Garden Spider

This large spider is living by our back porch steps. It is a spider of the species Argiope aurantia. This type of spider eats the center of its web every night and rebuilds it.

The bright yellow markings on the back

The zipper shaped stabilimentum

Feasting on the prey

New England Filming Trip

Last month, we went up to New England to film part of our Civil War DVD series, which will be on the antebellum period leading up to the Civil War. Stephen Breagy, one of our friends, came with us to help, and also Erik Woodard, a video producer who is staying with us. On July 7, we drove up to New England, and spent the night at Princeton. The next morning we filmed at Princeton University:

Nassau Hall at Princeton University

The Cathedral at Princeton

The shoot took longer than we were planning, and also there was traffic, so we did not get to one of the places we were planning on going to. We drove to one of our friends' houses, and spent the next three nights there. On Saturday morning, we drove to Plymouth, MA and filmed in the Church of the Pilgrimage and at Burial Hill, the cemetery on the hill next to it:

The Church of the Pilgrimage

The Church of the Pilgrimage from Burial Hill

On Sunday Daddy preached at our friend's church, and we spent the day fellowshiping with them. On Monday we drove to Boston, and filmed at the First Church of Boston and Park Street Church:

Park Street Church

We then filmed in Cambridge at two of the graves of the Secret Six, men that were influential in the abolitionist movement, and the funders of John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry. We also filmed at Harvard University:

The grave of Samuel Gridley Howe, one of the Secret Six, and the husband of Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic

Harvard University

On Tuesday morning, a couple of the guys got up early and filmed at Faneuil Hall in Boston. We then drove 5 hours to John Brown's Farm in North Elba, New York:

John Brown's Farmhouse

On Wednesday we went to the Old South Church in Newburyport, MA and interviewed the pastor.

The Old South Church

Interior of Old South Church

George Whitefield's Crypt in the Old South Church

Then we went to the replica of the Friendship of Salem. We don't have any pictures because it was raining and we were busy. On Thursday we went to Concord, MA and filmed at the North Bridge, and the Wayside, a house on the underground railroad that Louisa May Alcott lived in at one point:

North Bridge (from when we went a few years ago)

We went to the grave of another of the Secret Six:

Sanborn, one of the Secret Six

We also went to Walden Pond, were Henry David Thoreau lived for a period of time:

Thoreau's Cabin

On Friday we drove to Philadelphia and filmed at Independence Hall, Congress Hall, The 1st and 2nd National Banks, the President's House, and the Declaration House:

Second National Bank

President's House

On Saturday we drove back to NC.

Panorama from the Bell Tower of the Old South church. (Click on image for larger version.)

Plymouth Civil War Reenactment

On April 30th we drove to Plymouth, NC to film a Civil War Reenactment, which included a 3/8 scale replica of an ironclad ship, the C.S.S. Albemarle. In the original battle, the Confederate troops were trying to capture the Union forts, with the aid of the Albemarle. At first the land attack was failing because the troops were being bombarded from Union gunboats in the river. They sent the C.S.S. Albemarle down the river to drive off the gunboats and help to capture the forts. The Unions tried to trap the Albemarle by tying chains between the U.S.S. Miami and the U.S.S. Southfield. The Confederate ram turned and rammed the U.S.S. Southfield. The Southfield began to sink, and the Albemarle began to sink too because her bow stuck into the side of the Southfield. When the Southfield struck the bottom, providentially she rolled, which released the bow of the Albemarle, just as the water began pouring in. The Miami fired a point blank shell round at the Albemarle, but it bounced of her iron plating and exploded, killing the Miami's commander, Captain Charles Flusser. The Miami's crew attempted to board the Albemarle, but were driven back by musket fire. The Miami then untangled herself from the Southfield and escaped into the Albemarle Sound. With the river cleared of enemy ships, the Albemarle helped to bombard the forts,which were captured by the Confederates. Six months later, the Albemarle was sunk at night in her dock by a steam launch armed with a spar torpedo.

The C.S.S. Albemarle

A replica of one of the launches armed with torpedoes that sunk the C.S.S. Albemarle

The Albemarle firing one of her cannons

Union reenactors

Union Reenactors firing

Confederate reenactors firing

A Cannon

Joshua filming with our camera

A Confederate Battle flag in front of a tent

NCFIC Love the Church Conference Day 2

Friday, the second day of the conference, was the most intense. There was one breakout session before lunch, and two following lunch. I would have like to go to some of the breakouts, but I was assigned to manage the sound in the Hispanic breakout room. Also, the Kendall family sang all three days of the conference. Rachel and some of here friends were working at the Reforming to Scripture book table through the whole conference, but none of us thought about taking any pictures of it.

Mr Pollard preaching

Mr. Pollard reading from the Bible

Josue Raimundo preaching in Spanish

Listening to Paul Washer preach in Spanish

The Kendall children singing

Joel Beeke preaching

 

Snow in North Carolina

Last night it snowed for the second time where we live! We were going to post some pictures the first time it snowed, but we were too busy getting ready for the Love the Church Conference, so I will post them now.

The snow falling

The snow still falling

A view from our attic

Snow on trees the next morning

Our backyard covered in snow

NCFIC Love the Church Conference: Day 1

Last Thursday, we left at 6:30 am to drive to the Love the Church conference put on by NCFIC. We had to get there a few hours before the conference started so that Rachel could set up the Reforming to Scripture Book table, and also Joshua and I had to go to a volunteers meeting. The first message was around 5:00 pm. Mr. Brown had each of the keynote speakers come up on stage and give a summary of the messages they were going to preach. There were only a few keynotes the first night. I liked Mr. Phillips's message the first night, which was about the gates of Hades not prevailing against the church of God. Below are a few of the pictures from the conference.

The crowd during one of the breaks between messages

Jacob Burnhardt, one of the NCFIC interns, playing the piano

Mr. Phillips preaching


Two of the recording and duplicating volunteers


Joel Beeke preaching

Beach

Two weeks ago we went to Duck, NC, which is near Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks. We arrived Thursday afternoon. Friday morning we went to the Wright Brothers Memorial. It is on the hill from which they conducted glider tests, which was next to where they lived while they were down there and where they first flew. There was also a museum about the history of the Wright Brothers before and after they invented and flew the first airplane. After that we went to Jockey's Ridge, which is a bunch of sand dunes. It was fun to walk on and climb and roll down the dunes. Jockey's Ridge is also where people fly hang-gliders, but we did not do that. After that, we went to where the first colony, Roanoke, was located. There we saw a recreation of the earthworks which they had there. Finally, we went to a used book store. We could not stay very long because it was closing time.

On Saturday, Mommy and Rachel went shopping while Joshua and I played Axis & Allies and Daddy started writing Communion of Christ's Body. After lunch we went down to the beach. Even though the water was cold, Joshua and I swam in it while Mommy, Daddy, and Rachel took a walk on the beach. After that we packed up and came home.

A model of the Wright brother's plane while they were preparing it for take-off

Joshua and I at the Wright Memorial

The stone marking where the first flight was made from

In this photo you can see the markers for the distance of each flight. If you zoom in you can see how far the fourth marker is

Daddy, Mommy, and Rachel climbing a dune at Jockey's Ridge

Joshua and I racing down one of the dunes

A sand dune

A recreation of the earthworks at Roanoke

Sunset at our Condo

A Model of one of the Wright Flyers