May 2021

Cuttoe (sword) and scabbard, Philadelphia, 1770; George Washington carried this sword at the beginning of the American Revolution; following political upheaval in 1769 colonists started boycotting British goods

Tape Loom, Lancaster County PA, 1768; women contributed to the boycott of British goods by making linen tape (small strips of cloth were called tape); admission was a steep $21

This letter from John Adams to his wife Abigail on April 14, 1776, is part of a series on display where Abigail is speaking up for women's rights; David McCullough's best-selling book on John Adams relied on the thousands of letters that Adams saved

Rifle, Christian's Spring PA, 1774; this rifle was made in a Moravian Church-sponsored community following German traditions; just two days after my visit, the museum closed for the rest of the year due to Covid

This is one of two 1774 Windsor chairs which would have been used by speaker and president Peyton Randolph at the First Continental Congress; unlike the furniture at Independence Hall, these chairs miraculously survived the British occupation

The museum had many elaborate displays depicting different facets of the war; any interactive component of the museum was off-limits because of the pandemic

This bronze sculpture outside the museum recreates the famous painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware on December 25, 1776; the work is by a naturalized Asian-American in gratitude of her new citizenship

George Washington, Joseph Wright, 1784; Washington thought this portrait was a better likeness of him than any other painter had done; it doesn't look like the General had been starving during the war

This map shows the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (in what is today Greensboro) between Generals Greene and Cornwallis; the British force suffered many casualties in their defeat of the Americans despite having less than half as many troops

This is Martha Washington's personal copy of A Help and Guide to Christian Families (1752); Martha joined her husband in camp during each winter of the war; the museum would be great for high school students

A Massachusetts woman dressed in men's clothes to fight in the Continental Army's light infantry; she suffered multiple wounds but recovered and wore this dress to her wedding in 1785

This 1775 wallet is stitched with the owner's name on the inside; his home was directly across the Schuykill River from the Continental Army's camp at Valley Forge; we watched a 12 minute film before seeing Washington's actual tent from Valley Forge

The Siege of Yorktown, Henry LeGrand, 1850; this is a copy of an 1836 painting that hangs in the Hall of Battle at the Palace of Versailles; French General Rochambeau is gesturing and the Marquis de Lafayette is on Washington's right

This powder horn from Captain Thomas DeWitt shows a rare plan of Fort Schuyler which he successfully defended in 1777; there was a great deal of info to read while I wish there had been more artifacts like this

The July 6, 1776 edition of the Pennsylvania Evening Post was the very first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence; on July 7 John Adams mailed Abigail a copy of the newspaper to help spread the word

Mauna Kea Beach was definitely one of the nicest on the island but there are only about 20 public parking spaces; if there are not any spaces you won't be admitted to the resort grounds

This green sea turtle had the most pristine shell so I'm thinking he must be a juvenile; this species is endangered but they can grow to 5+ ft long and live to 80+ years

The Waipio Valley Lookout offers stunning views of Waipio Valley which is about one mile across and over five miles deep, and surrounded by cliffs up to 2000 feet high

Amazing root systems of trees above Kehena Black Sand Beach; the snorkeling was surprisingly good here (although in very deep water) with Lee seeing a couple of turtles

It was a long drive to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach on the SE corner of the island; this gorgeous beach is popular because it offers perhaps the best chance to swim with sea turtles of anywhere on the island

Papakolea Beach is one of only 4 green sand beaches in the world; the others are in Guam, Norway and the Galapagos; reaching the beach was a 4.5 mile roundtrip hike

Endangered monk seal on the only black sand beach (Makole'a) near Kona; we also saw a monk seal (maybe the same one) foraging close to shore at a nearby beach when we first arrived in the morning

Of dozen+ books I read in Hawaii, Obama's autobiography A Promised Land was easily the best; it's only volume one with a second volume to be published later

Yellowmargin moray eel; Makalawena Beach is one in a series of beautiful coves all of which had very good snorkeling although the winds kicked up in the afternoon

South Point is the southernmost point in the US (not Key West); local kids often jump off the cliffs into the water (there is a ladder up) but we were too early for them

Mahai'ula Beach is the southernmost beach in Kekaha Kai Beach Park and one of the Islands more secluded beaches; the only way to access this beach is through a winding, rugged road (quite bumpy, but most cars are able to make the trip)

Pacific Sailfin Tang; Puako Bay was one of my least favorite beaches we visited with tedious snorkeling; it was also the only beach where we had brief rain showers

This lost jellyfish was, fortunately, the only one I saw on the entire Hawaii trip; the Big Island (the largest island in the US) has 63% of the state's landmass but only 13% of its population

Rockmover wrasse; Kahalu'u Beach Park (just south of Kona) is one of the highest rated snorkeling spots on the island with an outer reef protecting an inner lagoon

