The Cure for Sore Feet

Photo from the Washington Post
Tony Smith, left, takes Brandon Winn, 30 and Brenna Wiebe, 22, of Sterling, Kan., to the Natural History Museum

I am a walker. Last year I walked Washington D.C. for 3 days with my children and sometimes I had tired, but never sore feet. This year was another story. Our first day of travel kept us busy for 21 hours, and we were asked to dress up for our private tour of the capitol. Alas, dress shoes are the wrong thing to be wearing when you are already tired and are going the distance on hard marble floors. I felt hamstrung.

So my kind husband hailed a pedicab for our sightseeing. What fun! Not only was the weather lovely, but we had a friendly young Navy recruit as our driver. Part of the fun of traveling is rubbing shoulders with people like him. The cost? Whatever you'd like to pay him. What a treat to meet a young man who is pleasant, hard working, and willing to trust that his hard work will be generously remunerated.

The Creation Museum

Adam and Eve photo by rauchdickson

We took a happy little side trip to the Creation Museum (Petersburg, Kentucky) as an addendum to our Washington, D.C. vacation. The museum's founder, Ken Ham, was a speaker at the pastor's briefing my husband attended and sparked his interest in the museum.

My oldest three children were already acquainted with Ken Ham via his DVD series entitled "Answers Academy," a class they had attended in our co-operative school this past year. It is amazing how strands of knowledge and events coincide by serendipity when you are homeschooling!

The Creation Museum is only 2 years old, and is very classy. It captured the element of awe and grandeur that I felt was missing from the D.C. Museum of Natural History. Ancient history came alive as we viewed life-sized scenes from Genesis 1-11: the lush garden of Eden, all manner of natural wonders including dinosaurs, the serpent, and the tree of life. When we reached the very vivid scene marking sin's entrance into the world, the change is so real that it made my heart feel literally sick. (I remember feeling that same sense of loss when I read Milton's Paradise Lost).

The section on Noah's ark I thought was exceptional. On our trip, I had been reading the novel Chesapeake, which had an extensive description of ship building by trial and error. Because of my reading, I could look at the model of the inside of the ark with a little more appreciation and understanding. Noah did not have to learn by trial and error, he only had to follow the blueprint that God provided him. Noted: "The scale of the ark is dramatic and comes close to the limits of wooden technology. With no need for masts or a streamlined hull, and without the economic restrictions of shipwrights, the ark could be made incredibly strong using ordinary wood and tools." The museum's ark exhibit is built to scale and represents 1% of the volume of Noah's ark.

Also included in the tour is a star-gazer's planetarium which introduced us to the outer regions of the cosmos and helps us measure the incredible expanse of the Creator's hand, a hand that spans the universe.

Outside the museum is a real garden so breathtakingly lovely that I just wanted to linger and linger. Gorgeous plantings, little walking bridges, fountains and statuary made this look like the real garden of Eden.

All the other museums we visited left me feeling jostled and worn, but I left the Creation Museum feeling refreshed and built up. In the future, I'd consider this as a destination and not just a side trip.

I Love Philadelphia

Tired walkers!

After hoofing it for three days in Washington D.C. we opted to tour Philadelphia the easy way: via horse and buggy. This turned out to be the highlight of our trip! Part of the reason it was so delightful was that we had a tour guide that oozed history from his every pore. If he had been paid by the word instead of by the hour, Brian would be a rich man! His obvious love for the history of his city was positively contagious.*

In the first two minutes of our tour we encountered landmarks marking the beginning of all three branches of our government. There were statues of the signers. Cobblestone streets. Independence Hall. The Liberty Bell. The boarding room where Thomas Jefferson did his writing. Oh my, and the architecture that brings you back in time.

Trivia: did you know that Philadelphia was the first U.S. city to have a zoo and that animal crackers were created to promote it?

Our last visit to Philadelphia was 26 years ago. People warned us this time around not to go there, that because of the crime it was not a great place to bring your family. I'm so glad we disregarded this well-meaning advice! My son had just finished reading the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin--what wonderful timing this trip was for him. Benjamin Franklin's fingerprints still remain all over the city.

