King Tut in Philly!

It's finally here! The climax of our trip together: the King Tut Exhibit in Philadelphia. We had heard about this exhibit's coming to the US for a couple of years. Then we found it was in LA while we were visiting Sabrina there. We tried to go, only to learn that the day before had been the last day, but that it would be in Philadelphia for most of the following year. So, when we began planning to attend the International School of Scottish Country Dancing in Halifax this summer, it seemed a fitting conclusion.
It is housed in a wonderful museum: the Franklin Institute, a place created in honor of the scientist Ben Franklin.
We visted the exhibit proper, with its multitude of artifacts from the tomb of Tut. Wow! Once in a lifetime opportunity to see these firsthand! The Institute also has an IMAX theater showing "The Mummies", a fascinating and intriguing look at the process of mummification and the discovery of the largest cache of mummies ever found. The planetarium has a marvelous demonstration of the stars as they would have appeared in Tut's time on earth, narrated by John Rhys-Davies.

This was my favorite mummy of all!!

I went into this restaurant in Chinatown in Philly and requested white rice instead of fried rice, but they don't serve it; as they explained it:"Two Wongs no makee white!"

Sorry but I couldn't resist that one. It's my blog; I'll do what I want!

After two and a half months of traveling together, a trip of a lifetime, a celebration of retirement and friendship, the Bruces and the Simms hugged and cried and prayed together for the last time for awhile and went our separate ways. Jon and Geri have a date with family in Virginia, as well as more history at Jamestown and Yorktown. Roger and Meg have family in Nebraska and Kansas, whom they desire to see very strongly.

We spent a night in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Hagerstown, Maryland, and the next night in the Wal-Mart at Zanesville, Ohio. Both relatively small towns with nice WM's and managers who welcomed us for the night. (We always shop inside!)

The next night was spent in Anderson, Indiana, where we visited in the home of Bill and Bea Anderson, our friends of some 38 years. They were the physicians in charge of the Mwihila Mission Hospital whom Meg and I replaced in 1969. Bill was my mentor and taught me most of what I know of missionary medicine and surgery. We have remained close over the years and it was a joy to be able to share the evening together (sharing as well some great steaks!) Thanks, Bea and Bill.

The next night was spent just north of St. Louis at a nice cordial campground where we really rested up and finished the last leg of our journey the next day. On Saturday 25 August we arrived at our daughter's home in Olathe, Kansas. We plan to relax, see a few Nebraska football games, play with granddaughters Reagan and Ryan, geocache the area and generally recuperate from a most wonderful experience.

For the near future we'll be "just living" and not traveling so much. We plan to be in Texas for Thanksgiving, California for Christmas and spend much of the spring in Texas and Florida. Our blogs will decrease down to about one a month. So, thanks for being with us on our journey and please check back often to see where the Wandering Bruces are in this beautiful world God has given us.

And remember: all who wander are not lost!

Roger and Meg

West Point

We took a side trip to West Point, to see our US Military Academy and the fort that Benedict Arnold tried to sell out to the British. Fort Putnam, on the West Point campus, sits high above the Hudson River and was a key point in the rebel defenses. The British plan was to take the entire Hudson and split the Colonies into two more manageable groups. It might have worked, had Arnold's plan succeeded and West Point fallen into British control.


One of the local occupants of the reconstructed fort.
Another of the main attractions of the Academy campus is the Chapel. It's neo-gothic architecture is second to none in beauty, inside and out.



One last look at the gorgeous stained glass overlooking the high altar. We loved our visit there.

The campground at West Point is lovely also; we did not stay there this time, but scouted it out for future visits. Tomorrow on to Philadelphia!

Philadelphia-City of Freedom

Our first of two days in Philly was spent in the Independence Historical Park, which includes the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, as well as many other worthy exhibits. We camped in New Jersey across the river and rode the subway to the historical downtown district each day. It's very well organized and easy to get around. The Welcome Center does a fantastic job of orienting you and helping to plan your visit. Highly recommended!
Independence Hall and the main meeting room, in which our Founding Fathers argued the question of indepence versus continuation under the Crown, finally agreeing to separation. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed in this room! Awesome!


We left here for a splendid meal at the City Tavern, a hold-over from colonial times (though it has been rebuilt like so many other sites.) It began to rain around noon and continued for two and a half days. So, day two was a museum day!

The Freedom Trail__ Plus

On Sunday we took the "T" into Boston and walked the Freedom Trail (The link will take you to the sights we visited) tracing the footsteps of our country's founders. It's about 2.5 miles in length and takes a good part of the day. We started on the Boston Common, stopping to visit cemeteries, statues and churches along the way. Lunch was at the Hub Pub. Then we continued across the Charles River to Charlestown to visit the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and the Bunker Hill Monument. The Constitution is still a working tall ship, manned by seamen of the US Navy.


We enjoyed the tour of the old heroic ship and hearing the explanations from the yeomen.Along the way we met one of the local citizens guiding tourists through his beloved Boston,


a city full of beautiful monuments and memorials to the Founding Fathers.
Murals are a very common sight in the New England cities, beautiful paintings such as this one depicting Venice on the wall of the Filippo Italian restaurant. We enjoyed a great Italian dinner this evening in another restaurant nearby, Massimino's. Earlier we sampled the pastries at the Modern Pastry Shop, a well-known bakery: great canoli's! Highly recommended!


The route took us through the market area of Old Boston with views of the old North Church.
Here is Paul Revere's home, the oldest surviving home of any of the period's leaders. Nearby is Paul Revere Park with this statue of the "Midnight Rider."

The next day we spent at Salem, an old seafaring town best known for its association with the witchcraft trials. The National Park Service has a park there which explains the shipping industry and its relationship to the city. This is the ship at the park. The old Custom House nearby:

We had lunch in the park and took a little time for geocaching.
We danced one evening with the Boston Scottish Country Dancers. They were charming and made us feel entirely welcome! Great evening!

On Tuesday we spent the afternoon in Framingham, Mass with a dear friend, Diana, while our travelmates, the Simms, traveled to Plymouth for the day We spent our last touring day in Braintree and Quincy visiting the homes of John Adams and his son John Quincy. Also stopped at the crypt of the local church for a look at their tombs and those of their wives. This is undoubtedly the closest you can come to the graves of two of our early presidents.
We finished our visit to Quincy and Braintree with a stop at this memorial cairn marking the point from which Abigail Adams and her son, John Quincy, watched the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Awesome!
Not quite sure what this sign meant? Only dead handicapped drivers allowed? Wish you were here!!

Roger and Meg, Jon and Geri