Happy Thanksgiving - What have you given!!

27 Sep 10 – 15 Nov 10

We have NOT finished unpacking everything so the car will go in the garage. We still have some boxes with various things – Miriam cannot find her favorite cook book and I have not found all of the things I will need to finish some repair work on a bookcase. Our only BIG problem has been the heater going out on the water bed. It does get cold when there is no heat underneath. It was new when we were in Ohio in June and did not get used until we moved in, but I'm not going back to Ohio to get it replaced.

We are both in excellent health and have found a Doctor in Brookings. We have gone thru all the tests and physicals and the only bad things he didn't like was Miriam did not walk enough. She has been better about it since and she has a lady at church that keeps prompting here to walk. I caught L1's cold – I must have caught it over the phone, but I am mostly back to normal.

We have had overnight company a couple of times already. Miriam's sister and sister in law was up for three days and her sister and niece(Julie) were up for an overnight stay then went to Brookings. Julie is looking to buy up this way as she is into surfing and the water is fairly good from Northern California up to about where we are.

Our door is always open to anyone wanting to get away from the cold. We will even have a warmer house after the first of December as we are having a heat pump installed to get away from the electric baseboard heat. Thanks Prez for the tax break.

Pictures:
God is still in control.
Our view from the front window
ditto
California Quail – NO NO NOT Dan!

13 Sep 10 – 26 Sep 10

We are now home owners in Gold Beach, OR. Anybody who wants to come and enjoy the great weather, scenery, and small town atmosphere are welcome. We moved the furniture in this past week. We loaded the truck in Grants Pass on Thursday with the help on a couple of people we went to church with years ago and unloaded with some great help from people at the church we are attending in Gold Beach. Everything is not in place, but the waterbed has water and the table has chairs and we still empty boxes. We are finding that small house living has some challenges, but we will adjust as we now have three times the room we had in the RV. The biggest challenge is in the kitchen as we do not have all the cabinet or counter space we had in Braceville. We also love the fact there is not as much to try and keep up with. I will have something growing in the next week or two if it is only salad greens and onions. No big huge garden here, but I hope to be able to supply our wants and needs for vegetables except corn and a couple of things that require more space.

I plan on continuing this method of keeping you posted on the happenings in Gold Beach, but will only post on a monthly basis unless something of importance arises. I will try and post pictures twice a month to show the beauty of the area. I already have places in mind for picture taking, but I need to be there early in the morning and I have more pressing things to do. Even as I write today we have a landscape person cutting the hedge back to enhance our view of the ocean. He will also cut what grass is left after I make garden. I will NOT own a lawnmower or weed-eater here. I will post pictures of our view in the next post that will give you a better idea of why we both love this house.

We are already seeing birds migrating and using the river as a place to refuel. A lot of the birds of Ohio do not appear on the west coast so we are in a learning phase of those birds calling this area home.
We have pasture behind us so can go look at the cows if I need the fix.

Pictures:
The view from the living room used in the listing on line.
The front of the house used in the listing on line.
The waves breaking over the jetty – we had really high surf this past week. The fog horn is the structure you see.
Our neighbor – I call her Thanksgiving dinner. She was on the side of the garage on Saturday.

waiting

6 Sep 10 – 12 Sep 10

If nothing goes awry we should own a house next week Friday. All the paperwork is done – all the money is spent – all we do is wait. Miriam is ready to get out of the RV, but I on the other hand do not need to land yet. It is NOT spring and nothing will grow now so why do you need to have a house?

We haven't done much this week, but sit and watch paint dry. NO NO NO we are not painting – just a figure of speech to say not doing much. We go to the jetty and watch the birds – watch the sea lions – walk on the jetty and do both or watch the fishing. We have only seen a couple of 15 – 20 pounders caught. Everyone I talk to says the fishing is spotty. Miriam goes and watches the 'gun' boat. It is a boat funded by a local fisherman's organization using firecrackers and underwater percussion devices to keep the lea lions out of the fishing areas. They wreak havoc on fish and equipment when someone has a fish on the line.

