Christmas and a Road Trip

Christmas was nice and quiet at the Melanson household this year. It was just the four of us this year and we had a very nice time. I must say it was special getting gifts in the mail from all over the place, Isabelle even got on from England. We did have a very festive Christmas Eve with some time at the neighbor's for good food and drink. In the end we didn't make it to any kind of Christmas service but there's always next year. I should mention the official Christmas meal was on Christmas Eve this year since we were going to hit the road on the day after Christmas (they don't call it Boxing Day here). Christmas day was spent in the usually way. We opened stockings, had breakfast, and then got to the gifts. Isabelle enjoyed it and it didn't get out of hand. We spent a little more time with the neighbors and ate and drank some more. In the end we had a good holiday and spent the night packing for the road trip to Connecticut. The first night on the road was in Leesburg, Virginia. Jane picked Leesburg because of the shopping. We both needed clothes and the girl seems to be outgrowing everything we throw at her. The shopping was good and we hit the road again in the afternoon for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Why Gettysburg? Why not. The town itself was very much oriented to the Civil War with costume shops, antiques dealers, and battlefield tour guides. The downtown is very quaint and has a neat little square (which is actually a traffic circle) called Lincoln Square. We ate in town that night at a little Chinese/Japanese place called Ping's Cafe. Isabelle devoured her California rolls and Jane and I shared some Chinese. After a quick dip in the pool and a little more shopping at the outlets we settled in for the night. Off course Gettysburg is famous for Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (Four score and seven years ago...) but also the reason for the address. It was the sight of a major battle in the American Civil War with 150,000 troops from both sides fighting over three days. The casualties were very large on both sides as well. In the morning before leaving town we popped in to the new visitors center and got an auto tour map. The tour lasted about an hour and a half (we did it quickly and didn't get out to walk around much) and takes you through most of the battlefields. There were many regiments and divisions fighting in Gettysburg and there are monuments to all of them. Apparently there are over 1300 monuments. It seemed like everywhere you looked there was someone standing in a field (it turned out most of them were statues!). We hit the road again after the tour and headed for Easton Pennsylvania. The objective that day was to get to the Crayola Factory and Museum for Isabelle. We didn't tell her what we were up to in case it didn't work out but in the end it was easy to find and was lots of fun. There was painting, colouring, crafts, and some other neat things for kids of all ages. I have to admit the place was a little rundown and the staff a little disinterested. The demonstration of the manufacturing process was very good. I'm glad we went but I don't know that I want to go back. There are lots of other interesting places that might be more bang for the buck with a preschooler. The drive to Quaker Hill in Connecticut was longer than anticipated due a few traffic snarls. In the end we arrived safe and sound. My sister's place is very nice and spacious and it was great to see most of the family again. Isabelle had a great time with her cousin Sammy and we got to eat Rappie Pie. We did some sightseeing, more shopping, and stayed until New Year's day, then it was on the road yet again back to South Carolina. Near my sister's I did find a great outdoors and outfitting store. It was rated best retailer by Canoe and Kayak magazine a few years ago. It had a whole basement full of kayaks and canoes and a main floor with all the usual stuff plus a fishing department and a shooting department. In the end we bought some neat stuff (books, toys, magazines, a gift for Peter, and even something for Maggie). The store was called North Cove Outfitters and was in Old Saybrook, just south of my sister's place in Quaker Hill. So here we are Friday the 2nd. We drove the 14 hours back from Connecticut yesterday in one fell swoop. Isabelle was very patient with us and we just wanted to get home. By the time we got in at one past midnight the bed was looking very good.