Thursday, July 23, 2009

Well after a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon the 6 of us headed for the swimming pool - for a morning swim. After the kids swam for about 2 hours - Grandma and Grandpa came to bring Ashley and Brittany home. They stayed for lunch and then we said goodbye to Brittany and Ashley.
Next the Kings headed South = to Rock of Ages. Rock of Ages is a granite quarry. We took a tour to the actual quarry which is over 600 feet deep. We watched how the workers get to and from the bottom of the quarry. There is enough granite in this 1 quarry to last them 145,000 years! They are currently getting together some granite to be used as a memorial for the Old Man in the Mountain, in New Hampshire. We were also able to watch the artisans in the factory cutting, sculpting, and polishing their creations.
Then we got to try it out. We eached sandblasted a piece of granite to bring home with us. Next stop the granite boling alley.
We also found out an interesting fact - which is the question of the day......

What film filmed some of its scenes in 2009 in the Quarry? This question is brought to you by Nicholas!

After visiting the quarry we next visited Hope Cemetary. All of the stones in the cementary are from this quarry. But the really neat thing is some of the designs of the stones. Everything from the traditional angels, and crosses - to busts of the people, soccer balls, cubes, a racecar. These are truly works of art.

We started to drive back to our condo and decided to make one more stop for the day. We visited the Trapp Family Lodge. When the von Trapp family left Austria and first gazed on the sweeping mountain vistas of Stowe, Vermont, they knew immediately they had found their new home. And since then, the von Trapp family has invited families to join them in sharing the wonder of mountain living.

The Trapp family first started welcoming guests to their 27-room lodge in the summer of 1950. Thirty-three years later the family opened its doors to a new 93-room resort with the same country charm as the original lodge. The Lodge continues to be owned and operated by the Trapp family, the inspiration for the classic musical and movie "The Sound of Music."

Today, the 2,400-acre resort with sweeping mountain views provides accommodations in an Austrian-style Main Lodge with 96 rooms and suites, 100 2-bedroom Guest Houses (time shared) and 16 luxurious 3-bedroom Villas (Fractional and whole ownership).

A common question of the Trapp Family is which family member is played by the movie characters? The names of the movie characters are not the real names of the sons and daughters of Captain Georg and Maria von Trapp. The following will hopefully help to clarify this.

Leisl played by Charman Carr represents Agathe von Trapp
Frederick played by Nicholas Hammond represents Rupert von Trapp
Louisa played by Heather Menzies Urich represents Maria von Trapp, daughter of the Captain and Agathe Whitehead von Trapp
Kurt played by Duane Chase represents Werner von Trapp
Brigita played by Angela Cartwright Gullion represents Hedwig von Trapp
Martha played by Debbie Larson represents Johanna von Trapp
Gretl played by Kim Karath represents Martina von Trapp

The grounds are beautiful including 5 different gardens. The view of Stowe is absolutely breathtaking.
We then return to the condo for dinner, and a movie.