Little Women

Well, it took us ALL summer, but we finally finished reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.   The kids loved the story & I really enjoyed reading it, even if I cried like a baby when Beth died.  *sob*  The kids just go get tissues when I get going now. :)

We rented two versions of the movie--the Katherine Hepburn version and the Susan Sarandon/Winona Ryder/Christian Bale version.  We liked both!

I decided to take the kids up to Concord, MA, to see Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott lived.  And, thanks to a suggestion from my friend, Jess, we also went to the Wayside, where Nathaniel Hawthorne lived.

My dad (and Buddy the dog!) came with us--it was nice to have company for the ride since it was over an hour away.

First we toured Orchard House (and hit the gift shop), then went to lunch, then toured the Wayside.  The pictures I'm sharing of the inside of Orchard House are actually scans of postcards I bought (pics weren't allowed--I wouldn't want to get in trouble here!).

Then it was time for lunch (and to let Buddy out of the car for a bit!).

 Patience was showing us a face that someone else had made--and no, it wasn't the kid from Home Alone...

The words "Market" and "Cafe" made me think that lunch would be cheaper here than at a restaurant.  I was wrong.

Then it was on to the Wayside.

There weren't postcards of the inside of this house. :)  It's been lived in much more recently, so there were rooms that had been updated.

There's a tower, and we were able to climb the very steep stairs to see it.  Unfortunately, the stairs had carpet, and I slipped going down the last few steps.  Man!  I hurt my right foot and ankle, and dude, it took over a week to heal.

We headed home--stopped for ice cream on the way--it was a great day, but we were beat.  I'm so glad we went, though.  It's been ages since we took a road trip to go on a field trip!