On a personal note, this city is very dear to our hearts because our beloved (and long departed) mentor Mrs. H. lived most of her life in Phillie and always spoke of it so enthusiastically. We named our daughter after Mrs. H; it was fitting for her to walk the streets of her namesake.

*Brian told us he has a degree in history and teaches public school by day. The tour guide job was a side kick, a way for him to share his love of history with tourists. I found it interesting that Brian chooses to homeschool his own children because "I want them to learn about Betsy Ross."
Apparently, she has been expunged from the public school curriculum.

What Are These Stones?

Photography by Joy

"And these stones shall be for a memorial....when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' Then you shall let your children know...." Joshua 4, selected


I counted it a privilege to view and discuss the "memorial stones" of our country with my family, the monuments and museums in Washington D.C. The Lincoln Memorial is a truly awe inspiring landmark, a not-to-be-missed attraction for anyone who is touring the city.

This is not the first time I've been in the Lincoln Memorial. Each time I enter, I am amazed again by its immensity. The thirty-six imposing Doric columns of the Lincoln Memorial represent the thirty-six states that comprised the union at the time of Lincoln's death. Quoting from Newt Gingrich's book, Rediscovering God in America (which incidentally served as a wonderful walking guide to the city):

"The imposing style of both the large Doric columns and the statue of Lincoln himself are meant to depict the strength of the Union, held together through the tireless efforts of Lincoln."

Shifting focus from large to small, did you know that you can see the statue of Lincoln on the back of the penny? Put a drop of water on it, which will serve as a magnifying lens and you will see him inside the columns. Oh, the things you learn when you homeschool ;)

Travel Log-on-a-Blog: Patriotic Art

Preamble by Mike Wilkins
Photo by Fred T

This is an unusual and engaging piece of art that we viewed in one of the Smithsonian museums (Which one? I'm having a senior moment). Who would ever think to spell out the preamble to the constitution using license plates? The plates are even in alphabetical order. Here it is:

"WE TH P PUL OF TH UNI DIDD ST8S INNOR DUR 2 4M A MOR PUR FEC UNE NONE S TAB LISH JUSTIZ N SURE DOME ESTIK TRAN KWILI T PRO VIDE 4 THE COM UN DE FENZ PRO MOT TH JEN R L WEL FARE N C CURE THE BLES NGS OF LIBBER T 2 R SELVS N R POS TERI T DO R DANE N S-TAB LISH THIS CON STI 2 10 4 TH U NI TID ST8S OF AH MARE E CUH"

You probably memorized it in school, but in case you need a refresher:

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Travel Log-on-a-Blog: National Museum of Natural History

by lreed7649

Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them. Psalm 111:2

The National Museum of Natural History is one of the most popular destinations of the Smithsonian institution. A visit there will doubtless be near the top of your "must see" list if you are visiting Washington D.C. with your children. The dinosaur bones, the ocean creatures, insect zoo, and cultural artifacts have the potential to amaze and delight for hours. The museum is IMMENSE, the size of 18 football fields and to explore it thoroughly would entail a couple of days.

The crowds matched the popularity of the museum, which detracted from our enjoyment of the visit because we felt rushed and jostled. It was difficult to stand and read the information because we were always aware of others impatiently waiting their turn to get up close.

The Discovery Room was a hit with Artiste, my 10 year old daughter. In this place the children find welcome relief from the "don't touch" rules. They are invited to touch and feel everything from alligator scales to shark teeth while parents can (thankfully!) rest their feet for a few minutes.

As a Christian, I view the natural world as the handiwork of a Divine Artist. I don't expect my creationist views to be affirmed when I go into a place like this. Neither do I shield my children from the strong Darwinian thrust, because I know they are fully capable of grasping truth and sifting out falsehoods.

Fully realizing my perceptions are colored by my faith, I still offer this respectful observation. The study of the natural world in this place seemed utilitarian and without the dimension of awe-inspiring delight. Darwinian theory seemed to be emphasized at EVERY possible juncture. Case in point: we were standing beneath a large whale skeleton and looking at it from every angle. A docent zeroed in on us and in a friendly, well-meaning gesture began to tell us about whale DNA. Then he told us about hippo DNA. He ended up telling us that it appears that whales evolved from hippos.

