President's Day

I Know President's Day was forever ago, but better late than never, right?
One of the perks of Bruce's job as a professor is that he gets weekend, holidays, spring break and summer break. For President's Day this year, we decided to be truely patriotic and pay our tribute to one of the greatest presidents in the United States of America - namely George Washington.

Valley Forge is only about 15-20 minutes away from where we live. It took us longer to get there than that because we got lost, and Vivian, our GPS, didn't communicate the turns to us very well. It was really neat to walk the grounds of such a historical place in the history of our country. Although a battle was never actually fought in Valley Forge, it is still a place that symbolizes the hardships the soldiers faced while they waited out the harsh winter. It was cold the day we went, but I'm sure it was nothing compared to what they had to face.


We visited Washington's headquarters. I don't think I ever realized how much time and coordination it takes to be a general, especially a successful one. George Washington was certainly dedicated to the cause of freedom, but was still able to give his wife Martha the attention she deserved as well.




I love this old fashioned bed. It would certainly feel like I was living back in the times if I made bed curtain for our bed. That would also mean I would actually need to get a headboard and foot board for our bed. Every time I visit historical places and see waht life was like in the 17 and 1800's, I wish I could have lived in that time. Life seemed so rustic and simple. I would want to try my hand at being a "pioneer woman", even if it's only for a little while. I mean who wouldn't want to cook on a stove like this - it's a walk-in oven.


One thing I am grateful for is that I don't have to sleep in army barracks like these. I had to duck my head to get in the door. 12 men slept in this tiny cabin, and that was through the harsh winter.


Valley Forge was still in its winter hours so we didn't have quite enough time to see everything. We actually missed Washington's birthday celebration. We could have had Martha's famous birthday cake and ate with the Washington's. The cake probably would have been stale anyway - there's always next year.

Valley Forge is a beautiful place with lots of trees, hills, and wildlife. Now that it is spring it probably looks extremely different than it did in the winter. You can hike for miles and see monument after monument. While driving through the park, we saw over 60 head of deer. (I stopped counting after 60). They were almost close enough to touch through your rolled down window.


I am grateful for the sacrifices so many others made so that I can enjoy the life that I do today.