Tips for a Visit to the Battlefield....

Alfred R. Waud, artist of Harper’s Weekly, sketching on the Gettysburg battlefield. July, 1863

I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be there, I mean right there in the middle of it all, and undertake the incredible task of trying to express this part of the Civil War in such a way for those of us in coming generations to understand.
One can't help but be overcome with all that happened when you stand anywhere on the battlefield-each one of us chooses to comprehend it in our own way to help our minds to make sense of the magnitude of this page in time. The beauty mingled with such strong emotions that drove men to battle years before....
It's hard to say the best way to experience such history-if you are like me, it's hard for my brain to absorb all the details in a short period of time-I need to take it all in slowly and in a way that will resonate with me so I will be able to remember important details in the future-I want to know everything, but yet I realize the limitations of my mind and I try not to set such high expectations. It never ceases to amaze me when I am standing near people when I visit the Battlefield who can easily spout off a multitude of facts-I will never be able to do this. But, I feel that if you can interpret things in a way you can retain easily in your mind, do whatever works best for you.

For first time visitors, if you can muster up the admission fee, it's always great to visit the Vistor's Center on Baltimore Pike, route 97. I would recommend visiting before 10am (you also have the best chances of immediately booking a tour guide at this time, too) or swinging by after 4pm when it's quieter to plan your trip for the following day. The Visitor Center is open daily 8-6pm and summer months until 7pm. The info on admission can be viewed here. In addition, you can now book a tour guide online by clicking here.
Another suggestion for families with children is to print out some points of interest in advance-you can find some great suggestions to the bar on the right on my blog right here, and if you have your own car, you can have fun finding them at your own pace, as well as parking and seeking them out on foot. I like to give each of my kids a blank notebook, and I ask them to make journal entries-i.e. write about their emotions, their thoughts about what they are seeing, even a poem or what they are hearing or smelling, along with making sketches-nothing has to be perfect, and it's always fun to look back on what they logged at a later time.

I also like to pick one person that was involved with the battle and follow them as far as we can through the battlefield-some suggestions are Robert E. Lee, Lt. General James Longstreet, Major General George E. Pickett as well as Jennie Wade.
It's always a big hit to bring lunch or a snack-we always go to Subway or KFC (on route 30) across from the Walmart-it's relatively cheap), and have a picnic at Devil's Den, sitting on one of the huge rocks, taking in the spectacular views. Everyone loves exploring around this area-just remember to do your part and clean up afterwards!

The National Park tour roads are open from 6am until 10pm in the summer months and it is free to roam the park. For Park updates, visit their website. Just remember to be flexible, try to bring a hat or cap and drink plenty of water.

Don't forget to have fun and make your own artistic moments in history!

Dear Dancer...

Well, girl, it's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. I traveled to Texas,came back to jump into work, and have been focusing on wrapping up the year with my students, as well as trying to rack my brain for ideas on how to keep the girls busy for the summer. School is out now, and we look forward to the fall and our first year of homeschooling with mixed emotions of relief and anxiety. I hope I do well by them, Dancer. I love them so much and want the world for them. I am hoping by doing this we can strengthen their foundation and reinforce all that is good and wonderful in this world. They are already such good kids, but I feel the strong need to get back to basics.

Anyway, we get ready to go away to Broadkill Beach next week-I feel pretty good leaving you because I know you are in the capable hands of my two best friends, Monica and Sharon. I desperately wish we could take you with us-it's always been a dream of mine to go horse back riding on the beach-splashing in the surf. I'm not sure you would enjoy all those flies, though. June can be a tough month for that.

I can't believe how fast the time passes-I am trying to focus more than ever on living in the moment and celebrating all that we are blessed with. I have a constant feeling that big changes are right around the corner-I am not good with change, but I am praying every day for the grace to handle all of it. My mom, the huge inspirational presence in my life that she is, has given me a mantra to repeat everyday: "with God all things are possible. ...." Philippians 4:13. I know this is true because of all the blessings I have been given.

After all, I have you, don't I? Looking forward to seeing you later today, my dear friend. I love you so much and can't wait to wrap my arms around your regal neck.

Quote of the Day....

"There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make." Ted Kennedy

Happy Mother's Day, Everyone!

