Fort Meigs ~ Perrysburg, OH

The next day after our visit to the art museum, we planned to explore Fort Meigs, 

a War of 1812 fort along the Maumee River.

We have an Ohio Historical Society membership which provides free entrance to all OHS sites.

Fort Meigs is not only a reconstructed fort on the original site, but a museum with history displays, archaeological artifacts found on-site, and a museum store.
The 7 blockhouses serve as mini-museums as well.

One of the hands-on interactive displays in a blockhouse.

Several blockhouses were open the day we were there.
Just so you know, we were there on a school day and had the whole place practically to ourselves.

Hmmm.... I wonder where they got that cannon from?  Very cool.

I'm hoping to visit again during a reenactment event.
Maybe in the spring when they celebrate their 200th anniversary.
Sounds like another great Ohio field trip!

Why I Love Art Museums

Stegosaurus by Alexander Calder

It's been a tradition of ours for as long as I can remember, to begin each new school year with a field trip.

The Toledo Art Museum was our first stop this year.

We studied Alexander Calder last year while reading The Calder Game, so it was nice to see this sculpture outside the front entrance.  A Calder mobile also hangs inside. I like Calder.

I don't remember studying great art in K-12. Why was that anyway?  Was there not enough time to look at art?  I really find that hard to believe, and unfortunate.  Yes, we went to the art museum once, but only once in those 13 years.  Why?

I may never know the answer to that, but I do know that I love art museums.  They are really amazing places.  So quiet, calm, and inspiring.

I especially loved this Claude Monet.  It was absolutely beautiful.  

Antibes Seen from La Salis by Claude Monet

I was also thinking when we arrived back home; you could get a complete and fulfilling education from an art museum.  Describe a favorite painting.  Study the Mediterranean and geography.  Study trees or the science of color.  Figure the area of various paintings.  The possibilities are endless I think.

And if I lived closer to an art museum, I'm positive we would be visiting several times a year.

Middle Ages Gallery

Enjoy your next trip to an art museum.  They hold more than just a bunch of paintings and artifacts.  

They hold inspiration, creativity, and wonder.

The Mohican Fire Tower

     On our trip to Mohican State Park to do some hiking a few weeks ago, we stopped at the Mohican Fire Tower which is located within the park along the main road.

Built in 1934.

Stands 80 feet tall. 

Almost 100 steep steps (I counted).

Single file. 

No more than 6 people allowed at one time.

Climb at your own risk.  

Hmmmm..... sounds good.  

So up we went.

All 5 of us.

To the very top.

 Or, at least as far as we were allowed to climb.  

The enclosure at the top was boarded up and inaccessible, but the view from the highest point we could reach was fantastic.

We had a little rain earlier in the day while we were hiking a trail, but the skies were now clear and you could see for many miles.

Can you imagine how beautiful this will be in the fall?

April and Little J enjoying the view at the top.

We've had a long hot summer, and I'm excited for fall to arrive.  

We already have some leaves changing and falling in our front yard, which is early for us due to the lack of rain throughout the summer and the cool nights that have finally arrived.

School has started for us as well; the sure sign that summer is over, but the perfect time for field trips.