Really??

Tell me about this skeleton. How was it engineered to maneuver the depths of the sea? Wow me with its weight and its intricacies. Delight me with facts about its owner and his habits. But p-l-e-a-s-e don't force upon me the speculations of its ancestry.

There you have it-- a very opinionated evaluation of this place! It's a true national treasure and I don't negate its value, but like the poet William Wordsworth notes so worthily in his poem, let my heart leap with wonder,

"So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!"

Travel Log-on-a-Blog

National Portrait Gallery Great Hall, facing south. Photograph by lynch_m_j a member of the NPG Group Pool on Flickr.com

My husband recently attended a pastor's briefing in Washington, D.C. and our family had the opportunity to accompany him and explore the city while he was in meetings. Since our motel was right on Capitol Hill, we decided to "hoof it" for the three days we were there. This turned out to be advantageous in more ways than one: it spared me from driving in the c-r-a-z-y traffic and it also allowed us to ooh and aah over the architecture in slow motion. Whizzing by the magnificent buildings in a car simply does not allow you to absorb the scale and grandeur of the structures.

Our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery. Of all the places in D.C. that we visited, this was my favorite. It was cool and restful inside and the crowds were not as large as the ones we encountered in many of the other Smithsonian museums. We were able to amble at a leisurely pace and take our time looking and learning.

This museum tells the history of our country via portraiture. It includes portraits of presidents and poets, important and lowly, noble and ignoble; all have had a part in making our nation what it is today.

We enjoyed listening to a guided tour which focused on art during the depression. The federal government actually hired artists to produce works of art and paid them $42 a month in wages. At the time, "starving artists" were just glad to get a steady wage. What was required in return was that the works they produced became the sole property of the portrait gallery.

The "America's Presidents" exhibition was the unanimous favorite of our family. It begins with the famous "Lansdowne" portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. I did not realize that the museum nearly lost this treasure in the year 2000, when the owner who had loaned decided he wanted to sell it. Fortunately, a donor was found to keep it in its venerable position.

This collection of presidential portraits is the only one of its kind in the nation, excepting the White House. To look at the faces of each commander-in-chief made me feel as though I knew them all just a little bit better.

My son enjoyed the architecture more than the portraits. That was understandable--as you can see from these two pictures it is magnificent in every way.

Great Hall photo by talaba

Vacation Souveneirs

Finding Seashells

Author Unknown

Come walk with me
Along the sea
Where dusk sits on the land
And search with me
For shells are free,
And treasures hide in sand.

Gulf Breeze

Seashell on Beach

Photographic Print

by William Swartz

We've recently returned from a road trip and vacation to Gulf Breeze, Florida. This was my first trip south and what a delight it was! Somewhere in southern Missouri we drove through an invisible doorway into spring, leaving the barren trees and cold dampness of winter behind. We drank in the sight of daffodils, pansies, azaleas, and as we continued south I had my first glimpse of Spanish moss and wisteria. Normally, one experiences the delights of springtime unfolding slowly and almost imperceptibly. To suddenly be thrust into the glory of the season is a whole different experience--exhilarating to the senses!

Gulf Breeze, on the Florida panhandle, is situated on Fairpoint peninsula and boasts eighteen miles of waterfront. The pristine, sugary white sand beaches beckoned us to leave schedules and cares behind and to devote ourselves to the leisurely art of beach bumming. We all got sunburns in spite of our spf 50 sunblock, but it was so worth it!

Hunting seashells is a delightful occupation. It is amazing how many of the designs reminded me of flowers. My daughter made the mistake of stowing one in her purse---ugh, the smell was NOT at all flower-like! Some of those shells still shelter little inhabitants.

For people of the plains, the waves were almost mesmerizing. I believe it was Willa Cather who compared the blowing grass of the prairie to the waves of the sea, and now I have validated that observation with my own eyes.

