Old Kentucky Christmas: First Church of Christ, Burlington, KY

Our church has given the gift of this event to our community for the last few years. Each year, Old Kentucky Christmas grows and grows. This year's crowd is expected to reach around 10,000 between the four night and one day event.

Today, my kids and I volunteered for the field trip shift. We worked in the school house, teaching children how to write with a feather quill and ink.

There is something fun for everyone. You can make a candle...

pet real animals, like llamas, a donkey, burro, cow or angora rabbits...

take a carriage ride, play pioneer games, make your own Christmas ornament, go on a hayride and there is food too.

Decorate your own Christmas cookie, drink hot cocoa, or dip a pretzel in chocolate at the candy shop.

Inside our main building there will also be a quilting display, a dulcimer ensemble and several opportunities to participate in our church's candlelight service. Thursday night, Cooper High School performed their Christmas concert in lieu of a candlelight service.

There are also several photo opportunities outside and a more formal family photo opportunity inside.

Did I mention that this entire event is free?

My only caution is that with local road and community building construction this year, parking is more restricted. If you're heading out, there is the option to park at Camp Ernst Middle School and catch the free shuttle over to the First Church campus.

Trust me..your family will love this and it might become a favorite tradition in your home.

Visit the website for more time, location and map details. There are also lots of photos on the Facebook page.

And this...

this is what happens when you teach several hundred students how to write with a feather quill and ink. Oh well...back in the day, I would have just looked the part of a serious author.

Understanding Poverty; City Gospel Mission, Cincinnati, Ohio

Saturday morning, the kids and I participated in a training event at our church that was given by City Gospel Mission . I hope they don't mind that I'm using their photo, just as I don't mind that they took a photo of us sitting at the table in the foreground. The photo shows though, how diligently I was taking notes and that my children were all engaged in the speaker, the videos and also the small group discussion at our table.

I have to confess what I loved most was that this was not just First Church folks. People from the community, local schools and future volunteers at City Gospel, all came together in an attempt to grapple with some pretty difficult realities and some very discouraging statistics.

City Gospel and so many other great organizations like them, believe that relationships and love are the key to "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Despair...One Life at a Time." I know they are on to something, because I know that when I think about the rampant poverty around the world and how we privileged white folks take so much for granted...I have to confess it is pretty easy to despair. What I have already experienced and had confirmed again through this training is that I have more to learn from those who live in poverty, than I could ever teach them. Coming along beside someone not only has the potential to change their poverty, but also my despair at a world that has gone wickedly awry.

In each of their own ways, my children had their eyes opened. Leah was crushed to learn that one of the "measuring sticks" for the state of Ohio's Department of Corrections is literacy. Dr. O'Dell Owens, of Cincinnati State was quoted as saying, "If you don't know how to read by the end of the Fourth Grade, the state is building you a prison cell." That's a harsh reality for a sixth grader to hear. It must have spoken to Noah also, because he looked it up online to verify it later and discovered that California, Texas, and most other states follow suit.

Rebekah was impacted most visibly. I don't know what God has planned for this unique child, but she is often moved to tears by injustice, inequality and poverty. She definitely will be one that fights vehemently for the "underdog" in the coming years.

I wish everyone, Christian or not, in some way, whether through mission trips, books, movies, workshops or conversation, would take the time to step into the world of the deeply impoverished. Shane Claiborne writes in Irresistible Revolution that he has to believe that most people do not do more to end poverty, simply because they do not know anyone that is poor. Become friends with someone who lives in poverty and you begin to care deeply about how your own choices impact their world. It's no longer the faceless masses, vilified and condemned by our corporate-operated media. Instead it's Joe, Sue, Fred, and Frank. 

If you are a Christian, I ask you to just read your Bible. If there is no other venue open to you with which you can engage with the poor...go straight to the heart of Jesus (himself a poor man) and witness the compassion, mercy, grace and lenses of love through which He approached those whom society would much rather push to the margins. I can guarantee you that I know what you'll find:

A heart that beats with passion for those that His Father never forgets.

