Day Four: Jamestowne & Yorktown

We stayed in Williamsburg for two nights. Look at this beautiful hotel (we stayed in some nice places!).

On Thursday morning, we boarded a bus and headed to nearby Historic Jamestowne.  Apparently, we missed out some of the features of the area, like the Jamestown Settlement area and a "glass house" (?) which I am sure would've been very neat to visit.  I didn't know it at the time though, and based on what I did get to tour, I still think it was pretty fantastic. Next time, right?

A very informative guide took us around and pointed everything out to us.  We also heard a lecture from the author of one of the books I had to read about Jamestown.  We visited the archaearium, which houses over 1,000 artifacts that have been uncovered at Jamestown.  In the last 10 years, archaeologists have actually found over 2 million artifacts, but not all of them are on display. I think that would be the coolest job- imagine doing that every day, searching for treasure!

 If I heard right, Jamestowne is the only place where British flags are allowed to be flown without the USA flag

 Fun times with Michelle

 It is said that the actual site of the first landing by the British has eroded into the James River, but still- isn't that neat?

Human bones were found in these areas marked by the crosses (there's even a human skeleton on display in the archaearium- no pictures were allowed in there)

 Here is an actual archaeology dig, right in the middle of the colony. Work is more sporadic in the winter because the ground is harder to work with.

 There has been evidence discovered of the foundation of what would've been the settlement's church.  The four crosses are where four people's remains were found, most likely people with authority (such as the priest and captain). Right between those four crosses is the location that is believed to have been where Pocahontas and John Rolfe got married.

Statue of John Smith

This church was built in the 17th century and still stands today.      

 Inside the church

A statue of Pocahontas

So interesting!  We boarded the bus and ate lunch as we headed over to Yorktown Victory Center.  

Flags representing the Thirteen Colonies

Yorktown was the site of the last battle of the Revolutionary War, where Cornwallis surrendered and the Americans ended up winning the war.  The museum has recreated a farm and even an army encampment from that that time period.  We had guides take us through, but there were also people in period dress to help us understand what life would've been like.  I loved seeing the farm, complete with kitchen, tobacco barn, crop fields, vegetable garden, and even the chickens running around.  

 Tobacco became the cash crop- money became obsolete as people used tobacco as the means of trade

 The home's kitchen area

 The garden area

There is a beautiful, new exhibit that showcases different perspectives that people would've had during this time period.  I thought this museum did a great job portraying daily life of colonists and the impact the war would've had on their lives. I think that my fifth graders would've loved it here- the museum is very informative, interactive, and kid-friendly.

 

How would you have liked to have this as a soldier?

Here's a glimpse of the encampment.

I got to watch a cannon demonstration!

So much fun! This was probably my favorite day of learning. The information I learned, the things I saw, and the connections I was able to make will surely help me to convey what this time period was like when I teach this to my students.  It'd be awesome to be able to take our kids on field trips to places like Jamestowne and Yorktown.  If only!

The rest of the day was free time.  My group and I decided to go explore Merchants' Square near our hotel.  We visited a few shops, then had dinner at DoG Street Pub, a gastropub with an extensive beer menu.  I even texted Jason a picture of it- he would've loved this place!  After our delicious dinner, some locals suggested we visit Chowning's Tavern, a short walk away.  What a cool experience- musicians dressed in 18th century clothes sang colonial songs and played fiddles as they went from room to room.  As well, the waitresses taught us some colonial games (Shut the Box, and Ship/Captain/Crew), which we played by candlelight.  We celebrated our friend, Aaron's birthday with colonial-inspired cocktails.  Did you know that the Happy Birthday song hadn't been composed yet?  We sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" to him instead.  It was such a fun and memorable night!       

Our group!

 Our group with one of the musicians

Not only did I love our Jamestowne and Yorktown experiences earlier in the day, I had an amazing time with "my group" exploring the town in the evening.  This was probably my favorite day of our entire trip! (by the way, I took some of these pictures from my fellow TAH teacher, Heather- thanks, Heather!!!)

Day Three: Charlottesville, Virginia

Our first stop of the day:  the University of Virginia campus.  Most people I know have asked, "Why there?"  I was curious to know, too.  It turns out that this university was founded and designed by Jefferson and was one of the 3 things listed on his tombstone that he wanted to most be remembered for.  His ideals were brought to life through this school.  The first few colleges were established around religion- here, the campus is centered around a rotunda which housed the library (symbolizing education as opposed to religion).  The university has received designation as a World Heritage Site.  In front of the rotunda is the Academical Village, which was where both students and professors lived.  Jefferson believed that a good education involved close interaction between students and professors.  The professors lived in the two story buildings, where their classrooms were the bottom floor.  Nowadays, students who are in their last year have to apply for the privilege of living in the Academical Village.  Wouldn't that be so neat, to live in a place with such history?

