Traveling

We started out about 9:00, Indiana Time yesterday morning. Beautiful sunny day. We mostly, traveled. When we arrived in the Alleghenys at sunset, there was actually a purple haze over the area. Quite beautiful. We drove as far as Bedford Pa. Which is pretty little town. Lots of old homes and still tastefully decorated for the holidays. Had supper at the Jean Bonnet Tavern,built in 1762. Good food, loads of atmosphere.

Yesterday morning we were up a little earlier and our first port of call was about thirty miles East to the Flight 93 Memorial. It opened on September 10 this year. It began to rain as we traveled East up the mountain and when we arrived at The site, it was coming down pretty hard. We put on raincoats and walked out to the monument. It is a long low black walkway that curves and then culminates in a white pleated wall with the names of the passengers and crew. Beyond the wall, a huge boulder has been placed at the point of impact. Very moving. Imagine, knowing you are going to die and deciding you are not going down without a fight. Heroes and martyrs!

On the way back we stopped at A Lutheran Church built in 1806. Built of logs and two stories high. Pretty neat. Our next stop was Gettysburg. Several years ago when my sister Judy and I had visited there we bought a CD that plays while you drive through the park. We used it again. it is a good tool to give you a good overview of the battle at your own pace. The rain continued harder so we didn't get out much along the way. Those three days in July,1863, changed the tide of the War being fought then. 23,000 Union Soldiers and 28,000 Confederate Soldiers died. Whenever I visit a site like this, I am struck with the thought: "Why don't we get it, that No one wins". 51,000 young men dead. The similarity and contrast of the two sites we visited of Schellsville and Gettysburg is interesting. The first site, shows everyday people making a decision to change the course of history. Gettysburg also changed Our Country's history, because everyday soldiers followed the orders of Officers trained in the strategies of War.

We headed to Fredrick, Md, where we had made plans to meet our nephew, Eric for dinner. He called to say he would be a little late because the rain was causing fog in the mountains he had to cross. Having experienced that Mountain fog earlier in the day, we certainly understood. So, Maureen and I ordered a plate of Mussels and relived memories of our Good Friday meal at the Villa this Spring in Italy. Eric was there before we finished and we had a good visit. He looks great. Last year he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer with a 1% chance of recovery. He is now cancer free and happy and healthy. I love Eric, he has always been one of my favorite people. When we came out of the restaurant - Bone Fish - the rain had stopped and the crescent moon was bright overhead. A good end to an interesting day.