Niagra Falls, Philedelphia, and Ohio

Elyse at Independance Hall in the signing room
Liberty Bell
Conservatory at Longwood
Paul in the Children's Garden
Elyse at Niagra Falls
Maid of the Mist

My sister, Katie, is doing a summer internship in Philedelphia with a whole level of a house all to herself. Since she's out there alone for almost two months, we decided to visit her for a few days, and then my parents joined the band wagon and met us there. It's the longest drive we've done with Luke (eleven and a half hours) and I'm surprised at how well all the kids did. It helped to break up the trip. We stopped at Niagra Falls almost halfway there and wandered around for about three hours. I've seen them about six times and this was the first time we rode the Maid of the Mist. Very fun. In Philedelphi we visited a gorgeos garden call Longwood Gardens, we saw Independance Hall where the Declaration of Independance was signed, saw the liberty bell, Franklin's grave and foundations of his house, and the outside of the Betsy Ross house, and the oldest residential street in the U.S. We also took a driving tour of Valley Forge and ironically had a fabulous picnic where our long ago ancestors nearly starved. We broke the return trip home by stopping at Matt's brothers place is Columbus, OH. We played with cousins for a couple days, had some picnics and short hikes, and went to a splash park. Whew. Now all I want to do is stay inside my house for a week and do nothing. And while I love visiting family, there is nothing like coming home to my own bed. Fun trip, though. I don't think I would ever have thought to go to Philedelphia for fun without my sister there. But I actually found myself getting choked up at a few of the historic sites. The older I get, the easier it is for me to get sentimental.