Weapons

I am not sure what I had expected when we set out on this history tour, but in retrospect I am not at all surprised that most of our photos and most of our time was spent studying weapons - well it was a war history tour after all..
We spent an interesting day in Manassas, or Little Bull Run as it is known in the south. The docent was meticulous in his detailing of how to load and aim the gun, there was not a single detail left out. Lukas captured it all.

Noah grabbed his notepad and swiftly made a sketch of Stonewall Jackson on his horse, and we walked around in the fields marveling at the immensity of the Civil War, the obstacles and the huge losses.  We saw the actual fields, houses and bridges that were mentioned in the book we had just completed about Stonewall Jackson and just like it was presented in the book, we learned how only small minor events influenced and directed the outcome of the War between the States.

Building and buddies

We spent a night reconnecting with special friends whom we met in Monterey, CA. The boys set out to build a tower to the ceiling, Noah found great delight in the dress up box, and all kids enjoyed splashing and swimming in the pool - a fun time for sure. We are truly fortunate to have wonderful, hospitable and fun friends scattered all over this great country!

Flag holder

On our way south to the nation's capital we stopped at Ft McHenry to see first hand where Francis Scott Key had penned our national anthem. The boys and I found the history and the details about the war of 1812 very interesting and seeing how close the Brits came, made us once again realize that the independence that was so hard fought in the late 1700s was not a forgone conclusion yet.
Lukas and Noah were commanded in to service to help lower and raise the US flag. We were also treated to a wonderful concert, learning in the process that  'Yankee Doodle'  could have been our national anthem - talk about pouring salt in the wound of the English...  It would have been a much easier tune to sing, however.

Large piece of scrap metal

There is nothing better than being able to combine school with pleasure like we did in Philadelphia. Dear friends joined us, despite having seen the marvels of the city too many times and even though the humid, overcast sky made the heat more oppressive, true friends in other words. We headed down town on the trolley with Matt as our guide and escort making sure we got on the right one, paid appropriately and did not embarrass anyone - very important for young teens :-).

Since we have been in Philadelphia several times we concentrated on the largest piece of scrap metal on display, the Liberty Bell. There is much to do and see in the city, but the heat sapped everyone's energy and we headed back with our eyes on a cool dip in the pool and a fun dinner.

George and Martha

Noah makes a great Washington, don't you think?

We spent another warm day in Valley Forge and it was a bit harder to imagine what the soldiers felt and experienced as they wintered there... Lukas and Noah learned quickly to find the shade at each place we stopped. History really came to live as we watched and listened to docents telling about this big winter camp - the numbers were astounding and the speed by which this was accomplished incredible, maybe we can take a lesson from this page of history?

Thankful for technology

When I speak to military spouses who spent years in the service before internet and cell phones, I realize how fortunate we are to have the current technology providing the boys almost instant access to their Dad whenever they need or want to. Lukas secluded himself, and chatted with his Dad while watching the sunset, it was more important than roasting marshmallows over the open fire with his friends - he was talking to his best friend!

Gettysburg

One of the purposes of heading East while Bob worked diligently was to see first hand some of the many places we had read about during our year studying American History. Our first stop was Gettysburg and we spent a fun, hot day exploring. While inside the Park building I handed off the camera to Noah, who promptly took pictures of every weapon in sight. Part of the tour was drive around so we piled in and out of the car, climbed monuments, crossed open air fields and hiked outlook towers - the heat helped us realize how hard it must have been to be a soldier during the Civil War, we were way too hot and a bit uncomfortable in our shorts and t-shirts, no wool, no back pack, no heavy booths for us, thank you very much.
Although we did not fight any battles, we were ready to head home and rest after a long day at the National Park,  where there was fun and games waiting for us, along with a delicious meal and sweet fellowship.

The next day, the boys requested some water play before once again piling in to the car and heading further east for more learning. Wet, worn out and a bit sun burned we steered east for Philadelphia and good friends.