Thursday, April 29
April 29 Hannibal, Mo
Hannibal is were we have some relatives. My mom and dad met and married in Hannibal in 1945. Our group has grown by one with the addition of CUZ Phil. We are off to see some more cousins for dinner.
April 28 Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg is half way or 60 miles from both Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. See map Before the Civil War it was the center of commerce with boat traffic on the Rappahannock River, roads and railroads intersecting at this gentile southern town. Control of the roads and railroads was important to both sides and both sides paid dearly to gain control of the town. Four battles, 1st and 2nd battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and the Battle of the Wilderness we fought in and around Fredericksburg. The town was in very bad shape and did not recover for over a 100 years. Fredericksburg is a very nice town to visit. Of course we were hunting relatives on the Shepherd side of the family and hit a gold mine in the locale library. There were a passel, dating back to the late 1700's.
Lunch ~ Fredericksburg Sammy T's (find any other spot to eat)
Dinner at Red Hot & Blues Great Bar-B-Que...... Yummy in my tummy.cksburg
Linda and Nancy on the hunt in Fredericksburg
Lunch ~ Fredericksburg Sammy T's (find any other spot to eat)
Dinner at Red Hot & Blues Great Bar-B-Que...... Yummy in my tummy.cksburg
Linda and Nancy on the hunt in Fredericksburg
April 27 Oak Hill Cemetery Georgetown in DC
Linda, Nancy and I went headstone hunting for some of Linda's relatives in the beautiful Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. We found a bundle of them scattered around two sections of the cemetery.
Lunch at Clyde's in Georgetown. Great food. We sat at the second table back in the picture.
Chapel at Oak Hill
Lunch at Clyde's in Georgetown. Great food. We sat at the second table back in the picture.
Chapel at Oak Hill
Sunday, April 25
April 24 Escape from Washington
We followed the route of J.W. Boothe from the Ford's Theater to Garret's farm. An all day bus ride with a guide talking the entire time..
Happy 30th Birthday Matt and Jackie
April 23 Manassas or Bull Run
The Battle of First Manassas (First Bull Run) was July 19, 1861
Battle of Second Manassas (Second Bull Run) was in late August of 1862
The most dramatic thing about the Civil War battlefields, is that most were slight rolling "hills" about 6 to 12 feet high about 100 or more yards apart and no other cover to speak of. These large open field with soldiers advancing on foot sometimes over 500 yards in the open in frontal assaults. The picture below shows a statue about 400 yards from the canon and the range of most of their rifles was at best was about 200 yards. They wouldn't start running until they were about 200 or 300 yards. It is a wonder that anyone survived these assaults. Imagine running at this canon position with infantry on either side if it.
Battle of Second Manassas (Second Bull Run) was in late August of 1862
The most dramatic thing about the Civil War battlefields, is that most were slight rolling "hills" about 6 to 12 feet high about 100 or more yards apart and no other cover to speak of. These large open field with soldiers advancing on foot sometimes over 500 yards in the open in frontal assaults. The picture below shows a statue about 400 yards from the canon and the range of most of their rifles was at best was about 200 yards. They wouldn't start running until they were about 200 or 300 yards. It is a wonder that anyone survived these assaults. Imagine running at this canon position with infantry on either side if it.
Thursday, April 22
April 22 ~ George Washington Masonic Memorial ~ Fort Ward
George Washington Masonic Memorial - This magnificent building on a hill in Alexandria is privately funded through the contributions of Freemasons and others. It is one of the sites described in the Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol. From the front steps you can see the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument.
We went about 3 miles outside of Alexandria to Fort Ward, one of the last remaining forts used in the defense of Washington during the Civil War. Nancy and I have great grandfathers who defended Washington at the end of the war.
Lunch - Char-broiled chicken and spinach burritos. We ate on the dock next to the Potomac.
Beautiful day - great food!
Dinner - I cooked for Nancy, Carol and Linda. Stir fried jumbo shrimp, carmelized onion in balsamic vinegar and fresh cut vegetables served over steamed rice.
We went about 3 miles outside of Alexandria to Fort Ward, one of the last remaining forts used in the defense of Washington during the Civil War. Nancy and I have great grandfathers who defended Washington at the end of the war.
Lunch - Char-broiled chicken and spinach burritos. We ate on the dock next to the Potomac.
Beautiful day - great food!
Dinner - I cooked for Nancy, Carol and Linda. Stir fried jumbo shrimp, carmelized onion in balsamic vinegar and fresh cut vegetables served over steamed rice.
