What a great weekend!
Woke up to a windy day on Saturday so it was a bit cold at the parade. I liked that better than hot and humid. I have never seen a parade at West Point so that was amazing. All 4,000+ cadets on the Plain at one time. Several times it was so quiet that all you could hear was the flag cracking in the wind. Saw my son march by twice, first as a new cadet and then after he had joined his company as a member of the corp. There was one unplanned event during the parade. The spirit car drove out onto the Plain with the Black Knight mascot and some cheerleaders in it. They drove up to where the Supe and other dignitaries were standing. The Black Knight got out and saluted them. I didn't know until later that this was not a part of the parade, just some cadets having fun.
Over the weekend we fed him, let him nap, and listened to many great stories. Went to the PX and commissary to pick up some things for him. On Sunday he took us on a walking tour of the monuments. I got some wonderful photos and he seemed to enjoy playing tour guide. He loves history, so much of this was easy for him to learn and remember.
He seemed a bit sad when we left him on Sunday evening. I reminded him it is only about 7 weeks until we will be back for Plebe Parent Weekend. When I mentioned it to my husband later, he said "I think he misses us." Which makes me happy (wouldn't want him to be glad we are leaving) but I also don't want him to be sad.
Classes started Monday morning and he said he would try to call us tonight to let us know how his first two days went.
One more thing. If you ever stay in Highland Falls, NY I DO NOT recommend the Econo Lodge. It was clean (sort of) but also old and dumpy. Late Friday night it rained really hard and our room leaked. Luckily it wasn't above the bed or our suitcases. We had paid extra for a "kitchen" room. The kitchen consisted of an ancient all in one unit -frig, sink, and two burner stove, but no microwave or coffeemaker and no pots or pans so we couldn't even use the burners on the stove. I took a picture of the "kitchen" because it was just unbelievable. When I told the woman at the front desk a few of the issues I had with our room she acted kind of snotty. That's okay, I'll just pass the word to every USMA parent I ever meet that the place is a dump.
Now the countdown to Parent's Weekend begins...
Woke up to a windy day on Saturday so it was a bit cold at the parade. I liked that better than hot and humid. I have never seen a parade at West Point so that was amazing. All 4,000+ cadets on the Plain at one time. Several times it was so quiet that all you could hear was the flag cracking in the wind. Saw my son march by twice, first as a new cadet and then after he had joined his company as a member of the corp. There was one unplanned event during the parade. The spirit car drove out onto the Plain with the Black Knight mascot and some cheerleaders in it. They drove up to where the Supe and other dignitaries were standing. The Black Knight got out and saluted them. I didn't know until later that this was not a part of the parade, just some cadets having fun.
Over the weekend we fed him, let him nap, and listened to many great stories. Went to the PX and commissary to pick up some things for him. On Sunday he took us on a walking tour of the monuments. I got some wonderful photos and he seemed to enjoy playing tour guide. He loves history, so much of this was easy for him to learn and remember.
He seemed a bit sad when we left him on Sunday evening. I reminded him it is only about 7 weeks until we will be back for Plebe Parent Weekend. When I mentioned it to my husband later, he said "I think he misses us." Which makes me happy (wouldn't want him to be glad we are leaving) but I also don't want him to be sad.
Classes started Monday morning and he said he would try to call us tonight to let us know how his first two days went.
One more thing. If you ever stay in Highland Falls, NY I DO NOT recommend the Econo Lodge. It was clean (sort of) but also old and dumpy. Late Friday night it rained really hard and our room leaked. Luckily it wasn't above the bed or our suitcases. We had paid extra for a "kitchen" room. The kitchen consisted of an ancient all in one unit -frig, sink, and two burner stove, but no microwave or coffeemaker and no pots or pans so we couldn't even use the burners on the stove. I took a picture of the "kitchen" because it was just unbelievable. When I told the woman at the front desk a few of the issues I had with our room she acted kind of snotty. That's okay, I'll just pass the word to every USMA parent I ever meet that the place is a dump.
Now the countdown to Parent's Weekend begins...