So shouldn't ours?

River Road Ramblings

I love living near the Ohio River. Honestly, I could easily while away the hours on a gorgeous day like today, simply listening to the gentle ripples as the warm breezes stir this majestic and beautiful river. We've been studying the Northern Kentucky region for school...its history, geography, ecology and even  the marine life contained within it.  Today, we wrapped up our study with an amazing drive along the river road that meanders across the tip of our state. We had no agenda...just clear blue skies, an unusually warm late October day, more happy fall color than Bob Ross could ever give a tree, a little bit of gas in the car and my always-ready-for-an-adventure attitude.

We often tread the path between our home and the Covington or Newport areas along this road. I enjoy driving the river route when we have the time, because the interstate just can't compare.

A little more than an hour into our trip today, we ended up in Augusta, Kentucky. This small river town hands down has to be one of the cutest little places I've ever seen. Just look at their Welcome Center...

As only I would, we saved this stop for last. (Welcome to my world!) Inside Dorothy greeted us with her space heaters cranked up to 90, smelling like my grandma, and a head full of history and trivia that only a tiny town like this could contain. I instantly loved her!

We only spoke to two people on our little excursion (Dorothy and a shopkeeper), but both conveniently name dropped George Clooney. It seems Mr. Clooney graduated from high school here and his parents still live in the town. Both ladies pointed out his mother's store, which would have been easy to identify if I had indeed known his mom's name is Nina.

There's also a ferry boat that crosses here and Dorothy told us pedestrians are free to cross. But if you have your own boat, you can pull right up to the riverside park. I'm not a boating person myself, but boat ties on the side of the river seem to indicate to me that it's deep enough for you to dock here.

Dorothy also informed us that the longest stretch of the Ohio River that is straight is about 9 miles long...and Augusta lies on that stretch. All of the homes along the riverfront were built in the 1700s or 1800s. I'll add to Dorothy's helpful information that these house are also absolutely adorable.

On our brief walking tour, my kids chastised me for taking a picture of this private yard. My response? "Anyone who spends this much time on their garden, wants it to be admired."

Leah mentioned several times that the town reminded her of Storybrook. That's the fictional town where her favorite TV program, Once Upon a Time, takes place. I had to admit, Augusta felt more "Southern" than I am accustomed to feeling in Northern Kentucky. I could almost picture myself standing next to the Mighty Mississippi somewhere in Louisiana, instead of standing across the river from the state of Ohio.

As we were looking around, I kept picturing this cute little place all dressed up for Christmas. Both ladies we spoke with concurred that Christmas would be a great time to return. I think we'll be back.

Last week, we also worked in a trip to Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, when my parents were here. Yes, you read that correctly, Rabbit Hash. This is what I expect a Kentucky river town to look like. We love Rabbit Hash, but there's not much to do there on a weekday, other than visit the General Store. 

As we continue to explore Kentucky, little treasures like Bellevue and Augusta reinforce my love for this beautiful state. Next region...Bluegrass.

Schoolin' on the River

Yesterday was our first day of school. Since the weekend had been emotional and busy, I was grateful for our opportunity to "do school" on the Ohio River yesterday...on one of the Queen City Riverboats to be precise.

River Reach run by the Foundation for Ohio River Education, was a superb program that taught these 4th through 12th graders about conservation, preservation and the uses of this massive body of water we all use everyday.

The curriculum consisted of elements of geography, geology, environmental science, biology, and more. The students rotated through different exercises that included a scavenger hunt and identifying critters taken from the River.

All I know...is that this Mama that's had a bit of an emotionally draining week, was thrilled to have thorough, well-trained, and engaging educators teach my three students for the day, while I had the amazing blessing of viewing this for 3+ hours.