No pictures as I didn't take any this week. We are both fine and looking forward to having a house.

We have not found a church home for sure, but we think we will be Baptists again for a while.

Another week in Orygun

30 Aug 10 – 5 Sep 10

What goes BLAAAAA for 3 seconds out of every 30 seconds? Why the green cylinder they call the fog horn on the north jetty at GB, of course. I think we have acclimated to it so it is not as obvious as it was at the start.

I can tell you a RV is not the place to try and make jam! We picked about a gallon and a half of blackberries up the river – ended up with them in 2 pans as the stove isn't big enough to use a large pan on. Started everything boiling with all the ingredients and had another problem – how do you heat jars and lids while you are using both burners? Needless to say – we coped, but it was a chore in very limited space. We have 5 pints of blackberry syrup as we used honey instead of sugar as the sweetener. We have already started using it in oatmeal and it tastes great.

We are just waiting for everything to happen on the house. I guess no news is good news as they say. We have done all the preliminary work on our end and we wait for the appraisal then all the money they want. It looks like it will be a couple of weeks yet at the earliest.

We are still trying to find a Church home and seeing the sights. We both are in great health and intend to stay that way.

Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a gift from God

How are you using your day?

Pictures:
Fish Hawk aka Osprey - I didn't get wet in that last dive, did I?
Steller's Jay – this is our Blue Jay
Surfing – one wind surfing and one kite surfing – they are dark because they have on a wetsuit

More Oregon

23 Aug 10 – 29 Aug 10

We are now working on all the things that have to happen before you can finalize a house purchase. Loan, insurance, utilities, where to park the RV and all the other things are taking some of our time this week, but we have had time to go look at different sites and watch the birds.

This weekend is 'Salmon Derby' in Gold Beach(GB) so we will watch some fishing also. We watched for about an hour Saturday morning, but had more fun watching the Osprey. While we were watching the score was Osprey 9 fish plus what looked like 1 eel to the fishermen's skunk. The weather was windy and the water was a little choppy, but the Osprey would take the fish out of the top of the wave. It looked like one will not be back for a couple of days as the fish looked it was a two or three pounder. I get a kick out of watching – pictures will come – of the seagulls chasing the Osprey when they have a fish. The Osprey always wins, but I guess a seagull must have won once or you would think they would give up.

After church this morning we went to the Farmer's Market at the Fair Grounds to see if they had anything good. We bought from the same people we bought corn from two weeks ago. It looks like we will have a little bit of non-store veggies, but not much. While we were there I had a chance to talk to the guy doing the selling as they were not real busy. I thought he said they were from in California, but they just have to go through California to get here. If you have ever been into California you know they have a vegetable – fruit – livestock inspection station as you enter the state. We have learned over time what they will permit and what they take so never have any of the things you will lose. Going thru the inspection station one of the things they are not supposed to permit is unshucked corn, but he had a whole bunch a couple of weeks ago and I asked if he had to husk all of it to get back home. He said NO. When he told me where they lived I even knew the place. Last December when we were staying in Cave Junction going back and forth to Grants Pass we passed his place every day. I almost put my foot in my mouth Sunday by asking if he had the place that could not spell 'corn'. Every time we went past I threatened to stop and take a picture because the was a BIG sign with big letters that said: “CRON”. I always thought it would make a good topic to make a spoof on – little did I know I would be writing about it today – no picture. He said we are across the road from the sign where they do not know how to spell corn – that is our last name.

Next week we will do more sightseeing and should have some pictures from the area.

Pictures:
Wrentit in Klamath.
Horned Lark in IA.
Do you wish you could sing like that.
All those clouds and no rain where we were.

Oregon again, Finally

16 Aug 10 – 22 Aug 10

Another week on God's wonderful earth. We arrived without incident – Miriam did drive the car as it was almost worthless to put it on the dolly for 75 miles. What a week we had – all settled in and found a church for Sunday before dark. The church was not a keeper, so we will try another in a couple of weeks. Next week we are going to go to Crescent City, CA to church and then to a quilt show they are having there.

