Home for the Holidays!

The Hulsebus Family Dream is continuing, however, we are back in California for the holidays! In a strange way it almost feels like we are on vacation (everyone can roll their eyes). We flew back on Tuesday, December 9th into Sacramento to stay with my folks in Granite Bay. Over the next month we will be staying at the Rancho Las Plamas Resort in Palm Springs (a place Cindi and I vacationed 15 years ago), my grampa McDonald's 1927 cabin in Big Bear (I love this place), Palmdale (to spend Christmas with Cindi's sister and parents), LA (to attend Cindi's family's Chanukah party), the OC (to stay with the always hospitable Baker family in Ladera Ranch) and then back to Granite Bay for a week with my family and lots of our hometown friends. We are looking forward to spending some much needed time with missed family and friends. Well try to catch up on the blog as well. Merry "Christ"mas and Happy Holidays!

*<|(;-O}> Ho Ho Ho!

BACK POSTS

Just wanted you to know that we added a back post...Fort McHenry...We just added it, but you will have to go back a few posts to find it.

Washington DC, Virginia and North Carolina (catch up blogging)

After Baltimore we headed south to Washington DC area. Since we had taken a week long trip last year to DC we just spent acouple days here. We stayed north at the Cherry Hill RV Park. We only went into DC one day and after driving past some of our favorite sites we parked and we into the "kid's portion" of the Holocaust Museum. With Cindi's Jewish family blood we wanted to give the kids a lighter dose of this incredible world tradegy. We ate that night north of the OMNI Hotel in North DC where we had stayed a year and a half before. We remembered this burito place beacuase the California is in its name and I tried the hottest hot sauce on their wall of options last time and almost died. I think its called Dave's Gourmet Insanity Hot Sauce.

The next day we pulled out and went to Mount Vernon, George Washington's house. We missed this on our previous trip to DC. We saw the entry movie and then toured the house and the grounds. The newer museum at the end of the tour was very impressive and informative.

After a night in a WalMart and some shopping at some outlet malls. Then headed to Richmond, VA

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

It was the 3 kids and me once again experiencing the Hulsebus Family Dream. We dropped Cindi off early at the Florence, SC airport and made our way to probably once of the largest RV parks we've visited yet. It's called PirateLand Family Camping Resort and is located along the coastline in Myrtle Beach. We got the best spot in the entire park right in front of the Atlantic Ocean. Considering it is late Novemember / early December though this place is a ghost town. Anyway we love our "pull through" spot. We wish the weather was a little better though. We decided to plant it for a while, 7 nights to be exact. The better part of the first 2 days we stayed inside as it pretty much rained nonstop. This gave us lots of inside-the-motorhome time... just what we needed.. haha! Actually the kids have been doing some good reading. Last week Tanner finished the 870 page "Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix" (5th book) and this last week he started AND FINISHED the 6th book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (652 pages!). Sterling and I read "Football Genius" by Tim Green a few weeks ago. Then he read another football book. Now he's reading Football Double Threat by Matt Christopher. There is a theme here with Sterling that is quite obvious. He LOVES Football! Peyton is our reader in training. He is starting to read and is doing a great job. He is beginning to read all sorts of starter books primarily the ones that are part of his Sing, Spell, Read and Write homeschooling kit.

As the weather got better we were able to get out more and exercise, play on the beach, and feed the seagulls. On the third night we drove into the city of Myrtle Beach. We found a nice shopping/restaraunt/entertainment area called Broadway on the Beach. We decided to catch a bite to eat at Senior Frogs. I know, it sounds like a place your supposed to visit when you go ashore on a Mexican Cruise. Actually, I think I've been to one of these places in Mexico... uuhh...anyway, if I have, I don't remember ;-) Well it was very calm inside as we were pretty much the one ones eating dinner in the place. We were going to walk around after dinner but it started to rain so we dipped into an "It's Candy" candy store. Funny thing is we didn't even need to buy any because the samples they were offering were these huge (biggest samples we've ever gotten) chocolate, marshmellow blocks that they easily served as our dessert. The next day we got some sun so we tried to spend a decent amount of time outside after our homeschool. Peyton and I built a rocket back in Minnesota and had yet to launch it off so we decided the time had come. Now, there were signs saying no fireworks, but a rocket is not really a firework (...right?...) so we set up the lauching device next to our motorhome and started the countdown.... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF! Peyton got the honors to push the launch button. Now we knew there was an easterly breeze but we didn't really know how high this rocket would travel. We were absolutley amazed how high this rocket shot into the air. Sterling, who was on the beach hoping to catch it, had no chance. The rocket went so high that it made it into the gulfstream. The parachute deployed properly and begin to float down but the breeze carried it out over the ocean and gave our rocket a realistic Apollo splashdown in the Atlantic. "...There were no survivors." Eventhough we only got the chance to shoot it off once the kids thought it was awesome. We need to buy another rocket. We decided we liked the powerful engines tough.That night since we hadn't swam in the indoor pool we made it a priority. Nothing fancy just a rectangular heated pool and a hot tub. We played, swam a few laps and I got to assume my normal pool role of kid-launcher. The kids had fun stacking themselves 3 high, Peyton on Tanner's shoulders and Tanner on Sterling's shoulders. Lots of laughs!

On Wednesday we homeschooled, beached then drove inland 1 hour to Florence, SC to pickup mommy. We were glad to get mommy back to PirateLand because we all really liked being right on the beach. It somewhat reminded us of the place we stayed in Cape Cod (also right on the beach).Thursday was the best day yet. Sunny and 67 degrees but a little breezey. Not bad considering it now is December. Cindi and I got runs to the piers to the north in and the kids really enjoyed the sand and the beach. We also went to Johnny Rockets for Dinner and back to It's Candy for a little treat.  We spent the next day playing on the beach and Peyton had a great time burying Sterling.   Their favorite activity was making forts and then bombing them and then building another and then bombing it again.  We love the beach!

