October 10, 2006

In Which Much Is Revealed

We went to Gettysburg!!!!

Husband took a different route, going into WV and then MD, so as soon as we got on to 15 North I knew exactly where we were going. Surprise!!

This was my anniversary gift, because 1) we got engaged ten years ago, on 10/13; 2) we got married nine years ago, on 10/18. It was a great gift! Husband surprised me with where we were staying, as well. He took me and the kids to a bed and breakfast which was wonderful, and I highly recommend that you all stay there when you visit Gettysburg. It's waaay off the beaten path, but not miles outside of town, AND the main part of the house was built in 1805! We got to stay in the old part of the house, and it was nice. We even had a fireplace in our room! The management was very accomodating with the kids, too, as they moved two roll-away beds into the sitting room for us. (We had a suite.) So the kids got their own room.

The weather was gorgeous, but there were waaaaay too many people for my liking. Well, it was a three-day weekend for most. Anyway, due to time restraints, we only hit a few spots, like Cemetery Hill....site of our own "engagement" all those years ago. We also went to Devil's Den and Little Round Top. The picture above is from our visit to the observation tower not far from the Eisenhower farm.

Yeah, it was a good time, and I was happy to be back there. I can't believe how many trees have been cleared out around Devil's Den! I hardly recognized it!

Back to the B&B; every morning there is a history talk before breakfast. Well, this guy has all the accoutrements of a soldier and as he launched into his talk he asked if there were any reenactors in his audience. Of course Husband and I raised our hands. (The speaker is big into reenacting Berdan's Sharpshooters.) So, at certain points, the guy would refer to Husband for a few things, like were there left-handed soldiers? Yeah, but they had to learn to shoot right.

We also got to shoot the guy's Springfield. Ah, it felt like old times with that beauty in my hands. The smell of the black powder...ahhhhhh...

What was really kind of fun was the fact that Husband and I sort of had our own audience during breakfast. Everyone at the table was listening to us answer the questions of a couple from CA. And I passed out bits of trivia, like Custer was born in New Rumley, OH, which is not far from where we live. And the book titles I gave out! I think I overwhelmed that couple a bit.

May I make a request? If visit Gettysburg and stop to see Little Round Top, would you work your way down from the 44th New York monument to visit this marker for Strong Vincent? It's so lonely!

And then pop down the hill a bit to visit Strong, please? I'm sick of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain getting all the credit!

Then, go across the road and find the park marker with the painting of Vincent and Chamberlain. Did you know that my husband, the love of my life, was part of a group that got that paiting made? Yep. And a bit of trivia: that marker for the spot where Vincent was wounded is not the original. The original is back in Erie, because it broke in half!

I've got a couple more bits of trivia about Strong Vincent, but you'll have to e-mail me to find out.

Oh yeah, sorry guys. I know we'd sort of talked about a blogmeet in Gettysburg, but this was a surprise and all...and I didn't have e-mail! But we should meet! If not at G'burg, then somewhere else.

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