Home again

We did actually make it home, late on the afternoon of the 16th.

Since it was Sunday and it was Deutschesfest weekend and we were on east coast time,
we were up, ate breakfast and out of the hotel by 8am. We made it to Odessa in time for the 10am community church service. It was a real blessing to us to end the trip with a neat church service. The Jore family (from ND) lead the service which was mostly singing and music. Lydia danced almost the whole time and the rest of us restrained ourselves so as not to embarrass the Lutherans.

Of course afterwards, we headed for the food. Sausage, Kartofel und gloss, and strudel.
(Some also ate cabbage rolls.) We enjoyed the company of Uncle Keith, Aunt Leanna and Grandpa Tom.
They had a really neat petting zoo setup this year. It included a zebra, camels and a coatimundi. The kids enjoyed learning the finer techniques of milking.


After we got home we went to the effort to sort out the bed bugs from the luggage and crashed.

Thus ends the Virginia Journey of 2007. All told we did it better than Lewis and Clark in many ways. We did it faster and didn't lose a single person.

We are indebted to my mother(Dianne) for braving to travel with us and suffer the deprivations of parenting. We also thank my father (Bob) for doing without my mom.

Of course we give all thanks to God from whom comes every good thing.

Homeward Bound

We were up and packed in the car and moving by 9:15. We thought this (relatively) early start would give us a little cushion so we considered some brief detours along the way. But wisdom was our guide today and we headed straight for the airport. After, rest stops , gas stops, rental drop-off, and tickets we sat down to eat lunch at about 1 for a 2:40 flight. We ate all the leftovers we couldn't eat for breakfast before we went through security.

We also met a man from Malaysia who had just completed 10 weeks of training at Quantico. He was very glad to be going home.

At Dulles, they have trams that take you between buildings, (and at least use to take you to the planes themselves.) Here we are riding to the terminal.
We found our gate quickly at 2:05 to find out boarding had begun and was almost over.

We were glad we didn't dally with any distractions on the way to the airport.

A short hop on the big 767 to Chicago and then 737 for 4 hours to Spokane. A little seating chaos with a packed plane, but we managed.

We and our luggage and maybe a few bed bugs made it to the hotel in Spokane for the night. Tired but relived to be breathing dry air.

Odessa tomorrow.

Funny story. I took Joel to the bathroom and then the girls needed to go (on the airplane.)
Then Melissa needed to go and when she got up Paul and Lydia followed. So we had our whole family standing in the galley of the plane at 30,000 feet above Montana. One of the stewardesses was taken with Joel and insisted on holding him. She and the other stewardess played with him while everyone cycled through the bathroom.

Last night while getting ready for bed, Lydia and Paul were sitting close to each other and she kept pushing her head against him. He then pushed her head away and the game continued. I broke it up at which point Lydia said indignantly, "Paul puth'd me". Sounds like more proof (like we needed any) of original sin.

Praise God for His Mercies

For those of you who may have been praying for us, after last night's report, I wish to tell of His faithfulness to us. Quite frankly we bit off more than we could chew and pushed the kids a bit too hard. However, today exceeded our expectations. Lydia was down but not out. She was able to comfortably ride/sleep in the stroller without distraction. We divided up into groups to cover more ground. Tours, shopping, exploration all occurred. Even a carriage ride.

At the end of the day we realized we were running out of time for Jamestown. We rushed out of town and drove to the site only to find both places closed. We sat at a lookout and saw Jamestown island across the water. (above)

It was a little disappointing but we did see it and we saved something for next time.
It's interesting to consider that from that seed (and the Plymouth colony) a nation grew.
May God use it to His glory.

One of the key things I figured out was that I could drop off most people near the sights and then park down the road and show up a few minutes later. The normal procedure of:
-park in Timbuktu
-get everyone unloaded
-walk a mile to the shuttle
-wait for the shuttle
-unload the stroller and jump on the shuttle
-unload and wait for another shuttle
-unload and reload the stroller
-move as a mass to each place
: takes 1 hour. To get back is another hour (or so it seems).

Each insight, each detail is a blessing of God. Lydia was down which meant we weren't chasing her around. She was up enough to want to be there and to look at the things she could see, but not so bad that she was complaining.

