Fun outings and lots of pictures!

Somehow it’s Monday again, and the kids all started a new camp.  I’ve squeezed in a few moments while home alone with the baby to upload a few pictures from the weekend.

Yesterday on a whim we decided to head to PA.  We used to drive over every once in a blue moon to go antiquing in New Oxford. There are quite a few good antique malls there so it’s always fun.  It’s interesting how the antiques really vary in different regions, and being in PA, there were a lot of stoneware and great case goods (jelly cupboards, dry sinks, chests and my favorite – pie safes).

We had to make our stops brief because 1) antiquing with 4 boys is quite a challenge , especially since the baby gets so heavy! and 2) we had to carry our dog too…luckily the shop owners are usually a very open to us carrying our little guy in.  One interesting find (no I did not buy it) was a metal cake container….see what people used before the days of Tupperware? I remember my Grandmother used to bring cookies over in similar metal tins (as well as her fruitcake).  In fact, she would put her fruitcake in an Esskay tin (an old Baltimore based company)…we happened to find another tin just like it and my husband, surprisingly, bought it.

After walking around the antique malls we headed over to Gettysburg.  The boys have been interested in learning about the Civil War, and my husband doesn’t seem to tire of explaining what it was all about to our 4 year old.  We never walked around the battlefields before and were seriously mistaken to think we could do so by foot (with kids and dog in tow).  The significant areas are sprawling, full of fields, hills, woods and many beautiful monuments from various states.  We chose our only option:  an audio tour!  So we purchased a cd and drove through at our own pace, stopping where we wanted to investigate further.

One of the hundreds of cannons throughout Gettysburg:

The view from Little Round Top and Devil’s Den was amazing.  It was really hard to imagine the soldiers climbing up this hill.  At the top there is a castle-like monument for two New York regiments that list their muster rolls.

The Eternal Light Peace Memorial was particularly interesting.  The kids wondered how the flame atop the monument continues to burn.   I was touched by learning how this memorial was part of the 75th anniversary of the Civil War.  Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the monument during a reunion that included 1800 Union and Confederate veterans….they ranged in age from their late 80’s to over 100.  This  is truly something to ponder…imagining these men reuniting 75 years after the war, and all of the memories that they shared.

Also this weekend, we attended the surprise 40th birthday of a dear friend…no, it wasn’t exactly “date night” like some of you guessed but really felt like it.  Except Nathaniel was in tow…we couldn’t leave 4 rambunctious boys with my poor sister!    My friend’s husband pulled off the most amazing 4 course dinner which really compared to a wedding reception.  We all had so much fun!

I made a little something special for my friend, a “family necklace”…something I wanted to try for some time.  The necklace is made from sterling silver, copper and brass sheet metals.  I included her children’s names, her wedding date, the states where everyone was born and a large monogram for their last name.  I cut the circles from this amazing tool, and the rest of the shapes were free-form.  I hope to make one for myself soon.

That’s all for now….thanks for stopping by and have a great week ahead! 🙂