Gettysburg, PA

Wednesday, June 11th

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!

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.

Derek and Braylen spin the supply wagon's "spare tire."

Our 3 kiddos

Braylen stands by Gen. George Meade's monument.

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. 

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. 

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. 

Standing on Little Round Top, with our little guy photo bombing us.

I love my boys

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. :)

Heroes Live Forever

Tuesday, June 10th
Vacation Post #7

Before we left Washington, DC we had one more stop to make. On this trip we saw many memorials dedicated to the bravery of our military. It was time to visit a memorial that hits a little closer to home: The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Proverbs 28:1

So many names on these walls...

Indeed

There was a light mist falling this morning. No one else was there, so it was a quiet place. We walked around, took a few pictures, and then a man came up and offered to take a photo of all 5 of us. He looked like an off-duty officer to me. He probably was.

"This memorial is dedicated to all law enforcement officers in the United States of America.
Inscribed on these walls are the names of those men and women who died in the line of duty."

All Together

We had just enough time to walk a few blocks to the visitor's center and store. Derek bought a hat for himself, and we all picked up a "Heroes Live Forever" bracelet. Except Aaron. He wanted a little toy police car. :) This job Derek has chosen is a way of life for him. It is also a way of life for our family. So much of who we are is wrapped up in the thin blue line. Next year a National Law Enforcement Officers Museum will be opening. That alone is a great reason for Derek and I to return some day!

The Visitor's Center and Store

Back at our hotel, we loaded up our vehicle and began the drive to Gettysburg, PA. It was pouring rain, and we were glad to be on our way! The drive was not very long, maybe an hour and a half or so. We listened to our book on CD and I navigated Derek the driver to our new hotel. :)

We arrived at 2:00, checked in at our hotel, and decided to see what we could find. We wandered around the national park and learned what we needed to know for tomorrow's day-long Gettysburg experience. We stumbled upon a park ranger program beneath a tent and learned all about Civil War surgeons. The ranger was great with the kids, making it a very hands-on experience. It was one of my favorite parts of this day.

Just Abraham Lincoln with Kaleb and Aaron :)

Kaleb had his leg amputated Civil War style.

For supper we found a small diner where the waitresses know their customers by name. It was great! Aaron even ordered something other than mini cheeseburgers--fried haddock with dip-o sauce. :)

His fishhook french fry :)

That evening we decided to drive around some of the historical battlefields and look at monuments. We followed part of the auto route, without the CD's, since tomorrow we planned on taking the bus tour. Without really knowing what we were looking for, we ended up finding quite a bit.

Aaron LOVED the cannons

Kaleb stands at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial which was
dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

This barn and house behind it were there during the battle. The train tracks were not. :)

A few of MANY monuments symbolizing the various brigades/divisions/corps/battalions

We saw a double rainbow in the sky and the wild honeysuckle smelled so good--I wanted to bottle it up and bring it with me. We all loved wandering around. Braylen let Kaleb take pictures with his camera and Aaron had our camera for a while. It was peaceful and I loved every minute of it.

See the rainbow? I am on the left taking a picture of it.

 Kaleb took the rest of these pictures. We have another photographer in our family!

honeysuckle

This looks like a postcard to me.

When the sun set we knew it was time to call it a day. We treated ourselves to blizzards from DQ and looked forward to a full day at Gettysburg tomorrow.

Monday at Mt. Vernon

Monday, June 9th
Vacation Post #6

One of my favorite days of our vacation was this day we spent at Mt. Vernon. I think it's because all of our scheduled events were complete, allowing me to really relax and not think about the clock. It was also our first day away from the city and the metro. After immersing ourselves in that world for 5 days, we were ready for a drive and a day in the country.

Standing in front of George Washington's home

Braylen the photographer :)

The back of the house

I learned more about George Washington here than I ever remember learning in school. The museum here is amazing. It is my favorite museum of all the ones we toured on our vacation. We watched the Mt. Vernon movie and toured the house--right before a HUGE group of 8th graders I might add! Here is where we finally figured out how to avoid the student groups. We took our time wandering around the grounds--through the gardens, the slave's quarters, the tomb, and to the wharf without a single middle school group in tow. Student groups only visit the main attraction and the gift shop!

No picture taking allowed inside the house, so we took plenty outside!

I like this picture Braylen took of the Potomac River through the archway.

It doesn't look like a hot day, but it was!
Kaleb and Aaron were seeking shade in one of the gardens.

A man dressed in old time clothing strolls down the walkway.

We don't see these critters at home!

