West Springfield Massachusetts Lodging

Voting Question: East Coast summer road trip --- Budget and sightseeing help?

My boyfriend and I are planning a road trip for this summer from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Aiken, South Carolina to visit a friend. It's about 1000 miles total. Only about a 16Hour trip continuously but granted I can get the time off work the entire trip there and back will be between a week and two weeks long so that we can really enjoy it. I'm wondering how much money we should plan on spending on gas/tolls/lodging/food on the way there and back. For lodging we'll be doing as much camping as possible, and once we get there we have a free place to stay. We'll be eating as little as possible, because our budget will be as SMALL as possible. We have a camping stove to cook our own food, do you think that would be a good idea? Or just a hassle? We'll be taking a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix, if anyone knows/cares what that baby would approximately get for MPG and felt like factoring that in. Also, any must see stops along the way? Preferably free or really cheap. We like nature a lot so just some beautiful views we've gotta stop for would be appreciated. Any other advice? Anything else I should take into account? I'm new to this, I've never done a real long road trip before and I'm looking forward to it but also nervous for it too!!

Resolved Question: Do I have a good chance of becoming a Freemason?

I am currently a DeMolay at the John Greenleaf Whittier Chapter in Haverhill, Massachusetts and I am Catholic. My grandfather is a 32nd degree mason (Knights Templar) and my Great Grandfather was a Master Mason 11 times at the Lawrence United Lodge and Merrimack Valley Daylight Lodge. Thanks! DeMolay Bro. Jacob Crouch

Resolved Question: looking for Military Masonic lodges in Germany?

I was just raised last year in an A.F.& A.M. lodge here in Massachusetts, I'm now about to be stationed in Heidelberg, are there active lodges there, if so will I be welcomed into it even if it is Prince Hall?? what is the Masonic scene like overseas? I'm pretty excited to see I hope I won't be dissapointed or have to go through the degrees again.

Resolved Question: Mitt Romney is selling two of his properties and keeping two - is he planning on running in 2012?

The Romneys announced earlier this month that they are selling the 9,500-square-foot Deer Valley ski lodge, priced at $5.25 million. They also are selling the suburban Boston home where they raised their five sons. The 6,400-square-foot Colonial on 2.5 acres in Belmont is expected to fetch about $3 million. Romney is a former governor of Massachusetts. The Romneys still own a $10 million home on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H. and a $12 million beachfront compound in La Jolla, Calif. ~Boston Herald

Resolved Question: deborah sampson summary?

Deborah Sampson was the most celebrated female veteran of the American Revolution. She wore a uniform and fought in several battles as a man before her gender was discovered. Sampson was born in Plympton, Massachusetts on December 17, 1760 into a poor farming family. Her father died at sea, leaving her mother to care for six young children. At the age of 10, Sampson became an articled servant to a farmer and spent the next several years working to obtain her freedom. Sampson studied by herself at night to improve herself by education since she was being unable to attend school. In 1778, at the age of 18, Sampson was finally released from her indenture and taught several years as a schoolteacher. The American Revolution was then in full swing, and thoughts of patriotism and adventure appealed to her. In 1782, she decided to join the Continental Army. Disguising herself as a man, Sampson signed up at Middleborough under the name Timothy Thayer and accepted the usual enlistment bounty. Unfortunately, she spent her money at the local tavern, became drunk, and her true identity became known. Angry authorities discharged her and retrieved the money, while neighbors expelled her from the local Baptist Church. A few months later, Sampson repeated the plan at Uxbridge, Massachusetts, which was 70 miles away. There, she signed on for three years as a private in Capt. George Webb's company of the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, enlisting under the name of Robert Shurtleff. In the summer of 1782, her company was posted near West Point, New York, a region noted for Tory activities. She fought in several skirmishes at Tappan Bay, receiving a sword wound on the head, but she bandaged herself to avoid detection. Several weeks later, Sampson was shot in the thigh during a skirmish at East Chester. Again, she refused proper medical treatment, and the ball remained lodged in her leg, but her gender remained a secret. Despite pain from an unhealed wound, Sampson conducted surveying work in the Ohio Valley and became known as an excellent soldier. In 1783, she became an aide to Gen. John Patterson in Philadelphia. Her wound grew infected, however, and she collapsed from fever. When the doctor treating her uncovered the charade, he informed Patterson. The general was bemused and paraded Sampson in front of her regiment in a dress. So careful had she conducted her ruse that none of her erstwhile compatriots recognized her. She was then honorably discharged from the service in October 1783 by Gen. Henry Knox, who commended her for 18 months of service to the country. A year after the war ended in 1784, Sampson met and married Benjamin Gannett, and they settled on his farm in Sharon, Massachusetts. She remained in poor health as a result of her wounds, and by 1790, the couple was desperate for money to raise their three children. Accordingly, Sampson petitioned the state for a military pension and received £34. In 1797, she also published an account of her military experience entitled The Female Review, which further spread her notoriety. To further supplement her income, Sampson began touring New England in 1802 to discuss wartime experiences, decked out in her old uniform. She thus became one of the first female lecturers in the country. In 1804, Sampson approached Congress for additional funding with a recommendation from Paul Revere. Through his intercession, she was placed on the Massachusetts Invalid Pension Roll at $4 per month. In 1818, when Congress passed additional veterans legislation, this amount was increased to $8. Sampson died in Sharon on April 29, 1827, survived by her husband. This placed Benjamin Gannett in the unusual position of being a widower eligible for a military pension based on his wife's prior service. He died before this eventuality came to pass, but in 1838, Congress authorized payment of $466.66 to the children of Sampson in recognition of her service to the country. In 1944, the Liberty ship Deborah Gannett was also christened in her honor. "Deborah Sampson." American History. 2008. ABC-CLIO. 7 Nov. 2008 . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- can you make this article shorter (3 paragraphs about) and make the words simpler? like a 6th 7th grade level. thanks!