Today, it is typical that we learn about nature from books. It is infinitely more desirable to experience it tangibly, to smell the smells, to feel the grit between the toes, to hear the loud voice of the gull for oneself.

I read an editorial in yesterday's newspaper by Froma Harrop on this very subject. She mentioned the fact that attendance at America's national parks has been dwindling since 1987 and attributes it to "videophilia". You can probably guess the definition of that word: the love of electronic media. She goes on to quote author Richard Louv, who has coined a term for our modern nature estrangement--"nature deficit disorder."

Here is a quote from this same author:

"Today, kids can tell you anything about the Amazon rain forest but not the last time they saw the leaves move."

Adults need to watch the leaves move, too. I'm on a crusade against "nature deficit disorder." While a vacation affords a special opportunity to indulge in the wonders of God's creation, taking time to be outside regularly can be considered a vacation taken in increments. And those little moments give me renewed strength to go out with joy and be led forth in peace.

Small Town Delights

I am a born-and-bred small town girl myself, and though I've migrated to the suburbs, it seems my most memorable occasions still center around small towns. Some time back I wrote about our wonderful, serendipitous day in Greensburg, Kansas, the little community that was literally blown away by a tornado only a few months after our visit.

Fremont, Nebraska is my newest haunt. It has all the elements that make for a perfect, one-day vacation: unique eateries, one-of-a kind shops, interesting architecture, and BOOKS! My dear friend M. arranged for us to spend a day together there this past week as a birthday gift, one that I'm still savoring days later.

Starting at Thornhill, a cozy fine dining establishment in a restored home, we enjoyed Beef Wellington with caramelized onions and saffron risotto. And the tea! We had a hard time choosing, but ended up deciding on the Paris blend described as "a fruity black tea with a hint of lemony bergamot" served in a charming teapot and kept warm over a tea light.

The weather was mild and balmy (finally! a hint of spring), so we walked the town. My friend had arranged for us to have a personal tour of the Dragonfly, which is a large Victorian home that has been tastefully restored. It now houses a tea room, a floral shop, a gift shop, and a complete day spa. We ooohed and ahhhed over the elegant accoutrements in which the "Grand Old Dame" (circa 1890's) had been dressed.

On to Dime Store Days, a classy antique mall. We picked up some vintage schoolbooks there~ something I like to collect when the right volume presents itself. They play the most beautiful background music in that place, the music of Bob Patin. You can't listen to his music without smiling, so I couldn't resist picking up another of his CD's on this trip, this one entitled You Raise Me Up. (Listen to excerpts here.)

We found stuffed rabbits made by Boyd's Bears at our next stop at a ridiculously low price. I bought 4 for my children and paid $9 total!! They will find them in their spring baskets when they have breakfast this morning (we do spring baskets instead of Easter baskets).

Our final destination was the venerated Yankee Peddler West, which is worth a day all in itself. Rooms and rooms of used books in pristine condition, artfully arranged and interspersed with antique military artifacts, hats, toys, art work, and accessories of every kind imaginable. The proprietor speaks Swedish, too! I'm getting very picky about the used books I buy. Nothing stinky or mildewed, please. No crumbling spines or loose pages, either. I was not disappointed. Here is my stash from this trip:

• The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich, a hardback in perfect condition
• Joy Cometh in the Morning: A Story for Boys ~ charming cover and decorations, written 1924
• The Desire of My Eyes: The Life and Work of John Ruskin by Wolfgang Kemp~ I've had an ongoing interest in John Ruskin for many years and can't wait to read this biography!
• A paperback set in slipcase of Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples. My older kids didn't connect with Winston, but I love him, so I bought these for ME :)
  

Not bad for a day out on the town, eh?

These excursions are few and far between for me, so I guess that is why I write about them with such enthusiasm. I know that my choicest fruit will be born at home, but God is so good in giving us days that bring us out of our usual routine that refresh us and restore the sparkle. I'm sparkling now, enjoying it all over again as I write. Thank you, M!!!!

