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Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA - 18th April 2008
By: MissMelissa
Hello, hello! Melissa had a very test-full week, so we haven't had much time to do anything fun. But today, we got out for a little bit and visited Parkersburg.
Here is a picture of me at the Parkersburg flood wall. It says: Parkersburg, WV.A. "Let's be friends..."
Which really bugs Melissa because the abbreviation of West Virginia is WV, not WV.A. She thinks it's silly. I thought it was kind of funny that this wall says "Let's be friends..." it happens to face the border of Ohio. Do they think that Ohio doesn't like them? Hmmm.
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Posted Apr 18, 2008, 8:11 pm
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Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA - 18th April 2008
By: MissMelissa
Anyway, I continued exploring Point Park. Point Park is where the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers join. They're doing some construction on it right now, so it was muddy and not as nice looking as it usually is. But we got a great view of the river!
This is the Ohio River, the same as before. Only this bridge goes from Parkersburg, WV to Belpre, Ohio. This is also where you take a ferry to Blennerhassett Island, but it doesn't open until May.
Here's another picture of the other side of the river. Sadly, there was nowhere to stand that didn't have caution tape or cones (on account of the construction project) without getting my paws all muddy. Can you see the barge coming down the river?
Here's another pretty portrait of me and the barge up close...
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Posted Apr 18, 2008, 8:24 pm Last edited Apr 18, 2008, 8:25 pm by MissMelissa
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Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA - 18th April 2008
By: MissMelissa
We also went to Riverview Cemetery to take some pictures. Melissa goes there from time to time to take pictures of the statues. It's really pretty there despite being, you know... a graveyard.
Here we are on the path around the perimeter of the cemetery. Look, the leaves are popping out!
We played in the ivy and Carl was almost completely covered!
This is a gravestone that is really creepy. There are stories that sometimes the statue cries. I didn't see anything, but I certainly didn't stick around too long!
Then we just followed Melissa along while she took some photographs. Here are two of them:
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Posted Apr 18, 2008, 9:07 pm Last edited Apr 18, 2008, 9:09 pm by MissMelissa
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Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA - 23rd April 2008
By: MissMelissa
Hello again! We had a little bit more adventuring today.
This is a bird's eye view of Parkersburg. We went to Quincy Hill park today and stayed there until a tree fell down and scared the crap out of Melissa.
Can you see the river and all of the bridges we've visited?
Apparently, in 1909, there was a terrible disaster on this hill.
Quote: | At 5:10 a.m. on March 19, 1909, Parkersburg's two reserve water tanks, sitting atop Prospect Hill (now Quincy Hill), burst and sent two million gallons of water cascading down the side of the hilll and into the streets of the city. Each tank, made of iron and sitting on a stone foundation, was 40 feet high and 60 feet in diameter. They were pumped full every night from the city water works located at the foot of 12th Street. Apparently one of the 26-year-old tanks broke first, and the gushing water smashed its bottom plates against the companion tank, ten feet away.
A cottage on the hillside above Avery was washed away and carried down Tenth Street to Market, killing the young newlyweds who lived there. A couple of other houses were shattered, and St. John's Lutheran Church on Avery at 9½th Street was nearly demolished. Trees were washed through the walls of Sumner, the city's black school, and several streets were choked with the debris of other trees and lumber from the destroyed houses. A barbershop in the basement of the Blennerhassett Hotel, six blocks to the south, had two inches of mud on its floor. In all, three people died and several were badly injured. |
So I am standing where the tanks were, and everything down below me was flooded and destroyed. That's kinda scary.
These stairs go from Quincy Hill all the way down to Avery Street. Melissa says people run up and down them to train for all the marathons they hold in the summer. Those people must be nuts!
Here's a tank in the park. Melissa had no explanation for the tank or why people here put weird vehicles in playgrounds. Bizarre.
Then I climbed this pretty tree for no particular reason.
Goodbye, Quincy Park. It's been lovely.
XOXO,
YumYum
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Posted Apr 26, 2008, 3:28 am Last edited Apr 26, 2008, 3:30 am by MissMelissa
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Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA - 26th April 2008
By: MissMelissa
I think after crawling around in that tree, my allergies are kicking up a little. Every morning, Melissa's car is covered in pollen. It's a really bad place to be for your nose.
Yesterday we went a few more places.
This is the gate to the Julia-Ann Square Historic district. We were just passing through.
This is the Chancellor house in the historic district. Melissa says if it wasn't so boring in this town, she would storm this house and claim it as her own and live there forever. She would probably die of boredom at age 30, though. Isn't it a pretty house?
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Posted Apr 26, 2008, 2:06 pm Last edited Apr 26, 2008, 2:13 pm by MissMelissa
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Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA - 26th April 2008
By: MissMelissa
Hello again! We made one more stop before we came home and passed out from exhaustion.