We did move again on Monday, but stayed within the park where we are. We had the opportunity to move down closer to everything important – the restrooms and showers and we took it. This is one of the few places we stayed not having sewer hookups at every site. When the tanks get full we drive around to the dump station, but it is easier to use their showers and create less water in the tank. Now we can almost walk straight across instead of a city block or more. We are staying here for a month so this will eliminate one trip to the dump. The trip entails closing everything up and disconnecting from everything then reconnecting when finished. It is not a real big deal yet can take the better part of an hour.

We did do some driving around looking at different houses I had found on the internet at Realty.com. We saw two or three we will find a Realtor to go look at. We also have a new address – I will NOT post it, but if you send me an email I will mail it back. We spent parts of three days this week looking at houses and going out sightseeing in the afternoons. On one of our trips we saw bobcat cub – just bigger than a house cat going from the creek side of the road to the hills(no pictures). We did find some wonderful blackberries just getting ripe. It looks like I will have my work cut out for me one afternoon picking berries. These are those big Oregon berries as large as the end of any finger up to the first joint. If you find a good place to pick you can fill a five gallon bucket in less than an hour. I will make some jelly and Miriam will make some syrup. She can never get them to jell.

After much discussion and looking at more than ten different houses we went back and looked at one a second time. We made an offer Saturday afternoon and it was accepted later in the evening. It looks like we have found a home before Miriam's birthday, which was not part of her request. We have both enjoyed the weather here as it is in the lower to mid 60's without the humidity. Miriam said the other day - “Just like San Francisco weather.”

All but one picture is from earlier times and places:

On his way to Sturgis, SD
You have to name it – looks like Model A Ford running gear
Old three window Chevy pickup
1955 Chevy – that was our first car
Look at the size of the Fuchsia – over six feet tall in Klamath, CA

Back to nature

2 Aug 10 – 15 Aug 10

With three travel days in one week only to arrive where the internet is slow and I cannot upload pictures I decided to hold everything until we were in Oregon.

We spent a day in Marin County California visiting Miriam's brother and sister. Our day was one of catching up on family events – you know when you get older more happens – or you hear about more of the smaller things – I'm not sure which it is. We did not have any incidents going over Donner Summit except the one rest area where I wanted to stop and take a picture was closed. I thought I would get a picture of Miriam sitting on the rock in warm weather to go with the one I posted last November with her in the snow. No such luck!

We spent two days going up to northern California to stay a week at the same place we spent the first part of December last year. We had a wonderful time seeing what the fire is like when it was not raining. We did some sightseeing also at places the roads were closed last winter. We also stopped at one of those places that sell wood – Miriam loves wood. We bought a carved pelican for her birthday. It isn't as big as the one they had in the house when she was growing up, but it will have to do. We spent a day in the Gold Beach, Oregon area looking for a place to park when we move on Saturday. We looked at a number of places and chose the one right on the water. We will be there on Saturday afternoon and have to find a Church to attend on Sunday. It looks like I will get to make Miriam's wish come true – to be in Oregon before her birthday.

We will let you know how our first week in Oregon goes next week.

Pictures:
Goat at Rushmore – promised two weeks ago
River Otter – on the dock at Klamath, CA
Black Bear – across the river – We watched it swim across the evening before.
1964 ½ Ford Mustang – also promised
The last picture is for all you young people! That was how air-conditioning was done long ago – if you could afford it.

Mt Rushmore at night

26 Jul 10 – 1 Aug 10

Do you want to know why you should never put a man in charge of keeping track of the calendar? They think they can do it in their head – what happens – they are either early or late. We did not leave SD until Thursday because Ray had the wrong move day in his head. We had an extra day to see what all those motorcyclists see in Sturgis – I didn't find anything I would ride many miles to do or see. You can go to the county fair and see all the peddlers hawking their wares and that is what we saw when we were there.

