08.26.09
Psychologically Scarring Children for Life so that I can get a Muffin Stamp
I recently returned from visiting my friends in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. Texas muffin stamps are not very close to Dallas, but the southern border of Oklahoma is only an hour away and Chickasaw National Recreation Area is 120 miles north of Dallas on I-35. It boasts plenty of hiking, boating, fishing, and camping opportunities. The web site states that the passport stamp is available at the Travertine Nature Center.
The nature center spans the spring fed Travertine Creek.
After getting the stamp, we undertook the 1-mile walk to two freshwater springs: Buffalo and Antelope Springs.
Travertine Creek crossing
Antelope Springs is impressive because you follow the stream to its source at the end of the trail and find yourself watching the water gush out from under the rock. I expected a trickle, but this was really flowing.
The cool, clear water emerges from underneath the rock.
Buffalo Springs is slightly more picturesque because of the structure the CCC built around it. We paused to dip our feet in the water and the kids were collecting pebbles to throw into the water.
Water bubbles up from underground into this pool, causing the ripples.
In his excitement to get poolside, poor little Noah Powell tried to take the shortcut by stepping down from the top rim onto the bench. He misjudged the 2-foot “step” and the further than anticipated drop sent him headfirst the rest of the way. The sickening thud sent my heart into my stomach. Dad picked him up and we watched the bump on his forehead swell to the size of a golf ball in seconds. It worked to our advantage that the spring water is very chilly and Justin smartly soaked a sock and applied it to the contusion, which brought down the swelling pretty quickly. In the picture, the contours of that nasty bruise are quite obvious and it’s only half the size it had been.
The little warrior is a bit sad that we're leaving Buffalo Springs, since he was just starting to have fun after taking a nasty fall.
After Noah’s wailing died down to some choked sobs, I was amazed that Dad’s simple question, “Do you want to throw some pebbles in the pool?” could get Noah back on his feet, running, smiling and playing. I remained traumatized. What cost, this muffin stamp?
Then, on the way back, their straggling 6-yr old, Lexi, managed to step on a baby snake that was either crossing the path after the rest of us had passed or that we had failed to notice. Mom saw it wiggling away in the underbrush afterward, so it wasn’t a ploy by the one constantly complaining of the long walk to be carried, after all. It met the desired end, though, because she was carried the rest of the way after that.
We tried to put it all behind us by taking a refreshing dip in one of the spring-fed swimming holes. In our case, we chose the popular Little Niagara swim area. Brrrrr, cold! At least in comparison to the 90+ degree air temperature. I could tolerate it well enough after taking a dunk. I found a spot about 5′ 6″ deep and the kids, including Noah, took turns jumping into my arms. Nevertheless, it doesn’t sound like it will draw the family away from the warm waters of the community pool at any time in the future.
The cold waters of Little Niagara
I’d like to check out some of the mineral spring hiking trails some day. This visit had come to close, and we were all worn down by the increasingly restless kids.
Glad I checked it out? Yes.
Will I be recreating with the Powells there during a future visit? Doubtful.
07.21.09
Gettysburg Results
The new visitor center is a real beauty. The museum is great and well done. I thought the short film was nicely executed, too. It didn’t focus on the battle so much as it gave the battle context for the visitor.
The cyclorama auditorium is visible above the trees. The black-eyed susans were in full force.
We went from there to the Pennsylvania Monument. We quickly found the panel next to the clearly visible 62nd Infantry. The pattern of names matched the image in Gail’s old picture.
Returning to the Pennsylvania Memorial 68 years later to find the name she was pointing at.
No McAfee.
Mom seemed to agree that the image of the plaque in the photo matched well with the plaque we were standing in front of. So, who was Gail’s father holding her up to point at? “It looks like you’re pointing right here on the plaque, but there’s no McAfee. Just a guy named Hurlbert.”
“That’s my mother’s maiden name, but my great-grandfather was McAfee,” but there was no Pvt. William McAfee in the 61st Pennsylvania.
Mom and I looked at each other. We had a hunch that she was pointing at her maternal great-grandfather’s name in the photo, but she couldn’t now grasp that she had been pointing to a different ancestor on that day 68 years ago. She had mentioned that her mother’s side had also fought in the Civil War, so that’s the conclusion that Mom and I drew.
