Orchard House

The photos are for the daughters of a friend who are fast becoming LM Alcott fans :-)

This is where Alcott wrote Little Women. Many of the stories in the book are real, and were lived out in Hillside, the home that sits to the right of this one in Concord, Massachusetts. Bronson Alcott moved sheds from the property and added them to the initial structure, creating more room for the family. He also did the same thing to Hillside! The wrap-around porch at Hillside (after it was named Wayside) was added by the Lothrop family in the late 1800's.

Ky and me :-)

Our dear daughter. This was part of her graduation present.

Javamom

A Tour of Literary Homes

This is the home built by R. Waldo Emerson's grandfather, Concord minister, witness to the American Revolution and the battle at the Old North Bridge. Waldo lived here for a time and wrote his essay "Nature" here (the long version). Nathaniel Hawthorne also lived and began his family and early writing here.

This is also where (in the front parlor) our 14 yo son was asked to play the 1760-something Steinway, the only thing that could be touched in the house. Quite out of tune, it was still music to this mama's ears and heart! He did well!






Backyard view of The Manse coming up the trail from The North Bridge. Mrs. Emerson watched the battle from the upstairs window next to the corner. Her second husband (after her first one died) was the minister that was hired to take her late husband's place. They stayed here in The Manse, had more children, and the new preacher planted an incredible orchard. He was criticized for this when he was planting at an older age by nay-saying neighbors, who thought for sure that he was planting in vain, never to eat the fruit from these trees.

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in his essay "The Old Manse," '...there was only so much the better motive for planting them, in the pure and unselfish hope of benefiting his successors--an end so seldom achieved by more ambitious efforts.' The old minister *did* harvest many apples and fruits from his trees, for he lived to be 90 years old.

I loved seeing the hostas along the stones. Many of the great thinkers in what is called Concord's "Second Revolution" visited here, rested here, taught each other here. One woman, known as Smart Mary, even tutored here. Harvard would send potential appicants to be tutored by her to get them up to speed and ready for their Harvard studies. This is only a relative few miles down the road from Cambridge, after all.

The Old Manse Garden ~ Thoreau planted an heirloom garden here for Hawthorne and his new bride, Sophia (pronounced 'So-fy-a' by the historians we talked to) before they moved in. Nathaniel rented the old Emerson estate for about three years to the tune of $100 a year. He had trouble making rent, because it was early on in his writing career. Years later, he made good on his back rent and paid off his debts.

This is the boathouse on the Concord River behind The Manse. The stones at the base are original, but the boathouse itself has been rebuilt. It is smaller than the original. I am standing on the Old North Bridge to take this photo. It was a still and lovely day.


Orchard House! Do you recognize it from anywhere? This was one of the homes of the Alcott family. Here, L.M.A wrote Little Women. Sister Elizabeth had already died when they moved into this home.

Dear daughter and myself, thoroughly enjoying our time of learning at Orchard House.

This is where the little gift shop is located, by which you may enter the home for a wonderful and historical tour. Be prepared to view LMA's collection of favorite books, from Dickens to Jane Austen and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

When Nathaniel Hawthorne lived next door, he did not always want to see or talk to Bronson Alcott, who loved nothing more than to sit out on a bench under their tree and engage passers-by in long conversations. Hawthorne would use a footpath behind the smaller lean-to buildings to avoid Bronson some days, when all he wanted to do was to pick up a few things quickly in town. Hawthorne was a bit shy, and valued his privacy. At other times, he would stop and talk with Alcott. Just not every time!

The School of Philosophy, started by Alcott. It was open for eight years until Bronson Alcott's death. It was reopened for classes in the 1970's and a summer teacher's institute was added sometime later. Sounds like a neat thing to do, doesn't it?


Hostas planted on the walkway here at Orchard House, just like The Old Manse

After our morning at Orchard House, we enjoyed a picnic between two historic homes.

If you enlarge the photo, you should be able to see Wayside in the background.



This is the home of the Alcotts when the girls were smaller. This is where a lot of those adventures LMA wrote into Little Women were lived and played out, including the staircase they'd play "Pilgrim's Progress" on. The Hawthornes bought this home for 1200 dollars from the Alcotts, who had called the home "Hillside." Hawthorne renamed it "Wayside." It is worth doing a little research to find out more fascinating history of Wayside, and how it was the first literary home to be added to the National Park Service list. During that ill-fated day, April 19th, 1775, this home was owned by one of the commanders of the Minutemen, thus its importance to the National Park Service.

The entrance to the home. We are coming out of the garage, where there is a neat display of the three literary giants who lived in this home: Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Sidney (whose real name is Harriet Lothrop) who wrote Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.

Love the green doors

Those are some of the memorable highlights of two of our days in Concord, MA.

When we take our next graduate in line for his own special trip, we will go to Emerson's 'Bush' house and Longfellow's home in Cambridge, where some Harvard lectures still take place!