We went on an old train ride – supposed to be steam, and it was with the caveat that they made the steam by burning recycled motor oil. I was all ready to get soot, but oil just makes smoke. The ride was still fun and we enjoyed the scenery as well as the history of some of the mining that took place in the Black Hills. Not only did they mine gold, and not a whole lot of that, but also tin. There was more money lost to fraud – nothing changes but the players – than was made in gold mining. All those get rich quick schemes – 'If it sounds to good to be true – it probably is!' played out here before the work on Mt. Rushmore even started.

We went to see Mt. Rushmore one last time this week. While we were on the train trip we overheard a lady talking about how dramatic the lighting of the mountain had been. It is amazing what you can see when you have a camera – check out the wildlife(held until next week). It is just a little higher than the top of Washington's head and about 300 to 400 yards left. We went early on Tuesday evening to see for ourselves with an Army band playing a concert for an hour or more before they did a fifteen minute presentation on the carving and why each of the Presidents were chosen. By this time it is well after 9PM and getting dark – then they turned on the lights – what a sight from seeing it with the sun of the morning lighting it. If you look close you can see all the different colors of the granite in streaks across the faces as well as the flaws.

We are in travel mode and will only do a little sightseeing from here to the coast. We go back to Casper for a couple of days to get a little R and R then on to Rock Springs, WY and Wells, NV to spend the weekend.

In Wells they were having a car show and rally when we arrived. Two weeks in a row we get to see old cars – this week not as old – but more of the ones that were popular when we were young. For all you young people – if there are cars you couldn't live without, or you thought there were, they will come back when you are older. For all you older people a question(answer below) – what was the only model car that came out with a half year designation because it was brought out in the spring?(picture held until next week.)

We will be on the left coast for next weekend – this has not been the whirlwind trip our first cross country trip was, but it seems like it has been a hurried trip. We will see family again next week and see if we can find a place where it is not 90+ all the time.

Pictures:
Mt. Rushmore - taken at almost 10PM when lit
Prong-horned Antelope – taken for Alan
RV and car in Wasatch Mrs of UT(then)
RV and car in Wasatch Mrs of UT(now)
1880 train – look at the smoke

Answer: Ford Mustang 1964 1/2

More of our beautiful country

18 Jul 10 – 25 Jul 10

Another week with two moves, yet there was time to see more of our GREAT country. We left CO and spent two days in Carney, NE before going to Black Hawk, SD. Alternate spelling Blackhawk, SD – the first is the way the Post Office does it while the later is what is on the map – go figure. We will leave here on Wednesday which is just before the BIG BIG show takes place in Sturgis, SD – all you Harley riders know what I'm talking about. Ann says get out before all the noise and Alan says we would stay and see it. You cannot get a place to stay within 100 miles of there if you didn't make the reservation months ago. We leave.

We went to Mt. Rushmore Friday and Saturday. What a treat Friday - as a Model T Ford group held their 54th rally to Mt Rushmore. In listening to one of the people from Quebec talk about their trip it was most interesting - they had 55 start and 47 finish. There was lots of repair work done at overnight stops along the way with 5 blown engines and 3 destroyed transaxles. It was a beautiful sight to see them going up and down the hill leading up to the parking area. We saw some from OH as well as most other states in the 150 or so that were there.

When we went up on Saturday it was with the intent of doing some walking. There is a trail going up under the monument. We were fortunate enough to get there just as a Ranger led group was leaving and followed along to get the whole story. Who knows why this particular four men were chosen to be placed on the mountain? Think about it – Washington, Jefferson, T Roosevelt and Lincoln – they were all changers of America. Who would you nominate? We then walked down the steps to the Sculptor's Studio and listened to another talk about how they did the whole job. The most amazing stat for me was the death toll in doing the work. None. Also how they make the eyes look like they are real. I will use a picture of Lincoln as well as all four that has the piece they used. Look closely at Lincoln's eyes and you will see what looks like a 2” x 4” piece of granite(pupil) with dark all around it. The piece of granite does not protrude, but the dark part is made like looking into a bowl with the piece sticking up. The dark part is cut below the surface of the eye eleven inches and the pupil is on the same plane as the eye causing shadow all around. The whole proposed sculpture was never completed because the government was going to war and spending the money in that effort. If you notice Lincoln does not have an ear. There are other things never completed, and they will never be completed as when work stopped they said it is finished. Washington was supposed to have a coat all the way down past the dark you see at the bottom of the picture. They gave up on that when they run into the black band of mica as it does not take carving because of it's softness.