Sorry Nothing Too Exciting To Write About

As the title says, some days are just put in the "nothing too exciting happened today" category. On Wednesday we homeschooled and recessed at the 'resort" playground between subjects. After school we experienced our RV park's Battle of Gettysburg Diorama, an 800 square foot model recreation, with about 20,000 hand painted soliers, horses and buildings brought to life with a light and sound show. We were treated to a free private showing. It actually was pretty cool and there were tons of Gettysburg collectibles and artifacts owned by the RV parks Civil War buff owner. After the diorama I then treated the kids to something "they" really wanted to do... see the just released movie, Madagascar 2. The theater was probably the nicest one I've ever been in and the movie... it was OK. Kids liked it.

On Thursday we homeschooled then after 4 nights at the Artillery Ridge Camping Resort we took off an drove southeast over the Mason Dixon Line. More history. This line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line between four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (then part of Virginia). Mason-Dixon Line symbolizes a cultural boundary between the Northern United States and the Southern United States (Dixie). Doesn't quit feel like were in the South yet. Anyway we were in route to Baltimore, Maryland to pick up Mommy. Yeah!! THAT actually IS exciting! Well for us it is. After the hugs and kisses we drove to a WM in Columbia outside Baltimore and checked in for the night.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Growing up we all learn about the dramatic Civil War battle of Gettysburg and the importance it played in the history of our county. For this reason it was a mandatory stop on our US Tour.
On Sunday afternoon we pulled into the The Gettysburg National Military Park. To say we are getting our "money's worth" out of our $80 US National Parks Pass is a gross understatement. We seriously use it all the time! The kids, and Cindi and I, are getting amazing history lessons each week. Needless to say we do not have history books for homeschool this year--they are getting a huge dose of the real thing! What an incredible experience! There are times we just stop and thank God that we, or He, has created this unique opportunity for our family.

The new Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center opened this year and is VERY impressive. We started, as we normally do, with getting the Junior Ranger Program materials (this is where the kid's groan, primarily because it is Sunday). As part of earning another Junior Ranger badge/patch they got (had) to listen to a ranger talk entitled, "Civil War Soldier." It was very interesting but butt-chilling as it was cold outside. We then headed inside to watch a great film on the Gettysburg Battle called, "A New Birth of Freedom." We then went upstairs and enjoyed the Gettysburg Cyclorama which is a 360 degee painting that lights up with narration as the 3 day battle is retold. We then toured the museum. All very interesting and enough information to complete their Junior Ranger requirements.  Here is the quick summary: The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory in the summer of 1863 that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy," it was the war's bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties (that is just unimaginable). It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous address, The Gettysburg Address... "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war..." OK, that did not even come close to doing Gettysburg justice so for more information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg.

Our accommodations were within a cannon's shot away from the battlefield, at the Artillery Ridge Camping Resort. Cindi decided to work another Get Motivated show, so early Monday morning we all jumped in the car (actually I carried each sleeping kid into the car) and headed south through Maryland into Virginia to deliver Cindi to Dulles Airport. Then headed back to Gettysburg with the kids sleeping almost all the way back. After homeschool, the boys and I ventured out on a self guided tour of the battlefield. We took a couple hours driving around, stopping along the way at numbered stops that highlighted key battle locations and monuments. It is amazing that this battle took place only 150 years ago. Can you believe that? It seems like it should be so much further back in history. Fortunately the Union prevailed and we were on our way back toward reuniting the nation and more importantly moving in the right direction toward, all men being created (and treated) equally. (music starts...) "God Bless America. Land That I Love..." Sorry couldn't help myself breaking out in a little patriot singing :-)

Hershey (Chocolate), Pennsylvania

We have talked about visiting Hershey many times since we started this adventure, primarily since Cindi has fond memories of this exact place when she visited here years ago with her grandparents. Bummer that Cindi couldn't go with us but the kids were excited to visit "The Sweetest Place on Earth." So after school we drove an hour north to Hershey, PA to visit "Hershey's Chocolate World." The first thing we did was go on the ride called, "Great American Chocolate Tour" where we briefly learned about chocolate from "bean to bar." It was an entertaining "Disney-type people mover" ride through a pretend factory. A real factory tour would have been much more interesting--I'm not sure if they even offer such a tour anymore. The ride was mildly entertaining and a free sample at the end made it worth it. So much so that we went twice. We passed on the 3D movie as we heard it wasn't worth it. We did shop though. I gave the kids 5 bucks each to buy whatever candy they wanted in the large store on site. The last thing they needed was more candy after Halloween but after all we were at Hershey World. The kids were surprised how many different types of candies Hershey's actually makes. In addition to the Hershey's bars and kisses, they also make Reece's (Sterling's favorite), Kit Kat, Whatchamacallit, Almond Joy (surprisingly Peyton's favorite), Mounds, PayDay, 5th Avenue, Heath, Rolo, Skor, Milk Duds (loved those as a kid... and now), Take 5 (Cindi's favorite), Whoppers, Zagnut, Zero, York Peppermint Pattie, Jolly Ranchers, Good & Plenty, Twizzlers, Bubble Yum, Ice Beakers, Breath Savers, Moana Loa, and fine chocolates called Cacao Reserve.

On the way back to Gettysburg we drove around Pennsylvania's capitol building in Harrisburg. Not too exciting. It's days like these that we are glad we have a pull car. We leave the 8 miles per gallon 40' monster behind and take our 20+ mpg Saturn on day excursions.