Katrina's friend from elementary school moved back to her home town. Her sons now attend her old elementary school. The school decided to send out Flat Stanleys to friends across the country. Katrina volunteered because we live near D.C. and we were also heading to New England.
Katrina’s dad had never been to D.C. for the Cherry Blossoms in the spring. We decided to have him come. As long as he was here we might as well go up to New England and cross off a few new states.
Iwo Jima
Abe the Babe with a couple of other good looking guys.
Stanley for President
I'm going to take you down to Chinatown!
In Jamestown we had an interesting guide who was dressed in character and spoke to the groups as if we had just arrived off the boat. She even said that we smelled from our voyage. We also went to the glass blowing house and saw them making these beautiful cobalt blue vases.
What a character
Stanley the giant destroys Jamestown
Katrina and Pocahontas
Next we went to Williamsburg, Virginia. We didn't do the full package instead we saw a museum and walked around the town.
Governor's Mansion
The rebel rousers
More rebel scum
We saw the jail where Captain Blackbeard’s crew had been held. My dad and I made our best pirate face for a photo.
"Arrrrr, ye land lovers are goin' walk the plank!"
Katrina took a day off to take her dad around D.C.
The is a monument growing out of your head
Katrina's dad went to the American History Museum on his own and was a little disappointed at the apparent lack of artifacts. Katrina decided to take him back to hit the highlights he missed. She showed him Archie Bunkers chair, Lincoln’s top hat, the Star Spangled Banner, and the First Ladies gowns.
Archie Bunker's chair
We went to Ford’s Theater Museum on the Anniversary of Lincoln’s death on April 14. In the basement of the theater they have a new museum.
Ford's Theater
The next weekend we flew to New England. We had to make a change of plans when we arrived to Boston as we realized that the annual Boston Marathon was that same weekend. Our first stop had to be Mike’s Pastry Shop even through it was only 8:30 a.m. We walked to the Old North Church and also took a tour of Paul Revere’s home. We had lunch at the Old Oyster House. The clam chowder was amazing. My dad enjoyed the Boston Baked Beans. After lunch, we headed south to visit Plymouth.
Old North Church
Paul Revere's home
At Plymouth we visited a replica of the Mayflower and Plymouth Plantation. We had the chance to talk to some of the original Pilgrims.
Plymouth Rock
Mayflower II
A native and a pilgrim
We stayed in Rhode Island that night and attended church there the next morning. We decided to drive a few miles out of the way to have lunch in Connecticut. We headed back to Boston and spent time in Boston Gardens. We saw the statue of Make Way for Ducklings. We ate at Cheers and then went to Harvard Campus where we saw a rock concert!
We found my Street in Rhode Island on our way to Connecticut.
Boston Gardens
Make way for Stanley!
A fabulous sight
For some reason they couldn't remember my name
Harvard's chapel
On Monday, April 18, we headed out of Boston to avoid the marathon crowd. We went to the towns of Lexington and Concord. Lexington was having a parade and festivities in honor of Patriot’s Day. Many people were dressed in colonial attire. In Concord we stopped at Walden Pond. It was actually as big as a lake. Then we went to Orchard House: the home of Louisa May Alcott, who wrote Little Women. Antonio and Katrina did a tour of the house. Her family was close friends with Emerson and Thoreau. There were a lot of similarities with Louisa sisters and the girls in Little Women. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. After Orchard House we went to the Old North Bridge. It was the site of the battle of Concord. The minutemen held off the British. This was the first battle of the American Revolutionary War.
Minutemen Tonio & Stanley
Stanley with Thoreau. They are both deep thinkers.
At Walden Pond: It looked more like a lake.
Orchard House: Inspiration to Little Women
Old Bridge at Concord, MA.
On our way to Maine for dinner we stopped in New Hampshire and tried to see America’s Stonehenge. We saw it on our road atlas. I had never heard of it before. It has been around since the 60s. Many people think it is a hoax and we agree. We arrived too late to go in but we were able to visit the gift shop where they sell incense, colored rocks, and llama paraphernalia.
We drove up the Maine Coast to the nearest lighthouse and then we had a great seafood dinner.
Maine's coast: A dream come true
Our last day in Boston we toured the U.S.S. Constitution and Bunker Hill. We enjoyed lunch at Anthony’s on the harbor and made one last stop at Mike’s Pastry Shop. Upon arriving to the airport we found out that our flight was canceled so we had to sleep one more night in Boston. We took the 8:00 am flight back to Baltimore and hoped Antonio wouldn’t be too late for work. All in all it was an enjoyable trip. My dad added five new states to his list.
Old Iron Sides
" I am the King of Bunker Hill!"
Fancy Lunch
