Battle of Oriskany

Continuing our weekend of visiting historical locations, we went to where the Battle of Oriskany was fought during the Revolutionary War.  A very knowledgeable park ranger told us all about what went on before, during, and after the battle and its importance in swinging the war in America's favor.  It's amazing to realize how rich this area is in history.  Joseph's highlight of the visit was seeing a snake, at least he'll remember that. 

Memorial Day 2014

After watching Clinton's small-town Memorial Day Parade, we went by the local cemetery and placed flowers on the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers.  I can remember putting flowers on the graves of unknown soldiers when I was little.  It was nice to see my kids doing something similar.

Niagara Falls

We revisited Niagara Falls before moving to make sure the kids remembered seeing it.  This time, we road the Maid of the Mist, the boat that takes you close to the falls.  Lena insisted that she keep her hood down so that her hair would get wet.  Holden held tight to Robert because he was worried that the boat was going to go through the falls.  Joseph is pretty thrilled to have seen the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls while living in New York.

Erie Canal

After the fort, we spent the afternoon learning about the Erie Canal.  We went on a tour in Lockport that took us through a huge pipe that used to have water running through it from the Erie Canal to operate machinery in factories.  The tour included a little underground boat ride in a section that stills has a bit of water in it.  Joseph searched for ghosts while we were underground, but never saw one.

Old Fort Niagara

We took advantage of the long weekend and headed to the Niagara Falls area for a few days.  We spent a morning at Old Fort Niagara, a fort that dates back to the eighteenth century.  It switched hands between the French, British, and Americans a few times and played an important part of the War of 1812.  It is the oldest operating military post in the country (the Coast Guard still has a small station there).  We lucked out since the fort was hosting an event that highlighted military uniforms, arms, and practices over the last three hundred years.  The kids really enjoyed the demonstrations and climbing around.

Dance Recital Night

Lena's dance recital was tonight.  She was very excited about how pretty her costume was and wouldn't let the boys or Dad see it until tonight.  Her class were the jade princesses, and they did a palace dance.

 

Here are a few pre-show shots (Lena came up with her own poses):

 

Post-show flowers:

Victory shot:

 

We were able to record Lena's dance.  The girls forgot some portions of the dance, but they're five, so it happens.  They pulled it together at the end, though, and were very proud of themselves.

Orange Belt!

We have a new orange belt in our house! Joseph is very proud of
himself. He gets to start sparring classes soon, which means he gets
a pretty nifty set of padded body armor.