Resolved Question: What is a good travel route from PA to MA for fall foliage?

I am planning to drive north from Philadelphia to anywhere in Massachusetts to take fall foliage pictures/enjoy the scenery. I only have Saturday and Sunday to do this because I just started a new job and don’t have vacation time. I am not seeking dining or lodging accommodations specifically but maybe sight seeing places or local events. I was looking to possibly visit the Mohawk Trail in North Massachusetts because it was recommended by a travel site. Does anyone have suggestions on roads (routes, interstates) that have picturesque scenery? I don’t have much time and would like to see as much as possible.

Resolved Question: What is the History of Your Church?

Church Year Established Founder Where Established Catholic 33 Jesus Christ Jerusalem Orthodox 1054 Schismatic Catholic Bishops Constantinople Lutheran 1517 Martin Luther Germany Anabaptist 1521 Nicholas Storch & Thomas Munzer Germany Anglican 1534 Henry VIII England Mennonites 1536 Menno Simons Switzerland Calvinist 1555 John Calvin Switzerland Presbyterian 1560 John Knox Scotland Congregational 1582 Robert Brown Holland Baptist 1609 John Smyth Amsterdam Dutch Reformed 1628 Michaelis Jones New York Congregationalist 1648 Pilgrims and Puritans Massachusetts Quakers 1649 George Fox England Amish 1693 Jacob Amman France Freemasons 1717 Masons from four lodges London Methodist 1739 John & Charles Wesley England Unitarian 1774 Theophilus Lindey London Methodist Episcopal 1784 60 Preachers Baltimore, MD Episcopalian 1789 Samuel Seabury American Colonies United Brethren 1800 Philip Otterbein & Martin Boehn Maryland Disciples of Christ 1827 Thomas & Alexander Campbell Kentucky Mormon 1830 Joseph Smith New York Methodist Protestant 1830 Methodist United States Church of Christ 1836 Warren Stone & Alexander Campbell Kentucky Seventh Day Adventist 1844 Ellen White Washington, NH Christadelphian (Brethren of Christ 1844 John Thomas Richmond, VA Salvation Army 1865 William Booth London Holiness 1867 Methodist United States Jehovah's Witnesses 1874 Charles Taze Russell Pennsylvania Christian Science 1879 Mary Baker Eddy Boston Church of God in Christ 1895 Various churches of God Arkansas Church of Nazarene c. 1850-1900 Various religious bodies Pilot Point, TX Pentecstal 1901 Charles F. Parkham Topeka, KS Aglipayan 1902 Gregorio Aglipay Philippines Assemblies of God 1914 Pentecostalism Hot Springs, AZ Iglesia ni Christo 1914 Felix Manalo Philippines Four-square Gospel 1917 Aimee Semple McPherson Los Angeles, CA United Church of Christ 1961 Reformed and Congregationalist Philadelphia, PA Calvary Chapel 1965 Chuck Smith Costa Mesa, CA United Methodist 1968 Methodist and United Brethren Dallas, TX Born-again c. 1970s Various religious bodies United States Harvest Christian 1972 Greg Laurie Riverside, CA Saddleback 1982 Rick Warren California Non-denominational c. 1990s various United States

Resolved Question: Massachusetts senator Henry Cabot Lodge once remarked...?

that politics should stop at the water's edge. Comment with reference to foreign affairs in the 1790's.

Resolved Question: Snowboarding in New England for first time..?

I was wondering where is a great place to go snowboarding in either New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or Vermont. I want to take a winter vacation this year and I'd be trying the sport for the very first time. I am not particularly atheletic but really, really want to try snowboarding. Is there a great school or great instructors? What is a really WONDERFUL hotel/lodge/bed and breakfast or whatever with great instructors or snow (great snow) for novices? Does anyone have any reccomendations? Thank you!!

Resolved Question: I'm traveling from Massachusetts to Oregon via AmTrak and stopping at various cities. Any lodging suggestions?