Still, that left the question of William McAfee. So, I started examining the other plaques.
We discover a William McAfee on the Knap's Battery plaque
Lo and behold! Knap’s Battery of Pennsylvania Lt. Artillery had a Pvt. William McAfee. Later on, we possibly found his brother in the 29th Penna. Infantry.
Knap's Battery Monument on Culp's Hill
Furthermore, what made it interesting, was that Knap’s Battery was eventually on Culp’s Hill, where it was responsible for dueling with the Confederate Artillery on Benner’s Hill. That just happens to be the place where our ancestor, Bowling Mitchell, was during the battle (the subject of our previous trip to Gettysburg, in fact), serving as a private with the Amherst Artillery.
Benner Hill as viewed from the tower on Culp's Hill. Knaps' Battery was firing on Confederate batteries located here (you can just make out the black cannon marking their position). The Amherst Artillery was just across the road in that small square clearing.
How’s that for history coming alive? All-in-all, I thought it was a fun and rewarding day.
07.15.09
Checking out the new Gettysburg NBP Visitor Center
In a few minutes, I’m going up to Gettysburg.
Mom’s friend, Gayle, is in town, and she’s given us a mission. Her great-grandfather, William McAfee was an Irish immigrant, who came over in 1861 and served in a Pennsylvania Regiment that fought at Gettysburg. His name is inscribed on the Pennsylvania Monument with the Regiment he fought for. She has a picture of her visiting the monument in 1941, at the age of 4. She’d like to find out what regiment he was in and see if a great-great-uncle name is on there as well (and find out which of several brothers it was). From the picture, I’m thinking they were in the 61st Pennsylvania Infantry.
Gayle (4 y.o.) at Gettysburg back in 1941
Easy enough to find that information on the web or an index of Union troops, but this way is more fun. Obviously, we’ll get the Gettysburg NMP stamp at the new visitor center (the last time we were there was at the old site on April 23, 2007). If we have time, we’ll take the tour of the Eisenhower Farm. I’d like to see the restored Cyclorama. It may have its own stamp.
06.18.09
Go to National Parks for free this weekend!
And on July 18-19 and August 15-16, too.
Details here: http://www.gadling.com/2009/06/17/take-dad-to-a-national-park-this-weekend-for-free/
Not a big post, I admit, but an important last-minute notification!
05.29.09
Rededication of the Lincoln Memorial
On Saturday, May 30, at 2:25 PM, the Lincoln Memorial is going to be rededicated as part of the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration. The news release from the NPS website with speakers and such follows:
Lincoln Memorial Rededication Retrospective
Saturday, May 30, 2009Washington D.C.–National Mall and Memorial Parks in collaboration with the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and the Military District of Washington will present a Lincoln Memorial Rededication Retrospective on May 30, 2009. As part of the yearlong Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial celebration, the memorial built in honor of Abraham Lincoln will be rededicated.
The program, which begins at 2:25 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial, will feature special guest speakers that will deliver remarks about how Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln Memorial remained entwined as beacons of freedom. The program also will feature performances by the United States Marine Band and by William Farley, winner of Poetry Out Loud, who will be reading a poem by well-known Abraham Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg.
No tickets are required for the event and visitors are welcomed to bring portable folding chairs.
Event organizers strongly encourage visitors to avoid attempting to drive or park near the National Mall on May 30, 2009. Please consider the use of Metro; options include Foggy Bottom station located 3/4 of a mile north of the Lincoln Memorial at 23rd and I (Eye) Streets, NW, or Smithsonian station one mile to the east on the Mall.
Confirmed Speakers as of May 25, 2009
Gordon R. Bury has been working in the banking industry for over 35 years and has served in leadership positions for many organizations and hereditary societies. He is president of the OH-PA Landowners Association, and was the 54th Commander-in-Chief of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and the 100th Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. His wife, Lynne, was the National President of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic and is President of the Ohio Dames of the Loyal Legion. The Burys live in Marshallville, Ohio.
William Farley is a senior at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia. Last month he received the title of National Champion at the 2009 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, an arts education program and poetry competition sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. He advanced from a competitive field of nearly 300,000 students who participated across the country. In the fall he will attend Bucknell University.
