Kate’s Post
Hi it’s Kate again. I just
wanted to write about Fort Adams. Well, it started out just being a normal day
on Sunday July 8th, well almost as normal as a day could get. On
that Sunday morning we were going to go to the Tall Ships Parade. We sat down
on the flat red rocks, and we saw the ships come out of the harbor to where
their starting point was. We waited and waited and they still did not come
around in parade form. We played 20 guesses, and we started getting a little
too silly for my mom and dad to handle, so we decided to take a walk. We
wandered around a while and soon discovered we were starving. We bought 5
hotdogs and sat down to eat. But Before that we had purchased tickets to go see
a fort, that fort was Fort Adams. Before I had taken even one bite of my
hotdog, my dad said that it was time to go, I scarfed down my hotdog and ran to
the gift shop (The start of the tour). When we started the tour, our tour guide
introduced himself, and told us a little history of Rhode Island before we
began. We got to go into the main officers quarters, we also got to go in the
powder chamber which is where they stored all the gun powder (They didn’t have
any medal in that room so there wouldn’t be any sparks), we got to go where
they put the cannons, and we got to take flashlights into an underground tunnel
(the soldiers way of fast communication). That part was the most fun out of all
of it. The tour was over before I knew it, and I was so sad. We had to go back
to the boat after that and that was the end of the almost perfect day.
Some facts that I learned about Fort Adams:
·
Fort Adams is the biggest fort in all of America.
·
You can fit 3 large forts inside it.
·
They had lots of sources of entertainment at the fort such
as a bowling ally, a shooting range, and a movie theater.
·
In the powder chamber, the gunpowder was stacked from
ground level to ceiling top.
·
The East Gate
was the main entrance.
·
There is dirt on the fort roof so cannonballs wouldn’t
crack the fort.
·
The listening Tunnels were used to allow defenders to
listen for and destroy enemy tunneling operations.
·
The listening tunnels were 5ft. and got to the point where
they were 4 ft. 6”.
Written by Olivia during our passage (during stop over in Virginia Beach waiting for the weather) – June 26, 2012 (sorry so tardy in posting).
We saw dolphins. It was cool. I was happy. I saw flying fish. I have never seen them before. It was awesome. I learned how to drive the boat. Now when I go to camp with Maggie and Kate, we can sail our own boat. I have 5 best friends, only one goes to my camp. I am excited that we get to see Charlotte in Rhode Island. We are going to stay there for 2 days. We are running out of food. We are going to the store today. The dingy stopped its motor. We had to paddle back. We got past the storm. I am happy because we are going to the beach today.
Olivia’s Thoughts
Prompt Questions: How did you feel when your mom and dad first told you of the trip? What are you afraid of and what are you excited about.
I was nervous the first time my mom and dad told me we were going to sail on a boat for a year. I was going to miss my cat, Schroeder. I was nervous because one of us might sink and not breathe and die. I learned that we have to wear our life jacket when the boat is moving.
Now I am feeling that we can go swimming a lot. I am excited to do school on the boat. I am going to miss school and my teacher Mrs. Everett. I am going to miss my friends. I am nervous that we might see a pirate ship and sharks.
I am excited that we can go to the beach a lot. I am excited to meet new friends.
When we get back from our trip, I am going to be in 2nd grade. My grandma is going to take my cat to her house. We have a tv (computer) on our boat so we can watch movies.
Dictated by Olivia
My parents first told me we were going on a year long sailing trip this summer, while we were sailing on Lake Michigan for our summer vacation. I thought they were kidding, but unfortunately, they weren’t. I started freaking out and absolutely, positively did not want to go. Sure, it might be fun and all, but leaving my friends, my cat and neighbors--no way! For the rest of our sailing trip on Lake Michigan, I wanted the thought out of my mind. A few weeks later, they brought up the subject again. Still I refused.
A few months went by, and my parents started looking at boats and choosing a budget. If we were actually doing this, then I wanted a part in choosing the boat, too. They showed me other people’s blogs and pictures of where we were going. It almost pushed me forward into wanting to go but I still refused.
I had all these thoughts and questions going through my mind: What happens if we get caught in a storm? Where will we be during hurricane season? Is it even safe? When and how will we pack? When are we leaving? My parents said that they were going to a boat show at the end of January in Chicago to learn what to do if we are in danger. That made me more comfortable. I started feeling better about going and am now excited about it.
Written by Maggie
I’m really excited about our sailing trip, except for the fact that we have to lease our house to people we don’t know. But that’s just a detail that you don’t really need to know about.
We were on a sailboat, (Our family sails quite often) when my parents told Maggie, Olivia, and me that we might take a trip for a year on a sailboat.
I was the only one that thought it was a good idea, except my parents of course, because they were the ones that had thought of the idea.
When we had all agreed on doing the yearlong trip (It was about 1 month after they told us) I started to ask a lot of questions. I mean A LOT. I was really curious. My mom said it was good to be curious so that was a good thing to know.
I was asking questions like “what if we sink or a shark is near the boat?” I went with Maggie, Olivia, and our babysitter to the Nature and Science Museum and we saw an exhibit all about sharks. I saw some signs about the dangers of sharks at the museum. I started to worry even more because there was a sign that said that this one shark was very dangerous and it was near the east coast, which is a bad thing, since we will be sailing there. Also, “how will we keep food and water on the boat?” We do have a fridge but it’s more like a miniature and it has a tiny compartment that is a freezer. What about a pantry? Will we have one on the boat?
“Where will we put storage?” in boxes or cupboards?
“How will we get our mail?” We figured out we can send mail from where we are, but people can’t send them to us. They will have to send them to my grandma who will bring them to us when she comes to visit.
“What about our birthdays, will we get cake?” My mom said we can store things so we can make a cake. I’m glad I got most of the answers to my questions because I would probably worry a lot more than I am now.
I really want a catamaran with the trampolines. No you can not bounce on them, you relax, or as Maggie says she will “tan on them.” I want a catamaran because it is big and there is a lot of kitchen space. It’s cool how the kitchen is so big, other boats have a tiny space and I love to bake, so a big kitchen is good. It’s kind of like a living room, which you probably wouldn’t think that there is enough space for that.
We will be sailing on the east coast then to the Caribbean and Mexico. First we have to go up towards New York and that area because it’s still hurricane season in the summer and we aren’t allowed by Mexico then.
We will be learning on the boat. We will be home schooled or as I like to call it, boat schooled. We also get to Skype with some teachers we know, and we have a writing consultant Mrs. Folan.
Well thanks for reading, have a good day, night, morning, what ever time it is now, “Bon Voyage” “time to set sail” well not yet …I mean… never mind.
Written by Kate
Written by Kate