Green Learning Station- Cincinnati, Ohio

The kids and I had a great field trip at the Green Learning Station today. As evidenced by this blog, I am all about growing things in small spaces, urban environments and learning how to do this in an environmentally friendly way. Civic Garden Center has been doing this and teaching others to do it themselves since 1942. The Green Learning Station was completed in 2011 to give a central location where others could learn. It's like a tiny gardening oasis in the middle of downtown Cincinnati.

I stumbled upon it by accident and was thrilled to learn what this non-profit has been doing. If you want to learn about composting, urban gardening, water reclamation, or rooftop gardening, this is the place to start.

Creating their own compost bin design

Our facilitator, Andy, gave the kids different "problems" and encouraged them to find solutions that were practical, economical and earth friendly. Just calculating the amount of storm runoff that their small parking lot saves each year was enough to convince me that the work they are doing is priceless.

GLS also has a large garden throughout the grounds that provides examples of how you can grow ornamentals, like you would in your front yard, but to also companion plant with edible varieties. [Not GLS promoted, but this is one way to get around picky neighborhood covenants that oppose gardens.]

As more and more neighborhood and community gardens are started, the GLS seed library would also be a valuable asset for providing heirloom seeds. I didn't see anything specifically promoting organic gardening, but Andy talked a lot about companion planting for pest control and other organic tips.

We had a chance to sample garlic chives, sorrel and fennel...all delicious. We also saw multiple plantings of greens, kale, cabbage, cilantro, strawberries and chard...plus, asparagus as tall as me.

Today's bonus was that the GLS currently has all of their plants at 40% off. They were having a huge plant sale the first time I drove past two weeks ago and the remnants have subsequently been reduced. Much to my childrens' chagrin, I picked up tarragon, small eggplant and garlic chives plants.

I couldn't get anyone else to go on the field trip with us. The age restriction of 7th & up only, combined with end of school year busy schedules may have kept some away. I hope if you're in the area you'll stop by sometime, even if you can't plan a field trip. Most of the center could be seen with a self-guided tour and they are open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Comparing water runoff from different roof designs

The Green Learning Center also offers classes for as low as $5.00 each. At those prices, you should definitely take advantage of what this local non-profit has to offer every gardener and wanna-be.

Fair Trade Field Trip Day

Because we have no home school co-op today and since October is Fair Trade Month, I'm taking my kids on a shopping field trip to a few places that sell Fair Trade items. As you may guess, with four children, this brings about a mixed bag of responses. The girls simply like to get out of our home and do anything. The boy...not so much.

But I am determined to get this principle ingrained in myself and hopefully begun in them: "My purchases do affect others...directly."

I am hoping to have a Fair Trade and/or local, small business Christmas this year. How about you? Does Wal-Mart really need your money again? Especially if you know buying from companies like them and Apple and Starbucks and many, many others, keeps another human soul in physical bondage? Even gift cards from McDonald's, any fast food and most large retailers mean you support companies who do not pay a fair living wage. We can't continue to keep repressing people and then expect them to not need government or charitable assistance. You literally can't have it both ways.

So what if we bought a little less this year, so we could spend a little more, so another soul could at least be physically free? I can't think of a better meaning of Christmas, can you?

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

Everybody singing now?

Well I am. I had a great morning with my two younger girls, Rebekah and Leah. The two oldest had headed off with their buddies to the orchard field trip our co-op friends were having and the girls and I have had the day to ourselves.

I didn't sign us all up for the field trip, because it's a little pricey. But I actually think I have now spent more. I remarked about a little guilt over that and Leah quickly reminded me, "Yes...but it was fun." And she is absolutely right!

We agreed upon Bob Evans for breakfast (it's much easier to get a unanimous decision amongst three than six!), dropped off some recycling (which gives me my feel-good vibe of the day), purchased a new quilting cutter blade so I could get crafty (although I have already cut myself with it), and when I asked the girls where they wanted to go have fun, Rebekah quickly reminded me that I had hoped to take them to play putt putt before it gets cold outside.

