Concord

Monday, Oct 8, 2007 (Columbus Day)- We actually left our apartment that morning, not knowing where we were going to spend the day. Both Brandon and Lauren had the day off from work and school. We ended up driving to Concord and Lexington, MA for a lesson in US History! It was overcast, but a nice fall day in New England.

First, we visited Concord, Mass. This is the home of the first battles of the Revolutionary War and of famous literary authors Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry D. Thoreau, and Lousia May Alcott. At the Concord Museum, Lauren & Elle were able to go on a picture scavenger hunt provided by the museum. During our visit, we found Paul Revere's lantern that hung in the Old North Church in Boston to warn of the British advance (how do they KNOW it is authentic?!).

We then went to see the Old North Bridge where the so-called "shot heard round the world," (from Emerson's Concord Hymn) happened. This sight was amazingly beautiful. I told Brandon that I could feel the reverence or the history there, and he agreed saying it had the feeling of a cemetery in a way. The Minute Man Statue represents the local community members who fought against the British during these battles. The countryside had old trees that were ancient enough to have witnessed the battles... and now Brandon, Lauren, and Elle have left there marks on one of the old trees.

After seeing these amazing sights we visited the famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery which houses the remains of Emerson, Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Alcott. There graves aren't elaborate due to their "naturalist" beliefs and are kept on Author's Ridge within the cemetery.

On our way home we took in the changing fall colors and stopped at a local farm for apple doughnuts and a free haunted hayride. It was the perfect way to end the day.