Gettysburg
Gettysburg is kind of unphotogenic but so meaningful and interesting—with the right guide. It’s unphotogenic in that the photos are mostly grassy fields with hills and valleys, dotted with memorials, cannons, trees, and fences. It kind of doesn’t look like much until you start imagining hundreds of soldiers, leaders meeting to plan and argue strategies, 3 days of soldiers walking, running, being killed, cannons booming, smoke covering the sky, heat, and fear.
I had signed us up for a tour on a bus with a certified guide (they have to take tests to ensure they know all the history). The workers at the visitor center told us where the bus stop was and we made sure to be there about an hour early so we wouldn’t miss our bus. A bus with a group of people ending their tour came at noon, which was our scheduled time, so we figured they’d get off and we’d start ours. However, the guide from that bus told us our tickets were for a different visitor center (which we never did see). She called someone and told us they’d let us go on another tour at 2:45 and we should head to that other visitor center. But we didn’t want to waste another nearly 3 hours so we decided to go on a self-guided auto tour.
The National Parks Service just put out a new app which we had downloaded. It’s a rich app with all kinds of good stuff about the parks. It had the well-marked auto tour and at each numbered spot you could play rangers telling about what happened at that place. Randy has been watching these ranger talks on YouTube for around 2 years, I think. He even wrote to one of the most popular rangers and asked what books he recommended and Randy read several of them. So off we went, listening to the ranger talks on the app and all the many additions Randy could make. And in one place, by the peach orchard, we listened to a real ranger giving an exceptional talk. He was great.
After the auto tour, we went to the Gettysburg cemetery, which was kind of like a small Arlington. It also is the site of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It, too, was a significant place in the battle, already called “Cemetery Hill,” because it was already a small cemetery during the time of the battle.
I like the criss-cross fences. It would be cool to put a fence up like that around our yard. Maybe a project for Randy when we move to Lynden. :) I like fences of all kinds. They make me think of Grandma Grace (Kok). I have a painting of hers that has a fence, a mountain, and a rose, just because she liked those things.
Both Cori and I have been bugging Randy to wear a hat to protect the skin of his bald head. He would never wear any I bought him. On this trip, we had this conversation:
Mavis: Why won’t you wear a hat?
Randy: I don’t like them.
Mavis: Do you not like them enough to get skin cancer and die?
Randy: [Laughs] OK, I’ll get a regular one.
Mavis: What’s a regular one?
Randy: Without all the writing and stuff on it.
Aren’t my persuasive skills impressive? At a gift shop he picked the one you see in these photos. Pretty hunky, if you ask me.
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