Until next time (And highlights of the Old North Bridge :),

Javamom

Budget Educational Travel (part one)

I have been nudged by a few people to write about taking tremendous trips on a budget. We don't take yearly family vacations and have been participating in what has come to be known as a "Staycation" before the term was ever coined. There are so many shortcuts that I'm sure I don't know about, but I can share some of the things we have done to save hundreds, even a thousand or more dollars on some wonderful and educational trips.

When we do travel, it is not to Disney or other typical or more common destinations that American families tend to take. Not that we look down on those types of trips, they are just not our personal 'cup-of-tea' so to speak. One exception to this was our family visit to Branson with my in-laws 6 or 7 years ago. However, since I lived in Missouri during my middle school and high school years, and have sung/performed in Branson/Silver Dollar City, and had my share of fun with childhood friends and family on many occasions, going back was more about taking the kids to some of my home territory.

Even then, we visited a wonderful used bookstore down near the wharf where I bought Shepherd of the Hills for the kids to read, so they could get a sense of the history of the Ozarks. Thus, the trip became more of a historical, natural, and literary trip, instead of just being about visiting a theme park for a few days. We spent some time down by the river doing free things, instead of filling up our time with purchasing tickets for one show after another. But I am getting ahead of myself, here.

Tip number One: Drive instead of flying, if applicable

~ obviously, you cannot drive to Australia, Europe, or Hawaii

~ If you have access to frequent flier miles ... use them!!

~ weigh the cost of taking your own vehicle versus renting. Our cars are paid for and we keep them tuned up, so we take our own vehicles most all of the time.


Tip number Two: Go where you've been before or go where you know someone who lives where you want to go.

~ By doing this, you have insights into the places only the locals know or care about, both historic and practical. Also, you may be invited to stay with family or friends in their homes for free. This also lowers the cost of meals. Offer to buy groceries with or for your host family or take them out to eat. Be a gracious guest.

~ Find cabins or campsites from which you can base your day trips. Tent camping is the cheapest, and once you get your own things and set-up/break-down duties organized, this is not even a nuisance. If you prefer, you can also rent motorhomes for your roadtrip! I don't know if that saves much over hotels or not. It is not our option of choice, so I cannot comment with good quotes, facts, or actual experiences of prices and quality. We've done camping cabins through KOA years and years ago, when it was just too cold or wet to set up a tent.

*** Pack a small cooler in your vehicle and buy groceries as you go. Drink lots of water instead of soft drinks. Buy healthier beverages on occasion, but for the most savings, drink water!

*** Take your own coffeepot and propane stoves to cook your own meals and coffee. There are times when in a time crunch that stopping at a gas station or local donut or coffee shop is worth the extra expense. When you are camping, the best use of your daylight time must be factored in to your budget of both time and money.

~ Consider staying in a youth hostel. I have not done this, but our son has, when he spent a summer in Scotland back in '07. My best friend also stayed in youth hostels when visiting England with her boys when they were young.


Tip number Three: Read multiple sources and do your research before you take your trip

By doing this, you can find more obscure museums and surprising exhibits that might be running for only a short time that you might not have found out about otherwise.

~ The internet can have the most up-to-date events. I say probably because some websites do not stay updated very well, so check dates on the site carefully.

~Travel guides are very helpful, and older Travel Journals or writings are great, if you take the time to plan several months in advance. You can read what some of our best-known authors wrote on their own travels, which adds a different layer to your trip, if you are so inclined. One of my favorites that I actually took with my daughter and me to Italy: John Ruskin writings and lectures on multiple topics, such as "Mornings in Florence" or Art and Architecture. Love doing that!

***Some of my other favorites are Rick Steves' travel guides and Frommer's. You can find good ones at used book and thrift stores, even current or near-current printings. $ saved, up to $25 dollars per book (by finding them in thrift stores).

***Travel guides for kids. I purchased some in Florence, Bologna, and Venice. These have more pictures and include neat facts, such as seemingly hidden walkways and architectural constructions where you can whisper in one corner of a little plaza and hear it in the other corner. If you are simply taking a bus tour of a famous city, you will miss these little side-excursions and adventures.

~ Who can calculate how much will be saved by learning where to buy a city pass, which allows you to by-pass long lines at museums and saves you money by paying a flat fee instead of one fee per person or per family at each new museum, park, or historical site. Similarly, in Europe, you can purchase a Eurail pass for a set amount of time, which can save you a lot of money by not having to buy individual train tickets. Similar things are available for tram tickets, bus tickets, etc.


Tip number Four: Take a GPS, if you have one, or borrow one from a friend. Our friend offered hers to us for our most recent trip to New England. While there is a learning curve which is rather frustrating, you can turn off the voice and figure out her short-comings and work around them. You can set these to pedestrian setting for walking tours. These also can suggest hotels and campsites, plus historic museums you may not have researched on the internet ahead of time.


Tip number Five: Be a chaperon with your children's school or youth group. While you may be limited in what you can tour and see, you will almost always get to go to some wonderful destinations, both in the US and abroad, either for free or half-price. Sometimes you can even arrange to stay on for extra time and return later, and sometimes even for the same price, if arranged before the tickets are purchased.


