Chautauqua: George Washington

We spent the evening with George Washington at the Winter Chautauqua event.  We love learning more about history through this lecture series.

The evening started of with Fowler and Brooks playing period music. Brooks was the South Carolina fiddle playing champion of 2017.  Fowler, a story teller and folk singer, played the banjo.  The pieces they played were: Camp Meeting in July, 8th of January, Bonaparte's Retreat, and Liberty.

Ron Carnegie portrayed George Washington and did an excellent job!  This is the only character he plays and has spent years perfecting his craft.  He even played George Washington in Williamsburg.

We listened to Washington's Presidential Farewell address of 1796.  Carnegie said he paraphrased it some, but the message was still the same.

George Washington is a complicated and intriguing character that many can learn from.  The man devoted himself to fifty three years of service (military and presidential).  He held himself to high standards and set many expectations we have of the highest ranking office.  It was a treat to hear him speak.

Spartanburg History Museum: Camp Wadsworth and Civil War to Civil Rights

Our home school group visited our local history museum to learn more about the WWI Camp Wadsworth.  It happened to be a special exhibit for the 100 year anniversary.

We learned about camp life and how the camp influenced our area.  The projects that the Army Corp of Engineers completed while stationed at the camp and trained for fighting overseas.  It was a interesting exhibit and really touched home.

We also learned about the life of enslaved people once they were freed after the Civil War.  The docent told us stories of various freed people and what it was like for them to live in the community after the war.

We gained more understanding of what life was like one hundred plus years ago in the county we call home.  We love learning more about our heritage!

Vacation Part 10: Universal Studios

We were excited to return to Universal, yet sad that this was our final day.  We had plans to explore the parks a bit more and return to the Wizarding World.

We took in the animal show and had a great time watching all the animals perform.

Hubs and Egee rode Transformers and had a great time.  LM and I walked around and browsed in a few shops.  We sat and talked on the steps of a Brownstone in New York.  We went and watched Bumble Bee and other Transformers at a photo-op.  LM woulnd't get his picture made.  Oh, well....

We made our way back to Diagon Alley.  Egee had fun talking to Stan at the Night Bus and dialing up the Ministry of Magic.  Then we went to Hogsmeade via the Hogwarts Express.

We explored the Jurassic Park area.  We ate lunch at Burger Digs and then explored the Jurassic Park Discovery Center.  We had a good time learning about dinosaurs and even see a baby dinosaur coming out of its shell!

We made our way to Poseidon's Fury.  This was an interesting attraction.  We didn't know what to expect, but we enjoyed it.

We wanted to see the Sinbad show, but it was cancelled for reasons unknown.  The magic fountain outside of Sinbad was fun and we enjoyed sitting and watching the interaction.

We journeyed back to Hogsmeade and let Egee and Hubs ride the Hogwart's ride.  LM and I watched the Triwizard Spirit Rally as we waited.

We made sure to stop in at Honeydukes for goodies to take home!

The Hogwart's Express was busy for our return trip to Diagon Alley.  We waited nearly forty minutes!

We went shopping for souvenirs at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and various stores in Diagon Alley.

We made it to the Macy Christmas Parade and felt like we were in New York for the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It was a grand sight!

We had another big day and still didn't get to see all that Universal had to offer.  That was okay, though.  We were there for Harry Potter and it was grand.  We can't wait to return!