Yup, I sing that chorus every time anyone says "miracle" - and now Kiddo does it too. ;)
ANYWAY ... I suggested to Hubby and Kiddo that we drive up to Gettysburg on our free day. It's about 1.5 hours north of our house and I went there a bunch of times as a kid. Kiddo, however, had never been. And come to find out, neither had Hubby!
I packed up some snacks and water bottles while Hubby got directions and tried to download a few of the audio tours from iTunes. For whatever reason he couldn't get it to work. No worries though, because I JUST HAPPENED to have two perfect books on my shelf:
The Civil War: The complete text of the bestselling narrative history of the Civil War, by Geoffrey C. Ward
and even better, The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour
, by Edward J. Stackpole and Wilbur S. Nye
How perfect was that?! We had a lovely drive up (listening to CITY OF EMBER on the way there and back), spent time in the museum, and learned a lot from the video and cyclorama (a not-to-be-missed event). Then we used the guided tour book to follow along the driving tour route. It was a beautiful, cool, sunny day. We climbed Big Round Top and explored Little Round Top, then headed out for dinner and the drive home.
Here are some pictures from our day. And yes, Kiddo got a Union soldier hat and jacket, and carried a laser tag gun. It was quite hilarious.
12 comments:
It sounds like a perfect day, Heather. :-) I wish I could step in the photos and join you!
I've been to Gettysburg and it is an awesome place. Awe inspiring and solemn and very, very interesting.
Loved the pics. Loved the Fiddler on the Roof!
Awesome! To find great books of a time in history, and then go and actually walk in the footsteps of those soldiers and patriots about whom you're reading is priceless!
Literary Feline - I wish you could have been there as well - you'd have loved it.
Kay - I feel the same, but it's rather hard to be solemn with Kiddo running around like he's a part of the battle. LOL
Alison - Priceless is right!
Love the laser gun! Now I'm listening to more Fiddler songs on YouTube. So much fun!
That sounds lovely!
Alyce - There are some GREAT song in the movie! And the laser gun? The reenactors we saw on the battlefield loved it too - we got lots of comments about how the battle would have been much easier if they had that gun. ;)
Michelle - Thanks, it really was a wonderful day.
I've never been to Gettysburg either but it looks like a great way to spend the day!
Wow, this brings back memories! Our family visited Gettysburg (for a couple days) just before we moved away from PA a couple years ago. I swear we stood in the very same places you did in the pictures.
We used the same tour guide CD, but unfortunately, the cyclorama was closed due to renovation :-(. If only we had been there a few months later. Maybe someday we'll get to see it!
Love kiddo's costume :-) .
bermudaonion - It sure is! We don't do stuff like this often, so it was a real treat for me.
Valerie - I love it when I see other people's photos at places I've been - it's so much fun. :) If you ever have the opportunity to see the cyclorama be sure to do it - it is truly incredible.
Kiddo looks great Heather! We went to Defender's Day at Fort McHenry last night and there was a whole pack of boys playing battle that looked just like him. They were recruiting boys from the crowd...It was a hoot!
Glad to see you're so involved in the book festival. That's great. Not sure yet if I'm going but, if I do, I'll bop by and wave.
Not I have to get caught up on your posts so I can decide what to read/listen to next.
xo Susan
Plays with Needles - Oh what fun! I can't believe I didn't know about Defender's Day - sounds like a great event. I hope you can make it up to the Book Festival - it would be great to see you again. I've been enjoying all your summer pics on your blog, especially that crazy ride you took! LOL
Post a Comment