After five or so days in good ol' Philly, we've landed for the time being in our nation's capitol - Washington, D.C. I'll have to admit that out of all the places we've been so far, Philadelphia has been my favorite. A large part of that may be my love for American history, but nowhere else have we found the most things to do in the least amount of time. AND the nicest people. But more on that in another post.
Thanks to Holland Saltsman and John Buck at Webster, we were able to stay with a beautiful family only 20 minutes from downtown Philly; Buck's old high school friend David Harkins, his wife Judith, and their two wonderful daughters, Sophia, 3, and Mirielle, 2. Katelyn and I were thrilled to have younger people to play with once again. We played with the girls in their own huge playroom in the basement, went to feed the ducks at a nearby college campus, and we even got to babysit for a night while Dave and Judith went out. (We figured a free night of sitting was the least we could do to pay back their hospitality).
Oh yeah, we also worked on our film. Once Upon a Nation was indeed what Katelyn said it was; a huge production that takes place over the summer that employs a large array of costumed interpreters from colonial times as well as storytellers who perform at a series of benches around the historic district, telling stories of our nation's birth. It sounds like a great program...definitely something the two of us will be keeping an eye on for summer employment options!
The Please Touch Museum was wonderful as well. We were bummed we didn't have kids to play with there (Sophia and Mirielle had to be in school) but we were wonderfully taken care of by the staff of the museum who were more than willing to work with us. We filmed an interview with the VP of Exhibits as well as Alice and David who write and perform in the children's theater. The show they were doing now was called "Eat Like a Pirate," and it was a thinly veiled message to kids to start eating less fast food and more fruits and veggies. We loved it.
When we weren't working, we spent time touring. I finally got to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, as well as the grave of Benjamin Franklin. Being in Philadelphia made me want to learn more about the Revolutionary War, watch National Treasure, and see the musical 1776 again. I'm not sure if I can really describe what it was like for me to be in these places and see these things; to see actual copies of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Contsitution. I think I'm finally at that age when I can fully appreciate what these things meant to the people who wrote them, and what they mean to all of us now. It was truly a treat to see them all in person.
Being in Philadelphia brought new decisions and more disappointments also; we both registered for a full set of classes at Webster next semester, so that pretty much sealed our decision about whether we go back or not. We also found out that the school system at Nashville apparently has this whole application process we were supposed to go through in order to film anything at one of their schools. Even though we had permission from both the teacher, the principal and every single parent of each child who was filmed, they don't want us to use the footage. We asked the man who we've been in contact with if we could submit an application ex post facto, and they told us no, they don't want Metro to be affiliated with our project. That means right now we can't use any of the footage we shot of the first grade class. Obviously, I'm not that willing to let it go just yet, but we're a bit confused about how to go about convincing them that we're not out to smear their school's reputation.
So, the fun continues. We're having a blast in D.C. as well, but I'll let Katelyn tell you more about that in a day or two. Thanks for reading!
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