 Here's a group pic of our whole teacher group

 The Rotunda

      These units line each side of the Rotunda

 Jefferson's home, Monticello, overlooks the campus from afar

After our tour, we boarded the bus and headed to Michie Tavern, an 18th century tavern where we feasted on a buffet with amazing Southern fried chicken.  We got to take a quick tour and the host even taught our teachers a dance that would've been popular in that time. 

 I was very intrigued by this outhouse- did you know that people used corncobs before toilet paper!?

After boarding our bus, we headed to Monticello.  I was very much looking forward to this visit and was not disappointed.  If there was something I knew about Jefferson, it's that he was a very complex and controversial figure.  Our teacher group participated in a special program where we got a hands-on experience that we could adapt for our classroom.  We got a guided tour of Jefferson's residence and I learned even more about him.  When you see this picture of Monticello, it looks like a single story home... You'd be surprised to know that the house was actually 4 stories!  Jefferson loved architecture and enjoyed experimenting with design.

My very favorite part of this visit was going on the Slavery Walking Tour.  As part of my grant, our professors have assigned specific books that we have had to read.  One of them, Master of the Mountain, by Henry Wiencek, was particularly intriguing.  He suggests that this iconic president, the man who authored the Declaration of Independence in which it states that "all men are created equal," actually didn't truly believe it.  Jefferson had over 300 slaves in his lifetime and upon his death, only freed 7.  The book leads its readers to believe that Jefferson knew what he was doing and he chose not to free his slaves because he knew that he wouldn't have been able to prosper without them.  I absolutely loved the Slavery tour- the guide did not sugar coat anything.  He shared stories from the slaves' perspectives and like the book I read, they were so thought-provoking.  

 The garden area, as we walked along Mulberry Row, the area where Monticello's slaves worked

This fireplace is barely standing- there are plans for archaeologists to dig deeper in this area to recover artifacts from Mulberry Row.  We were told that in five years, this tour will be totally different as more things are uncovered.

 After the Slavery tour, we continued on the path to see the Monticello Graveyard, containing the graves of Jefferson, his family members, and relatives. Jefferson left directions that he wanted 3 things engraved on his tombstone: Author of the Declaration of Independence, Author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.

This evening, we had dinner at a restaurant called, The Local.  They take pride in cooking with the freshest ingredients supplied from local farms.  Oooooh, it was so good (I started with mussels, had a chili-chipotle Berkshire pork chop, and finished with blackberry cobbler)!

Our journey continued after dinner as we boarded the bus and headed to Williamsburg.

Day Two: Washington DC (cont.)

Despite heading to bed pretty late, we were expected to be up with our bags packed early the next morning.  Except for one morning, every day after breakfast, we had a guest lecturer who would teach or share about his historical perspectives on the places we would be visiting.  On this particular day, we got some free time to tour Washington D.C.  Mike, Michelle, and I joined up with three other people from our teacher group- the six of us pretty much spent the whole week together.  We took the MetroLink to the National Mall area and spent a lot of time walking around.  Did you know that all the Smithsonian museums are free?!  We definitely tried to take advantage of that.  First up was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. 

This elephant greeted us in the lobby.

 Check out this mummy!  I am fascinated by all things Egyptian and wish there had been more things in this exhibit.  I've been told I really need to check out the Egyptian museum in San Jose.

Our next stop was the National Museum of American History.  Our teacher group met one of the museum's curators there, who guided us through an exhibit called, "Within these Walls..."  It was interesting to learn about a partially reconstructed house from Massachusetts and the families that lived there over a period of 200 years but I will admit that I was disappointed- we were meeting with a curator- I was expecting to learn so much more!  Afterwards, we were once again given free time.  We lined up for "The Star Spangled Banner" exhibit where we got to see the flag that inspired the national anthem on display (no pictures were allowed).  Our group got hungry at this point, so we didn't stick around to see anything else.  There were still a few exhibits that I would've wanted to see.  Next time!  

After lunch at a cool Asian fusion restaurant called Teaism, we walked towards the U.S. Capitol.  It would've been very interesting to see the inside, but this was as far as we got since tours have been booked solid through April.

We spent some time visiting the National Air and Space Museum.  My family would've loved this museum! My group and I even went to see a 3D show called, Space Junk. Jason was surprised that I actually went- I get nauseous pretty easily, so I usually bow out of 3D shows.  I didn't get sick- yay!