Wednesday, April 21
April 21 Newseum Washington DC
We went to the News Museum (Newseum) in DC, just off of the Capitol Mall. It was very interesting to see all of the same news event covered from many papers around the country and world. One of the exhibits was the news coverage of Lincoln's assignation and how it helped find the conspirators. More information on Saturday. The Pulitzer prize photographs were the most compelling for me.
The most interesting part of the day was talking to a guy waiting to watch a news conference at the Newseum on a new telescope (Solar Dynamics Observatory) that is observing the sun. He was the nicest guy and he loved talking about the satellite. Ed finally told me he was an astrophysicist and he helped design the telescope. Pretty incredible pictures that the satellite is sending back to earth.
A forgettable lunch at the Newseum.
An afternoon snack of homemade chili, jalapeno corn muffins and a super tasting porter at the Capitol Brewery.
Dinner- I pooched fresh tillapia fillets over lemon slices and covered with a light coating of mayonnaise. Nancy and Carol filled out the menu with steamed broccoli and yellow baked potatoes.
The most interesting part of the day was talking to a guy waiting to watch a news conference at the Newseum on a new telescope (Solar Dynamics Observatory) that is observing the sun. He was the nicest guy and he loved talking about the satellite. Ed finally told me he was an astrophysicist and he helped design the telescope. Pretty incredible pictures that the satellite is sending back to earth.
A forgettable lunch at the Newseum.
An afternoon snack of homemade chili, jalapeno corn muffins and a super tasting porter at the Capitol Brewery.
Dinner- I pooched fresh tillapia fillets over lemon slices and covered with a light coating of mayonnaise. Nancy and Carol filled out the menu with steamed broccoli and yellow baked potatoes.
Tuesday, April 20
April 20 Ball's Bluff and Antietam battlefields
Nancy and I started our day traveling to Ball's Bluff battlefield in Leesburg, Virginia. Nancy's great grandfather fought in the battlle. The USA units were ravaged. 550 captured and 230 killed.
We traveled another 35 miles to Antietam to find where another great grandfather fought. It looks like his Ohio unit fought at the battle for control of the Burnside Bridge. The battle of Antietam was costly for both sides. One CSA unit lost 83% of their soldiers. A USA unit lost 2200 people in 20 minutes. I don't believe that the death ever leaves that ground.
Lunch was at the South Street Under restaurant in Leesburg. We tried carmelized onions in balsamic vinegar as a relish on our sandwiches. Yum!
Dinner back in Leesburg at the Tuscarora Mill Restaurant (locals call it Tuskie's). Another great meal! Thanks for the tip, Jim and Darlene.
We traveled another 35 miles to Antietam to find where another great grandfather fought. It looks like his Ohio unit fought at the battle for control of the Burnside Bridge. The battle of Antietam was costly for both sides. One CSA unit lost 83% of their soldiers. A USA unit lost 2200 people in 20 minutes. I don't believe that the death ever leaves that ground.
Lunch was at the South Street Under restaurant in Leesburg. We tried carmelized onions in balsamic vinegar as a relish on our sandwiches. Yum!
Dinner back in Leesburg at the Tuscarora Mill Restaurant (locals call it Tuskie's). Another great meal! Thanks for the tip, Jim and Darlene.
Monday, April 19
April 19 The Adventure begins
We arrived in Washington D.C. to visit nearby Civil War battlefields. We are visiting places where some of our relatives fought or were stationed during the Civil War. We will be on the road tomorrow. More later.
Sunday, April 18
Spring Fishing news
Doug, my brother-in-law, and I took drift boat trip down one of the coast rivers. Those are two nice Steelhead Salmon I caught and our guide Doug Miller.
The next photos are Chinook Salmon caught from my boat in the Columbia River.
Bruce with a 15 pounder. Doug and Roger 15 and 11 pounders.
Nora's Second Birthday
We had a great time celebrating Nora's birthday.
The excitment with a set of drums at the Childrens Museum in K Falls.
Katie and Nora playing in a antique dentist chair.
Fun with static electricity.
Sad News
T.J. 's adopted mother Jolene Myers died after a long battle with ALS. I flew down to L.A. for the memorial service. Jolene was a very positive force in TJ's life and she will be greatly missed. Memorial service set-up with Bob, Michelle, Lisa and TJ.
Trip to Klamath Falls February
Winter travel in Oregon is always an adventure. We took our time heading over the snowy Cascades to visit Matt, Katie and Nora. Crisp, but beautiful. Papa with Nora at the south end of Klamath Lake.
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