I'll stop there for now. Do send me your tips or questions that I can speak to in Part two of Budget Educational Travel. Stay tuned!


Javamom

Boston as a turning point

Boston is (and the surrounding townships are) a milestone in our early married lives; one of those turning points that propelled us in a whole new direction for our future.

Living in Boston before children, and as our family first began to grow beyond 'just the two of us,' was one of the best things we ever did. Not to dwell on and be stuck in the past, but to reflect on how the things we learned and chose in Boston really did set a good foundation for our lives that would proceed through the late 80's, 90's and the early part of the 21st century.

Revisiting the old haunts, and getting a better look at some we missed when we lived there, was a "coming full circle" moment in time. Being able to share that with some of our kids is (as the commercial slogan says)

~ p.r.i.c.e.l.e.s.s. ~

I'll spare you the specifics...A brief outline would include such things as:

~ an even better realization of freedom of worship and religion, and the discipline of grace...we
broke free from extreme legalism here, in so many ways. We also helped a little with cult or extreme church legalism recovery with a small group outside of Boston. Yes, we helped physically move people out of controlling situations, one lived with us for a time, even. We counseled, and we met with said people when they had to face accusations or teams who'd try to guilt trip them back into submission and confession. Egads. I wish we had done more and been even more feisty...the kind of righteous indignation that comes after half a lifetime of experience.

~ became educated about and chose home birthing here
~ were first exposed to the idea of homeschooling here
~ continued on with the healthful lifestyle of more nutritional eating and long-distance cycling
that began back in OK City, first year of marriage, inspired by the lifestyle of my boss and her
family.
~ worked in an environment of wellness with an excellent, encouraging, and upbeat boss.




The Opera House (under repair at the moment) Saw "The Nutcracker" here for the first time in my life while on a triple date!


Vistas, Downtown Boston - love the triangle shaped buildings and connecting "bicycle-spoke" streets

We didn't have S'bux back then, but we did have Au Bon Pain :)


Lots of street musicians both underground at the T stops and at Fannieul Hall, Old State House, etc.

The South Street Diner, with the giant tea-cup (This is Boston!) still standing on top. This is where we would meet hubby's brother, on his very-late-night "lunch" breaks. Excited that it is doing well and still there.

South Market (beside Fannieul Hall) We used to get bagels here or at Quincy

Quincy Market (also beside Fannieul Hall)

Fannieul Hall. fun shopping here, on the bottom floor.

Juxtaposition of the very old, crammed beside the new. Always reminds me a little of Europe


Entrance gate to Chinatown - We walked and we walked and we walked, b/c Ms. GPS got us turned around. The blessing? We got to see all the old places we used to visit or where we'd do a little shopping.

Chinatown - no we never ate at McD's there. We ate Chinese in Chinatown. The best in the city!!

Filene's and Filene's Basement, which recently closed :( Could find many deals here on all the necessary things like boots, gloves, scarves, for a real winter ;-)


More City vistas



Making our way out of the city, along the Charles and toward our old workplaces and home.





Hubby's old commute via bicycle. What scenery! Can't really beat it, unless you live in Colorado, or Vermont, or Oregon.......maybe Europe, LOL.



Ever driven or ridden through rotaries? Ever done it multiple times by bicycle for commuting or weekend extended rides? It is exhilarating, haha.


Where Hubs worked, just of the Charles River in Cambridge, near MIT


Hubby's old workplace


Where I worked, in Arlington, for a chiropractor there.

Historic church building down the road from where we lived.


Where we loved to eat Greek food quite a lot, down the road from where we lived. Best secret in Boston and the townships! Still open after all these years!

Our former home in Belmont. :::sigh:::


I'll post historic and literary homes later. I hope you're enjoying the tour!


Javamom

Spending a little time in Pennsylvania

you recognize Independence Hall, right? We spent a wee bit of time here before driving on to New England. It began raining as soon as we entered the complex for the tours. Didn't dampen my spirits, but I did have to cover my camera for safekeeping.

You can see one wing of Independence Hall which part of my family is walking in front of, and Congress Hall is to the left. A couple of other copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation are kept in the small wing.


Supreme Court Hall. Their first meeting hall when the USA was young






Hall of Philosophy



Inside Congress Hall (The Continental Congress and the Patriots! Loved this place)

Congress Hall, where John Adams was sworn into office as second president of the United States.

Downstairs in Congress Hall. This is where we sat to hear the beginning of the tour

Benjamin Franklin Library...We will spend some time here when we go back in two years. To read more about this historic place, click here.



upstairs meeting rooms of Congress Hall

Senate Hall - upstairs in Congress Hall Building

Senate Hall - other side


upstairs meeting rooms





Some of the library upstairs. Some of these are just encyclopedias, but their covers are still very lovely


Look what I found! An old, old bookpress in one of the upstairs meeting rooms

Antique book press, other side. This is as far into the room as we could venture




stone walkways in the complex of historical building in the middle of Philadelphia --fabulous path on which to walk



Do you have any awesome field trips scheduled into your year for your family's bonding and learning experiences?


Javamom