Truly the hardest part of the day was packing up to leave (both because it was work and because we want to stay and see more.)

We will rise early to make it to our plane at Dulles at 2:40. Arrive in Spokane ~7.

Fifth Day pictures

One of the 3 oldest buildings still standing is the Burton Parish Church. It is still an a episcopalian church. Built in 1715, it has the boxes inside with the names on them. Those were the days when your reserved pew really was. Of course they were actually boxes. The pulpit was up 8 feet off the ground . One of the other original buildings is the magazine where they stored arms the theft of which (by Lord Dunsmore) led to Lord Dunsmore's departure in 1775.A rogue is on display in the city stocks next to the courthouse. (the other of the 3 oldest buildings.)
General Benedict Arnold takes over Williamsburg in front of the capital building.
A young lady is escorted from her carriage.
A confederate soldier brings up the rear guard in the march out of Williamsburg.

And We Know All Things Work Together for Good

I keep reminding myself of this because, quite frankly, the last few days have been rather difficult. I’ll recount things from the female perspective (meaning I’ll give more details than Matt does). Paul and Lydia both have been suffering from some sort of viral bug. The last 2 mornings Grandma Dianne’s sleeping buddy, Lydia, has awakened her with an exploding diaper in bed requiring an all adult hands on deck disaster response. Tonight Lydia is sleeping on towels on our bedroom floor to give Grandma Dianne a break. Hopefully we’ll all get some sleep.

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Melissa, “ Matt said to me a couple of days ago. That’s right—bed bugs. We’re far more familiar with the East Coast resurgence of bed bugs than we ever hoped to be. After waking up with red spots all over our legs, the evidence was pretty conclusive. The Quality Inn just isn’t as “quality” as it used to be. I did express my disappointment to the manager about the lack of internet service, lack of air conditioning (they did move us to another room), lack of cleanliness and the bites all over our legs. To make it up to us, she gave us one night’s cost off of our bill. We figured it made the extra car insurance we had to purchase for the rental of a 12 passenger van a wash.

I was relieved to be on the road to Monticello after a late start because of dealing with Lydia. No more bed bugs and a beautiful post card perfect drive—a gorgeous day courtesy of God for our traveling pleasure. Some of the trees are starting to turn and we even saw an 8 sided barn.

I enjoyed Monticello much more than I thought I would. I am partial to George Washington as he was truly a follower of Jesus Christ. Mt. Vernon is very plain architecturally in comparison to Monticello, but the inside was designed by Gen. George to impress, right down to the Jolly Rancher Apple green walls in the formal dining room. I thought that Monticello, being more ornate on the outside, would be just as garish or more so than Mt. Vernon on the inside. Not, so.

Jefferson didn’t believe in wasted space and the colors he chose were much more muted. The freize work at the ceiling was rather ornate in the main hall and the dining room. The images on it included some that looked like those Native American cattle skulls with the feathers hanging from the horns. I asked the guide about them and she said they were actually a copy of a Roman Pagan ritual symbol—I wasn’t impressed. However, I did enjoy seeing actual elk horns that were given as a gift to Jefferson from Lewis and Clark. Also, Jefferson at one time had a collection of books numbering 7,000 of which he donated to start the Library of Congress. He purchased another two thousand books, many of which dating to that time period, are now housed at Monticello. I asked the guide if any were Jefferson’s actual books. To my delight, she pointed right to the shelf where I was standing and said those were his. I leaned down to get a closer look and saw among them a 3 volume set of Don Quixote.

We arrived at our new location late Wednesday night, ordered delivery pizza and worked quickly to get things brought in and put in reasonable places. We just couldn’t get the air conditioner to work. Matt called and they sent a maintenance man out right away. He said, “You can’t stay here. You have to move. The air conditioner is frozen up solid.” It turned out to be a blessing because I got both washers and dryers going in both suites to catch up on laundry and hopefully rid ourselves of the bed bugs (although I still think some precautionary measures will have to be taken when I get home—thankfully bed bugs don’t like dry climates).

Today I had the pleasure of talking with the head cook at the Governor’s Palace and I learned many things about food preparation and preservation in the 1700’s.