We went to the Blennerhassett Museum in Parkersburg.
Quote: | Harman Blennerhassett (8 October 1765 – 2 February 1831), Irish-American lawyer, born in Castle Conway in County Kerry, Ireland to Conway Blennerhassett and Elizabeth Lacy. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and in 1790 was called to the Irish bar. After living for several years on the continent, he married in 1796 his niece, Margaret Agnew, daughter of Robert Agnew, the lieutenant-governor of the Isle of Man.
Ostracised by their families for this step, the couple decided to settle in America, where Blennerhassett in 1798 bought a (now-eponymous) island[1]in the Ohio river about 2 miles below what is now Parkersburg, West Virginia. Here in 1805 he received a visit from Aaron Burr, in whose conspiracy he became interested, furnishing liberal funds for its support, and offering the use of his island as a rendezvous for the gathering of arms and supplies and the training of volunteers. When the conspiracy collapsed, the mansion and island were occupied and plundered by the Virginia militia. Blennerhassett fled, was twice arrested and remained a prisoner until after Burr's release.
The island was then abandoned, and Blennerhassett was in turn a cotton planter in Mississippi, and a lawyer (1819-1822) in Montreal, Canada. After returning to Ireland, he died on the island of Guernsey in 1831. His wife, who had considerable literary talent and who published The Deserted Isle (1822) and The Widow of the Rock and Other Poems (1824), returned to the United States in 1840, and died soon afterward in New York City while attempting to obtain through Congress payment for property destroyed on the island.
The buildings on his island have since been restored and the location is now Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, a popular tourist attraction. |
Here is an old car and some gas pumps. I wish we could take this car around, it's much more fitting of me than Melissa's busted up Jetta.
Look at this old farming machine! It's for shelling corn, the sign says. It's so strange to see machines made of wood.
The death mask of Aaron Burr, the treason scoundrel.
This is a painting of a lady from a prominent family in the early days of the town.
Here are a whole lot of paintings of a whole lot of important people from a long time ago. Don't the metal chairs add so much flair to this exhibit?
Here is an exhibit of wedding dress styles that went all the way from Colonial America to the 1980s. The 80's were not a good time for clothing...
All aboard! The railroad was very important for this area.
Ooh! Native American Petroglyphs. I have no idea what it's trying to say. Maybe depicting the earliest form of wrestling!
Then Strider, Carl and I watched a short film about the history of the Blennerhassett Island and their shocking scandals.
Until Next Time,
YumYum
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Posted Apr 26, 2008, 3:00 pm
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On my way, USA----->MALAYSIA - 26th April 2008
By: MissMelissa
Hiya! I left Melissa's house at 10:52:36 AM in Vienna on my way to Malaysia!
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Posted Apr 26, 2008, 5:22 pm
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Kangar, Malaysia - 6th May 2008
By: aliah
I arrived at my host's place today, together with Aquila which also happen to be adopted by shana10214 too. I'm so happy to meet him. We're taking a rest right now and chatting about home.
I missed home...
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Posted May 8, 2008, 11:45 am Last edited May 8, 2008, 11:58 am by aliah
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 17th May 2008
By: aliah
I am now in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital city. We (Aquila, Yuki & I) tagged along as our host has something to so here today. We just see a little part of Kuala Lumpur but I am all excited since this is my first time here. I saw Kuala Lumpur Tower & a Hindu Temple called Sri Mahamariamman Temple.
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Posted May 18, 2008, 2:38 pm Last edited May 18, 2008, 2:39 pm by aliah
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Port Dickson, Malaysia - 25th May 2008
By: aliah
I'm in Port Dickson and this is my first time at the beach.
I'm enjoying the breeze (^-^)
It's almost dusk when we arrived.
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Posted May 29, 2008, 2:01 pm
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Pprt Dickson, Malaysia - 26th May 2008
By: aliah
This morning, we woke up early to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was cloudy because it was raining heavily earlier
Time for group picture
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Posted Jun 17, 2008, 5:10 am
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Melaka, Malaysia - 26th May 2008
By: aliah
Melaka is known for its historical prominence and its cultural appeal. In the 16th century, Melaka enjoyed a reputation as the foremost maritime trading center in the region. So coveted was Melaka by the European powers that it was ruled successively by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British until the Federation of Malaya was formed on 31 st August 1957.
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Posted Jun 17, 2008, 5:28 am
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Cheng Ho Cultural Museum, Malaysia - 26th May 2008
By: aliah
This museum located in Bandar Hilir is filled with artifacts related to Admiral Cheng Ho who sailed to Melaka from China in the 15th century. There are about 2,000 historical items related to Cheng Ho and the Ming Dynasty being displayed at the museum, including crockery, coins, the Cheng Ho Well, clothing and a replica of Cheng Ho's ship.
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Posted Jun 17, 2008, 5:31 am
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