Thursday we went to Springfield.

Friday we laid around and then shot off fireworks at Daniel's sister's house with neighbors

Saturday we celebrated a good old-fashioned smalltown America 4th! It was in Squires, MO, home to 60 people. About a thousand come to celebrate our independence each year though!

The stage




The booths of games




Trey with a cotton candy-sticky face


Playing with the little stuffed bee he won




We took Trey on the merry go round and slides, ate hotdogs, and waited around for fireworks to start while listening to old time country-gospel music being sung! Then, we listed to Alan Jackson and other "modern" country songs being sung by this good-ol-boy!


The fireworks display only lasted about 15 minutes but had some cool swirly firecrackers and other magnificent moments! All in all, a fun night that will probably never be repeated!

Edit: My father in law just sent me this pic from last night of Trey catching a trout (while we were out running around with Daniel's cousins)

Saturday, June 13th, we finally had our first fully sunny day! We drove from south Boston (where our hotel of 3 nights had been) down to Barnstable, Cape Cod, MA. We didn't go further into the cape b/c we had to be back to Plymouth that afternoon for our whale watching! We took the "scenic route" back north toward Plymouth but we couldn't actually see much of the cape due to all the trees along the road!

We sailed with "Capt. John's Boats" and left from Plymouth's harbor. It took 2 long, cold hours before we go to where the whales were (in the Atlantic Ocean, north of Provincetown, Cape Cod)!! We sat in the front of the boat so we wouldn't miss a minute of the action. I had 3 layers on and was still shivering even though it was sunny! The lady doing the commentary used time "directions" to tell us where the whales were. She has been observing whales for 10 years and knew a LOT. She got so excited about our whale watch, though, that she said: "Humpback Whale at 1 o'clock. Whale at 10 o'clock. At 9. At 2: they're everywhere!!!"

And they were. Ten to twenty whales (I couldn't keep track) surrounded our boat! I took 80 pictures of the whales. The color of the water becomes a light green and bubbly and then they surface so I was able to point my camera in the right direction. The tails of each whale are different, like a thumbprint, so the commentator started referring to them by name and I couldn't follow. I was a little jealous of Daniel who just got to stand there in awe of them b/c I was busy "working" at getting great shots of them. But I think it paid off:

the Mayflower replica


Plymouth Rock (which by the way the pilgrims most likely NEVER stepped foot on AND they went to Provincetown in Cape Cod first but the soil was too sandy so then they moved inland to Plymouth! Who knew?)












The next day we went to Plimoth Plantation where actors impersonate the Puritan settlers we call Pilgrims. Wapanoag Indians were in traditional dress but did not pretend to be in the 1630s as the settlers did. So we got some interesting perspectives from them (the Puritans were pious and not a lot of fun--- I'm thinking: hey, those are my Reformed spiritual ancestors but yeah... they were sometimes known for that!). I also found out that about 1 million natives (Am. Indians) were killed by a sort of bubonic plague in the 3 years before the pilgrims came! The Indian site you see in these pictures near the plantation was actually deserted when the pilgrims got there b/c they'd all died. =( The Indians that helped the pilgrims were from about 100 miles away.


This guy explained a bit about Native farming to us. When I asked him a question, though, he looked at Daniel and answered! It must be cultural?? But he did take a pic with me!


The big guy in the Wapanoag house asked Daniel what tribe he was from so Daniel got to say that he was Mayan (from Hondurus). That was cool. Also, this guy had heard of OKC's Red Earth festival in which dozens of tribes celebrate their culture. He said he's always wanted to come!

At the plantation, in one of the houses, I found this Bible. The title page (shown) says 1560!! I don't know if it's a replica or an original but it was awesome either way!


And we ran into the "ruling elder" of the plantation (aka pastor). We missed hearing him preach by about 30 minutes! =( It was a Sunday, you see.... I was quite disappointed! He liked Daniel's "Noah's Ark rafting" t-shirt and of course thought (in his 1630s brain) that it was all about his favorite Bible story






The top floor of the church!


A beautiful wood-carved trunk that I entered to win! They have a wood/pottery shop in which the artisans' work is in the 1600s style!


Back to 2009:
We drove to Providence that afternoon and went to the mall. I got a great new purse and we saw the most spectacular view from a mall ever, of the skyline there. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me (for once). We walked around a tiny bit and then ended up on federal hill in Little Italy. We ate at a yummy restaurant but unfortunately (in my PMSy state), I was exceptionally annoyed by a large family eating out back on the patio with us. They were drinking a lot and the women were SO LOUD the entire 1 1/2 hours we were there. They had no respect for anyone around them and I was disgruntled and complaining the entire dinner about them. Poor Daniel =(

More on Providence later: this was a LONG post! =) Hope you enjoyed it.

