National Weather Service Field Trip

Last week, my parents and I made a day trip to a little town where they make concrete statuary, benches and birdbaths.  As we were heading there, we passed this place. 

We turned around and went back.  I figured it couldn't hurt to ask if they do tours.  Sure enough, they welcomed us in.  Yay! 

The meteorologist said I could take pictures, so I did.  Here she is in the control room.  Above, she is under the signs and the old alert system is in the rear.  Below is one work station.  There are three or four monitors for each person (um, wow!).  Each one can pull up different data.

Outside was the big soccer ball...more correctly known as a Doppler Radar.

Also outside were the satellite radars. 

It was a fun field trip, especially since it wasn't planned.  The meterologist sent her home with study guides for further learning.  I can't think of a better way to learn about weather.

Costco Field Trip

Scenes from our Homeschool Fieldtrip to Costco...

A thought on making a difference...

One of the challenges presented to each of us during our visit to Colonial Williamsburg was to remember the extreme risks taken by the colonists of that era.  In 1775, the year being covered during our visit, there was no plan yet to declare independence.  The colonists were upset because the British Parliament had (again) handed down a tax the colonists would have to pay.

To oversimplify the matter, Britain still had debts from the French-Indian War.  Since the people of Britain were already being taxed about 28% of their income (sound familiar?), Parliament decided they could not bear further taxation.  So, they decided to levy taxes upon goods imported by the Colonists.  The issue with the Colonists was not the amount of the tax, but the very idea that Parliament could levy those taxes against the Colonists without their consent and those levying the taxes were not subject to them. 

By defying the Crown, these folks risked being accused and convicted of being traitors.  They risked losing everything, including their very lives.  It's something to think about.

Colonial Williamsburg

Recently, Princess E and I took a multi-day field trip to Colonial Williamsburg.  King J wasn't able to join us for the trip, and for safety reasons, I didn't post anything about the trip until we returned from it.

Of course, Princess E didn't want to behave, so she was immediately subjected to some Colonial-era punishment.  I'm kidding, of course.


We saw the carriages going through town transporting passengers throughout the historic area.


One of our stops was at the Weaver's Shop.  It was raining on this particular day, so there were very few people there.  The guide spent quite a while discussing the weaving process with us. 


Each day, we explored a different tavern.  On this day, we ate at Chowning's Tavern.  Even though it was unseasonably warm, we decided on soup.  I had a hearty bowl of brunswick stew and she selected potato-leek soup.  Both were absolutely delicious!  We learned that our habit of drinking ice water (with lemon) at mealtimes would have been extremely unlikely during the Colonial period.  Such delicacies were reserved for only the most special guests. 

Each morning, we had the opportunity to hear an interpreter portray a patriot.  This particular day, we heard from Colonel George Washington in character from 1775.  After speaking on the concerns with the British Parliament's handing down of the tea tax, which was objectional because it represented taxation without representation, he opened the floor for questions from the audience.  Princess E was among many who asked questions of the man who would later become our president. 

He made one statement which was met with uproarious applause.  When asked by a child how much money he made as a member of the House of Burgesses, he replied that the representatives were unpaid, other than a small travel stipend which was not even sufficient to cover the cost of traveling from his home in Mount Vernon.  Furthermore, he expressed his belief that representatives should not be paid as it would lead to corruption of those in office. 

Well said, Sir.  Well said.

During our tour of the Governor's Palace, we had the opportunity to go down into the cellar.  It was rather dark and chilly. 

We made several trips to the Nursery, where the guide allowed the children to participate in various gardening tasks.  In this photo, Princess E is drawing a pail of water from the well, under the close supervision of the gardener. 

In this one, she is watering the English cucumbers.  I learned that the Colonials did not care for tomatoes as a food; but instead preferred them as ornamental plants. 


Princess E had the chance to learn about the pasttimes of Colonial children.  Here, she practiced rolling a hoop. 

As with the Weaver, there were very few people around and the guide was able to spend time teaching Princess E how to play Mancala.  The game is still around today, although we learned we could make it from supplies at home with just an empty egg carton, 2 small bowls, and 48 little stones, marbles or pebbles. 

At the Peyton Randolph house, the table was set for the first course of the dinner (mid-day) meal.  Notice the boar's head in the center of the table.  Apparently, this was quite the delicacy.  For me, personally, anything that can see me, taste me, smell me, or think about me is not edible.  Please pass the cabbage, asparagus and ham, thank you very much.


Now, Princess E thoroughly enjoys playing with Lego's.  Here, at the Brickmaker, she learned about offsetting bricks to make them stronger.  The guide showed us how the brick is formed and then baked. 


One of the afternoons, we walked a different route back to the car.  The trail took us under the main road, through these arched brick passageways. 


This little squirrel sat on the fence and chattered at us.  I suspect he was protesting our presence near him. 


In all, we had an exciting, educational adventure in Colonial Williamsburg.