Jul 3, 2011 - Civil War Battle of Gettysburg Reenactment – Day 3

One word for today….. HOT. Even by Florida standards it was hot. The main reenactment today started at 3pm which means to get a good seat we got in line at 1:30pm. Temperature in the sun (no shade) was 115 according to my handy thermometer. We keep our hats on, Margaret bought a parasol, and we drank a lot of water. The place was packed today. At 10am the roads to the parking fields were backed up at least 30 cars. By 2:00pm the backup was as far as you could see down the road both ways. The battle today was Picket’s charge. The original...

Jul 2, 2011 - Civil War Battle of Gettysburg Reenactment – Day 2

Today’s reenactment was, in my opinion, not as good as the first day. Most of the action occurred far to the right so even though we sat high in the center, we had a hard time seeing the action. I don’t see how the people setting to the left saw anything. Also, most of the battle focused on the cavalry which while seeing the horses was nice not much real action happened and little demonstration of tactics and maneuvers occurred. The reenactors who played the various generals held sessions in which they either told their story, their part in...

Jul 1, 2011 - Civil War Battle of Gettysburg Reenactment – Day 1

We spent the morning switching hotels. Because of the reenactment and the crowds it brings we couldn’t find anything nearby. Now Margaret made these reservations about two months ahead. The first place we stayed was only about 3 miles from the visitor center. Only problem was that you had to travel through the downtown area. The new hotel is in Emmitsburg, MD, located south about 8 miles from the parking for the reenactment. Since it is on the other side of Gettysburg we avoid downtown. So, we are only about 10 minutes from the action. It’s...

Oct 24, 2010 - Emmitsburg, MD

Driving south to Frederick, we spotted a sign to Saint Elizabeth Seton Shrine. It caught our eye because of the plaque on St. Peters in New York, and our visit to Halifax to the Sisters of Charity, which was one of the orders she founded. There was also a sign for the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes very near. Since we look up mass times on the internet when we are traveling, we figured we would find one near here, and we were right-9:00 Sunday at the Basilica on the grounds of Mother Seton's shrine. It is near Mount Saint Mary's...