Woke up this morning and decided that Bennington, Vermont would be a very nice place to live. The colors of the leaves are absolutely beautiful. I know it won't last long, and before you know it, the cold weather will come and the snow will fall. I don't care. The town has so much charm, history and beauty. After a quick breakfast in the room, we followed the usual ritual of packing the car and then heading for the local walmart to pick up odds and ends. Since it was Tuesday, I found several new DVDs to add the collection, including The Matrix Reloaded and the special edition of A Christmas Story, one of my holiday favorites.
We had a very busy day. We started by visiting three covered bridges in Bennington. All were restored, but still originals of this dying breed. Each one lane bridge stood above a stream with water flowing happily downstream. It was picture perfect. So we took pictures.
Then we made our way to the Bennington Memorial, a large park with a 320 foot structure commemorating a key victory for the colonials during the American revolution. General Burgoyne of the British army sent troops into Bennington to requisition munitions and supplies. The rebels spanked them handily in what would become a turning point for the fight for America's Indepedence. It was shortly thereafter that a short-supplied British army lost the battle at Saratoga.
Next, we visited the Old First Congregational Church, the first Protestant church in the Hampshire Grants. The church first gathered in 1762 and the building was erected on the site in the early 1800's.
Directly behind the church is a very old cemetery, containing the bodies of many revolutionary soldiers from the 18th century. The cemetary also holds the body of Robert Frost, the famous American poet.
Our next stop was the Apple Barn Country Market and Bake Shop, where I was unable to resist some fresh cinammon rolls. While Mary shopped and walked Socrates, the kids and I entered the "Amaizing Vermont Corn Maze, a Vermont shaped maze carved out of corn stalks. The kids had a great time wandering through the maze searching out clues to answer the questions on the quiz provided at the entry.
Back in the minivan once more and off to see our friend, Ro, and her son Kyle in Bernardston, Massachusetts. What a hospitable pair they are! Ro prepated a fantastic dinner and offered accomodations for our family for the night. We graciously accepted and are talking with each other as I type. Ro is providing numerous tips for places we might visit and discussing when she and Kyle will be visiting Oklahoma again.
It's late and I am very tired. We did SO much today and I really have more to say. But I see that Mary has done a thorough job of documenting the day, so I invite you to read her blog at Homeschool-u.com to get more details. We aren't certain about tomorrow. Our initial plans were to go to Boston and settle in for five nights. But we MAY take a detour through New Hampshire and Maine just to say we've been there. I guess we'll play it by ear and see what happens.
New York City
I don't think any vacation would be complete without visiting Mt. Rushmore. In our day and time, can you picture a democrat, or vice-a-versa, having a republican carve in stone like FDR did to Teddy Rosevelt? It was really good to be there and there are some really good deals on black gold there too. I would think you would want to vistit the International Peace Garden in N. Dakota. It is a mirror image garden with Canada and represents lasting peace between our two countries. Of Course, my all time favorite is the Grand Canyon. I don't know how to explain how I feel about it. It was great. I am glad that you are haveing a good time. It does us all good to get a little R&R once in a while.