Things to Do - Life in the Fort

Despite the rain the boys have still found time to work on their fort. I'm continually amazed that a random corner of our backyard (right next to the fence) has become such a source of entertainment.

In the past few weeks, the fort has become: a police station, complete with a "jail" and toy gun "firing range", as well as a tattoo parlor (hence why the kids keep doodling on themselves with pens) and a "man cave" (whatever that means).

Happy Wednesday! If you live in the area I hope you're enjoying this dose of sunshine.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Mackinac Island, Part III - Fort Mackinac- The Fourth

For the last day of our island vacation, we FINALLY agreed to take a "taxi" into town (after the kids begged and begged). Unfortunately, the taxi dropped us off at the bottom of Fort Mackinac and the hike to the top was a little bit challenging for little feet. Oh well, something has to toughen them up.

Fort Mackinac was the third, and probably final, vacation fort of the summer (click here to preview the other forts we've visited). As far as forts go, Fort Mackinac really has it all - every building houses some sort of exhibit (the girls LOVED running from building to building and comparing notes on what they discovered). Plus, a well-done kids' room kept the girls entertained for a good half hour or so. Unfortunately, T wasn't feeling it, perhaps he doesn't like military history? Whatever the reason his fuss level was at an all time high. So we rode the ferry back to the mainland and started the LONG drive to Pittsburgh, ready to begin school (kindergarten, wow, kindergarten) and say goodbye to summer. Ugh, don't you just hate those two words together (goodbye and summer)? Always so sad to say.


Regarding the last picture, Mackinac Island has a lot of garter snakes. A lot. Luckily the island's "soldiers" know how to deal with such things.

WEEKEND LINKS:

*FreeRange kids has an interesting post on the Prince Pasta commercial and how parenting has changed in the last twenty or so years.

*A beautiful set of beach photos.

*Yes. I love days like this.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Charleston, SC - Part I - Fort Sumter. The Third (and Final) Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

About a year ago, one of my best friends, Laurie, moved to Charleston, SC with her husband. So for the last stop on our roadtrip, we decided to spend a few days with them. (Laurie also has a blog, full of her adventures and thoughts, click here to check it out and see her post about our trip).

For our first full day in Charleston we adventured to Fort Sumter (where the Civil War began). In many ways this was the perfect outing, my husband loves military history and, since the fort is on an island, we had to take a boat to get there, making it a wonderful adventure for the kids as well. Once we arrived at the island, we didn't spend much time learning about the fort's history, instead we caught up with "Auntie" Laurie while checking out the views and running on the lawns, what a fun way to spend a morning.



The boat to the island has two levels - the top is open air and offers wonderful sea breezes and views. Unfortunately, it fills up fast. So we ended up in the air-conditioned bottom level, which had old chairs and random paintings (it reminded me of a church basement). But still, the views were quite pretty.



After the boat ride, we walked by a farmers' market in the square next to our hotel. Which had a bouncy slide. This made for some crazy happy kids. Crazy happy. Regarding our hotel, we stayed at the Embassy Suites Charleston, which is located in the original citadel building. The glass elevators mesmerized the kids (yes, we did have a few elevator races, but only when nobody else was around). My husband and I really liked the nightly manager's receptions (free wine!!) and made-to-order hot breakfast, which we ate in a beautiful courtyard full of lilacs. The pool was also a plus. But by far the best thing about the hotel was its wonderful service. We were 150+ miles towards home when we realized that T's favorite blankies (yes, BOTH of them) were still in the hotel room. Luckily the hotel found and overnighted them immediately (we received the blankies within 12 hours of arriving home). So yay! for the Embassy Suites (a Charleston historic hotel).

Places to Go (Vacation) - Fort Necessity in the Laurel Highlands (Farmington, PA)

On the last day of vacation we toured Fort Necessity (which looks more like a shack than a fortress). In the summer of 1754, the battle at Fort Necessity between French, British, and Indian troops marked the beginning of the French Indian War. Further, it kicked off George Washington's military career (for more on the background, click here). In my opinion unless you're a huge military history fan (which I'm not) national battlefields are often a little boring. Fort Necessity, however, is not boring. The fort includes a really nice museum, with exhibits that both frame the background of the conflict and document the surrounding area throughout the years, so you can learn about Indian culture and the advent of roads, trains, etc. Outside a small playground contains a covered wagon and a mini-fort, both of which my children liked running through. Plus, the grounds of the fort are truly stunning. I can't think of a better place to take a picnic basket and relax all afternoon. If it weren't for the impending rain, we could have explored all morning - the girls especially loved digging with sticks through the small creekbeds. If you're in the area, I highly suggest a visit.


If you can't tell by the pictures, on the LAST DAY of our vacation T's cold went away and he started to enjoy our outings. I'm glad I have a few pictures of him playing and smiling. I'm also glad I don't have any pictures of my undereye bags, which pretty much touched the floor.