Antietam

One of many monuments.

How many men died here? 

We watched a reenactment of a battle. 

Eisenhower's Farm

 The only home the Eisenhower's owned was in Gettysburg.  President Eisenhower lived here till his death.

Elegant dining room.

Do you remember kitchens like this?

Backyard BBQ.

Mamie's outfit.  Remember her favorite color was pink and it was apparent in her home decor.

 Young Eisenhower as a cadet at West Point.

President Eisenhower on the cover of Life Magazine.

Gettysburg, PA

We have been visiting my sister in Ohio for the last two weeks.  When we visit with friends and/or family we are having too much fun to take time to blog.  I feel gulity if I don't catch up, so I procastrainate and it gets worse.  So I'm letting it go this time, the way I can.  I am posting pictures with a limited dialogue.

          Confederate Uniform                                                                                  Union Uniform

Union Calvary Soldier

Cannons

Monuments

Well worth a visit.

Monticello

One of our target destinations this summer was to visit Monticello in Charlotteville, VA.  We had been to Washington, Williamsburg, and Mt. Vernon many times but Monticello was always a little to far out of the way.

We took three tours during the day, the first was the first floor of the home.  We had an incredible tour guide, who was a former elementary teacher.  She reminded me of Ms. Frizzle from Magic School Bus.

Jefferson's home was awesome, but you'll have to visit yourself because no pictures were allowed inside.  The porch had a weather vane.

Under the house, the rooms there could be photographed.

This was the kitchen.

Having sent time in France, Jefferson was very keen on good wine.  He had a wine cellar and a vineyard of his own.

He grew hops and brewed beer.

We went on a garden tour.  Jefferson plants had to be useful, unusual, and fragrant.

Flowers

Vegetables and Flowers

A fish pond, which holds fish that have been caught until they will be cooked.

Monticello is built on a hill and the view is incredible.

Our last tour was the Slave Tour.  Three tours in one day is a lot. We did grab a bite to eat along the way.  No pictures from this tour, as they are in the process of building a new exhibit.  A lot of good information on Jefferson as a slave owner and Jefferson "the author of freedom."

We enjoyed Monticello but Vanderbilt is still the highlight for me of this years trip.

Richmond, VA The State Capital

We finally left North Carolina after about 6 weeks.  We are in Virginia and spent the first part of this week in the capital Richmond.  We went to the visitor center and found lots to do.  We decided our first stop would be the Capital itself.  In 1785, Thomas Jefferson was serving his country as Ambassador to France.  Inspired by the Maison Carree in Nimes, France, and based on classical Roman temple design, Mr. Jefferson's Capital, atop Shockoe Hill, is made of brick and covered in stucco.  The Ionic columns on the South Portico contain the original pine tree center posts.  The cornerstone was laid in 1785 when Patrick Henry was the Commonwealth's seventh governor.

We took a tour that started underground and took us through this magnificent building.

On the second floor there was a great view of a statue of George Washington by Houdon.

In 1785, Houdon visited the General at Mount Vernon, and took detailed body measurements and made sketches.He coated Washington's face with oil and covered it in plaster to make a life mask.  The completed life-size statue stands 6'2" tall and is considered a perfect likeness.

The old House of Delegates Chambers is where the Bill of Rights was ratified into the U.S. Constitution, Aaron Burr was tried and acquitted of treason, and Robert E. Less assumed command of the Virginia forces.

The Senate Chambers was originally a courtroom.  Displayed "The Arrival of the First Permanent English Settlers Off Jamestown Island May 13, 1607" by Griffith Baily Coale, and "Storming of a British Redoubt at Yorktown by American Troops" by Eugene Louis Lami.

We had lunch at one of the many street vendors.  None were Weight Watchers friendly, but that's what is good about Weight Watchers.  You have flex points for special times.

North Carolina Aquarium

We waited in the car at the aquarium until it slowed down enough to go into the aquarium. This fish sculptor was at the enter of the aquarium.

Inside the entrance was this quilt that was being raffled off.  Knew my friend Shellie would like to see it.  It is a turtle quilt.

We thought we were going to see an intro video but it turned out to be a Jeopardy game.  We had fun but we lost.  We didn't get a prize from the prize box.

The signage in this museum was not the best. So I have no idea what these fish are.  So I will just show you pictures.

There were sharks,

 rays,

and turtles.

We have been spoiled coming from  the Long Beach Aquarium and the Monterrey Aquarium, so we were too impressed.  However, one of the campers that we meet gave us complimentary tickets to get in, since a relative took care of the plants in the aquarium.  We Loved the Plants!!!

As we left the aquarium the rain had stopped so I took a ride on a turtle.

Lost Colony, Fort Raleigh, North Carolina

On our last day in North Carolina, we wanted to see Fort Raleigh.  It is on Roanoke Island.

Walking to the fort we came across this marker that commemorated the first English settlement.

We saw a video about the Lost Colony and then went out to hear a Rangers talk at the fort.  I expected a fort, build like with Lincoln Logs. or something.  I did not expected an earthen fort.

There is a theater here also, where they reenact the story of the Last Colony.  We did not see the play as it was performed at 8:00 pm and we were an hour and a half drive away.  So it would have been way past our bedtime.  Plus driving unfamiliar roads in the dark was not something we thought was a wise idea.

It started to rain, so we headed back to the Visitor's Center.  We spend some time enjoying the exhibits. Examples of the type of clothes worn by the Indians in this area were on display.

This vest was also on display.

Copper was used as money and traded with the Indians.  This was a necklace brought from English.  The cord had rotted away but the cooper has remained.

Several archaeological digs have been done and pots used back in the era of the Lost Colony were found.

Not only was this the site of the Lost Colony but it also was the spot for the First Light of Freedom.  It was said if a slave got to Roanoke Island they had hit freedom. This was part of the Underground Railroad.

A colony of Freedmen developed on Roanoke Island.

Great Visitor's Center!

We might have hiked around this park longer, but a downpour started so we ran to our car and head to North Carolina Aquarium.