Today we continued to get ready for Sukkos. Here B is applying glue and glitter to maple leaves:
B did an art project:
M and I bought and prepared our arba minim:
Our Sukkah. We last used this sukkah when we went to Assateague Island in 2009:
Have a happy Sukkos! Sukkos is Monday and Tuesday, so the blog will return on Wednesday, 9/30.
Today we did homeschool, including a study of Non-Newtonian fluids in B’s chemistry class:
Trish and the kids went shopping for Sukkos decorations:
Sometimes I have a hard time believing they’re my kids:
Good Shabbos from Monsey, New York!
It was nice to be back in Monsey for Yom Kippur!
Doesn’t she look happy here in suburban New York?
Today was spent getting ready for Sukkos. I also disabled the solar controller’s automatic equalization so that I can manually engage equalization on sunny days when I have the best chance for a good equalization:
Today we continued south to Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, which preserves the post-presidential home of America’s eighth president:
I know, you’re thinking, “what an unfortunate fusion of Italianate, Gothic, Palladian and Georgian architecture”, aren’t you? Yes, you are.
Van Buren was the son of a tavern keeper, but became wealthy later in life. He imported French wallpaper for his great hall to impress his guests:
The original wallpaper from 1839:
The president’s bathtub, used as a horse trough until the NPS acquired the building and restored it:
The house includes a very early flush toilet, virtually unheard of in the mid-1800s:
Looking up into five story tower that was part of the Italianate addition to the home, added by Van Buren’s son when he moved back home at his father’s request:
Van Buren died at 79 in this room in 1862:
We learned a lot about the considerable accomplishments of our eighth president today. The kids completed their Junior Ranger workbooks and received their badges:
Continuing south, we visited Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site. After watching the excellent site movie, we walked the grounds, which include a monument to FDR and Churchill. The silhouettes in the background are carved from a section of the Berlin Wall:
FDR’s tomb:
FDR’s childhood home:
The kids completed their Junior Ranger workbooks (called here Junior Secret Service) and received their badges:
We continued south, trying to take 9W but forced to exit due to tunnels with insufficient clearance. Completing our drive via the thruway, we arrived at our house and backed up our driveway. We will be here for the holidays of Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres, and Simchas Torah.
Yom Kippur is tomorrow, so the next blog post will be on Thursday, 9/24. See the trip map for today’s drive and our current location.
Today we continued southwest back into Vermont:
Our first stop of the day was Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, which preserves the history of the modern conservation movement, forefather of the environmental movement. A portion of the estate is now a dairy farm museum:
We walked through the park, which includes the mansion occupied by the Marsh, Billings, and Rockefeller families from the mid 1800s to the 1990s:
We didn’t know what to expect at this park, but we were very glad we visited here. The park does a great job of explaining the history and motivation of the roots of the environmental movement. The park movie was fantastic.
The kids completed their Junior Ranger books and received their badges with quite a bit more ceremony than they’re accustomed to. They were suitably embarrassed:
We continued on to Saratoga National Historical Park, site of the Battles of Saratoga in 1777, the first significant American military victory of the American Revolutionary War. It was here that General Burgoyne’s successful campaign from Canada along the Hudson River was halted, with Burgoyne ultimately participating in the first-ever surrender of a British military force. This British defeat convinced the French to join forces with the Colonial Army and declare war of Britain, ultimately leading to American independence.
The kids tried on period costumes:
The visitor center has a movie and a fiber-optic map with narration that describe the sequence of battle:
Canons from the battle:
Looking out over the battlefield:
The kids completed their Junior Ranger workbooks and received their badges:
Continuing south, we are overnighting at the Walmart near Albany. Trish did a bit of rug hooking:
See the trip map for today’s drive and our current location.
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