Planes, Eggs, & Cannons

Finally a Saturday forecasted to be perfect for learning to tow-launch for My Man!  The only problem was he had to be there by 7:30 in the morning and we live 2 hours away.  That meant a 5am wake-up.  Oh yeah, and all the Easter egg hunts our kids had been sugar-lusting after for days would have to be forfeited.  But the kids were good sports and agreed to check out the new site.  I surreptitiously checked out the city webpages for both Shippensburg and the surrounding towns to see if there were any egg hunts we could crash, but couldn't find any that hadn't already happened.  I did find lots of great places to explore nearby, however, so I was hoping to keep the kids busy enough to forget their severe sugar deprivation.

I needn't have worried.  As we drove through town, all three sharp-eyed kids pointed and exclaimed excitedly, "LOOK, MOM!  An Easter egg hunt!"

We dropped My Man off at his air field and headed back to the park to participate in the community egg hunt.  The park was beautiful with a half-mile track, exercise equipment, soccer fields, a play ground, and, best of all, a tether-ball pole.  Since the egg hunt wasn't scheduled to start until after 10 and we got there just after 7, we had plenty of time to enjoy the perfect spring morning.  I got in several miles walking the loop while the kids played and read.  We also had several intense tetherball competitions (where I awed the kids with my amazing tetherball skills).

At last it was time for the Eggs-travaganza!  They advertised that they put out more than 10,000 plastic eggs altogether and I believe it!  The kids gathered more than they could carry and had more candy than they knew what to do with.  Darling Daughter even had two of the bonus prize eggs that scored her two full boxes of candy.  There were also some games and crafts that the kids enjoyed.  Combine all that with 70 degree, sunshiny weather, a beautiful park, and happy, laughing kids, and we had a wonderful morning. 

We could have stayed all day, but My Man called about noon to say he was done--he took to towing like a natural and was so good that the instructor waived the lesson fee!  It was too calm to get any long flights, but he got five tow-flights in and even got to try a little bit of powered paragliding (which is what most of the paragliders around there do).  Check out his video here. 

With so much of the day left, we decided to head out to Gettysburg for a bit of history since it was kind of on the way home.

Since we didn't have time to see it all, we opted for the visitor's center (with the movie, museum, and cyclorama) and the monuments at Cemetary Ridge, the site of Pickett's Charge, the last battle of Gettysburg.  When Funny Guy saw this sculpture of Abraham Lincoln, he ran over and gave him a big hug.  I'm glad these kids share my love for this great man.

We spent a lot of time in the museum, and I was impressed by how interested the kids were in the history of the Civil War and Gettysburg in particular.  They were especially excited to learn about Major General Reynolds (the highest ranking officer to die at Gettysburg) but were a bit peeved to learn that he'd been offered the position of Commander of the Army of the Potomac before General Meade but turned it down (we're not even sure if we're related, but the kids are claiming him!).

The Pennsylvania monument to those who fought at Gettysburg is beautiful.  There is another statue of Major General Reynolds there and his is one of the names engraved around the top of the monument.  The view from above looks out over all of Gettysburg.

Young Man was so inspired by our trip here, that he promptly started reading Killer Angels, one of my favorite Civil War novels.  It is such a terrible part of our history, but it is amazing to be here, to see it come alive.

And of course, none of the kids could resist a picture straddling one of the cannon replicas out front.  I hope we make it back here another day to take one of the more detailed tours that are offered.

Great Falls National Park

Spring Break this year was a whirl of Thai classes, rainy days, and lots of business for the Oakwood Petsitters, so we didn't have a lot of time for adventures.  My introductory Thai class ended on Thursday, however, so on Friday, Young Man and Darling Daughter agreed to join me for a day of hiking and exploration (Funny Guy was busy with his spring break camp, which he loved, and My Man was busy with Thai--he still has several months of classes).  We ventured to Great Falls National Park, a park not far from Falls Church that I'd heard great things about.

We weren't disappointed.  The falls were spectacular, raging from the recent rains (though nowhere near the high water marks, which were posted up on the main trail, a ways from the river, quite impressive indeed!). 

We hiked a loop that started out along the river, with plenty of outlooks, and then cut in to come back through the forest.  There were creeks to explore, kayakers to watch, and even a little bit of sunshine to soak up (toward the end). 

It was definitely a beautiful place to spend the day and I was so grateful to be able to share it with two of my favorite people in the world.  I'm so happy that they love this beautiful world as much as I do!  We can't wait to go back with My Man and Funny Guy.

Cherry Blossom Festival

It's interesting how life comes full circle.  Last year we took family pictures during the cherry blossom bloom in Seoul (where many of the trees were planted by the Japanese), and this year we went out to enjoy the start of spring with the cherry blossom festival here in DC (which celebrates the gift of almost 9,000 cherry trees from Japan as a gesture of friendship toward the United States).

Although the blooms weren't quite fully open (thanks to the unseasonably cold weather this spring), the cherry trees were beautiful and it was great to get out.  We started with a walk along the tidal basin to enjoy the cherry blossoms and to see the Jefferson Memorial.

Then we headed over to the main festival activities.  My Man and Young Man participated in a dragon boat demonstration. 

Since Young Man is far too cool mature to participate in the crafts now, I was glad he got to do this.  It looked fun and I think he enjoyed it (though not quite enough for him to fully forgive us for taking him away from a day spent playing football with his friends).

Darling Daughter and Funny Guy enjoyed making a dragon sock puppet and flying fish lantern, respectively. 

The lines were long, but the band was great, and I had fun just hanging out with the kids as the trio from Trinibad and Tobago played island songs in the background.  It was almost enough to pretend that it wasn't absolutely freezing (thanks to the biting wind and lower than forecasted temps).  Almost.

By then it was getting late, though, and My Man and Young Man needed to head home to get ready for the Priesthood session of General Conference.  It was cold too (did I mention that already?), so Darling Daughter, who had refused to bring a sweater, decided to leave too.  On their way home, My Man got some great shots of them with the cherry blossoms in front the Smithsonian Castle

Funny Guy had his heart set on a few more activities, though, so he and I decided to stick around a bit longer.  He had so much fun making his model pirate ship, that it was well worth the extra hour and a half in the cold.  Incredibly, Funny Guy didn't complain once about the cold until we were on our way home.  That just goes to show how much he loved the festival!

(See Funny Guy's tongue?  I was laughing so hard watching him concentrate on coloring his boat because the harder he concentrates, the faster his tongue slides back and forth.  It is absolutely precious.  Kicking myself now that I didn't think to grab a video!)

On the way home, we passed by a giant field of daffodils.  Spring truly is a beautiful time of year and I'm so grateful we got to enjoy it together as a family today (a huge sacrifice by My Man who would rather have been flying--thanks Love!).