 

After this time, we had to go meet our teacher group.  We headed to dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill.  This grill was established in 1856 and presidents have dined there.  I enjoyed a fantastic meal of Irish Oat-Crusted Salmon. Yummmmm...  After dinner, we boarded the bus and headed to Charlottesville.  Most of our traveling between towns took place in the evening and we checked into our hotel pretty late every night.  With all the walking we did on this day, I was beat and quickly fell asleep.  There is still so much to explore in Washington- I will definitely be back!  

Day One: Washington DC

Last year, my grade level partner, Michelle, convinced me to join her in applying to participate in a Teaching American History (TAH) grant through Clovis Unified and Fresno State.  I was reluctant, but knew that it would be beneficial for my 5th graders, so I applied.  Even though it was through Clovis Unified, our grade level (Mike, Michelle, and I) got accepted.  Participation would involve one Thursday evening and one full Friday every month for the school year.  At our first meeting, we received the news that this would be the last year of funding for the TAH grant.  Part of the grant would involve an all-expenses paid trip to Washington DC and Virginia to visit the places that we'd be learning about.  I felt like I had won the lottery!  Excitement has been building for months and the day finally came- my cohort of 30 teachers and I had an amazing time visiting the East Coast over Spring Break. 

We flew out of Fresno bright and early on Monday, March 25.  Most of our day was spent traveling.  By the time we got to Washington, we were pretty exhausted.  However, most of us still decided to go on a night tour of Washington after dinner.  Our charter bus dropped us off at most of the monuments where we got a chance to see each one up close and learn about each one.  I was awed and thrilled to visit the:

 Vietnam Veterans' Memorial (it was dark and sadly, my other pictures of the wall with names didn't turn out)

 Washington Memorial in the distance, Reflecting Pool

 Lincoln Memorial

 Korean War Memorial

Martin Luther King Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

Most of us hadn't realized that the bus tour would involve us getting off the bus at each monument.  If I had known, I would've brought my camera! The few pictures I did get was with my phone.  It was also freezing cold and drizzling outside, so we didn't stick around each monument for very long.  It was amazing to get to see "history!"  There isn't really anything in Fresno that has as much history, so I was very excited. I'm amazed at the symbolism attached to each memorial.  For example, the MLK Memorial stands geographically between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials (the 2 presidents most people associate with rights for all people) and there are 38 soldiers at the Korean War Memorial, which stands for Korea's 38th parallel...    It was a great start to what would be the most wonderful week!

Jeremy's Preschool Easter Activities

Over this past year, Jeremy has asked me several times why I haven't attended any of his holiday parties.  They always take place during my school day and with the number of days I've had to take off due to sickness, it has been hard to take any other days off.  He asked me again a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  Knowing how important this has been to him, I knew it was a priority for me to come to his Easter activities. 
Last week, Jason's mom was able to come to Jeremy's school to help him decorate his Easter hat.  All of the kids got to show off their hats in the preschool's Easter parade.

 Afterwards, I got to watch Jeremy at his free choice daily learning centers.  It was interesting to see that most of his time was spent reading books and coloring pictures.  I have to share a funny story here.  Jeremy and his friend, Jackson were coloring pictures and Jackson wanted to give me one of his pictures.  He wanted to write my name on it, and Jeremy quickly came to his aid.  "M...A...M...A..."  I came home that day with a picture to Mama, from Jackson.  How cute is that!  I am so bummed I forgot to take a picture of it! 
After their centers, each class also held an Easter Egg Hunt, and the kids performed 3 songs for the parents.  I had to leave to return to school by lunch time. 

At dinner time, Jason asked Jeremy what his favorite part of his day was, and he said, "That Mama came to my school for my Easter stuff."  This completely warmed my heart! I am so glad that I put aside my work to put him first, and I know I need to do that a lot more.

St. Patrick's Day

Last year, we got together for diner with the Wiens family on St. Patrick's Day.  Aaron made a delicious meal of corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes.  I asked him a few weeks ago if he was going to do the same thing this year.  Thankfully, he said yes!  So, this year, we once again got to enjoy a delicious St. Patrick's Day meal. For dessert, Aaron made a Guinness Chocolate Cake with a Bailey's Cream Frosting and Grace and I made some chocolate cupcakes with mint frosting for the kids. 

Since the oven was already warmed up from baking the chocolate cupcakes, I let Grace try some baking on her own.  We had some ripe bananas so she chose to bake some banana chocolate chip muffins.

Grace and I used to bake a lot. With busy schedules, it just isn't easy to find time to bake anymore. It was really fun for me to watch Grace bake!  She was able to do it without any help from me.  Yet just another sign that she is growing up!