Wednesday

We started the day with a nice hike around Walden Pond. Of course, Mrs. Sisk and I were trying to impress the transcendentalist values of simplicity and self-reliance upon our students as we sauntered in Thoreau's footsteps. However, I think everyone was a bit more interested in playing with the ice and snow. (Which was fine because, in Mrs. Sisk's words, "Thoreau was a weirdo anyways. Who would want to live out here by himself for two years?")

After the hike, we went to the Concord museum, ate lunch in town, and then went to visit the Sleepy Hollow graveyard. We saw the graves of Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. In keeping with transcendentalist thought, Thoreau's grave was marked by a small headstone, simply labeled "Henry." Emerson's grave, however, was a bit more ornate. A giant rock was decorated with a plaque labeled (not-so-simply), "The passive master lent his hand to the vast soul that o'er him planned."

In the afternoon, we had an hour or so of free time, so some went shopping, some napped, and some walked down the street to try to ice skate (the ice was slushy, so we ended up hanging out at the Boston Commons instead). In the evening, we went to the Italian section of Boston and had dinner. Then, we went to the Celtics' game-- the atmosphere was fun, but the Memphis Grizzlies upset the Celtics 111-91. So sad! But, we wore our green and rooted for the losing team anyways.

I can't believe the week is more than halfway over! We've packed a LOT into the past 3 days, but the time has gone quickly. I guess time flies when you're having fun! :)