August 6th

I think that the homesickness bug is going around the trailer today.  We are having a wonderful time on our journey, it just isn't as good as it could be without the rest of the family.  We really miss the west.  We are a western U.S. family and that will never change. 
We spent the day on Thurs. the 4th at Gettysburg PA.  The National Military Park is a fantastic trip thru time.  We started the day by watching our children enlist in the Union army and be instructed in the ways of the Army.  Lowman ended up being a lieutenant and Hailey was a Private.  It was a great learning tool that the park service uses to get the kids into what they are about to learn.  They served honorably and were discharged after their battle.  Once they had finished their tour we headed out on the self guided driving tour of the battlefield.  It was much larger that I had imagined.  The sheer size of the field and the number of soldiers that took part was humbling.  I would read the signs that explained what had taken place in a specific location and I was transported back in time and could see the battle right before my eyes.  It was a fascinating and sad slide show in my mind.  It was a day that we will not forget for years to come. 
Friday the 5th saw us at the Smithsonian air and space museum in VA.  Lowman was like a kid in a candy store.  He is way into all things military, so the planes he was able to get up close to blew his mind.  It is unbelievable the size and amount of aircraft under one roof.  The concord, SR-71, a Boeing jet, the space shuttle Enterprise, the enola gay, missiles, helicopters, balloon baskets, I could go on for days.  Lets just say that it was a bunch.  Again, most of this day was spent here.
Today was another trip back to the Civil War, this time it was Antitum.  Again, humbling to say the least.  The tour was wonderful.  This trip had volunteers that were stationed around the park and would give you an in depth speech on what went on at that particular location.  These people are good at what they do.  Between the photos, boards with descriptions of the battle and the volunteers, you get a very good idea of the horror that was Antitum.  An unimaginable loss of American lives in a single day.  We learned more in the two days of battlefield tours than ever before.  The country that these men fought in was beautiful.  Farm fields surrounded by hardwood forests that take your breath away.  We were able to see a firearms demonstration that was pretty cool in itself.  Union soldiers showed how they fought with the musket and the Union sharpshooters with their sharps rifle.  Period clothes and all.
Another note about the location we are in and why we miss the west.  Most of the day was around 80 degrees, an off and on again drizzle.  Darn Humidity!!!