Did the 20th Maine Win Gettysburg?

Here's an interesting, short article about the 20th Maine and how they are portrayed in current history and fiction from The Guardian: The Maine Lesson of Gettysburg.

Historians have long known the effects of fiction and public opinion on the interpretation of history.  This is one I've been wondering about for the past few years but didn't do much research into it.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday whether you are at Gettysburg, home or doing something else fun!

Packing For GAC Gettysburg

I'll be attending GAC Gettysburg. Years ago, when I first started reenacting, my group decided Gettysburg as an event wasn't worth it. Gettysburg was expensive, treated the reenactors like paid performers and expected a little too much from people who were paying to participate. The event seemed intended to wow the crowds of high paying spectators and the money wasn't being used to fund any sort of preservation or educational goal.


But, they promised we could do the 150th event just so we could see waves of soldiers and the sounds of thousands of guns echoing. I was looking forward to getting to see reenactors from all over the world, reportedly 48 countries represented. So this year, we were all excited to see the event of the century.

Except, what we found was that it was two events. I had heard of the other event in the past but it didn't really seem like a huge reenacting destination. But this year reenacting groups were asking the question "Which Gettysburg?"

Great, now all of our friends will be torn between two events and we won't get to see everyone unless everyone does both events. But we all knew that would never happen as not everyone has that kind of vacation time or money. These events are expensive, costing nearly $100 a couple, not including gas and food.

With the BGA Gettysburg event last weekend, the reviews seem mixed. But I don't think we can expect the same things of mega events as we do normal ones. It seems that a lot of people are still going to the GAC Gettysburg as well.  

I have never been to an event this big but am pretty sure what to expect. Overcrowding, mile walks to bathrooms, lack of wood, water and ice. Not to forget the multiple battles with ridiculously boring scenery, fighting in the parking lots, fighting in traffic, etc. I know what I'm in for. But I am still looking forward to seeing people going to this event. Is anyone going?     

The Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party: Final Post

So this really is the end! I had to fight Firefox and Flickr today to get this post up. Firefox hasn't been working for the past few days. This week has been difficult for photos because there have been random storms every day this week.

6-21-2013

This is a photo of the "super moon" that we had that I snapped quickly just to show how bright it was around midnight.

6-22-2013

I couldn't sleep because the moonlight was shining in my window so brightly at 1 am. So I stayed up and took photos of it.

6-23-2013

A friend and I had a little road trip down to the other end of Delaware for a Sea glass Festival. We had fun looking at all of the pretty things made out of sea glass and spent some time sitting on the pier watching the fiddle crabs.


6-24-2013

Cooked for the summer camp kids.

6-25-2013

Had a full house today. Some of the family had a water gun fight outside. Andy and I made a new recipe for Spanish rice that had a lot of onion, and peppers. The recipe turned out well, although it wasn't the most photogenic food.   

6-26-2013

Huge rainstorms. Had a lazy day. went to Ikea and bought some new plates and spent the rest of the day being lazy.

6-27-2013

Got stung by something at work. Probably a bee as it left a stinger. I don't get stung a lot but the internet says this is a normal reaction, so I hope my leg doesn't fall off or something.

6-28-2013

How do you know when you need to dust? When the dust starts being a decoration on your furniture. I've been doing a serious cleaning lately and finally moved that stack of books on my dresser to expose a pretty dust pattern made from a lace mat.



I really would like to thank all of you that participated and kept the blogging conversation going. It was an honor to be let into the personal lives of others. Who's hosting the next party?

Please check out the *real*, awesome final posts:

Andrew from Air Nice-to-Livelands.  
Caroline from Dressed in Time.
Hana from Marmota's Dress Diaries. 
Jess from Musings of a Creative Writer .
Jodi from Curious Acorn.
Laurie from Teacups in the Garden and Teacups Among the Fabric.

The Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party Post #4

Yay! That was a lot harder than I thought, but it really was fun to get to see a little more about the people behind the blogs!This is the final week, thanks to those who have come this far!

