FIRST FIGHT

 manassas was the first battle of the civil war and everyone thought it was going to be the first and last...but as we know in history that isn't true..there were 2 battles here  in manassas and the union lost them both...as we know it continued for several more years....
it was kinda a rainy misty day so we didn;t do a lot of walking around besides not sure how much my knees could have taken...


much cooler temps the lst couple of days and haven't even need the a/c...


moving on today..

ANOTHER NATIONAL PARK

ok today we went of to another national park..one we had been to before as a matter in 1976 on our way to atlanta...lar needed to go to school in atlanta for 6 weeks when he worked for western union..we thought school was out so why not take the girls and head for atlanta and kinda have a family vacation out of it so we did...we remember the year and also the day cause it was july 4  1976 the 200th anniversary of our country...we had planned on doing the whole skyline drive but after getting on it we decided not to as it was slow and very windy...but all that  matters we were on it and remembered why..

we were not getting stamps at the time so we decided we needed to get one on this trip..so we did also a junior ranger  badge  and patch along with a sticker..can you believe that they have a book to sign first time for that..asking for name-date-age-city- state..so we just gave them all they wanted..it looked like i was the oldest that had signed the book on the page we signed.so it was a successful day ..lar has a few more day till he can signed/say he is 72..

aswe drove on some of it the scenery was not much to look at as it was socked in fog and i mean heavy fog dropped our miles down to maybe 20 if we were  lucky..

but a good day was had and we earned another badge and patch...

so go junior rangers whoever you are out there

SUNDAY'S ADVENTURE

today we got out of here around 10am and off the the marine base museum in quantico...we have a very good friend  back home who was and still is a marine and has mentioned about the museum so we thought why not we are in the area.....

very interesting museum some things we have seen before it started with the war with the"BRITS" back you know when and went on to the present war in iraq...

the wars we knew the most about was world war 2--korean --veit nam--and the present.....read lots more but will i remember it all probally not...but it is history and i am glad i can go and see this stuff..

life is still great...to,morrow off to the civil war battlefield in manassas..

EASTERN SHORE

this is what we've been doing since we left town..we headed to woolford, md on the eastern shore of the cheaspeake bay to visit some friends we hadn't seen in several years..bill and sandy sharpe ..bill and lar worked at xerox  for many years..

first thing we did ws eat blue crabs that bill caught out in front of their house,,,mmmmm..then off to go do some blue fish fishing..caught only 5 but had fun chasing the birds,,,now that is how you fish for them watch the sea gulls and when yu see a bunch of them diving you know they are after fish..so off you go in their directin with the hopes of catching some......

that was on wed afternoon  then on thurs we took off again in the boat to go to lunch..great lunch..then back out on the bay to do some more fishing...no luck but as sandy said it was like sitting on the back porch watching the world go by..it was a tad rolly polly and next thing you know lar looses his lunch over board...still no luck catching fish...

friday was spent just hanging  out waiting for some old friends that used to live in spencer or she did...and lar and bill went to black water refuge to put up a deer stand for bill..

norm and dorrie arrived and we ate crab cakes mmm then out on the boat to try some fishing again..no luck..

left sat morning and we are now in the city of haymarket and today we plan on visiting the marine museum at quantico..

so life is good and we are being a tourist again..

CLOUDS

lat night was thursday and lar goes to the fire house for meetings and training..he called around 8 or so and said go outside and look at the clouds and also take some pictures...so out i went and this is what i saw..funny the clouds that were bright were in the east and not the west where the sun sets..not non the less that were different..

on wed we recieved over 2 inches of rain in about a hr and helf...things in the area were sure flooded and our lawn is still very wet in spots...

way too much in a short time didn't have time to soak in ...but this is what the weather has been like all over..

PHEASANT FAMILY

some of you know that for the last several years we have had a male pheasant come to our bird feeder..he also has brought a couple of hens along with him...this spring he had only one with him most of the time...he appeared that they were falling in love and carrying on right in front of our eyes..

then for some reason  they weren't coming around..i could hear him once in awhile so i knew he was still around..

yesterday around 10 give or take a minute or two lar said come look  '"PHILPOT" (that's what we called him) and 'PHILAMENIA"  are out in the back year near the pear tree..so i went to look then they started coming up from the hedge row...by the time they were in the yard there must have been a dozen or more little pheasant's running around...

so now we know the rest of the story they have been busy raising their family...

it is fun watching them and are glad they made an appearance...

SUMMER TIME

so what do people do in the summer ..go to family renuions and this is what we did this past weekend..the 'TRACY FAMILY..it is held local as most of the family still live in the homer/Cortland area ..oh there are some thru the USA but most still live in Cortland county..


this year it was probally the smallest group that gathered but we all know how summer goes..lots of plans and it is hard to fit everything into them..it was fun and good seeing the cousins and siblings..


so far our summer has been uneventful just trying to get things done before  we go away in sept...heading to the eastern shore of the cheaspeake for a fews days visiting some old Xerox friends and lar hopes to eat crabs one of the seafood he can...then we plan on heading to the newmarket battle field ..somethings lar has wanted to do every time we pass it on I-81 heading south but January is not the time to visit a battle field ..who knows about the weather...so what better time than sept...we also have other stops we would like to make along the way..we have several friends along the way we hope to see/visit but no real plan yet..just put that together as we go along..


then  it will be back home to start getting ready for hunting season and next January southern trip..not sure exactly what we will be dong after January we have a 2 week build scheduled in dade city then 2 weeks in Alabama near gulf shores but those 2 week will be R&R from there no really plans except to go to round rock and meet the new great grand nephew/niece then to hopefully meet up with some friends near Houston, tx not sure of date -place-where -ect


way tooooo much to do and see but life is good