This spring, one of our favorite shows returned to cable: The Tudors. It’s a Showtime miniseries about the life of King Henry VIII. This is the show’s third season, and at this point in the series, Henry has already gone through two wives (Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn) and is starting to sour on the third (Jane Seymour). We started watching the show when Elise was pregnant with Henry (Henry’s middle name, Callum, was inspired by one of the actors in the first series, Callum Blue). It’s difficult to find the time to watch TV these days, but with cable on-demand, we can wait and watch the show when Henry is in bed and our chores are done. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays King Henry. The show is a little bit of history with a lot of soap opera and action-adventure mixed in. Two other historical miniseries that we really enjoyed were Rome and John Adams (both HBO productions).
Friday, May 8, 2009
Things We Like: Historical Miniseries
This spring, one of our favorite shows returned to cable: The Tudors. It’s a Showtime miniseries about the life of King Henry VIII. This is the show’s third season, and at this point in the series, Henry has already gone through two wives (Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn) and is starting to sour on the third (Jane Seymour). We started watching the show when Elise was pregnant with Henry (Henry’s middle name, Callum, was inspired by one of the actors in the first series, Callum Blue). It’s difficult to find the time to watch TV these days, but with cable on-demand, we can wait and watch the show when Henry is in bed and our chores are done. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays King Henry. The show is a little bit of history with a lot of soap opera and action-adventure mixed in. Two other historical miniseries that we really enjoyed were Rome and John Adams (both HBO productions).
Days Out
With our condo constantly being shown to potential buyers, we’ve decided to spend as much time as possible away from the house. Fortunately, the weather has been improving, and we’ve had some wonderful weekend and day trips this spring.
Baltimore Children’s Museum:
During our first open house, we returned to Baltimore to visit the Port Discovery children’s museum. Covering three levels and with numerous exhibits, the museum is one of the best kid-friendly venues in the area. On the ground level, there's a mock convenience store where children can shop for groceries and pump gas for an actual VW Beetle. Henry could have spent all day packing and unpacking his grocery cart. He particularly liked pulling items out of the refrigerated cabinets and climbing around in the backseat of the car. On the same level, they have a life-sized cow for the children to milk and a patch where they can dig for potatoes. On the top level there's a train, a 1950s retro diner, and Henry's favorite exhibit: the Wonders of Water (WOW). The museum has raincoats and crocs for the children to wear and numerous water exhibits. Henry had great fun putting together water pipes and splashing around in the various streams and canals. Afterward they have a huge hot air fan to dry off. Once again, Henry had so much fun that he was asleep before we left the building. That gave Bryant and Elise the chance to enjoy a long walk around the Inner Harbor.
Baltimore Children’s Museum:
During our first open house, we returned to Baltimore to visit the Port Discovery children’s museum. Covering three levels and with numerous exhibits, the museum is one of the best kid-friendly venues in the area. On the ground level, there's a mock convenience store where children can shop for groceries and pump gas for an actual VW Beetle. Henry could have spent all day packing and unpacking his grocery cart. He particularly liked pulling items out of the refrigerated cabinets and climbing around in the backseat of the car. On the same level, they have a life-sized cow for the children to milk and a patch where they can dig for potatoes. On the top level there's a train, a 1950s retro diner, and Henry's favorite exhibit: the Wonders of Water (WOW). The museum has raincoats and crocs for the children to wear and numerous water exhibits. Henry had great fun putting together water pipes and splashing around in the various streams and canals. Afterward they have a huge hot air fan to dry off. Once again, Henry had so much fun that he was asleep before we left the building. That gave Bryant and Elise the chance to enjoy a long walk around the Inner Harbor.
Fredrick, Maryland:
During the next open house, we headed to Fredrick, Maryland (about one hour from DC), walked around the old town, and played in the city’s enormous Baker Park where Henry tried his first seesaw.
Williamsburg:
On the third open house weekend, we left town early and drove to Williamsburg, Virginia for a quick getaway. Once again, we stayed at a Homewood Suites hotel with a pool. On Saturday we visited Colonial Williamsburg and walked around the historic area. Although much of the history was lost on Henry, he enjoyed seeing the carriages and watching the blacksmiths and wheelwrights at work. In the stationary store, one of the historical interpreters showed Elise how to write with a quill pen and made a souvenir parchment engraving for Henry. While touring the historic area, we ran into Elise’s cousin Nathan Mortier and his wife. Nathan is in law school at William & Mary, so it’s not surprising that we saw them. However, this was the second time we have met them unexpectedly. The last time was several years ago in Rothenburg, Germany when we spotted Nathan and his parents in a restored medieval house. We can't help but wonder where we will see them next!
After a long day in Colonial Williamsburg, we headed back to the hotel for a swim in the pool. On Sunday, we made the short drive to Jamestown and visited the site of America’s first permanent English settlement. It was another full day, but Henry proved to be a tropper. It wasn’t until we got back to the car that he finally closed his eyes...and slept most of the ride home.
During the next open house, we headed to Fredrick, Maryland (about one hour from DC), walked around the old town, and played in the city’s enormous Baker Park where Henry tried his first seesaw.
Williamsburg:
On the third open house weekend, we left town early and drove to Williamsburg, Virginia for a quick getaway. Once again, we stayed at a Homewood Suites hotel with a pool. On Saturday we visited Colonial Williamsburg and walked around the historic area. Although much of the history was lost on Henry, he enjoyed seeing the carriages and watching the blacksmiths and wheelwrights at work. In the stationary store, one of the historical interpreters showed Elise how to write with a quill pen and made a souvenir parchment engraving for Henry. While touring the historic area, we ran into Elise’s cousin Nathan Mortier and his wife. Nathan is in law school at William & Mary, so it’s not surprising that we saw them. However, this was the second time we have met them unexpectedly. The last time was several years ago in Rothenburg, Germany when we spotted Nathan and his parents in a restored medieval house. We can't help but wonder where we will see them next!
After a long day in Colonial Williamsburg, we headed back to the hotel for a swim in the pool. On Sunday, we made the short drive to Jamestown and visited the site of America’s first permanent English settlement. It was another full day, but Henry proved to be a tropper. It wasn’t until we got back to the car that he finally closed his eyes...and slept most of the ride home.
Henry’s Words
He was a little slow getting started, but in the last few weeks, Henry has been picking up all sorts of new words. His current vocabulary includes:
People:
Mommy
Daddy
Baby
Elmo (mo-mo)
Cookie Monster (ca-ca)
Friends:
Hannah (ann-ah)
Lucy (lu-lu)
Teddy
Dorothy
Body:
Ear
Eye
Nose
Chin
Teeth
Toes
Hair
Elbow (bo-bo)
Food:
Blueberry (blu-blu)
Banana (nana)
Apple
Milk
Juice
Crackers/Cookies (ca-ca)
Colors:
Red
Blue
Green
Yellow (ya-ya)
Misc:
Hat
Ball
Shoe
Sock
Bubbles
Hi
Bye-bye
Help
Please
Thank you
No
People:
Mommy
Daddy
Baby
Elmo (mo-mo)
Cookie Monster (ca-ca)
Friends:
Hannah (ann-ah)
Lucy (lu-lu)
Teddy
Dorothy
Body:
Ear
Eye
Nose
Chin
Teeth
Toes
Hair
Elbow (bo-bo)
Food:
Blueberry (blu-blu)
Banana (nana)
Apple
Milk
Juice
Crackers/Cookies (ca-ca)
Colors:
Red
Blue
Green
Yellow (ya-ya)
Misc:
Hat
Ball
Shoe
Sock
Bubbles
Hi
Bye-bye
Help
Please
Thank you
No
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