It is hot again here after a couple of days in the 70s. The humidity is only 40% so it is not totally unbearable.

The crop report: Most of the corn in IA, NE, CO, WY and SD is tasseling. All the first cutting hay is baled and a lot of second. The one thing we did notice along this vein is the lack of small(300 – 500) head feedlots we used to see along this stretch of I-80. Twenty years ago you would see fifteen to twenty and this trip we only saw three. There are a couple of larger ones, but it looks like the small farmer is being squeezed on every side.

Pictures:
Mt. Rushmore – notice the six inch wide crack in Washington
Lincoln – look at the eyes
old truck from OH
old car
T. Roosevelt quote

Family week

11 Jul 10 – 18 Jul 10

Spent the week in Denver, CO. area with our daughter and her family. We had a wonderful week of doing nothing towards being productive, but we had the privilege of spoiling two lovely – loving grand-daughters. Then again – when are we doing something productive? Given the opportunity we share Christ and maybe a little of what we've seen and had the privilege of doing these last seven months. Sometimes the opportunity is taken even when not given.

We stayed in two different State Parks – CO is not all it's cracked up to be. We are still looking for a tree to have a little shade – with the temps in the mid to upper 90s to low 100s it is a hassle without trees. The wind does blow some and the humidity is not high or it would be really unbearable. The AC runs from 10 – 11 AM until after 8 PM and that's to keep it at 82 degrees. It does get cold overnight though – down into the 50s. We are glad we did not want to do any going while we were here. The biggest thing here is the altitude and anything using water costs – even the shower.

Ann, Tom, Meghan and Becca came camping with us when we moved to a park a little further north on Friday. We are in what is called 'The Front Range' of CO. I do not know why it is called that, but I assume they have their reasons, but nobody shared them with me. Their tent was right outside the RV and we had little feet in and out all day long, but it was worth all of it.

Sunday and Monday we even had more wind than we really wanted. You should see people, us included, scramble to get awnings up so they do not blow away. Attended a Baptist church in Longmont and had a real good sermon – it started a little shaky with two stories and I was really scared it was going to be another that would be a dud. It was the end of Matt 11 where Christ calls you to himself and says “take my yoke.”

Pictures:
CO mountains
CO thunderstorm
Becca – age three - NO that is not a nickname
Meghan – age seven

Middle of a BEAUTIFUL country

4 Jul 10 – 11 Jul 10

We are out in the Central US where the land is somewhat flat, but the tires are NOT. Two move days this week with some time sightseeing in Amana.

We went to the woolen mill in Amana where Miriam found many blankets and shawls she would love to have. Her side of the bed will not hold anymore than is there now. That is the joke in our house when either one wants something we have no place to put – we'll put it on your side of the bed. Being the Fourth they were not running the mill, but it is replacement for the old one and is very modern. We did go to the General Store, I never did meet him, and get our pound of brats for a dollar and spent nine more on food items. The weather while we where there was 'frightful' – to use a term I heard some where – as they have had more rain in the last three weeks than they need. The Iowa River normally is about 100 feet wide and is now more than a mile wide and four to five feet above flood stage. The ground wasn't the clay we fought in Braceville though as it would soak in in about two to three hours.

We spent three nights in Waco, NE. Go ahead smarty find it on the map. We went more than a mile each way from I-80 and could not find more than farms in either direction. There was a Walmart, Miriam got her fix, about seven miles away. We spent Saturday night in North Platte, NE at the same place we stayed last Nov. There is a great little church right next door, but we will not get to go as we travel on Sunday this week. I hate those weeks and this is only the second and last time it will happen.

We will be in CO late Sunday to see Tom, Ann, and their girls so next week will be all about the kids.

