Vacation Post #8
We loved Gettysburg. All of it. The 20 minute movie, "A New Birth of Freedom." The Cyclorama painting which depicts "Pickett's Charge." The museum--well, we didn't make it through the entire museum. At this point in our vacation we were pretty "museum'ed out." Our bus tour began at 1:30, so we left the museum for a quick lunch of leftovers at our hotel.
One thing we'll always remember is boarding our bus. Apparently the 1:00 tour bus never showed up. When our bus arrived, the people who purchased tickets for the 1:00 tour were pretty steamed. The poor bus driver asked us to form a line and show him our tickets before we boarded. The 1:00 tour group had to walk back to the visitor's center for a refund or new tour time. Wow, we were so glad we chose the 1:30 tour!
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| Braylen (and Aaron's leg) waiting to board our bus |
The bus tour was worth every penny. For 2 hours we let someone else drive us around and tell us all about The Battle at Gettysburg. Our kids were the only kids on the tour, and our guide kept calling Kaleb and Aaron the "little boys." She also said Derek looks like a hot movie star. :) I wish I could remember which one...
I can't really put into words all that we saw and all that we learned. We came away from the tour with a new appreciation for General George Meade. Who, you might ask? Well, he became the Union General of the Potomac Army 3 days before the Battle at Gettysburg began. He victoriously led his troops through 3 days of battles, turning the tide of the Civil War in favor of the Union. And hardly anyone knows who he was.
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| Derek and Braylen spin the supply wagon's "spare tire." |
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| Our 3 kiddos |
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| Braylen stands by Gen. George Meade's monument. |
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| A cannon pointed towards the sky signifies a General's Headquarters. This was at Meade's headquarters. |
Our last stop before supper was at the Soldier's National Cemetery. This is where President Lincoln gave his now-famous Gettysburg Address. Of course there are also many Civil War soldiers buried here.
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| Pennies are placed at the site where Lincoln gave his speech |
The end of this day marked the end of our vacation. In the morning we will drive towards home, with a very special stop in Ohio and a walk down memory lane for Derek and me. With all that we've seen and all that we've shared together as a family, God gave us the best ending to our vacation. It goes like this...
For supper that night we chose Friendly's, an ice cream place that also serves food. There was something going on with our waitress that night. Everything was late. The manager brought us a free appetizer to apologize, and I don't think I've ever had such slow service anywhere. It was okay at first, but the longer it dragged on the more frustrated Derek and I felt. This was our last night here, and we had plans to drive to a few stops our bus had missed. But what could we do? We were stuck.
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| Family selfie at Friendly's |
After finally making it out of Friendly's, we had just enough daylight to visit one place. We chose Little Round Top. It is part of the key high ground the Union forces held at the Battle of Gettysburg. As we stood on that hallowed high ground, thunder rumbled in the distance...or was that cannon fire? We could almost see the Confederates rushing through the wide open fields below, as all we learned that day was fresh in our minds. And then a man dressed as a Civil War re-enactor began to play a trumpet. On that rocky outcropping of Little Round Top, we listened to "America the Beautiful." It rang out across the valley and I don't think I've ever heard anything as beautiful as that. Thunder continued to rumble, distant lightning flashed, and a gentle rain began to fall. We stood there and listened to more songs. "Amazing Grace," an assortment of hymns, and finally, "Taps." When it concluded, the gentle rain is all we heard. I thought about our first night in DC, how it had ended in rain. I looked at my kids and my husband and thought to myself, "This is one of those moments to treasure. This is why we took this family vacation." We saw so much. We learned so much. But most importantly, what we saw and learned and experienced knit our hearts together.
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| Standing on Little Round Top, with our little guy photo bombing us. |
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| I love my boys |
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| Our view right before hearing the trumpet |
If we had left Friendly's on our timetable, we would have missed this ending at Little Round Top. We are sure of it. Sometimes what looks like an inconvenience turns into a surprise blessing. I am beyond thankful for this vacation with my family. And I love how our last night ended. :)
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