Love Thine Enemies: A Slice of Nebraska History

Our 4th of July travels took us beyond our usual haunts, and as a result we were thrilled to discover a jewel of a museum near Holdrege, Nebraska. The Nebraska Prairie Museum was HUGE; over one acre of indoor collections in pristine condition. We saw period clothing, antique toys, farm equipment, tools and household items, a unique W.W.II German POW exhibit room, and even fine art.

I was surprised to find the very classy art gallery in a separate section; it houses an exhibit that tells the story of a unique chapter of history: a German POW camp. This was a chapter of history with which I was completely unfamiliar, and it was fascinating!

The POW camps in Nebraska were not widely publicized. People would have panicked had they known that 100,000 Germans passed through the camp gates, right in the heart of our country. Those numbers are huge when you compare them with the population of the county, which was less than 9,000 total.

Half of the male population in Nebraska was engaged in military service, which created a crisis on the farm. Labor was sorely needed on the family farms. The government's answer to this was to provide a German Prisoner of War Camp, built near Atlanta, Nebraska. This was not slave labor or a concentration camp. Prisoners were treated humanely and could volunteer for all types of work. They were then paid by their local employers through a U.S. government agency.

Only about 8% of the POWs were hard core Nazis, and these were identified and separated. The majority of the prisoners were friendly and willing to work for "our side". Most poignant to me were the letters that the prisoners wrote to the farmers after they were released and returned back home when the war ended. Genuine friendship and love developed between the prisoners and the host families. The farm wives baked them cherry pies and treated them with great kindness , so that lifelong friendships resulted. Some of the prisoners opted to stay in the USA and became citizens.

Artist Thomas F. Naegele worked at the prison camps as an interpreter. He painted life as he saw it in the camp, often using pieces of wood that were in the wood pile for burning. His series of pictures is entitled, "In the Eye of the Storm", to capture the conflicts of the world at that time between two theaters of war, the calm that prevailed in the life of the German soldier held in Camp Atlanta.

Here are a couple of samples of his work; a more complete series can be viewed here.

Colored Pencil Artwork

We are fortunate to live within walking distance of a fishing pond and walking trail; and a five minute drive will take us to a bigger lake and recreational nature area. That gives our family the opportunity to make walking and nature observation a regular part of our homeschool experience. Sometimes we identify trees, birds, seed pods, or wildflowers. Last week my son caught a spotted trout with his hands, which he kept just long enough to examine for the purpose of drawing it and writing about it briefly in his nature notebook.

I keep a notebook alongside of my children, and find it to be a very worthwhile and absorbing pursuit. My artistic skills are w-a-y underdeveloped, and I would be too embarrassed to take an art class with other adults. But with kids, I can relax, learn right along with them and work on my skills without worry or fear.

I've seen a pattern develop as I look through the pages of my notebook: most of the drawings are flowers. Colored pencils are the media of choice for me, simply because they are so portable. And so, I decided to try to improve my art skills a little.

This book, Creating Radiant Flowers in Colored Pencil, came with me on my recent mini-vacation, just in case my husband and I had time to sit under a tree on a blanket. To my great delight, we did!! While the Preacher took a nap, I had an art lesson using the book as a guide. I worked all afternoon on a drawing of a parrot tulip, using a technique called burnishing. Because colored pencils are translucent, the colors can be layered with white in between layers.

Here is the result of my afternoon pursuit. Now this marks a real breakthrough for me, allowing adults to peek into my notebook!

I think I am becoming bolder as I launch into my 5th decade. Not only have I opened my notebook for view, but I also wore one of my vintage hats to church~~~something I have always wanted to do but felt too self conscious to actually carry out. You know what? It is fun to step out of the comfort zone once in a while!

In Retrospect: the Best of 2006 ~Greensburg, Kansas

Hunters Drug Store Soda Fountain



Have you ever driven a 10-hour stretch with 4 children in the car? If so, you know that you look forward to lunch and dinner breaks! Just getting out and enjoying a short respite from the van is a pleasure.

Alas, my husband and I are old parents and cannot settle for a "McDonald's break." Our children don't quite understand that; McDonalds suits them just fine. But our well being depends upon better things.

Our search for the right stopping place paid off last winter as we traveled home from our Arizona vacation. We happened upon a cute little cafe in the small Kansas community of Greensburg, population 1,574.