No pictures this week.

1 Jun 10 – 3 Jul 10

Something I fell into!

Good Morning!
This is GOD.
I will be handling
all your problems
today!
I will not need your
help.
So, have a good day!

After the vacation we are back on the road! We spent the first two nights in IN and now are in Amana, IA. What a fascinating place, but more on that later.

It is only fitting with the 4th of July tomorrow and Memorial Day just a month ago that I give you the definition of Honor. All who have served will agree I'm sure:

HONOR

What is honor?
A veteran whether active duty, retired, National Guard or Reserve
is someone who, at one point in their life , wrote a blank check
made payable to
The United States of America
for an amount “up to and including my life.”

That is HONOR and there are way too many people in this
country who NO LONGER understand it.
Author Unknown

We had a great time with old friends and family while we were in Ohio. Some of the people we went to church with we will not see again on earth. We attended both softball teams games every week and even took in a graduation party. We even did some sightseeing while there. Other than short trips back we will probably not be back for any extended duration so we visited Lake Erie and the Ohio River among other places. Miriam liked Mespo because they have a store that serves hand dipped Ice Cream. It is even served by Amish young ladies. It is always fascinating to listen to the soft German accent in their speech.

We had a great day at the family reunion. Not as many there as I have seen, but a few more than the last couple of years. Everybody is getting farther away and has more time obligations – it seems. For those of you not there – John Wells, my cousin's husband, was in a motorcycle accident after we were there in May. He is recovering well. It will take him some time.

Our trip here was only marred by bad driving by Ray. I caught the last door on a protective pipe when we filled the tank yesterday. I do not the cost of the damages, but it does not look to be to extensive. After a month of not driving I forgot how much hangs over the back wheels. NO pictures.

It was fun watching the smorgasbord of license plates as we came across IN and IL before the holiday weekend. I was going to use potpourri but I could not spell it so chose that 's' word instead. Every state within a thousand miles was represented, I think, and some many more miles than that.

We haven't seen much of the Amana Colonies – as they are called – but over the next couple of days we will take in all that is worth seeing. They do NOT have the importance of Gettysburg, historically or emotionally, but to read the story of their founding and demise as a commune was interesting. They still are a functioning community, but do not practice the communal style they used for over 80 years - think twice as long as the Isrealites wandered in the wilderness. In one of the places we were today they had a cross-section of the well drilled in 1893 – over 2200 feet deep. For anyone who has had a well done in the last ten years in Ohio they paid in the area of $10 a foot and complained like crazy if it had to go 300 feet.

For those of you who have not read from the start of our journey – going thru farm states you get a crop report. OH – IN – IL some corn looked great and some was spotty. Beans were the same way. More than one field of corn was well past the knee-high-by-the-4th-of-July mark as it was taller than I and already tasseling. Wheat was being harvested – so bread could be made, but oats and barley were still standing. Lots of hay being put up with some straw also.

Pictures:
General store in Mespo - Miriam's favorite store
Horse and Buggy(Amish) across from above store
Covered bridge in Ashtabula county
Family picture – Gary – can you name everyone?
Amana barn – the last barn built by the commune

Ohio finally!

25 May 10 – 31 May 10

Answer: 1

I could walk the battlefields all day, but we had 80+ degree days and it was too hot to walk in the afternoon. There are lots of trails and fields you can walk through. The only thing that is not permitted is a metal detector.

We spent the last day before we left walking the cemetery. All of the Union soldiers are buried there. I found it rather ironic now that they did not want any of the Southern Army buried there. I guess they figured they would still be fighting. There are 700+ unknown graves with separate areas for each Northern state. Most of those buried here were buried on the battlefield in shallow graves. Even before the war was over the government paid $1.39 for each one who was taken from a shallow or exposed grave and reburied in the cemetery. Can you imagine the work involved? Ohio has 131 buried there. Other parts of the cemetery have been used as PA's military burial grounds. There are military people from the Spanish American war, WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam also buried on the outer part.