Whitebar surgeonfish; the stretch of shore north of the old airport was listed as a snorkeling adventure in our guide book and Lee was lucky enough to see a white-tip reef shark

It was amazing to see snow on the top of 13,803 ft. Mauna Kea while snorkeling at 49 Black Sand Beach; Mauna Kea is the highest point in Hawaii and last erupted about 4600 years ago

Wild saffron finches prefer to live in flocks during the winter while in spring they live in pairs for breeding; unlike many other finches, they are not migratory

The highlight of any snorkel outing was spotting a turtle; 8 of my 9 flights on the Hawaii trip were completely full (including middle seats)

The only hotel at idyllic Hapuna Beach is the Westin with rooms for about $500 per night; the hotel, 27 miles north of the airport, recently underwent a $50 million refurbishment

I saw 5 crown of thorns sea stars at Hapuna Beach; this unusually large, sinister-looking (but endemic) species grows to 3 feet in diameter with as many as 19 spiny arms

Moray eel; my Facebook has been hacked so I've frozen it and have been trying for weeks to regain access with no success; I'm irritated with Facebook for making it impossible to get my old acct back and don't want to start a new account from scratch

Goats were everywhere on the Big Island; they especially enjoyed eating the grasses on the side of the highway but were skittish and afraid of people

We enjoyed snorkeling at Sapphire Cove which was difficult to reach leaving us the lone swimmers; this pin cushion sea star was one of the only things somewhat unique at this site

Ornate butterflyfish; Lee and I visited every good snorkeling beach on the island; Spencer Beach Park was our least favorite and had the most monochrome underwater topography

Mahukona Beach Park is at the site of an abandoned port from sugar cane days; there's no beach and limited parking on the old concrete dock; this site seemed over-rated to me

The Field Museum of Natural History is named in honor of its first major benefactor, the department-store magnate Marshall Field; the museum and its collections originated from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the artifacts displayed at the fair

In 2000, the Field Museum unveiled Sue, the largest T. rex specimen ever discovered; estimated to be 67 million years old, Sue has a length of 40.5 ft, stands 13 ft tall at the hips, and has been estimated at between 8.4–14 metric tons

During a 9 month reign of terror in 1898, these two male lions (known as the Lions of Tsavo) preyed on railroad construction workers in Kenya; the lions killed 28 workers before they were captured

In September, 1938 a meteorite crashed through a garage roof in Benld, Illinois and ended up lodged in the seat cushion of a Pontiac after bouncing off the muffler

For decades, scientists thought the coelacanth had gone extinct millions of years ago because they had only seen it in fossils; in 1938 one was captured in South Africa and another in 1999 in Indonesia making it one of the rarest fish in the world

The Chicago skyline from the exit of the Field Museum; the museum has 150+ scientists and researchers that travel to the far corners of the world in search of new discoveries and clues to what life was like hundreds, thousands, and millions of years ago

The mammals and birds (like this gorgeous hyacinth macaw) were all once alive and have been taxidermied; most of the museum (which costs $40!) seemed to consist of dead animals

The kora is a musical instrument made by attaching a long, wooden neck to a calabash; there was a temporary exhibit on Senegal where the kora is traditionally played

The gemsbok is much more appealing when it's alive and bounding across the Karoo in South Africa; with the advent of the Internet, the museum today is probably more relevant as a leading research institution

Ceramic jar, Arizona, 750 AD; the professional staff maintains collections of 24+ million specimens and objects that provide the basis for the museum’s scientific-research programs

These were the first two elephants to ever be taxidermied and have been the focal point of the Field Museum's main hall since 1909; some sections of the museum just seemed naturally dull such as botany, gems and anthropology

Can you imagine people lining up today to visit a natural history museum?; when the Field Museum opened this was the only place people could see exotic species and learn about what life was like in other parts of the world

Much of the Field Museum seemed very dry and dated; there was tons of information to read and much of it was too sophisticated for kids and too boring for adults

This was our second visit to the 434 acre Arboretum near Asheville just off the Blue Ridge Parkway; admission is free but parking is a flat rate of $16 per car

The Arboretum has a special art exhibit called Wild Art featuring local artists with most artworks also being for sale; Leo is bronze and selling for $16,000

The Arboretum is just a few miles from Biltmore House, the largest (178,926 sq ft) privately owned house in the US; the gardens at Biltmore are gorgeous but admission starts at $64 per person

We made a stop at Haywood Community College to see their rhododendrons but also saw this beautiful flame azalea; these plants are native to NC and can be seen mainly in the mountains (they are on a steep hill so my Dad is trying to keep my Mom from sliding down)