How fitting that I write a post on of all days, Mother's Day! It has been incredibly busy here, with barely enough time to breathe, but I love nothing more than being able to update here and give everyone a little glimpse of what life is like in our neck of the woods.

It's a beautiful day, although a bit windy and the kind of day where you aren't sure how to dress- (we optimistically packed away all our winter clothes with the warmer weather last weekend.) And,while I'm not a fan of cooler weather, the fronts coming through have provided us with some spectacular sunsets!

Because I have been running around like a madwoman this week, I have discovered I am desperately craving some down time and the need to reflect quietly on my life. I suppose you could call it "getting centered"- I yearn to focus on all that is beautiful and good in this world and appreciate all that God has created-and the books I am currently reading this week are a wonderful remedy for this. One of my absolute favorites is Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Here is a brief description of the book: "A sturdy individualist and a lover of nature, Henry David Thoreau was the epitome of the Yankee spirit. In March 1845, he set out to live life in a new way. Borrowing an ax, he built himself a wooden hut on the edge of Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachussetts, where he lived until September 1847. Walden is a record of his experiment in simple living....Thoreau decribes his...existence, bare of creature comforts but rich contemplation of the wonders of nature and the ways of man."

I am also dreaming of beautiful english cottage gardens and searching for my new favorite flower, the ranunculus, to share my home with. And, while doing this, I have the hair brained idea to pursue one of my favorite past times, the hobby of flower arranging, and try to incorporate it into a career. I love the look of the rustic and the delicate all wrapped up into one package. I have always loved making people happy and feel this is one sure fire way to bring a smile to someone's face-through beautiful bunches of hand tied flowers! Stay tuned for future announcements on when I will be offering some guaranteed smiles for local delivery!
Until we meet again, I leave you with some words from Henry David Thoreau and Walden-"A slight sound at evening lifts me up by the ears, and makes life seem inexpressibly serene and grand."

Quote of the Day....

"Remember,there are two ways to spread happiness,either be the light who shines it, or the mirror that reflects it; every moment counts."

As quoted by my father, Pete Duke, the wisest man I know. I love you, Dad!

Fancy Girl!

I recently had to spring for a light turn out sheet for Dancer-all I had in my possession was a heavy blanket which would have had the poor girl dying of the heat;(with the way the weather has been yo-yo-ing this time of year.)

Quite the fashionista, don't you think?

A Brief Photo Essay of a Recent Drive Thru Gettysburg

We drove thru Wright Avenue to Devil's Den and I felt compelled to take a few shots of the beautiful spring palette of colors....

The landscape makes me want to pick up a paintbrush and start painting...

I can't help but feel so honored to live so close to the park and be able to enjoy it's beauty everyday.My favorite monument on the battlefield. The 69th New York used the Irish Wolfhound as the regimental mascot. (The wolfhound is depicted on the regiment's coat of arms.) Two Irish wolfhounds were adopted by the unit and were clad in green coats bearing the number "69" in gold letters. They would parade immediately to the rear of the Regimental Color Guard.
My favorite tree-Sickle's Witness Tree.

Captain Bigelow of the 9th Massachusetts Battery described the scene in July over a hundred years ago: “A spirited military spectacle lay before us; General Sickles was standing beneath a tree close by, staff officers and orderlies coming and going in all directions…” Bigelow continued “…at the famous ‘Peach Orchard’ angle on rising ground along the Emmetsburg Road, about 500 yards in our front, white smoke was curling up from… the deep-toned booming of [Union] guns…while the enemy’s shells were flying over or breaking around us.” Charles W. Reed later wrote: “at the foot of the hill…were Maj. Gen Sickels headquarters under a tree. we halted…a few minutes giveing [sic] me time to take a scetch [sic] of him. one of his Aids was already wounded by a piece of shell in the back and the surgeon was doing it up.” Confederate artillery shells flew toward the Trostle Farm. The 9th Massachusetts Battery retreated back to this location. As they were preparing to pull out, they were ordered to stay and sacrifice themselves so that a new line could be formed behind them on Cemetery Ridge. The 9th Massachusetts (Bigelow’s) Battery fired from left to right against Confederates attacking from the high ground near the Emmitsburg Road. The Confederates shot the horses on purpose so that they couldn’t pull the cannon back to Cemetery Ridge. The Confederates did finally capture Bigelow’s Battery. Bigelow’s guns were later recovered in a countercharge by Union infantry.