Old Forge, New York

Last Monday we headed south to Old Forge New York to start our summer vacation. This little town has quaint shops and beautiful scenery, but it also has a gigantic water park - which was our main destination. The Enchanted Forest Water Safari has at least 12 large water slides, many littler water slides, a wave pool and two "lazy" rivers.

Our daredevil, Carson, went on every water slide but one. I drew the line at sending my 7 year old down a water slide called the "Killermanjaro". He was not happy with me, but since he went down every other one at least twice he definitely got his money's worth!!

Aidan was happy just to ride the lazy river - 16 times!

Baseball Fever

My husband LOVES baseball, and has coached baseball for over 20 years, since he helped his dad coach a team when he was just 16 years old. As a result, he just LOVES the fact that Carson is such a good little baseball player. As their season draws to a close, here are some pictures of the team:

Carson and his friend Ryan.

Watching from the dugout.

On the verge of a home run!!

The battle continues

The actual battle that was re-enacted on Saturday afternoon was not the Battle of Chrysler farm, but instead a battle that was fought near Niagara Falls later that year. For the entire battle we had a very knowledgeable commentator from the Friends of Chrysler Farm group, give the "play-by-play". To start the battle, the British and Canadian army marched onto the field.

After many tense minutes of cannon and rifle fire, the air was thick with smoke.

After many casualties, the British commanding officer approaches the centre of the field to ask for a ceasefire.

We really enjoyed watching the battle and would like to thank all of the dedicated volunteers that made the day so exciting AND educational!!

The Battle begins

After the children's Military Muster, the field was cleared and all of the visitors took to lawn chairs on the side of the hill to await the arrival of the British soldiers. The Hill was covered with lots of trees, so we were well protected from the sun, but I felt sorry for the re-enactors in their full wool costumes. When Aidan was finished with his "tour" of duty, his little face was bright red, and he was only wearing the coat and hat and only for about 20 minutes!!

The first people onto the field were the teams manning the cannons.

Here come the Americans.

The Canadians reload their rifles.

The Battle of Chrysler Farm - Part 2

Before the official battle began, there was a children's "Military Muster". Red jackets, hats and wooden muskets were available for any children who wanted to participate, and much to our surprise Aidan was dying to try it out. First they learned to march:

Next, the new recruits had to stand at attention and load their rifles. For the grand finale, they had to charge!!! Aidan is the fourth "soldier" from the left.