Reverend Dr. Roger J. Gench is the senior pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. He has served Presbyterian parishes in Baltimore, MD, and Camp Hill, PA. He is also an elected member of the national General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church.
Harold Holzer is one of the country’s leading authorities on Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. Among his 34 books, he is best known for Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made Abraham Lincoln President (2004), which won a 2005 Lincoln Prize. His most recent works are Lincoln President-Elect, The Lincoln Anthology, and In Lincoln’s Hand. He is the senior vice president for external affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Co-Chairman of the U. S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
Peggy O’Dell was selected on October 22, 2008 as the Regional Director for the National Capital Region, to manage over 87,000 acres of federal parkland in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Prior to serving as Regional Director, O’Dell served as the Superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C. where she led a large park staff and partner organizations who serve over twenty-five million visitors a year. Areas within this park provide visitors with ample opportunities to commemorate presidential legacies, honor the courage and sacrifice of war veterans, and celebrate the United States commitment to freedom and equality.
Dr. Benjamin Franklin Payton has served as the fifth president of Tuskegee University since 1981. Payton is a nationally recognized higher education leader/speaker, scholar/ethicist, and public intellectual. He received the B.A. from South Carolina State University; the B.D. from Harvard University; the M.A. from Columbia University; and the Ph.D. from Yale University. During his tenure he expanded and transformed Tuskegee from Institute to University status, and launched Tuskegee University’s first Ph.D. programs. He also established the University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care, initiated the C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson Department of Aviation Science in cooperation with the U. S. Air Force, gave strong support to aerospace science in cooperation with NASA, and was the principal catalyst in sponsoring the development of the Tuskegee Airmen national Historic Site in Tuskegee.
Ernest “Ernie” Quintana, the Acting Deputy Director of the National Park Service, was born in Arizona and raised in California. He served in the U.S. Army from 1969-71 and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor for his service in the Vietnam conflict. He graduated from Northern Arizona University with a B.S. degree. He is the recipient of the 1997 Stephen Tyng Mather Award for Conservation; the 1999 Director’s Wilderness Management and Stewardship Award; and the 2005 Office of Civil Rights Manuel Lujan, Jr., Champion’s Award.
The Honorable Ken Salazar, a fifth-generation Coloradan, was confirmed as the 50th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on January 20, 2009, in a unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate. Prior to his confirmation, Salazar served as Colorado’s 35th United States senator, winning election in November, 2004. In that position, he served on the Finance Committee, which oversees the nation’s tax, trade, social security, and health care systems. He also served on the Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources, Ethics, Veterans Affairs, and Aging Committees.
Also Featuring Performances by
United States Marine Band, also known as “The President’s Own,” was established by an Act of Congress in 1798, making it America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. Its primary mission is unique—to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandment of the Marine Corps. In its third century, the Marine Band continues a tradition of excellence. Whether in White House performances, public concerts, or national tours, the music of the Marine Band is the music of America.
Living History Events
Living history volunteers will participate in the May 30, 2009 rededication of the Lincoln Memorial. At 9:00 A.M. and 9:30 A.M., living historians portraying Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln will be presenting programs inside the Lincoln Memorial chamber. At 12:00 P.M., 12:30 P.M., 1:00 P.M., and 1:30 P.M. the living history group, the “U.S. Volunteers,” will be presenting interpretive programs at the JFK hockey field (located along the south side of the Reflecting Pool near the Korean War Veterans Memorial). These programs will focus on Lincoln’s role in the formation of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) and how Union soldiers felt about President Lincoln.
05.24.09
Special Commemorative Stamp and Button
In addition to receiving the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens stamp yesterday, the Rangers also stamped my book with a stamp commemorating the Inauguration.
A Limited Edition stamp
They also gave me a button.
"Where History Happens": How'd they know history was going to happen there?
Considering that I did not attend, the stamp is merely a “Collector’s item” in my book. So, no reason to protest. It will not count towards my total this year.
It is Limited Edition stamp, supposed to have been available only from January 20 to February 20, 2009.
The rationale behind the stamp was that Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, given on park land, helped make possible the 44th President.
The woman who gave the Inaugural poem was a little girl in the crowd that day on the Mall, which is part of the reason why she was picked; the other reason being that she and Obama attended school together. I am sure that helps. That’s a relief to hear, because it definitely wasn’t because she was a good poet.