The lovely dinner was only surpassed by the delighted looks on all the kids’ faces as the strolling musicians and entertainers passed through our dining room. Even Elizabeth had a huge grin—now that’s saying something.--Mel

Fifth Day

There may be a reason why traveling with young children isn't highly recommended.
We woke in a hurry and managed to make it to the Governor's Palace garden by 11. We saw a performance related to the political intrigue of 1774 when Lord Dunmore dismissed the House of Burgesses. The next night the House still held a party in honor of his wife and children coming to stay in town.

We toured the palace and the armory in the entry hallway was quite impressive. There were several hundred of the claymores and flintlocks on the wall. Apparently, this was not the complete set it once was.
After lunch a few of us returned to watch the rest of the story. Here Lord Dunmore (red) is having a "discussion" with the Burgess members as he leaves the capitol after dismissing them.
We check out some period ware in one of the shops.
As has been said, 1 week here might be better. Or better, live nearby and come 1 day a month.

We enjoyed a great period dinner at the King's Arm Tavern. None of the people had heard of the state of Washington, although they were familiar with the estate of Washington.

Paul (and Lydia) are on a cracker and Gaterade diet. One of the 18th century men thought Paul must have a strong drink for it to be red, so much that he had to temper it with his sea biscuits. :)

It was kind of neat to walk the streets in the evening when it is quiet and cool.
More fun tomorrow.

Fourth Day

The double-play was a bust when we didn't get going until 10 a.m. Paul was still dragging and sometimes things take a while.

We enjoyed an absolutely picturesque drive to Monticello. There were many churches right out of a calendar as were the various estates/homes we saw.

The sun was shining. It’s like visiting Seattle during the summer. It wasn’t even very humid. It’s the kind of day that makes you wish you lived here.

After 4 hours, (stops, plus lunch, etc) we arrived at the house.

It was a fascinating visit with a very well done tour. We got a little clearer pictures of the house this time.

The car ride gave Paul a little steam but he ran out again. Lydia decided that she needed a change of attire but would have to wait till we got to the car.

We cruised to Williamsburg and settled into very nice accommodations. We’re looking forward to fun tomorrow.

Jamestown will have to wait.

Third Day

It rained most of the night with spurts of rain all morning. We also weren’t as sunny this morning. The trek from Monday took its toll. Paul especially was lying low with a fever. Tylenol and Gatorade got him fired up to go see Mount Vernon but by 12:30 he was crashing. We realized the rest of us weren’t doing much better and opted for quiet-time after lunch.

Like everything else, Mount Vernon is a place you could spend a day. God granted a break in the rain such that it didn’t rain much while we were outside. We didn’t see half the exhibits but did get the tour of the house. Here is a great picture of the house with a couple of people in front of it.

Our kids were able to pose with the Washingtons for this one. Note these are Martha’s grandchildren, (she was widowed) as George didn’t have any children.

After QT, Paul was worse, so Grandma stayed with Paul and Lydia while the rest of us went to explore “everything else in DC”(ha). We were a sitcom. “Look kids there’s some memorial." “Look there’s another one." “Where are we?” “Why would they put a dead end here?”

We tried to visit Union Station (built by my great-great-grandfather ("Yes Elizabeth, he had some help”) but the big-city traffic/process of it was too much. We found our way out of town and ate 2 blocks from our hotel.

Five-Guys burgers is according to Grace “The best burger I’ve ever had.” (I would say it’s at least the top 5 but to say more would require further review.)

By the time we returned Paul had revived and we all said our prayers. Not the day we had planned, but God in His mercy provides just what we need. We were overdue for rest and we got some.

Tomorrow we will try for the double-play as we travel to Monticello and then Jamestown and finally our hotel in Williamsburg.

The more I learn about Washington, the more impressed I am. He was man of great character and chosen by God to serve a great purpose.

Second day - done

It was rush hour after Lincoln Memorial and we caught a bus most of the way back to the subway station. We ended our DC day where we began-- outside the National Archives.

However, it was now rush hour and the subway was a little more crowded.
I was holding Joel and he charmed the whole train.
We returned safely after dinner and retired.
Mount Vernon tomorrow.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit for His grace to us on our trip.