So putt putt at World of Golf in Florence it was. And while we all pretty much stink at the game, we had a blast. The highlight had to be fishing Leah's flip flop out of the pond...don't ask...just don't ask. Although I am highly competitive, I was able to relax, give them some pointers and soak up the gorgeous sunshine. I love to hear my kids laugh and the excitement when each of us hit one hole-in-one apiece, was pretty cool.

So yeah...we probably could have spent a little less on the field trip...but I wouldn't have traded this morning for anything.

Oliver Twist (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company)

Last Wednesday, all four of our children and I attended a matinee performance of Oliver Twist at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. I was delightfully surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Being more of a musical theatre fan, and having both performed in Oliver! and seeing the 1968 Oscar winning film adaptation too many times to count, I wasn't certain going into it how well it would be received by any of us. Oliver! is also Leah's (10 years old) favorite musical and she has half the soundtrack on her iPod Shuffle.

But I had confidence in Cincy Shakes. They have wow-ed us with two Jane Austen adaptations (Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility) and Romeo and Juliet, plus the touring production of The Tempest. I knew the quality would be good...as it was. Honestly, the presentation wasn't my concern. I just wanted the story to flow well so my children would have a good experience and not be bored. That is no easy task with today's YouTube driven culture. Let's admit it, all of our attention spans have shortened quite a bit over the years.

My worries will ill-founded though. Cincy Shakes did it again...they impressed me...deeply. In fact, there was music. Not any big show-stopping production numbers, but appropriate to the tone and mood songs that furthered the storyline, gave insight, were by no means distracting to the plot and helped break up some of the heavier drama from this sad tale. The accompanying violin music was beautiful as well.

All of the actors gave solid performances. We have seen several of the them repeatedly now and they consistently exceed my expectations. I will highlight one though. Sara Clark as the Artful Dodger, doesn't just play a young boy, but turns in the best performance I have seen from her and that is saying something. In the past I've seen her play my favorite heroine, Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice) and Marianne Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility). Abbey also told me she played a great Juliet last year, but so far, for me, this is the best one to date.

Oliver Twist runs through the rest of September and if you have a chance to take in a great show and support the local arts at the same time, this is the one to see for September.

Hittin' the Road for the Big 1-3!

Tomorrow, our third child becomes a teen. (If you're counting, that makes three teens in one home!) Rebekah is a highly intelligent, witty, practical, logical person and creative writer. Yep...She's my kid. Although her voracious reading more accurately reflects her father. I can't wait to see how God grows her over the next few years. In the meantime, I have to continually remind myself "She's only______.(insert age)" And I've had to do this since she was 10.

That's the age when she started looking, acting and logically processing like a child almost two times her age. That is not an exaggeration. She, more than any of our other children, is fiercely independent, seemingly comfortable in her own skin and refuses to adapt her choices or tastes to the people around her. She is not a people pleaser. I take no credit for that one. It is God-given because neither Dale nor myself could make the same claim.

But she also loves to have fun. She will play any game, with any one, at any time. I'll warn you though, don't play Scrabble with her unless you want to lose. Yes, she's the kid who looks up words on dictionary.com for fun. She's also been writing a book for over a year now and when I read it, I'm amazed at the level of maturity her writing possesses.

The road trip we're taking is in honor of her big day tomorrow. When our oldest reached this milestone almost five years ago, we had more money available to us, so she and I did something she loved. We flew to Disney World and spent a few days of just she and I bonding together. It was an idea I felt was given me by the Holy Spirit and it became for me a pivotal time of healing and growth in my relationship with her up to that point.

Well...when you have four kids...you know they will all want things to be "fair". Problem was, when Noah's day came around two years ago we were at our financially lowest point. Bless his heart though...he didn't want Disney....he wanted Skillet. Kings Island's Spirit Song festival to be exact. Skillet was one headline group, so he and Dale (with the help of some tax money) were able to spend two days bonding over roller coasters and Christian music. They still love both and I am blessed to sit back and watch as two men, who sometimes don't know what to say to each other can always find common ground around Skillet and groups like them.

