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| This mansion was a summer retreat for a third generation of Vanderbilts, one of the wealthiest families in the US, in the late 19th century and early 20th century |
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| Formal Italian gardens next to the mansion |
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| On a guided tour |
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| One of the rooms in the mansion |
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| Mrs. Vanderbilt's bedroom |
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| "Carriage house", where the Vanderbilts kept their sleighs, horse carriages and later cars |
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| Inside the carriage house |
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| View of the Hudson River Valley from the park near the Vanderbilt mansion |
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| Our second visit to Sagamore Hill, the house of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President, to finish junior ranger activities (so Sam could get his junior ranger patch) |
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| Visitor log |
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| A well-deserved patch (the one on the bottom-right corner). He did 3 booklets (15+ pages total) of questions on history, nature and geography to get it. |
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| A hat like Theodore Roosevelt's rough riders wore |
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| Ice cream break downtown Oyster Bay |
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| Sagamore Hill back yard |
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| This wildlife refuge is not far from where we live and is run by the National Fish and Wildlife Service (NFS). |
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| A real stuffed bear from Maine |
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| We went on a walk on an interpretive trail designed for kids, where there were tasks along the way (this one asks to match the shapes of the leaves for different types of trees) |
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| Sam was really excited to discover that many wildlife refuges run by NFS have "junior wildlife manager" programs, where kids can early badges if they complete a workbook with a set of questions and activities about nature. |
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| One of Sam's favorite activities here was coloring a butterfly and making into a bookmark |
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| Matching caterpillars with the butterflies they turn into |
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| On a trail |
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| Map of other national wildlife refuges...it looks like we are not going to run out of places to visit anytime soon! |
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| Riding a pony was the favorite part of Sam's visit |
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| Crafts with leaves |
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| A house which belong to the Theodore Roosevelt's family (he was the 26th U.S. president) |
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| Checking out a model of Sagamore Hill estate in a museum about Theodore Roosevelt |
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| Junior ranger activity book asked Sam to identify plants, animals, trees and birds on this hike |
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| The hike took us to Cold Spring Harbor, with a beautiful view of the Long Island Sound |
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| Sam also loved feeding goats with grass and could not stop giggling |
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| This 18th-century church acted as a hospital during the revolutionary war, and some of the early American presidents visited it. Next to it there is a historic cemetery with burials dating to 1704. |
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| History goes much better on a full stomach |
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| Touring the church. The pews were so high to keep the church-goers warm (they brought their own boxes with hot coals in them) |
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| In the museum, Sam learned a trick about how to make a coin disappear with the wood blocks |
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| Sam's favorite part was ringing the church bell! (and getting his junior ranger badge was a highlight too) |
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| This is the site of the winter encampment of George Washington's army in the winter of 1777-1778. No battles were fought here but the army trained hard to become a professional fighting force. It was also a very difficult winter because of extreme cold and lack of food, clothes and shelter and basic supplies for the soldiers. Many soldiers did not even have shoes. |
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| Touring the field where the military camp was set up |
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| Lunchtime! |
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| George Washington Memorial chapel |
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| This activity was to make a flag which represents yourself. Sam is working on a "Sam" flag. |
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| Signing the declaration of independence! :) |
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| Some of the colonial games that soldiers played while in camp |
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| This one was a huge hit with Sam. It is called "Graces". Sam wanted to see if we can buy this game for him to play at home. |
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| Continental officer uniform |
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| Huts where the soldiers lived |
