One of Joy's favorite pastimes these days is swinging in our neighbor's swing. Any time we venture outside, we invariably wind up heading for the swing. Even if the neighbor's sprinklers are on.
We paid a visit to the Huntington Library gardens with Gretchen and Gretta recently. My favorite part was the Japanese garden. Joy's favorite part was holding her bear back pack.
Joy also enjoys pushing her stroller around. Watch out for that tree!
The scaffolding and cranes lend the museum a certain aesthetic charm, no? I also like the George Washington statue out front. It reminds me of all the Artigas statues I saw in Uruguay. Even little Bella Union, with about two paved roads and one stoplight, had a plaza with a bronze Artigas statue in it.
This was one of my favorite pieces in the museum. It's aptly entitled "Boy with a Rooster," and it just made me laugh.
On a more serious note, this is an interesting picture of Mary Magdalene preaching in France. I don't know how historically accurate that is, but I think it's interesting that a medieval painting would show a woman preaching. Hooray for sister missionaries!
I've always been intrigued by sculpted portraits--not the idealized figures of mythological characters (though those are nice enough), but sculptures of actual people. For some reason it fascinates me to see a three-dimensional representation of someone's unique features and personality. It was fun to see this bust of Benjamin Franklin, and know that if I had met him on the street two centuries ago, this is what he would have looked like (complete with wrinkles and saggy chin).
And while we're on the subject of Philadelphia culture, what visit to Philly would be complete if we didn't sample the fabled Philly cheesesteak? Locals insist that Geno's is one of the best sources of said sandwich, so we made our pilgrimage thence. I ask you, how can your pulse not quicken as you approach an eating establishment with this much neon on its facade?And yes, Shelly, we tried Italian ice at one point, as well. I think my tongue is still slightly red from it. Should have gone with lemon instead of raspberry.
On the way south, we passed some wind-powered generators. Huzzah for clean, renewable energy!
After a good night's sleep we had (mostly) recovered from our drive, so we decided to venture into Philly's historic district. Here's a photo of some tourists standing inside the Liberty Bell. OK, not really, but the picture made me laugh when I first saw it.
Here's a somewhat more respectful picture of ye bell, with Independence Hall in the background. The Bell's visitor center was very informative. I learned that the Liberty Bell didn't actually play a huge role in the Revolution, but in subsequent years it became a powerful symbol for abolitionists, suffragists, civil rights activists, and others championing the causes of freedom. I particularly liked the biblical inscription around the top: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof Lev. XXV X"
Inside Independence Hall, we saw the room where the Founding Fathers debated and approved the Declaration of Independence, and later the Constitution. It's nice to have an image to associate with the events. And no, we didn't get to climb up to the Hall's tower and look for a clue that would lead us to the biggest treasure of all time. That geeky thought did cross my mind, though. :)
I think Phillip enjoyed the U.S. Mint even more than the historical sites. It was interesting to see the automated coin-making machines and learn the process for making medals. Did you know that Charles Schultz received a posthumous Congressional Medal? It's nice to know that our leaders honor not only war heroes and philanthropists, but also some of the people who make us smile.
Our first stop was the Hill Cumorah, where the Angel Moroni directed Joseph Smith to find a set of metal plates, from which he translated the Book of Mormon. Atop the hill you can see a monument with a statue of Moroni on the top, and scenes from Church history on the sides. Most of the hill is thickly forested, but part of it has been cleared and well-manicured (probably because of the annual pageant held there).
My favorite part of the trip was our visit to the Sacred Grove. I expected my thoughts and feelings to center around Joseph Smith and his experience there, but instead they centered on my own convictions. I found myself asking, "Since I believe Joseph was called by God to be a prophet, what am I doing to sincerely live what he taught?" As I sat reflecting on my life and my principles, it struck me that the grove felt like a temple--a peaceful place where you just want to be still and draw closer to God.
Speaking of temples, it seemed appropriate that we should spend part of our visit worshiping in the nearby Palmyra Temple. It was a fitting compliment to our experience in the Grove.
We also toured the Smith family homestead. This is a reconstruction of the log cabin the Smiths lived in when Joseph had the First Vision. A few years later he was visited by Moroni in the cabin's upstairs bedroom. You can see the Sacred Grove in the background.
Between Moroni's first visit and the time Joseph obtained the gold plates, the family finished and moved into this frame home a short distance away from the cabin. Seeing these homes didn't necessarily increase my testimony, but it was nice to put some events in context and see how the family lived.
And yes, I did have to take a picture of the spinning wheel in the second house. :)
"Falls"
"Family"
"Fruit Farm"
"Frog"
The last time Aunt Emily saw Joy, our little girl looked like this.
Here are those two lovely girls one mission later. Emily just completed her missionary service in Croatia, and we're thrilled to see her again.
Here's Aunt Emily making a Croatian dessert - essentially crepes folded with Nutella inside, and whipped cream on top. Yum. :)
And, as always, Joy had lots of fun with Grandma.