Day 3: We slept in and then drove up to Lexington, MA for the Liberty Ride: a trolley tour of Lexington and Concord where the Revolution started. We learned that Paul Revere road first to warn Sam Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to confiscate all the weapons that were stockpiled and also to warn that they would be arrested (they did not come to attack as I had thought before this trip: only to get the colonists' weapons and maintain control). So here come a whole bunch of untrained Scots and Irish redcoats. They had to walk from Charlestown to Lexington and it took several hours. They get into Lexington and some colonist fired at the British(some speculate Sam Adams since he was always doing whatever he could to start a revolution including using the Boston Massacre as propaganda- the 5 men who died there provoked the attack!). They fired back and the first colonist casualties occurred here. But this was NOT the shot heard round the world. That happened later in the day, April 19th, 1775. The British continued along the main road to Concord and there, by the bridge, they were fired upon by many colonists who had banded together. The redcoats incurred their first casualties here and this was the "shot heard round the world" because now the war had started. The poor British were shot upon all the way back to Boston.











Concord was also a literature and philosophy center in the 1800s. Right next to the bridge where the first shots of the Revolution were fired is the home of Rev. Emerson. His son, Ralph Waldo Emerson later owned it:






I also found out that Revere was later captured but then returned to Lexington.

Henry David Thoreau and the Alcotts also lived in the area and were friends. I went to the real Orchard House that Louisa May Alcott and her family lived in after she came home disabled the Civil war. She had contracted dissentary and they treated her with mercury! This is when she wrote Little Women, highly based on her own family. I got to see Anna's real, plain wedding dress (think Meg in the book) and see May's drawing and painting all over the house (Amy). 90% of the Alcott's stuff is still in the house which is amazing. It was very very cool.



Mr. Alcott's School of philosophy right on their property:


Day 4: We went to the oldest presidential birthplaces in the U.S! John Adam's and John Q. Adam's then to Peacefield where the Adams came home to after his retirement and 4 generations later lived there!

Adam's birthplace in Quincy, MA (south of Boston)


John Q's on the same plot of land:


Peacefield:


The gardens:


Their extensive family library (18,000 books!)


After this amazing morning, we went to the Sam Adams' brewery for a tour and got to try a some free beer, including one not on market yet! Most of it was lost on me but I liked their cherry wheat beer and Daniel of course was in heaven. =)

On the way to this section of Boston, we walked through an Arts district. This sculpture cracked me up:









Then we headed back to downtown Boston and saw a few things we missed the first time:
Quincy Market place/Faneuil Hall


Cheers


Boston Commons and then the Public Gardens (including Make way for the ducklings)




We walked by a whole bunch of women putting up signs. We finally read one and it said "Dyke March" Come to find out the Gay pride parade was the next day. We were rather glad to get out of Boston when we did.

The last thing we did on this busy day, full of walking (again! my legs were killing me) was see one of my best friends from high school, Amanda, and her fiance. We went to this hip restaurant called Fire + Ice. They grill your food right in front of you.


Good times!

Have I abandoned xanga for facebook? I may have.... I enjoy the quick status update versus the time to write a full blog entry. Plus, more people read my fb. Hmm.. Perhaps I shall leave xanga for when I have pictures or deep thoughts to share. What say you?

Thursday night mom and dad had an open house of their friends so they could meet Nori. Thursday was also my last day of school!!!!



My fabulous colleagues and I had once last lunch together since Robert is leaving the profession to pursue his roofing business:


Friday night Daniel and I saw Terminator and I found it intense but enjoyable. It had a wonderfully redemptive plot. =) Yesterday, I drove to Tulsa and spent a whole bunch of time with my grandparents yesterday and today. They LOVE their first great-grandbaby!!

Nori is 3 months old now:








Doesn't she look like a baby doll or a gerber baby? She is gorgeous! And so pleasant: she smiles and talks to you, and giggles.

Here she is with her great-grandma:


And great-papa:




And her momma:


and her auntie em!


and her great-grammy:


Her parents and grandparents:



4 generations of Frost/Ford girls! My grammy who had my mother, who had my sister, who had Nori!




Tomorrow we'll have a Memorial Day BBQ with my parents and sister and James (who as you have surmised, are here in OK for the weekend!)