From the category archives:
Apparently, I never posted the photos of Fiona’s special vacation (just mom and dad, no stinky brothers) last summer to Dutch Wonderland. We had a great time…did all the rides, went to the movies, at out for dinner and slept in hotel.
The boys got to go to Alaska…Fiona went to Dutch Wonderland, but everyone seems pretty happy about it.
So, without further ado, the Dutch Wonderland photos are here.
I’m still catching up on getting photos posted from the summer. I *finally* went through the 1,000+ photos from our McKenna family vacation in Corolla, NC.
We rented a house with Kevin’s brothers and sister–I think we were 29 people all together–for a week. It was a fantastic house, plenty of room, swimming pool and hot tub and just steps to the beach (Thanks Fred & MJ for finding it!)
The big cousins played with the little cousins, the little cousins mostly behaved themselves and the grownups enjoyed visiting, snacking and drinking! Highlights of the week included pedicures for all the girls in honor of Fiona’s birthday, a birthday fishing trip for Jack, many sandcastles, miniature golf with all the cousins, a different “host” every night for dinner (we took turns cooking), and best of all, just being together for a week.
Here’s an album with some of the best photos:
We’re back … photo album (with captions) is here.
I’m slowly working through vacation photos from last week; we were in Missouri, first in Columbia, then in Sikeston and then at the lake in Wappappello. Jack and Owen drove from PA to MO with G’mom and DadDad.
Fiona and I were *supposed* to fly to Kansas City to meet Aunt Jo & Uncle Kevan, but after spending about 12 hours in the “Phillyadelphia” airport (as Fiona calls it) we weren’t able to get out, so we finally got a flight on Monday.
This first show is Fiona in the airport watch Dora on the iPod and then dancing. Jo & Kevan went to Hawaii and brought Fiona a grass skirt and “dancing bra” (her term, again) and a hula doll that really dances. Fiona put on quite a show. It was a bit more like Zulu tribal war dancing than hula, but she had fun. (click on the little grid to view the photos individually.)
(Sorry about the re-use of the music from one of the Europe slideshows, but I’m rushing and this was all set to go. I’ll try to hunt down some Hawaiian — or Zulu — music and re-load this later.)
Here are six slide shows from our trip (two from Paris, three from Venice and one from Rome.) If you click on the little “grid” icon on the bottom right corner of each slide show frame, you can browse the photos one-by-one without the music.
We took Jack and Owen to Gettysburg over the weekend (Fiona got to party with G’mom and Jippy). The boys (and we) LOVED Gettysburg.
We had reserved a licensed guide from the visitors center and it worth so much more than the $60 fee….he spent over 2 1/2 hours with us. He drove our car for us (he knows all the shortcuts) and gave a running commentary the whole time. We stopped at various points to get out and walk the battlefield and see some landmarks.
Jack and Owen listened to every word he said, asked — and ANSWERED — questions, and contributed their own opinions and theories about the battle. Our guide was a retired high school history teacher and about halfway through he said that Jack and Owen could have easily passed his 11th grade history exam. He asked if we had early dinner reservations–he said he was having so much fun guiding us and was it OK if he ran overtime.
We got a good overview of the battle and it really makes a difference in understanding the battle to be able to see the landscape.
Jack and Owen learning about Napoleon cannons and Parrot cannons, rifling and ammunition.
Jack & Owen next to “Sallie,” the 11th PA’s mascot. Apparently, Sallie wouldn’t leave the field after a number of her unit was killed. When the rest of the unit returned three days later to bury the bodies, Sallie was still there. People leave dog biscuits on Sallie’s memorial.
Jack and Owen both got Union forage caps and weapons. They spent a lot of time running around the woods fighting battles. Owen built Fort Sumter in our hotel room out of pillows and was STILL fighting a battle after Jack, Kevin and I were asleep. 
Soldiers from a confederate Maryland unit demonstrate how to load and operate cannons.
Last Saturday, we put Jack and Owen on a plane to Missouri to visit Aunt Jo & Kevan. Fiona must have misunderstood the plan, because she kept trying to get on the plane with them.
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