While waiting at table for our food to be served, a white-haired gentleman approached us with a friendly greeting. I found out later that this man is something of a local celebrity. His name was Richard, and he encouraged us to step across the street after lunch and have a dessert at the drug store, where he worked as the soda jerk.

We did so and were immediately charmed by the old-time atmosphere of Hunter Drug Store. It transported me back to my own growing-up years, where we sipped 5 cent cokes while swiveling on high chrome stools at the soda fountain.

Richard Huckried, the soda jerk, served us with alacrity. As he did so, he filled us in on a little history. Richard had been a soda jerk at Hunter Drug Store since 1953! Someone from the news media had recently "discovered" him and placed his picture along with an interview in a national magazine. The community of Greensburg raised money to place a cardboard likeness of him in the Kiowa County Museum. It seems Richard has the honor of being the soda jerk King!

We were urged not to leave Greensburg until we had checked out another local attraction: the world's largest hand-dug well. We did so, and that little side trip led us to yet another delightful diversion. An architecturally beautiful building across the street housed 10,000 square feet of antiques. We enjoyed both the antiques, and our visit with the owner, who was a recent transplant from Las Vegas.

"What possessed you to move from Las Vegas to Greensburg?" we asked.

"We fell in love with the place", was the immediate answer. "Besides, the night life is great." This was said with a wink.

My husband inquired if there were any used bookstores in the town? He is always looking for old volumes for his pastoral library. No, was the reply, but you might find a few books at the thrift store.

I can honestly say the Preacher hit pay dirt. He bought a brown grocery sack full of wonderful, old books for the price of 10 cents each! The only downside was trying to stuff ONE MORE THING into a van that already resembled the "Beverly Hillbillies" in its abundance.

Just as we were ready to pull out of Greensburg, Joy's eagle eye spotted another place too interesting to pass by.

"Daddy, we can't leave yet! There is a vintage clothing store, see! Snootie Seconds!"

"OK, OK, one more stop, but then we must get back on the road."

Snootie Seconds was the epitome of vintage clothing stores. Rows and rows of sweet little hats with veils, old purses in mint condition, and gorgeous dresses and shoes artfully displayed. I bought a purse. Joy bought a hat, which she had to wear in order to conserve space in the van!

FOUR HOURS after pulling into Greensburg for lunch, we reluctantly got back on the road.
About ten miles later, we hear from the backseat, "Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom!"

I was tempted to go back to Greensburg. There was that quaint little Bed and Breakfast that we didn't have a chance to investigate. Maybe we should just spend the night?

That didn't happen, but I really, really want to go back to Greensburg. It is America at its best.

In Retrospect: the Best of 2006

The temperature has been hovering in the single digits this past week. My oldest daughter pulled out some of her pictures from our Arizona vacation, taken last March. Warm memories!
The children each brought home a cactus as a souvenir. There were so many to choose from! For me, it was almost as much fun making a list of cactus names: Monkey Tail, Hedgehog, Brain plant, Mother-in-law's tongue, Pincushion, Barrel, Dead Man's Fingers, Turk's Cap, Pregnant Onion, Pencil Plant, Dutchman's Pipe. The names are all so appropriately descriptive!

Of course, the large saguaros are also endlessly fascinating. We had to pull over to the roadside several time so that the children could snap photos. Edwin Way Teale writes about these "water towers of the desert" in his book Wandering Through Winter:

"It is these giant cacti (saguaros) that come first to mind when we remember southern Arizona.
Each column that towered above us was, in effect, an expandable storage tank. The accordianlike pleats that run vertically up the side of a saguaro enable it to expand or contract, to increase or decrease its circumference. The cactus becomes more slender in times of drought, more plump when rain has fallen. Its spongelike tissues have enormous capacity for holding liquids. A large saguaro may collect as much as a ton of water from a single rain."

A Christian could easily find a sermon in this natural wonder, but Teale rarely moralizes. He allows nature to make its own indelible mark on the human soul. A wise teacher lets the student come to his or her own conclusions, don't you think? That is why I enjoy Teale's writing so much.