Second Day part 2

Leaving the Archives we set out on our pilgrimage to the Lincoln Memorial(1.5miles away). The heat and humidity were daunting. Lydia and Joel were fading fast in the double-stroller (A million thanks to Jason and Lisa for loaning it to us.) We opted to wait for a bus, but finally realized they only run during rush hour. This left the use of feet.

So the journey began. We came in sight of the Washington Monument still committed to the cause.

The treeless plain was just ahead.








In sight of the Memorial but still 3/4 of a mile. Like Napoleon's march against the Prussians(?) this alien weather was bent on defeating us.

The WW2 memorial is in the foreground where we stopped for a 15 minute rest. Still 1/2 mile to go.







The umbrella at the end of the reflecting pool called to us and we all got frozen lemonade things. Everyone was toast including Joel and he enjoyed his first frozen treat. He didn't need any instruction.















Finally, Paul reaches the end of the journey and stands in the object of our perseverance.


For those theologically inclined you might notice the inscription above Lincoln. The question occurred to me whether a God-fearing Christian should be seen in such a place. The shape of the structure is Greek-ish. In a thousand years will they discuss the religion of America and its city of temples that rivals Athens?

Yet it is fundamentally Christian to tell the stories of God's working in the world and to ensure they are told to future generations. I doubt anyone comes to pray to Lincoln, but there probably plenty of non-God focused worship that occurs. All right, I'm tired and rambling. The question is without the Christian context of history how do people view monuments like these? I imagine it could lead some to believe in the religion of man. (IE we can do it if we just try hard enough.)

Second Day part 1

A bit early to us west coasties, we headed into the city via the subway. Lydia was anxious but settled in once we started. At 9:15, the rush was over, and we had plenty of room to enjoy the ride. We were a bit late but by God's grace were still allowed into the National Archives for our tour time. No flash pictures were allowed in the National Archives so we didn't risk. We got to see all the important documents in rotunda including the Declaration and Constitution etc. They have imposing looking guards standing up on steps next to the Constitution. I was holding Joel and trying to show the kids what it was while trying to avoid drawing a reprimand when one of them asked me if I had a "sack of potatoes". She was referring to Joel, and he had been doing his cute thing while I was holding him. Both guards were taken with him.

They had a lot of kid-friendly exhibits with interesting stuff for parents. Lydia liked to use the phones to listen to various old speeches while Paul was watching the military ads of the past 50 years. We found that the basement cafeteria was very reasonably priced and good food. We did have a communication issue as I had to give the order about 4 times before they got it all. It does throw people off when 1 person orders food for 7.

The Trees Sure Are Noisy Here

The first night we got here, the first thing I noticed when we got out of the car was the different noises. Not traffic noises, nature noises. Not crickets, not frogs or birds—something entirely different. Even during the day the noise comes from the trees. I finally asked a woman waiting for the Metro this morning and she said, “Oh, those are 17 year cicadas.” They sound like maracas when they first get going, then after they rev up they sound like electrical wires buzzing. Then they stop and another group starts in another tree, all day long and into the night.--Mel

Everything is Father-Filtered

We missed our appointment for our scheduled tour of the National Archives this morning by 15 min. (Who knew it would be so complicated to buy tickets for the Metro train?). Anyway, it turned out to be a blessing because once we made it through security, we all got to take our time seeing everything we wanted to see. The kids even got to sign a copy of the Declaration of Independence, knowing they could lose their fortunes, their families, even their very lives by doing so. They didn’t even hesitate.

The kids and I have been reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder series and are 2 chapters short of finishing. My ears perked when I heard the tour guide began talking about homesteading to the group in front of us. I said to the kids, “Let’s get up there and listen in.” Just as we arrived, he asked the group (all older people) if they knew who Almanzo Wilder was. None of them knew so Grace raised her hand. When the tour guide called on her she said, “Didn’t he marry Laura Ingalls?” Then he pulled from his folder a copy of the original homestead claim signed by Almanzo Wilder. We were ecstatic—a God moment indeed.--Mel

The Back Roads Tour of Arlington

After the others had hit their limit, Grace and I continued to explore on our own. We walked up to Arlington house (Robert E. Lee’s house) and saw the beautiful view of the capital from there. Parts of Arlington Cemetery have very unique headstones in every shape and size imaginable. We thought the very large ones were surely important people we would know, but found they were important people (commanders of the Army and such), just not people we knew. In contrast, JFK’s grave is very simple—a white cross with a very simple head stone. One headstone caught our eyes with the words, “Blessed are those who hear the Word and follow it’s commands.” So many husbands, daddies, brothers, sons are buried there. We stressed to the children the cost of freedom, something difficult for them to grasp. It’s not as though Matt and I have any better grasp of it though, as we have not lost someone close to us through war.

