The Adventures of Cat & Jack: We went twice in one week.

We've lived 30 minutes from Fort Frederica National Monument for the last 4 1/2 years. We finally visited at the beginning of April.

Fort Frederica has a really interesting history. It was established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia. At the time, Georgia was considered debatable land between England and Spain, so Fort Frederica was built to protect the English from the Spanish in Florida. It never got very big - only about 500 colonial residents - but it had two notable residents in addition to James Oglethorpe.

John and Charles Wesley, eventual founders of the Methodist Church, led a movement for people to seek to have a personal experience with Jesus Christ.

Here is a depiction of what Fort Frederica probably looked like in the 1730s-1740s...

And this is what it looks like today...

My sister, Megan, brought her family down for a few days during Spring Break hoping to spend some time at the beach. But it ended up being too cool for the beach, so we took a trip out to see the Fort instead.

Ben was working when I went with our kids and Megan's family, and it turned out that our admission was good for 7 days, so our whole family went back that weekend for free. Awesome!

I thought the history of the settlement was really interesting - I always try to imagine living in a time and place like the one I'm visiting, but I can never really see myself doing it. They were in a tiny town an ocean away from everything familiar to them. They lived under constant fear of attack. The houses were tiny. And knowing how bad the bugs are now, living as close to the marsh as these folks did, I can only imagine how bad they were before pest control existed. Life must have been tough! But at least they could enjoy these views every day. I think that would have helped me.

Yep, the beauty of the landscape was the most impressive thing to me about our visit. These pictures do NOT do it justice.

Sorry, I feel like I'm rambling. What's this blog about again? Oh yeah. Our kids. So... they had a great time. Cat was somewhat interested in the history. Jack was very interested in walking on the ruins and, well, you're actually not supposed to do that. Eliza was happy just to hang out with Mom and/or Dad. It was a great place to visit. Twice.

Quotable Cat

"Do you even know what LOL means?" (1/11/14)
"Tonight can I exercise on the elliptical? I want to gain a few pounds or lose a few pounds." (6/16/13)
(while "teaching" her friends about fencing) "I had 21 years of training. I trained until I was seven."(10/13/12)
"Mom, can you do the cream cheese? I'm better at eating than spreading." (Oct. 2012)
"I can still go pretty fast cause my mind's pretty big. It can fit a lot of stuff in it." (Sept. 2012)
(to Eliza) "Your breath smells like burned pickles but it's okay cause you were eating a lot of chips." (8/26/12)
"I want to clean my room so it can be fick and fan." (7/10/12)
(Cat asked me to be a wicked witch and I wondered what I should do in the role) "The wicked witch brushes our hair really hard." (7/10/12)
"You always make me cry! Every time I cry it's because of YOU!" (5/16/12)
"Mom, can you find me on Facebook?" (Jan. 2012)

Jackisms 2013

"Why can't we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonald's?" (10/11/14)
"Guess what? I burped 4 times and farted 3 times. {BURP}. I burped 5 times and farted 3 times." (2/1/14)
"Grammy, how does your sister tickle YOU?" (1/11/14)
"If you're going to marry two boys first you kiss the first boy then you kiss the second a boy on the lips." (6/20/13)
"Pepperonis are the funnest!" (5/25/13)
"Did you know that cheetahs are the fastest tigers on land?" (5/22/13)
"First it was the dinosaurs, then Lehi, then Rescue Bots, then us." (5/8/13)
"Did you know champagne is another word for water?" (5/21/13)
"Prepare to BE a MAZE!" (5/20/13)
"If this bread goes in the trash, it can be recycled. And it turns into a toy!" (2/20/13)
"Mommy, look. My job is easier if I'm a crane. Rrrrrrrmmmm." (2/20/13)
"Does chocolate really MELT?" (2/11/13)
"Mommy. Are you LISTENING to me?" (2/11/13)
"Big bad wolves can't blow this house down cause it's made of bricks and yarn and a little bit of wood." (2/6/13)
(While working on a puzzle) "Ooh, I'm getting so clever at this." (1/24/13)
(While explaining hibernation to me) "Did you know bears celebrate all winter?" (Jan. 2013)

Eliza's Funnies

"Luke tried to eat my whole head, Mom." (6/27/14)
"Mommy, I like how Luke whacks you in the face, and whacks you and whacks you and whacks you." (3/25/14)
"Can I help Luke slobber on his hands because he likes to slobber. (I laugh) I'm serious! He likes slobbering!" (Feb. 2014)
(because I made her eat an egg she wanted me to cook for her) "I wish I didn't have a Mom like you!" (1/31/14)
"Grammy's gonna be late if she isn't on time." (1/3/14)
"I'm a superhero. I save people and I'm stylish and awesome." (12/29/13)
(about Luke) "His kisses are just like slobber." (11/17/13)
"My Daddy is the best daddy ever. He is stronger than ANYBODY." (11/8/13)
"I wish I had a bird on my finger I could keep." (10/25/13)
"Stop talking at me! I'm getting angry at you cause you're making me sad!" --buries head in hands to "cry" for 3 seconds -- (6/14/13)

1 comment:

CelesteMay 2, 2011 at 1:09 PM
I love being able to experience the rich history our area has to offer. Before moving here, I lived in much younger states, so living in one of the original colonies has been a treat for a history geek like me. Thanks for sharing those gorgeous pictures and commentary!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.