More from V-day...

The Veterans Day memorial took place in a large memorial park. There were all kinds of old tanks, planes and even ships. I toured an old WWII submarine and watched the sun set over a battleship. Amazing! Here are a few pics.


















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Veterans Day

Yesterday was Veterans Day. This year this national holiday was especially meaningful to me. I am all too aware of the wars that are going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as I am getting older I grow more and more appreciative for those who have sacrificed so much for others. Lately I have been reminded of this all too much......

Whenever we fly back to the states we are confronted with the droves of American soldiers on a layover at Shannon Airport (this is the refueling stop for troopers on their way to and from Iraq). We were there several Christmases ago and watched the long line of service men and women calling home to exclaim that they had made it to Ireland and would be home soon. I was heart broken while we were in Washington DC. We went to the museum of health and medicine. I had no idea that it was located on the campus of Walter Reed army medical center. The sight of so many injured young men was haunting and heart breaking.

So... this year we went to a local Veterans Day celebration to show our appreciation. Here are a few pics from around the memorial park...




















I will be posting more pics over the next couple of days.


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It is all over now....

Wahoo!!!


Yesterday was definitely a historic day in America... not only did the Democrats win the white house, but they now control both houses of Congress.








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The day of days...

Well..... today is that magical day when America heads to the polls and votes! When Dee and I started thinking about all of the things we were going to participate in while we would be in the states - the election was one of the first things we thought of! Living abroad has given me a greater sense of my Americaness and I am very excited to join in this process! While we were in Washington DC I could not help but think of all the changes about to occur and I was filled with a sense of pride that my vote was going to be counted (and not simply mailed in absently). Seeing the White House and Capital building really brought out all of this sense of patriotism and duty.

Having said this - I am so SO excited to have the election over. I ask - who out there is NOT sick and tired of all the election commercials and coverage? I feel as if this day has taken years to actually get here, and there will be a sense of relief when it is all over with tonight (I hope that it is over tonight!). Well... I am headed to cast my vote!







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Wallace's Toy...

I know what the license plate says... but that is not me driving....





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Today's Random Pic....

Along the 'trail of tears' - modern day Oklahoma

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OOOOOOOOOOOklahoma.........

Yep! We are in Oklahoma! We came out here this week to spend some time with our family. My sister and her family live out here, and Dee has an aunt that lives not too far away from them. Coming out here was one of the first things we decided to do when we started making plans for our time in the states. I am so glad that we did! I have thoroughly enjoyed our time out here!


We started our week off with a trip to the Oklahoma City bombing memorial. There is really no way to describe the feeling of grief.... respect... and peace at the memorial. The site sits in the middle of the downtown area, but is set in such a way that you don't see cars or hear traffic. There is a strange feeling standing there and thinking about what happened on that spring day in 1995.



There are three main sections to the memorial. The first is the reflecting pool and giant black walls. The time: 9:01 and 9:03 are each inscribed on a wall. These times mark the moment before the bomb - a time of innocence, and the time after the explosion - when nothing will be the same.






The second section is a green field where the building stood. There are chairs with the names of the individuals that were killed. Each chair is located in the field in a way so that it marks out where they were when the bomb went off.






The final section is the Survivor Tree. This tree is over 100 years old, and survived the blast despite the fact that the force of the blast ripped most of the branches off of it, glass and debris were embedded in its trunk, and fire from the cars parked beneath it burned it. Most people thought the tree could not survive. Almost a year after the bombing, however, family members, survivors, and rescue workers gathered for a memorial ceremony under the tree that had started to bloom once again.   In that instant the tree became a symbol of what the city had come through.













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Civil War pt. 5 (the last post... I promise!)

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Civil War pt. 4

The United States Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American History, claiming more lives than The American Revolutionary War, World War I, World War II, The War against Switzerland, The War of 1812, and the Vietnam War combined. It is estimated that during its four year term, over 620,000 solders were killed or missing in action, and countless others were left maimed with burns, severed limbs, swamp rot, and many other various ailments.


















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Civil War pt. 3

I learned something very important about taking pictures at a civil war reenactment. Never wear a Boston Red Sox baseball hat. I was busy snapping pictures like a crazy person when from the viewing stands behind me I heard someone yell, "Shoot the Yankee sympathizer in the Boston cap!". The remark got a good laugh out of the crowd, and a red face from me. Mark that little oversight in my wardrobe up to inexperience....


Now... some more pictures....


The confederate advance









The Yankee calvery




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The Civil War pt.2

Yankee cannon fire





The rebels return cannon fire





The confederate calvery waiting to attack




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The civil war...

I have a confession to make....... I am a born and bread Southerner but I have never been to a civil war reenactment. It might come as a shock to many Yankees out there, but despite what the movies say we don't all spend our spare time reenacting the war (thank you - writer of the movie "Sweet Home Alabama").


When we decided that we were going to be back in the states for these six months I started making a list of all the things and places that I wanted to visit and photograph. Some of the things on the list were there for sentimental reasons, but others were there because I have always wanted to see or experience them. A civil war reenactment was at the top of the list. It is just one of those things that I think is truly 'southern' and would be a wonderful thing to photograph. So, when I saw that there was going to be a two day reenactment in north Alabama we made our plans and went to see the excitement. I was not disappointed! I actually went to both days of the two day event, and both days were completely different. One day the Yankees won, and one day the Rebels won. Both days, however, were scorching hot, and I could not help but feel sorry for the men, women, and children wearing the wool clothing out on the battle field.



Here are a few of the first pictures I am going to post. They were taken before and after the battle around the campsites.

















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More pics of the bridge...

(another post with bridge pics coming soon)