The monument in the center is supposedly where Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. If you really want to get a feel of the mood of the country at the time – go back and read those 271 words again. I will say after being here for a week President Lincoln was wrong when he said: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here...” oh how we have remembered the darkest time in our history - brother against brother and father against son.

I did do some looking while there at Chambers' involved in the battle - I have a list of names and what part of the military they were assigned to down to the company level. All it will take now is some research to find out which state the infantry-cavalry-artillery unit they served with was from. I have never heard anyone talk about a Chambers serving in the Civil War, but that does not mean it could not have happened. There was not any indication of loss of life for the fourteen names I found listed.

We did go to Falling Water on our two day stay in central PA. We did not do the tour as it was $18 each and I had seen the PBS specials on its construction then the restoration that had to be done a number of years ago. While driving in the up and down hills we did find a covered bridge to stop and examine.

We had two travel days this week, but it is great to be back in Ohio for a short spell. We are staying in Braceville and will be here thru the Chambers Reunion the end of June. We were here for the first 'Friday Night Coffee' in a spell and didn't get much Bible study done. To be honest – none, but had a great time of sharing what is happening here and highlights from our trip. We did NOT solve the world's problems though.

I am not going to post something each week until we go back on the road west. I will do it every other week instead. I would hate to bore you with the monotony of bible study – church – ball games as the Church has two softball teams this year and visiting friends and family.

Pictures:
All from the Gettysburg National Cemetery

Gettysburg

18 May 10 – 24 May 10

Spent the week in Gettysburg, PA – what a place with all the history that is there. We stayed outside of town almost in the National Park so didn't have a lot of driving to do. We saw the Cyclorama of the Gettysburg battle field painted by a French artist in the late 1800s shortly after the war. To see pictures of how it had been let deteriorate and then see it today – how magnificent. He painted it in 30 days and it was 40 feet tall and 377 around. You literally stand inside the picture. About 10 feet of the sky had been cut off and it was folded so it was 4-5 years in restoration including all the paint that was missing.

Anyone going to Gettysburg needs to spend the money to see it and the museum. It is in a National Park, but privately funded by a foundation that says they will donate it to the Park Service when it is paid off, anybody remember when the PA and OH turnpikes were supposed to be free? That was also the premise used for the funding of both turnpikes in the 1950s yet the 30 years has come and gone and there is still a toll. I will say the last PA toll booth going west is in the Pittsburgh area and not one at the state line any more. The Cyclorama and Museum cost $9 each for old folks. The Cyclorama is about 45 minutes with the movie and the picture and you can use the Museum all day. I didn't count the different guns, hand and rifle, they had, but it was in three cases.

One more of Ray's confounded questions – everyone knows how many were involved in the three day battle at Gettysburg and how many lost their lives. How many civilians were killed in the battle? Now remember this was a small town and most of the battle was fought in and around the farming community around the town. You will see some of that in the pictures. All of the monuments you see were erected by either the State they were from or by monies raised by the Regiments survivors. Most of the monuments are artillery batteries or infantry/cavalry regiment and are located in the approximate place they were on the battlefield. The cannons are the locations of the artillery batteries. So impressive to see all the history up close and yet know men fought and died for the liberty we have today. As the first President we had from the South after the Civil War said, “ I am glad the North won.” I do not remember who it was, and without internet I cannot look it up, but the quote stuck.

This will get posted late as the internet is so slow here I will not be able to post pictures from here.

More on Gettysburg next week as we see the rest of the battlefields and do some more sightseeing. We also have not gone thru the cemetery where all the Union soldiers are buried.

The monument in the pictures is the PA monument to commemorate the battle. I climbed the spiral staircase to the top for the view. It was a climb but well worth the effort. You can walk all the way around right under the base of the dome. This gives you a view of 80 – 90 percent of the battlefield.

Pictures:
PA monument to the battle
PA monument info on the battle
Taken from the top of the PA monument looking out over the battlefield
Taken from the top of the PA monument looking out over the battlefield
Taken from the top of the PA monument looking out over what was the 'high water mark of the Confederacy'