The idea for the Arboretum dates back to 1898 and Frederick Law Olmsted who designed the gardens at Biltmore House as well as Central Park; the Arboretum didn't actually get developed until 1986

Established in 2005, the Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that can host up to 100 bonsai specimens at a time

The Rocky Cove railroad exhibit is a garden scale model train exhibit that demonstrates the coming of trains to Western NC at the turn of the 20th century (Saturdays and Sundays only)

Some species of rhododendron are poisonous to grazing animals because of a toxin called grayanotoxin in their pollen and nectar; people have been known to become ill from eating honey made by bees feeding on rhododendron and azalea flowers

This bonsai collection, entitled Aunt Martha's Garden, includes a false cypress, thyme, oregano, barberry and a blue forest juniper; bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub species

The Arboretum is a popular venue for weddings (there's a wedding luncheon underway in the background); Asheville is the largest city in Western NC with 93,000 residents but the metro area has a population of 460,000

This wood artwork, entitled Tributary ($12,000), was inspired by the Tuckasegee River in NC which the artist drives by daily; NC has almost 20 million acres of timberland with an annual economic impact of $5 billion

There are numerous hiking trails here where you can see the largest redwoods anywhere in the South; the Arboretum is also famous for its Winter Lights exhibit during the holidays

My Mom is underneath The Great Monarch Migration ($35,000) where the butterflies are on springs so that their wings flutter in the wind; this piece illustrates the annual 3000 mile journey of the Monarchs

The Quilt Garden represents an interpretation of a handicraft common in the Southern Appalachian region; this garden uses the Log Cabin block pattern

We've tried to see the rhododendrons blooming in the NC mountains for several years now and can never get the timing correct; it seems the garden varieties are blooming now but the wild ones are still a month away

I love otters but this piece entitled The Visitor doesn't quite capture their personalities (they look more like prairie dogs!); if you're interested it's a bronze selling for $11,500

The bonsai collection, established in 1992, includes specimens from around the world including this Japanese maple; Asheville was the first U.S. city recognized as a Green Dining Destination (significant density of green restaurants)

The Eastern red columbine (aka American columbine) is a wildflower popular with hummingbirds; on July 14, 2020 the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to approve reparations to the Black citizens of the city (second city in the US to do so after Evanston, IL)

Akaka Falls, at 442 ft, is the tallest free-flowing waterfall in Hawaii; it lies in a state park where admission was $10 to take a half mile up and down path to admire the scenery

Amelia Earhart planted this banyan tree in 1935 on Hilo's Banyan Drive; Hilo gets less than half the tourists of the sunnier and warmer west side of the island (Kona)

The mongoose was introduced originally to control the rats infesting sugar cane fields; unfortunately rats are active at night and the mongoose during the day with the mongoose population now out of control

Much of attractive Lili'uokalani Park now consists of Edo-style Japanese gardens, built 1917-1919, and said to be the largest such gardens outside Japan

Rainbow Falls is 80 ft. tall and the falls flow over a natural lava cave, the mythological home to Hina, an ancient Hawaiian goddess; supposedly every morning around 10am you can see rainbows here (we were too early)

The Waipio Valley Lookout offers stunning views of Waipio Valley which is about one mile across and over five miles deep, and surrounded by cliffs up to 2000 feet high

Wailuku River Falls; starting at 10,800 ft on the slopes of Mauna Kea, the Wailuku River is the longest in Hawaii at 28 miles long; the river is rated Class 5 white water and has been navigated by experts on kayak

The royal poinciana is my favorite tree in Hawaii; native to Madagascar, the tree typically blooms in Hawaii from April-June with brilliant red flowers (although I like the rarer yellow variety even more)

FDR planted this banyan tree in July 1934; other famous people to have planted trees on Banyan Drive include Babe Ruth, Richard Nixon, Cecil B DeMille and Louis Armstrong

Peepee Falls (80 ft) is about a mile and a half upriver from Rainbow Falls; also here are the Boiling Pots, a series of small pools and cascades that can be quite turbulent if it has recently rained

Kehena Beach, south of Hilo in the Puna district, is one of the most famous black sand beaches on the island; this hippie hangout was formed in a 1955 lava flow

Amazing root systems of trees above Kehena Black Sand Beach; the snorkeling was surprisingly good here (although in very deep water) with Lee seeing a couple of turtles

The view out our hotel window in Hilo was of Coconut Island (or Moku ola in Hawaiian); the island was the site of an ancient temple dedicated to healing with legend saying anyone swimming around the island 3 times would be healed

Monkeypod trees, like this gorgeous specimen in Lili'uokalani Park, are ubiquitous in Hawaii; the park's site was donated by Queen Liliʻuokalani, and lies SE of downtown Hilo, on the Waiakea Peninsula in Hilo Bay