Summer Vacation Part 2

We went whale watching and

moose hunting in Maine. Guess which one we saw?

We have returned to Ukraine which means our vacation is officially over. We returned on August 10 after one of the most uneventful flights ever! We got on the plane, we got off, we hung around Munich for 5 hours, we got on another plane, we got off, we got our luggage, and we were driven home! WOW! What are the chances of that happening?

Before we returned home, we drove from mom's house in Maine back to Virginia. When we left Mom's the plan was to drive to Portsmouth, NH and spend a couple of days. We were going to go to Kennebunkport and gawk at the Bush's compound, but after a long day of driving, we decided to do something fun instead! We did! As we were driving into Portsmouth, we got a little lost. We ended up on coast near the Atlantic Ocean. There was a public beach that looked very inviting. The next day instead of gawking, we went to the beach and the kids swam in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time! Laura and I spend several hours in the water-diving into and riding waves. Landon and Ben preferred to stay on the beach and play in the sand. After returning to the hotel, we met a friend of ours from Kiev for dinner. Katja was in Portsmouth helping out the Passport center. She had been there for nearly four weeks and needed to see a familiar face.

Where is Ben?


Birds on a rock

After a relaxing day at the beach, we got back in the car and started on the long drive from Portsmouth to Brandywine, Pennsylvania. It was a long and fairly quiet ride. We hit traffic near some of the big cities. When we arrived in Brandywine all we wanted to do was eat dinner and get to bed! On Saturday morning we had breakfast and headed for Longwood Gardens. As a child, I went to Longwood Gardens on school field trips and never enjoyed or appreciated the beauty of it. Today, as an adult I feel differently! What we saw was so beautiful. Here are a couple of pictures of the gardens.

There are many more pictures of the flowers and trees, but I don't want to overwhelm you!

We spent Sunday at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Landon has been teaching the kids American history and we seized every opportunity we could to visit historic sites. Valley Forge was nice, but it sure was hot! Here are a couple pictures.

Washington's Headquarters

Monument to those who were at Valley Forge

The return to Virginia was welcome. We had spent nearly a month on the road traveling and visiting. We were all tired, but no one was quite ready to return to Ukraine. Being in the states and visiting places, meeting people, and being with family and friends is awesome. We are only able to do it once a year and even then, our time is rushed!

School begins August 27. Laura will be in grade 5 and Ben in grade 4. I am amazed at how grown up the kids are! Sometimes I miss their toddler years!