Gettysburg

This past week was quite a momentous one. It was the first time Courtney and I left Luke with someone else overnight. Of course, I've been away from him when I had job interviews, etc., but this was the first time that Courtney has ever done this. We drove up to Altoona on Tuesday and then left Luke there with Courtney's parents on Wednesday and Thursday while we took a trip to Gettysburg. We had a great time, and we were happy to hear that Luke had a great time, too! So it was a win-win situation for everyone.

Gettysburg was quite the experience. Spending time there really gets you thinking about the sacrifices that so many made so this country could be united and strong as it is today. We got there after lunch on Wednesday and spent the afternoon at the new visitor center and museum, which included a film and a cyclorama, apparently the largest painting in America. On Thursday, we toured the battlefield park itself in our car. It was a 24 mile long route with periodic stops where we got out and could learn about what happened at that particular spot. We also went on two park ranger-guided talks, including one which was probably our favorite part of the trip. A ranger led a tour and talked about Pickett's Charge, showing us all the intricacies of what happened. We also saw where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.

But anyway, we're now back in C'ville getting settled in before school starts up again in a week and a half. It's been a good summer.

...And since the main attraction of this family blog is Luke, here are a couple recent pictures of him. The first is with his cousins, and the second shows him in his daddy's hat (he loves putting on this hat).