G. A. Henty... FREE!... and not just for boys!

I have seen Henty's books advertised as 'Adventure Books for Boys." So, I wasn't really interested in reading them. But, as we plan for our trip to France where we'll get to see the Bayeux tapestry, I wanted a book to teach me more about the Normandy Invasion of England in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. While searching, I came across G. A. Henty's book, Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest.

I was shocked to find it FREE at Amazon for my Kindle (well, my Kindle app on my iPad)! So, I gave it a try... and I LOVED IT! I couldn't put it down!!! It did take me several days to read, but it is a pretty long book. It is a marvelous piece of historical fiction!

The book tells the story of Wulf, a young Saxon thane (land owner), who is under the command of Earl Harold of Wessex. Earl Harold is basically running the country for King Edward. One day, they are on a ship which gets caught up in a storm and, after crossing the English Channel, wrecks in Normandy. Eventually, Earl Harold and his men end up as guests (or prisoners!) of William, the Duke of Normandy. To be set free, Earl Harold is tricked into taking an oath that he will support the Duke's claim to the English throne when King Edward dies.

This is, definitely, an adventure story! And, deals with war so there are injuries and even, of course, death. It is very well told and a captivating tell! I really enjoyed reading the 'other side of the story' because what I'd read about the Bayeux Tapestry told the story from the Norman point of view. This book is decidedly English!

Hemingway's Home and Cats! (Key West Excursion)

After separating from my daughter, sister, & niece, my mom & I headed to Hemingway's Home.

I was excited to see his famous polydactyl cats!!!

 

Here's a picture of his study which was upstairs in a little building by the pool. My favorite part was a piece of artwork that hung on the walls that showed a 'ghost' Hemingway, in his study, alongside some of his cats! The cats could 'see' him, even though he's a ghost.

Here's a tour guide, not ours, feeding one of Hemingway's cats.

The Hemingway house has approximately 50 cats, all of which carry the polydactyl gene, though only about half of them have the physical trait of having 6 toes (rather than 4 or 5). Hemingway was given a 6-toed cat by a ship's captain, and the cats are descendants of that original cat.

There's a cat cemetery on the grounds and each of Hemingway's cats are buried there. I was impressed that the guide (above - feeding the cat) said he knew the names of all 50+ cats!

And, just a self-portrait in a mirror in the gardens!

Cruising to Key West

While on our Spring Break cruise, our first day on shore was at Key West, Florida.

We had a gorgeous view when we arrived and were thankful our balcony

was on the correct side to see us pull in!

Our excursion plan for the day: going on a "Big 3" adventure - sail boat, kayak, and snorkeling. HOWEVER... we got a note the night before that our excursion was CANCELLED! So, we sadly made alternate plans...

We took a "hop on/hop off" tour.

We drove by the "southernmost point in the continental USA"...which had a long line of people wanting to be photographed next to it.

We saw several "Conch Mobiles" which are each unique and painted to reflect Key West.

After this, we 'hopped off' and separated. My mom and I headed off to see Hemingway's house and a couple of museums while Alex and her aunt and cousin went to spend the day at the beach.

"...so costly a sacrfice upon the altar of freedom."

While we're in France this summer, we'll be touring Normandy, the site of the Allied invasion. Last weekend, we watched Saving Private Ryan to become more familiar with June 6th, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day. It is an incredible movie, not just about D-Day but also about WWII. Of course, as a war movie, it is quite bloody - in fact the bloodiest movie I've ever watched. And, I did fast forward through a couple of 'inappropiate conversations' (which were while they were waiting for the tanks by the bridge). But, we are both a lot more aware of what D-Day meant to the war now.

So, who is this Private Ryan that needs saving? He is one of 4 brothers... the other 3 having all been killed in the war. Some soldiers are sent on a mission to find him and bring him home so his mother doesn't have to suffer the loss of her 4th son. While the leader is explaining why he thinks they need to "save" Private Ryan, he reads this incredible, elogent, moving letter written by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. It was written in November of 1864 to a Mrs Bixby in Boston...

Dear Madam:

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours very sincerely and respectfully,

Abraham Lincoln.

All Aboard!! (Our First Ever...CRUISE!)

Last month, Alex & I went on a Carnival Caribbean cruise with my mom, my sister, and her daughter. My mom has been on quite a few cruises, but I just wasn't sure if it was the right type of trip for me. However, it sounded like a great way to take a 'girls' trip' and to see some places we've never seen before: Key West, Florida and The Bahamas!

We've been to Galveston quite a few times and it was neat to watch the familiar sites shrink away as we sailed off on our great adventure.

This is a gorgeous view off the back of the ship. As we traveled, it was often incredibly windy on the outside decks. They had a jogging track around the ship and some people were using it, but I couldn't imagine jogging into that wind! So, I spent some time here, in the back of the ship, where it wasn't so windy.