Which now leads us to Bekah. When you're the third child, it's rare that you get to do something that the others haven't. I'm not sure that over 30 hours alone in a rental car with your mom ranks high on her list, but when you're the one that gets most overlooked, that's the part I will enjoy the most. We're going to Sea World one day and Cocoa Beach another (both Barthauer family firsts) and she and I are meeting our dear friends Della and Jennifer Miller at Downtown Disney too. She chose the Millers over a day at Magic Kingdom! That's how much loyal relationship means to Bekah.

We've been saving my money from babysitting all summer and now that it's here, we're both uber-excited. But while we're having fun and drinking Starbucks for the long drive and having breakfast with Lilo and Stitch, without any prior agenda as to what we'll discuss, I know God will use this as a foundational time for us to build upon for the sometimes turbulent teen years ahead.

When I made this journey with Abbey, I realized that many mothers in this world would be preparing their 13 year old daughters for marriage. I look at these right-of-passage trips as very similar. I may not be grooming them for a man, but they are now heading toward adulthood and I delight in the blessing of preparing them for their Groom who will always love them with a greater love than I could ever imagine.

Back to the Roots Aquaponics System

I am going to gush for a few moments, so you've been warned.

This company and this product are amazing! By that, I mean that if you like to grow your own food...you need to get one of these. If you're a homeschooler that wants to do a unit study on

1. Food production
2. Biology of plants
3. Biology of fish
4. Life skills of taking care of pet
5. Biology of bacteria
6. How fish poo feeds plants, or
7. How plants clean the water for fish

you need one of these too!

Do you sense my excitement yet?

Here's what has happened:

Back in June, our family visited The Simple Way in Philadelphia. One of the things I was most excited to see was their new aquaponics greenhouse. They had just hosted a workshop two weeks before we arrived but Dan from TSW graciously took some time out one day to give us a tour. The idea that an inner-city community could produce food from fish poo and give kids that rarely see grass a chance to taste fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes was something that my dreams are made of. And even though I sound melodramatic...I am not exaggerating. I have shared my patio gardening and the updated photos with you. This summer has also had me asking lots of questions about where I should focus my time and energy. Things like "What really gets me jazzed up and fuels me?" have been answered by two equally important ideas for me: I love to grow things and I love to share new ideas with people.

Now you understand the excitement, don't you?

My new aquaponics tank is both of these rolled into one!

I kept thinking I'd have to wait until we had a house someday to start one after the huge undertaking I saw in Philadelphia, but then a Facebook friend posted from a company she knows an indoor aquaponics system that was attractive...but not cheap. I couldn't even begin to approach the almost $400 price tag. Commercial systems range in the thousands!

So I literally googled "cheap aquaponics systems" and I was directed to Back to the Roots. This young start up has been selling grow your own mushroom kits for awhile and just launched their aquaponics tank this summer. For $59.99 this tank has everything you need except the fish to get started...and they even send you a $0.99 coupon for a fish at your local PetCo. With shipping (from California to Kentucky), I paid less than $75 for the whole system.

Oh...but wait...there's more! 

If you post a picture of your system up and running on their Facebook page, they will donate a system free to a school of your choosing. Read that again. It's just like Tom's Shoes. Buy one...and you're donating one. I haven't done this yet, because I want to find an urban school that would like to do this and then make the connection with Back To the Roots.

But here's how easy it is. I set the whole thing up in 1.5 hours...while I was making dinner too. Without that distraction, it probably would have taken about 45 minutes or so. I was concerned about water levels, because I just didn't see how it would work. I was wrong. In two days I had wheat grass sprouting, two days later, lettuce began to show up.

My water was cloudy for two days, but I knew this was because I probably didn't rinse the shale rocks enough. I didn't want to throw out all of the water and start again, so I took one of my Swiss Chard seedlings from outside, gently rinsed all of the dirt off of the roots, stuck it down in the rocks and in just a day and a half, the water was clear. 

