Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Day 3 – Cape Cod, The Ocean, The Pilgrim Monument, and Plan B by Mrs. Martin

Today we wanted to drive out to the end of Cape Cod and see the ocean. We were excited to see the place the Pilgrims first landed and where they signed the Mayflower Compact. Did you know this is one of our country's first written plans for a government? Mrs. Fish and Mrs. Martin climbed the 116 steps to the top of this monument. While they were there they saw a whale's jaw bone in the museum. It was huge!  We learned a lot at this monument and also had a lot of fun with photography here.





After that, we went to the Cape Cod National Seashore to see the ocean. We were amazed at the dunes and how diverse the ecosystems were in such a short distance. We went from forest, to beach, to ocean in a matter of a feet. (see the video)
Link to Ocean Video


We left the ocean and wanted to head to Hyannis, MA to learn a little bit more about JFK. This is where the Kennedy family vacationed and where JFK spent his summers.  They have a museum and a memorial to the late President, but when we got there it was closed. So we decided to see if we could learn more about the all the lighthouses we were seeing.  Once again, that plan wasn't working so well for us. It was just when we were getting frustrated that the coolest thing happened.


Mrs. Fish and Ms. Lightheart wanted to stop at what we thought was a lighthouse. It was an adorable looking structure by a quaint house overlooking the sailboats. Well it turned out it was a famous artist's studio; Sam Barber. He is an impressionist and sculpture who has paintings in many museums. His customers are the Kennedys, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and many other famous people. He gave us a tour of his home and studio and even gave us a free signed print of his work. While we spoke to him we learned about the local history, the Kennedys in MA, and the landscape of the Cape Cod area.  Ms. Lightheart inquired how much it would be to purchase the painting we were watching him do. Let's just say that none of us had the asking price of $14,000. Never the less, it was one of the best art lessons we ever had!  You can see his work at http://www.sambarber.com/




2 comments:

  1. Dear Eastview Teachers;
    It was interesting to view the different ecosystems on your video today. The students will be able to easily view erosion at the beach too. It sounds as if climbing stairs at Cape Cod provided some healthy exercise just like the walking club at Eastview! How fortunate to meet Sam Barber! Lake Geneva Schools' District Office is following your trip! :)

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  2. that is sooooo neat that you all got to meet Sam Barber!! I really like the Pictures!!! I never thought that a Whale's Jaw bone was soooo big! Have fun and a safe Trip!!!

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