Niagara Falls or Bust

We spent day four of our non-Florida vacation finishing all that we wanted to do in Massachusetts before we started back.  Up early we were able to catch the first tour of the season for Buckman Tavern in Lexington.  This is the sight of the "shot heard round the world."  We knew most of the story, but the tour guide was enthusiastic and child friendly which added to the experience.  The highlight of the tour for me was buying "The Art of Teaching" written in the 1840's.

Our next stop was a must for Brett and I - Orchard House, the home of Louisa May Alcott.  The house made the characters of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy come to life, and the history of the Alcott family and the stories of their ties to Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne were fascinating.  The Alcott women were even related to a judge from the Salem Witch Trials, which we all found interesting.

We ended the tour of Massachusetts visiting Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where all of the above mentioned authors are buried, and the North Bridge where the Patriots stopped the British and chased them back to Boston.  We told Cal, the reluctant member of our history tour, that he could pick our lunch stop.  Without hesitation he said, "The Silver Stable" (his nickname for The Golden Corral.).  Much to our surprise the only Golden Corral in the state of Massachusetts was on our drive to New York!

Tonight we rest in a small town close to Copperstown.  After an early morning trip to the National Baseball of Hall of Fame, we will head to Niagara Falls.  Cameron can talk of nothing else.  One of his friends went to the Falls and Cam can't wait to take a picture of himself there as well.  Day four finds us tired, but ready for more adventure!