We've named our new farming friend Ron...Ron Weasley to be exact, since he is a ginger and we are one Harry Potter crazy family. But I'm quickly becoming crazy about something more...growing our own food this winter inside. I've even been scheming how to rearrange our dining room to take advantage of a huge, full-sun window. My next step will be to make my own larger aquaponics system.

But for now, I'm content with Ron and his little garden. Check out the company. They will be launching in Whole Foods, Nordstrom and PetCo stores for the holidays. If you can help them out now by purchasing a system of your own, I'm sure they'd appreciate it. They included everything I needed as far as information in the kit and when I did have questions, found them readily accessible in their website's FAQ section...but the owners go so far as to send you their e-mail and phone numbers too because they want to work out any kinks before they go into stores. So far, I haven't found any kinks that need working out! 

The First of the Lasts

I promise to try to keep it together until the end...but here goes...

Today our oldest started her last "first day" of school, at least as an enrollee of The Barthauer Academy. And today, she became a teacher. She's currently teaching her younger siblings Art History and for her first day, she did a phenomenal job...even assigning homework. They were all creating and talking and laughing...and I didn't have to supervise. In fact, I was politely asked to leave the room so as not to disturb the teacher's "ju-ju". [Ha! My word...not hers!]

But seriously, this entire year will be a series of lasts and oddly enough...I'm okay with that. For a few years now I've known that God has been preparing me for this. Our summer has been filled with weeks of Abbey working and even leaving town to stay with family, friends and participate in missions. I'm not one prone to visions but about a year and a half ago, I had a specific image implanted in my mind of one very proud momma putting her child on a plane (okay it could be a bus) sending her off into the big, wide world to serve the God who loves her more than I ever could.

And here's the rub...I sort of can't win no matter how I feel about this. I share with friends that I'm ready, but then I'm excited when she returns home from a trip. This is seen by many as my inability to let go. But I happen to have a personality that is okay "living in the tension" (what a friend calls living in the "gray"). This tension happens to be knowing, accepting and readily acknowledging that she is not mine to keep...and yet enjoying the moments when she's home.

I've known since Day Four of her life that she was not ours and that a God who saw fit to give her life twice must have had a pretty outstanding purpose for her. So over the next year or less, forgive me if I get a little teary now and then. Please don't read into this that I'm not ready to let go. Instead, try to understand that there's a heart that is swelling so big the extra fluid needs be squeezed through my tear ducts before I bust with pride. And how does she feel about this transitioning year? Last night on Facebook she posted the following:

"Tomorrow starts day 1 of my senior year of high school. This summer has definitely helped confirm that the passions I have in life are all pieces of one big puzzle God is fitting together for me. I was able to fall in love with three different cities, travel to a different country and help work with children in a spiritually deprived province, further my love for art, and get to know some awesome people that I will never forget. Here is to hoping this last year of school will lead me to greater things."

Yesterday was my birthday. I have to admit, that was the best present I could have ever received!
Amen!

Berry Pickin' At Phillips' Berry Patch

Today I had the idea to research blueberry u-pick farms in our area. There really aren't very many if the online information is correct. But when I found Phillips' Berry Patch in Guilford, Indiana, (Dearborn County) and called, I discovered that she still had "a few" strawberries and the blueberries would be ready soon.

I didn't give the kids a choice about going and there were a few grumbles, but once we arrived, the girls pitched in on the picking and Noah elected to keep an eye on Jewell.

We didn't have her walking around barefoot...but we did set her in the patch for a few pictures. I don't think she knew quite what to make of it.

Abbey loves kids...and it doesn't take long for most kids to pick up on that. She made some new friends today, Addy and Ryan. They were the only other family there and it was their first time to pick. Their mom was really friendly and we chatted some. As I walked to my van a little later, I just had that "feeling" that I was probably talking to a Sister in Jesus. Not sure...but it definitely felt that way.

Then came the tasty part. I was curious to see what Jewell would do and before I could snap the second photo...

...a berry was already getting stuffed in her mouth, green top and all. 

