Flags of Remembrance ANF 9/11 Pentagon Memorial

Took a walk today, to visit the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial.

On Sept. 11, 2001 at 9:37 am an airplane crashed into the side of the Pentagon, killing 184 people and injuring many others.

The Memorial site is a quiet spot tucked into one of the sides of the Pentagon. It is a silent remembrance to those lost and to their families and friends, and to a nation.

The buildings in the area where I live are displaying huge flags in honor and remembrance.

It is an awesome sight to see.

God bless America!

Birthday Celebration / Lancaster PA

My birthday Celebration was a trip to Lancaster, PA. Above is the Central Market where you can find fresh cut grass feed beef, fresh vegatables, crafts, quilts, aisles full of yummy treats and good to eats...and I got some homemade FUDGE....mmmmmmm.

Another photo of the Central Market.

Believe it or not, these are flowers carved out of wood! Beautiful !

Who doesn't want to shop at a Target that has it's own Horse and Buggy parking spaces??

The entrance to the Amish Farm and House. We toured an Amish home and walked around the farm. We saw cute goats, pigs and old tools and buggies.

AND...we watched this fella whittle/carve small roosters and items from branches. We watched while he carved about 5 curly tail feathers onto a small rooster. Then he took the toothpick sliver of wood left over and made a cute little flower that he gave us. It was absoulutely incredible to see the work he does!

....... a close-up of him carving the tail feathers.

We drove down the road to Bird-in-Hand and took a buggy ride ..This is Magic our horse!

Our driver, Reuben was quite the storyteller and made the ride so enjoyable! We drove down the busy street, clip clopping along slowly. We drove through some beautiful Amish farmlands and our driver told us about farming and life in the Amish community.

Looking across a field of soybeans at a farm with many silos. Notice the clothes line that is on a pulley cable allowing a looooong line of clothes to flutter in the breeze.

A quiet pond we drove past.

Driving under an old railroad bridge toward the end of our ride.

We ended our day with a fantastic meal at a Sonic Drive-in. (Haven't seen one of these since leaving Vegas! ...... mmmmm yummy!) I have a GREAT birthday celebration!!

And I was able to check-off another thing from my "Bucket List" ride in an Amish Buggy! FUN!

Antietam

Antietam Civil War Battlefield, in and around the small town of Sharpsburg MD. The site of the bloodiest single day battle of the war. Aanytime you visit a battlefield, expect to see lots of beautiful grassy rolling hills AND start your visit at the Visitors Center! Here I saw a one hour video of the whole day of battle presented by civil war re-enactors. Then when I took the driving tour of the battlefield, I could imagine what happened at each place.

This is "Burnside Bridge" the site of a 3-4 hour long battle to cross the bridge and engage in combat. Today it is a serene and lovely picnic spot and now my screensaver!

By mid summer this will be a new cornfield. The cornfild was the site of countless battles and chaos one side and then the other side winning at times and so many deaths.

An example of the beautiful grassy rolling hills that surround this area and were the sites of many battles during the day.

The Sunken Road. One of the most famous sites of this battlefield. Go online and read about it.

Another view of the Sunken Road. And an excellent example of the split-rail fences used during this time of the civil war.

Statutes and monuments and memorials are everywhere around the battlefield, to dedicate and remember fallen soldiers and their regiments.

A monument at the edge of the Cornfield battle area.

Some of the cannons you will see around the park.

Watching the video of the battle left quite an impression on me. Then when I started driving the tour of the battlefields..... I was amazed at the area it covered. One regiment hiked/ran 17 miles from Harpers Ferry that day and still engaged in long battles. Driving from site to site, I drove around present day farms and through parts of the town... the battlefield is a LARGE area!

And a little sidebar of fun...... At one point the tour takes you down a few streets of the town. As I was entering the town on my war to Antietam, I noticed that the folks were setting up for a parade. Well as I was driving through town on my battlefield tour, suddenly I noticed that the street ahead was blocked and the parade was going by, I was going to back up and turn around and go out the way I had just come BUT in those few moments (yes moments) the street was closed and blocked for the parade behind me..... so I sat out the parade in my car, watching the parade go by and eating my picnic lunch, which I was able to offer to the other two cars that were blocked in with me. Memories are made. And I saw my first battlefield.

blossoms of Spring

Hope you enjoyed a little taste of the beauty that I enjoy as I drive to my different work sites every day. I am sooooooo blessed. Spring is wonderful in Northern Virginia!