Virginia really is a beautiful state.

Peace and quiet :)

This Tulip Poplar is one huge, old tree from the late 1700's!

Mt. Vernon was not high up on my list of things to do on our vacation. In fact, I suggested to Derek that we skip it and see more monuments instead. He didn't like that idea, and I sure am glad he didn't. Funny, how something I wanted to skip turned out being one of my favorite places to visit. We easily spent the whole day here and did not leave until closing time.

By now we really didn't want to eat supper at another restaurant, but we had to eat something! We found a Chili's and got creative with our order. No more sandwiches or burgers or fries--just salads and fajitas for supper. Back at the hotel we started to pack up our things since we were leaving the next day. The days in Washington, DC passed quickly but were filled with lots of fun and memories. It felt like it was time to move on to the second half of our vacation--Gettysburg, PA and a walk down memory lane in Ohio.

Arlington & Air and Space Museum

June 8th
Vacation Post #5

Back on the metro!

Silly boys waiting for our blue line train at King Street Station

Sunday was the day for Arlington National Cemetery and meeting up with my cousins at the Air & Space Museum! There were actually a lot of moving parts today--one cousin riding the bus from Philadelphia, another traveling by car from Cambridge, while we rode the metro for part of the day and drove our car for the other part. It exhausts me all over again just thinking about it. :) But it was a happy kind of mental exhaustion.

We took the metro to Arlington where we bought passes for the tram to take us all around the cemetery. I am glad we did, since it is a huge place and it was a hot day. This is where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of Kaleb's must-see places on our vacation. Other sites included the Kennedy family grave site and General Lee's house--before the Union took possession of it and turned the grounds into a national cemetery.

Riding the tram

With all of the people here in Washington, we saw our tour guide from the Capitol while we were at Arlington! He wasn't working--he was just there to see it. Braylen recognized him and it was just one of those funny things you don't expect to happen.

JFK and his family's burial plot with an eternal flame

A memorial marker for the Challenger Space Shuttle that exploded in 1986.
Derek and I remember that happening when we were in 4th grade.

A great view of Washington, DC in this peaceful place

Watching the changing of the guards was pretty ceremonial. The audience was asked to remove their hats and remain standing. They change every 30 minutes, 24 hours/day, in all kinds of weather. They tap their shoes together in unison, inspect their weapons and march 21 steps, saluting and doing all kinds of other synchronized hand signals. I think our boys were impressed. I know I was!

Getting ready to watch the guards change

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

There is a large outdoor amphitheater near the Tomb.

Braylen took this photo but I wish he was in it!

We met my cousin from Philly at a metro stop and loaded up in our vehicle to drive to the Air & Space museum. This museum is not on the Mall, but near the Dulles airport some 30 miles away. We picked this one because it has the Space Shuttle Discovery at it. It was a fabulous place for our boys and for Derek, while it was perfect for me to roam around catching up with my cousins!

Nicholas grew up in CA, Katherine and I grew up in IL, yet we all met here!

Viewing the shuttle from above

It is so massive you just can't fit it all in one picture.

Braylen takes a picture of it with his iPod.

I saw lots of smiles at this museum!

Katherine and I with Kaleb and Aaron
She is great with kids and my kids loved her!

They saw lots of other aircraft too. Aaron kept wanting to visit the souvenir shop!

Ideally, it would have been lots of fun to all have dinner together at a nice restaurant...but we just couldn't take the time for that. McDonald's at the museum it is! Katherine pointed out that our grandma always took us to McDonald's when we were kids, since she didn't cook. So it really was a great place for us to eat together.

My cousin Brendan joined us at this point, when he was able to get away from his job.
He had the shortest drive out of the 4 of us, coming from Manassas, VA. :)

Nick doesn't eat at McDonald's, but he DID manage to eat some of our fries. ;)

We are the only girls born into this family and our moms are sisters.
Cousin love

Our parents have this tradition to line up in birth order when they are together.
We stood in their places as Wally, Nancy, Rick, and Susan.

It meant so much to me to spend this afternoon with my extended family. Thank you all for making the effort to come and see us! Also, thank you to my amazing husband for happily putting up with all of my scheduling needs on this day. :) He braved DC traffic and drove Katherine back to her bus station that evening, with me trying my best to navigate our way. We got a little twisted around leaving Union Station, but no harm was done. :) When lost in DC you just keep driving!

One little funny to end this post. Until we arrived at the Air & Space museum, Aaron thought we were vising the "Aaron Space Museum." No wonder he looked bewildered when I told him what we were doing today!!!