She quickly spit it out, but it must either have been because of the size or the prickly top because she didn't hesitate to eat 10 of them for lunch when we got home. They're so juicy, I've already prepared her mama that she might have a berry-stained baby tonight.

Strawberries are normally $2 per pound, but because it was end of season (although she still had a lot) Mrs. Phillips gave them to us for $1 per pound. She also told me the blueberries will be ready in the next week or two...we'll be back, I know!

It's a success when the kids are eating fresh, locally grown strawberries all day and my 17 year summed up the experience with , "That was fun."

 

Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA

This historical town is a place I have wanted to visit my entire adult life. For me, this was the most exciting tourist attraction of our trip. 

My two favorite historical periods are The Civil War and World War 2. But The Civil War ranks first. I have watched Ken Burns' documentary at least a dozen times and have started it again since we arrived home. Driving and walking among these places I have learned so much about...the Wheat Field, the Peach Orchard, Little Round Top, Cemetery Ridge and of course the wide expanse of field where Pickett's Charge took place...truly was stepping on "hallowed ground" for me.

July 1-3 of this year is the 150th anniversary of the battle that began the ending of the Confederate army. Never again would the "rebels" cross over into the North to attack the Union. The tide changed here and even this many years later, thinking about the sacrifice that took place and the town of a little over 2000 that had to take care of ten times that many wounded (both Union and Confederate!) and had to bury over 50,000 bodies and live through the summer stench of 5000 dead horses, absolutely boggles my mind to try and grasp it.

There is a museum and movie on site where you can learn in detail about this famous battle. But for our family of six, it would have cost almost $70. Instead, I chose to schedule a two hour tour with a personal guide that rode in our car for $65 and taught us just as much as if Shelby Foote himself had been riding along. [That's a Ken Burns' Civil War reference right there!]

I don't know that you can request specific guides, but Larry Wallace was fantastic! He told us that we had perfect weather for the day and that with the sesquicentennial coming up, we had also chosen the perfect time. In about 2 hours, 15 minutes, he took us around to all of the major sites in Gettysburg. He said that during the big celebration, traffic would be so jammed up that he wouldn't be able to do half of what we were seeing. He also clued us in that during the months of late March through May, large school group activity deters from the battlefield guides showing you all of the sites too. What a blessing to have great weather and limited crowds.

The view from Little Round Top

For about a decade, I've decided that "some day" I'd like to take a Civil War vacation. I'd love to tour Manassas (aka Bull Run), Appomattox Station, Antietam, Chickamauga, and Andersonville Prison. If on that trip, or any other, I have the opportunity to visit Gettysburg again, I think I'd like to take a self-guided tour. I just want to wander around and look at all of the monuments first. They are amazing pieces of art and workmanship.

We didn't have a lot of time in Gettysburg. We had driven straight to the Historical Park from Philadelphia with just about an hour to spare before our tour. I think I could easily spend a few days there.

Statue of a contemporary tourist and Abraham Lincoln pointing
toward the room where Lincoln may have completed The Gettysburg Address.

 Inside the town there are little shops and different museums to see, including a free museum of General Robert E. Lee's command post that Mr. Wallace said is a great place to visit. The Lutheran seminary that was there when Gettysburg was attacked, still stands today. And you could easily spend an entire day wandering around the battlefield.

No matter how many times I hear it, The Gettysburg Address still chokes me up. And as we drove from Gettysburg to our hotel in Chambersburg, which Mr. Wallace taught us was the same path that Lee and the Confederates trod to come to Gettysburg...and retreat from it too, we drove over and around hills and mountains that were breathtaking vistas.

What I could not shake from my mind was that 150 years ago, thousands of men...with no paved roads or mechanical devices...pulled at minimum 150 cannons over those heights. Well, actually it took six horses per cannon, but the men marched for miles on end, through trees and shrubs, carrying excessively heavy loads and did not know what would happen when they reached there. For far too many, this hallowed ground was the last that they would see.