Category Archives: Joseph & Paul

by JiaYing

Cape Cod

These kids headed out to the Cape for a day of sand, sun and swimming. Unlike the PNW, this water was warm! We got to swim with schools of little fishies in the shallow water and found tons of tiny hermit crabs.

by JiaYing

Out and about in Boston

I'm a sucker for these beautiful historic homes in Boston, though I think it'd be impractical for a family to live in one. I'd have to get rid of the kids and win the lottery.

There was barely food left in Chinatown after we went through there. The boys were happy to see a cool playground right next to the Chinatown gate.

Rainbow sprinkles on top of three scoops of Toscanini's.

Theater of Electricity show at the Museum of Science. The presenter stepped into this giant metal birdcage, turned on the lightening machine, then zapped herself a bunch of times. For extra measure, she ran her fingers all around the metal cage. Spoiler: she survived.

We brought the drizzle with us and it helped cool things off. Good day to wander Faneuil Hall and eat a lobster roll!

Site of the Boston Massacre, a spot on the sidewalk.
With Samuel Adams.
by JiaYing

Charlestown Navy Yard

Aboard the USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat (built in 1797). We also toured the WWII-era USS Cassin Young (built in 1944).

Such a nice treat to catch up with Cambridge friends on the banks of the Charles River.
by JiaYing

Battle of Bunker Hill (which was actually on Breed’s Hill)

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (weather permitting), you can climb the 294 steps of the Bunker Hill monument for an amazing view of the city. At the top we met an 80-year-old man; if he can make it, you can too.

View of Boston from the top of the Bunker Hill monument. There's scratched plexi and wire grating blocking the windows, but I got around it by opening my aperture up.
We did it!
Bunker Hill is last stop on the Freedom Trail. The rangers are terrific and so knowledgeable.
The monument honors the colonists who fought the British army (outnumbered 2:1) at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
by JiaYing

Schuyler Mansion, where Alexander Hamilton got married

Hamilton fans know it as the house where Alexander Hamilton got married, but for nerds who specialize in obscure presidential trivia, it's where Millard Fillmore married his second wife. We stopped by the Schuyler mansion in Albany, N.Y., which was built in 1761 for Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War general, U.S. senator — and father-in-law to Alexander Hamilton.

Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler, seen in the portrait on the wall, came from a very wealthy and prominent family. She had 15 children, the first and last of whom were born on the same day, 25 years apart. She lost 7 children, among whom where twins and triplets. Of her eight surviving children, four of them eloped! Eliza's marriage was OKed.
This first-floor room was originally a bedroom and later turned into a dining room, after the French made dining rooms fashionable.
The portico in front was a later addition. You can see the attic dormers, which is where slaves slept. Yes, New Yorkers had slaves too — history books gloss over that! — and the wealthy Schuyler family had many slaves.
The lobby was dressed to impress. The wallpaper alone cost the equivalent of 13 years of wages from a tenant farmer.
The bannister and spindles are original to the house, and you're allowed to touch them.
One of four large bedrooms upstairs. This one was for the children.
The yellow parlor was very… yellow. This was the "informal" gathering space. The portrait on the wall is of the youngest Schuyler daughter and her baby.
The best parlor was the fanciest room in Albany, and it's where Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler were married. (And later, Millard Fillmore!)
by JiaYing

Sterling Renaissance Festival

We caught the last day of the Renaissance Festival — it was fun and FUNNY. I didn't know what to expect (we'd never been before) but tons of visitors get dressed up too. Set in year 1585, in a small English village that's has gone all out for the Queen's visit. Live performances all day long. The kids loved the action, and the entertainers threw out lots of adult-only zingers too.

Prepping kids for a duel.
Taking part in a duel.
With a performer holding a flaming torch.
The girl sitting next to me had the prettiest hair, so I asked her if I could take a picture.
Dai with his 2-lb turkey leg.
Lots of live music
Amazing aerialist
An Eurasian eagle owl. Its favorite food is skunk
With a knight in shining armor!
A husband-and-wife team, Judas and Magnolia.
One of the many stages.
Kids loved the dunk pond.
Don't try this at home, kids.
The kids got to ride a camel!
Inconceivable!
Jousting knights
Brawling knights
King Ryan
Long live the Queen!
Guilty! Someone is excited to lock up her little brother.
by JiaYing

Harriet Tubman’s home

Educational field trip to Harriet Tubman's house in Auburn, N.Y. She lived to 91, and would have been 201 years old this year.

The house where she lived in Auburn. The original wood structure burned down and was rebuilt out of brick on the same foundation.
She's buried under a big pine tree at Fort Hill Cemetery, about a mile from her home.
Statue of Harriet Tubman outside the visitors center.
Harriet Tubman's house has never been open for tours, but we were allowed to peek in the windows. It's not in great shape; all the plaster has fallen off the walls and dried leaves piled up in the rooms.
You know how you used to be able to touch the Liberty Bell, but not anymore? Right now you can still touch Harriet Tubman's house, but that might change too.
The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, a nursing home she opened next to her house.
This is William Seward's house in Auburn, N.Y. Seward was a New York state governor, a U.S. senator and secretary of state for Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He was also the guy who bought Alaska, a purchase ridiculed as "Seward's folly"... until GOLD was discovered. And the Klondike Gold Rush turned Seattle into a big booming city. So thanks, William Seward.