We enjoyed a visit from Derrick's parents this past week (before Memorial Day). Above is a medieval castle that we visited up north. It was built by a very wealthy inventor for the purpose of housing his medieval paraphernalia. It was incredible. He imported facades from storehouses and butcher shops in England and France, he had Roman sarcophagi, knights weapons and armor, bedroom furniture, tapestries, altar pieces, you name it. You could seriously go there for 10 years and not see everything. It was amazing. The coolest thing about it is that you pay the entrance fee and then they just let you roam free and explore the castle on your own.
Derrick and his Dad hiked to the top of bunker hill (quite a feat in the 90 degree heat that day!)
This is a picture of all of us near the fisherman's memorial in the Gloucester harbor. We hiked over to Stage Fort and ate a picnic.
This is Derrick driving a "duck tour." These are tours that are given around the city in military vehicles that drive on the land and in the water. Derrick got to drive the car in the Charles River for part of the time. We also enjoyed a meal in the North End and took a day trip up to Lexington and Concord where the first shot was fired in the Revolutionary War. We loved having the Calls with us and we miss them already. :)
This is Derrick driving a "duck tour." These are tours that are given around the city in military vehicles that drive on the land and in the water. Derrick got to drive the car in the Charles River for part of the time. We also enjoyed a meal in the North End and took a day trip up to Lexington and Concord where the first shot was fired in the Revolutionary War. We loved having the Calls with us and we miss them already. :)
We went to the beach on Monday (for Memorial Day). It's so nice to have the warm temperatures again! Bring it on! We also celebrated memorial day by going to the Bell Rock cemetary in Malden. We found the grave stone of Thomas Call, who was the first Call to come over to the United States from England (in the 1600's). It was neat to feel more of a connection to this area since we are so far away from our other "roots."
Derrick also started his APEX internship this week with a dentist in Harvard Square. He's loving the change from studying all the time to just working 8-5 a few days a week.
Mel's school is still going to be in session until June 23rd and she is really enjoying it. The students did a "cultural story hour" this week where they shared stories about their cultures and also their reactions to U.S. culture. Several of the students commented about Halloween (it seems that other cultures don't have an equivalent of that holiday). One older man from China came out of his room to get tea when his doorbell rang and he opened it to find a witch and several other people dressed in random costumes. He was totally taken off guard and had no idea what to do. Many of the students from Haiti really dislike the holiday because, in their country, they have Voodoo people that wear masks and it is considered really evil to dress up.
Also, it was interesting to learn that the Kurdish people (in northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan) celebrate the "new year" in March. The celebration centers around a story of an evil king who was very sick. He was told by his doctor that he needed the blood of six young men to be able to be healed. He found a family of six boys and had one of his servants kill five of them. However, before he could kill the sixth, the father of the boys killed the servant and lit a fire on top of a mountain to signal that the king's servant was dead. Now each year they light a large bonfire to remember that day and they dance around it. It's so interesting to learn about these different traditions and cultures all the time.
That's the latest and greatest around here. We hope you are all doing well!