After leaving Arlington, we drove through the capital as Dianne navigated for Matt and I sat in the back listening to the following conversation repeated no less the half a dozen times, “Lydia be quiet, I’m trying to ask mommy a question.” “No Liz. Stop talking. Washing DC, Momma. Washing DC.”--Mel

First Day

We managed to get fired up and attend church at Bethany Lutheran. It’s always interesting to see the nuances that are different at other churches. Joel especially liked the singing. Alleluia.

It’s warm here and humid.

A little regrouping and lunch and we set off to Arlington. After a bit of stumbling about (via downtown DC) we arrived.

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. –Prov 22:28

We first visited Grandad’s grave. He served God by serving his country. He stood at a time when he was needed and rests with many of the same.

Much has been said and written about Arlington and our experience was not sufficient to properly represent it to you. To really soak it in would probably require weeks if not years. And to consider that it represents a tiny fraction of humanity that has come before us.

We made the hike to the Tomb of the Unknown. Lydia needed a break but others were impressed by the ceremony. We managed to see 2 changes and then watched them lower the colors for the day.

The new guard is inspected.

The Flight out of Seattle

Despite our friend Brian’s predictions, they didn’t say “Now boarding rows 1 through 10, Macduffs.” Another child on the plane was much noisier than ours were. Despite the fact that no one but Joel got any sleep on the flight, all went quite well. Thanks for the prayers. The 3 of us adults felt pretty good about handling 5 kids until we deboarded and saw 1 mom handling her 3 little ones solo. We got to our hotel room at midnight local time. After ridding the room of the sweltering heat by blasting the air conditioner, we were finally able to sleep. –mel

The Flight out of Spokane

We made it through security just fine (after they o.k.'d the little pepper grinder I keep in my purse). The Lord granted me the pleasure of seeing Paul’s delighted face on his first plane ride. We flew over my beloved Eastern Wa. With its patchwork quilt of farm land (Paul said it looked like a map). Then we flew over the Cascades. The morning sun was shining on Mt. Rainier—stunning—God’s majesty revealed so that all are without excuse. (Romans 1:20).--Mel

Tuckered Out

Praise God for the good winds that hath brought us safe to our destination. Now we rest.

On Our Way Rejoicing

We made it to Spokane in preperation for our flight tomorrow and had the joy of meeting up with Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna for dinner.

Fruits of our Labor

While it is never enough to last the winter, Melissa has been busy putting up treasures for her family. We praise God for the fruit in its season and thank Him that we can enjoy it year round.

We're ready--we hope

We're finally packed for the big trip to WA D.C.--only 3 suitcases plus our carry-ons. Adrenalin has been running high the last few days and Matt and I haven't gotten much sleep. We hope to get some tonight. We told Elizabeth she had to sleep in--meaning, "Don't get up at 6:00 a.m., put your clothes on and announce to everyone that you're ready." If all goes as planned (and by God's grace) we'll be leaving to go pick up Matt's mom after lunch then head up to Spokane to eat dinner, swim and hit the sack early to catch the plane Saturday morning to Seattle. From there, we'll head to D.C.--nonstop 5 hours. Please pray for a very uneventful plane ride.--Mel

Leave it to a kid . . .

Today I took Paul and Lydia with me to do some errands. While driving in the car I said, "Paul,
I'm going to stop at Yoke's and run in and mail this letter really quick, o.k.? A glance in the rear view mirror told me he didn't understand. I repeated, "Paul, I'm going to run into the store really quick and mail this letter, o.k.?" His response, "Yeah, but you never run, you walk."--Mel