pulpit in 1829, and Samuel Smith's hymn, "America" was first sung during the church's 1832 .  The senior minister, Dr. Hugenberger gave a poweful message to pray, love and serve and challenged all to live life in light of eternity: to take hold of the life Christ has given you, keep the song in your heart and a spring in your step, have a vital relationship with God the giver of life. The music was amazing.  Great old hymns, where people sing their hearts out and read out of the hymn book.  Yeh! No screens! The simplicity of the architecture and service was refreshing and a  highlight was hearing Hanneke Cassel (violinist)  play It is Well With My Soul accompanied by guitar.  Beautiful!!!We met a lovely newlywed couple after the service.  The wife  had been homeschooled and graduated from Harvard.  Her parents and grandparents traveled extensively with them so she was very encouraging with our life choice this year.  Dr. Gordon Hugenber greeted us and talked to us at some length.  Very approachable and welcoming.  If we lived here, this would be our church.
After a picnic lunch in Boston Commons, we set off on the Freedom Trail.  We did most of the first half and will finish it up another day.

Our first subway ride, we're so excited

The Lobster Tail was amazing!!!!

Faneuil Hall

Park Street Church

Yes, we're tourists, can you tell?