So here I sit in the Philadelphia airport blogging away. But wait! What happened in between the last blog and this one? A whole LOT! I was fortunate that the hotel had an internet connection, but it was horrible, so I gave up blogging. Now that we have a two hour wait at the airport, I have time and a great connection. Guess I will have to write after I get home from my poor dilapidated memory.
Nine of us are returning together from Klamath Falls. We have had fantastic discussions on the things we have seen and lots of laughter together throughout the week.
Last night we had a great dinner at a Cuban restaurant. So much delicious food to choose from. I could not decide so I had a little plate of four different items. My kind of place! Afterwards we had Ice cream in Franklin's Ice Cream Parlour, which was so delicious I had ice cream there three times.
Philadelphia was not just about food, although every meal we ate was amazing. Yesterday we visited the Powell House, which is a restored home of a prominent wealthy Quaker family. We saw the ballroom where Washington danced and made plaster molds to make decorative pieces like those used during that era. The furniture was amazing and the china that Washington gave as a gift to Mrs. Powell was beautiful.
We also visited Dr. Physick's house. He was a physician during the revolutionary era and tried to help people who were vicitims of the yellow fever epidemic. One fourth of the city died from that mosquito borne illness, which they did not understand. Common treatment included emetics, and bloodletting, which only weakened the patients under treatment. Finally another doctor from the Carribean came and recognized the disease as yellow fever and prevention and treatment improved. We made an herbal mosquito repellant which included catnip as a main ingredient; apparently catnip has a chemical in it similar to deet! Mixed with lavender and lemon balm, it smelled quite good. Dr Physick also made soda as a medicine for his patients with stomach problems. He mixed it with sweet juices, like berries and people liked it so much it became a popular drink, thus soda pop became popularized. He is my hero!
The highlight of yesterday was the visit to Christ Church, a gorgeous Episcopalian (Anglican) church in historic Philadelphia that is still in use today. Our guide was the main historian for the church and he was fantastic! He enthusiatically led us to a spot where a bell sat on a small dolly and proclaimed that the bell had been returned! Apparently the bell had rung out on the day the Declaration of Independence had been read aloud to the people of Philadelphia. The church had given the bell to a place that is currently a nursing home and they had just returned it this week! They plan to ring it this year on July 3rd. The only problem is that it weighs over 450 pounds. I hope they can do it! It is a Whitechapel bell, the same company that still makes the English Handbells that my family rang at Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Klamath Falls, OR. They make the highest quality handbells in the world! Unlike the Liberty Bell we were allowed to touch it and I felt a shiver up my spine as I did. We sat in the pews, or boxes that many of our Founding Fathers sat in. Oops! Time to board. I will have to continue later.
No comments:
Post a Comment