6-14-2013

Finally moved my seedlings out into the garden. This little pumpkin was from a friend's mother who said she had them taking over her backyard.


6-15-2013

Went for a walk in the park with a friend. It was a really nice day for it.
 

6-16-2013

Spent some time reading a birthday present. Not that I'm getting any ideas...
 
6-17-2013

Today we had a huge thunderstorm right above us and we all had to huddle in the house at work. There was so much water we had a few flash streams created.

6-18-2013

My dinner, a white "pita pizza," with tomatoes and spinach. Yum.


6-19-2013

 

Went to dance class with a friend.

6-20-2013

Andy really wanted to "go out on the water." So we did, it a kind of weird way.

Thanks so much to party attendees and readers. I learned a lot about some fellow bloggers and was even introduced to some new ones I would never have found on my own. :)


Please check out the awesome final posts:

Andrew from Air Nice-to-Livelands.  
Caroline from Dressed in Time.
Hana from Marmota's Dress Diaries. 
Jess from Musings of a Creative Writer .
Jodi from Curious Acorn.
Laurie from Teacups in the Garden and Teacups Among the Fabric.

My Murtaugh List

Today's post was inspired by my recent birthday and the show, How I Met Your Mother. In the show, Ted makes a "Murtaugh list" when he turns 30. On this list, Ted detailed what her thought people were too old for by the age of 30. He claims that the name of his list was inspired by the character, Roger Murtaugh in The Lethal Weapon movies whose catch phrase is "I'm too old for this 'stuff.'"









Some things on Ted's List:

• Pulling an all-nighter
• Getting an ear pierced
• Hanging posters without frames
• Eating an entire pizza in one sitting
• Do laundry at mom’s house
• Put off going to the doctor
• Crash on a friend’s futon
• Leaving an annoying two person message on your answering machine
• Helping someone move out of a sixth floor walkup in exchange for pizza and beer
• Going to a rave

In the spirit, I made a list of all of the things I feel too old to do anymore. 

I am too old to:

-Eat complete garbage. I used to be fine with eating processed and frozen foods and while my body used to be able to function on negative nutrition, it's just not the case anymore.

-Not get sleep. I used to practically be an insomniac. I just don't have the time to not get sleep. I know it seems counterproductive to sleep instead of work but each hour I work after getting some sleep will be at least two times more productive.

-"Rough it" super-intense campaigner style just to prove how tough I am. I'm too old to not enjoy my weekends and too old to damage my body from sleeping next to the fire instead of under a couple of wool blankets.    

-Put things off. I used to be able to put things off and do everything last minute. Now I have to be over prepared in advance and do things right away before they snowball into giant problems. I'm still a procrastinator, but the important stuff, school, work get dealt with before they become bigger problems.

-Go to raves, clubs and a good majority of concerts. When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time at places like this. While I like a good concert as much as the next person, I'm too old to do this kind of thing every Friday night, every month or even every three months. I am also unashamed to say that I am officially old enough to admit that the music at concerts is just too loud for me now. :P  I'm so old, I actually want to be able to hear my friends talk when we go out.

-Censor the uncouth pleasures I am guilty of partaking in. That means you, Dance Moms and Taylor Swift. I just listened to "22", 6 times while writing this post.

-To do or finish everything. There are only so many hours in the day and I have already spread myself so thin that I stopped really doing or experiencing anything. I no longer have to finish every hobby project I start or finish every book I start reading. Heresy, I know. There are so many experiences out there, I now have to be choosy. At a certain point, you only have time for the most meaningful or enjoyable. We can't make it to every outing, party, concert, or activity. Sometimes it's okay to say "no."    

It's a long list, but I'm really not upset. Many things I once enjoyed or did as a teenager bring me no joy anymore. I am typically beyond happy to add something to this list because it opens up space on another list. My "Things to Do Before I Die list" has been growing.  But I'm really excited to say I have been checking off things on that list like crazy in the last year and hope to keep plowing forward.

Principles of Correct Dress, 1914

 I'd love to hear some of your Murtaugh list items! When was the last time you caught yourself thinking "I'm too old for this."  :)