There are lots of activities on board a cruise ship - especially in the evenings. Our favorite two shows were a magic show (wonderful!) and a juggling show (although he wasn't 'perfect', he was incredibly entertaining!). We also went to see karaoke several times, and my sister participated! And, we watched a comedy show (they have early 'family friendly' shows, and later 'adults only' shows). Usually, we ate the more formal dinners where you are served course after course of delicious food. I was disappointed in the buffet food, though - it was pretty much 'buffet' quality! And, it was hard to find food early in the morning, though room service was FREE - but not very reliable.

Most of my photos were of the excursions, so I'm disappointed to not have more to share. But, I'll leave you with this one of Alex participating in an Animal Quiz Show. She was in the final THREE out of the 30-40 who started! Mostly adults! And, one of the 'final three' was a couple and the other was a zoology professor!!! I'm very proud of Alex and her knowledge of animals!

The Saddest Part...

I just finished another book by my new favorite auther, Gloria Whelan. The saddest part? I was overcome with an urge to share the journey with someone while in the middle of the book! But, I didn't want to give too much away to Alex, because I want her to read it soon. It was a wonderful book!

The book, Listening for Lions, is about 13-year-old Rachel Sheridan. She is living in British East Africa in 1919 when a worldwide influenza epidemic breaks into her life. Her parents die and she is left as an orphan just as her mom and dad were orphans. From the stories she's heard of their childhood, she is fearful of the orphanage. In the midst of her grief, a couple change her life even more drastically and send her off, under a cloud of lies, to live in England.

The story reminds me of The Secret Garden and is a wonderful tale of charity, love, greed, lies and more. Rachel is a remarkable young lady who is torn apart by what she is doing while she tries to do the right thing. But, the right decisions are not always black and white.

Animated Norman Conquest of England (1066)

As part of our summer trip to Europe, we will be viewing the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy, France. I have never even heard of this 'tapestry'. The subject of this huge piece, which I read is as long as 3 swimming pools, is the Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. I've been reading about the subject today...

First of all, I always enjoy the information at "history for kids" or Kidipede. It has a very brief overview.
I spent most of my time at this chidding stone site. This site really helped me understand both the invasion/conquest and the tapestry.

This site is the actual website for the Bayeux Tapestry. It talks you through the tapestry scene by scene. I just wish the photos were larger! It also has ACTIVITIES and LEARNING RESOURCES! I haven't looked at these yet, but they sound neat!

My favorite resource was the animated bayeux tapestry (found on YouTube) that I have posted above. But, I had to learn what the invasion was about before I really understood the video! GREAT video! I can't wait to see the actual tapestry now!

P.S. I came across this video by historyteachers today. I have mixed feelings about it, but I think kids might really like it. And, I was happy to know enough about this time in history, now, that I understood the entire video!

Rembrandt

A new Rembrandt exhibit opens at our museum tomorrow that showcases ten of his drawings and the drawings of some of his students. I think I'll go see it this week while Alex is away at camp - her school's class trip for 6th grade. (Then, I'll take her to see it later!) While looking into Rembrandt, I found a nice 30 minute video on UNC-TV:

This isn't the same exhibit I'll be seeing, but it gave me a good background on Rembrandt.

A self-portrait from Wikipedia

There is also a site called The Rembrandt Teaching Project that includes a biography, lesson plans, activities, and more! I especially like the "During His Life" page that highlights some of the other people and events that were taking place during the time of Rembrandt.

Need a Good Wild West Book?

I just finished yet another book by Gloria Whelan! I love her historical fiction for children. (This one is listed as ages 8-12, but I think older children would enjoy it, too. I did!

Miranda's dad was killed during Custer's "Last Stand" at Little Big Horn. Now, Miranda and her mother are traveling with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Miranda's mom is very upset when Miranda starts making friends with the Indian children of the show. And, when she learns that Sitting Bull is coming to be a part of the show, she is tempted to quit. But, if they leave, they'll never afford to move back to the farm.

Alex last summer

I love that this story introduces the reader to so many characters from the wild west like Buffalo Bill Cody, Sitting Bull, General Custer, and Annie Oakley. And, you hear the story of Custer's Last Stand from Sitting Bull's point of view! 

Poetry Month: A Different Kind of Book

My daughter's class is doing several things for poetry month:

1. They must read two books of poetry (Alex chose a book of poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and a Shel Silverstein book)
2. They had to choose a poet to study (actually, they submitted 2 choices and the poet was assigned - Alex got her 2nd choice, Longfellow - her first choice was Emily Dickinson)
3. The teacher is reading aloud the book Hidden by Helen Frost

Alex is loving this book, so I had to read it for myself. The story is a very unusual story about two girls, Darra and Wren. Darra's father is a car theif, and one day he accidentally 'kidnaps' Wren who is hiding in the back seat of her mother's car. The girls, who were eight when the kidnapping took place, are now fourteen years old and away at summer camp. And, they end up recognizing each other.

This is an amazing story! And, what throws a 'twist' in the writing is that it is written in poetry! You see the story unfold from both girl's point of view, and the poetry is written in a different form for each girl! This is free-form poetry and doesn't rhyme. And, at the end of the book, you'll find something else 'hidden' in the poetry.

Alex and I both recommend this unusual book of poetry!