Pathfinder Camporee

Just before we moved down to southern MI, Chaeli was able to go to the Pathfinder camporee with her Alpena Panthers Club one more time.  Pathfinders has been such a blessing in her life.  She has had the most wonderful leaders and very special memories!

We all came for Sabbath! :) 

Great Helpers

Moving is sure no fun, but it makes it a little easier when you have good helpers!  

These kids were great!

Girls in Pink

We had to take a pictures because we were all in pink.

Then we had to be silly.  :)

Love these girls!

Apples and Friends

Or maybe the title of the post should be "Donuts and Friends" because I'm pretty sure no one ate an apple while there....  :)

Before we moved from Alpena, if we weren't packing then we were finding ways to spend last precious moments with our friends.  One Sunday a couple friends and I took our kids to Knaebe's

Apple Farm.

What fun!  What memories!

Monticello

Our last history lesson of our September vacation.  It was so fun, so educational, so memorable!

The front of Monticello.  Thomas Jefferson started building it at age 26.

The back -- what you see on the nickel.

Author of the Declaration of Independence, Father of the University of Virginia, inventor, avid reader, scientist, gardener, and so much more!

Cyprus Vine - he had a very large variety of flowers in his garden also. He liked to grow new things from other countries as well. 

Thomas Jefferson loved experimental gardening! He had over 330 vegetable varieties and 150 for varieties in his garden, plus his orchards, herbs, and vineyards! Peas were his favorite vegetable and he grew 125 kinds! 

Very.  Tall.  Corn.

Like flowers, there is a huge array of trees on the property as there were in his day. A huge variety of types and from all around the world. This is a Paper Mulberry.

Slave quarters. Although Thomas Jefferson openly opposed slavery, he always owned slaves - 600 in his lifetime with almost 200 at any given time.

He made improvements to the dumbwaiter which is essentially an elevator for home goods between floors.

Jefferson invented quote a few things in his lifetime. He was an avid reader (owned over 8000 books during his life) and designed this revolving book stand with 5 rectangular book platforms. Awesome!

He designed his tombstone and wrote the inscription on it.

James Madison's Montpelier

We visited Montpelier today, the cradle to grave home of 4th president, James Madison.  Incredible day!  He and his wife, Dolley (who I grew to adore over the course of this tour! ), are incredible people in our nation's history!  We couldn't take pictures in the home or museum but here are a few memories.