When it Looked Like Winter

Today is Christmas Eve. It is not a White Christmas, so I'm looking at these pictures to remind myself of a couple weeks ago when it was a Winter Wonderland out there.

Manassas

In commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, we visit a Civil War site every fall. In 2011 we went to Gettysburg and in 2012 we went to Antietam.

This year we went to the Manassas which was the site of not one, but two, famous Civil War battles. These battles may be better known to my readers as the First and Second Battle of Bull Run. Bull Run is the name given to these battles by the Union, but the Confederate won both battles and, therefore, had the privilege of bestowing the official name. One thing that we learned on this trip is that the Union tended to name battles after bodies of water (Antietam after Antietam Creek, Bull Run after Bull Run), whereas the Confederate typical named battles after the region and surrounding land.

The Battle of First Manassas took place near the beginning of the war in July of 1861. The main thing that I remembered about this battle was that citizens from nearby Washington brought picnic baskets to eat while they watched the fighting. I am sure that I remembered this because it is so, so wrong, and, of course, it all went terribly wrong for the picnickers as they ended up watching the Union panic and make a very hasty retreat.

The Henry House was a stronghold for the Confederates during the Battle of First Manassas

The Battle of  First Manassas was also the battle that earned General Thomas J. Jackson the nickname Stonewall. As under heavy enemy fire the Southerners held back the Federal soldiers despite losses, Brigadier General Barnard Bee shouted to his men, "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Follow me."

Upon seeing the monument to Stonewall Jackson and observing the style in which it was rendered, Nate said, "Do you think this was erected during the 1930s?" I was a proud Art Historian in that moment.

The Battle of Second Manassas took place one year after the Battle of First Manassas, in the summer of 1862. Once again the battle involved General Jackson. This time, thinking that Jackson was isolated, General Pope attacked, hoping to defeat Jackson's forces before Lee and Longstreet could arrive. He was mistaken, and Lee, Jackson, and Longstreet out-maneuvered the Union forces until they were facing annihilation. A heroic stand by northern troops, especially the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry, allowed the Union army to retreat across Bull Run and make their way to Washington. Lee's victory at Second Manassas allowed the Confederate army to invade the north and bid for foreign intervention.

 Brawner Farm - Where the action began on August 28

Beckett thinks he is hilarious

Battery Heights - this hill was a highly sought-after strategic position, now with super-cool trees.

We really enjoyed walking along The Unfinished Railroad. (Beckett kept asking why the railroad was unfinished. Where's the train?) The railroad bed provided a sheltered defensive position for Jackson's troops.

The Stone House was built in 1828 and served as a hospital during the two battles.

We saw quite a few families taking holiday pictures at the Stone House.

The Stone Bridge - The Confederate troops destroyed the Stone Bridge in March of 1862. It was rebuilt in the 1880s.

Beckett reads the map at the Confederate Cemetery.

Kids getting old-timey at the Civil War battlefield of Manassas where brother fought against brother.

After our tour we took the kids to get ice cream despite the fact that it really was a cold as it looked. They were thrilled.

Fall in Maryland

Fall is my very favorite season in Maryland.We moved here in the fall two years ago, and I think it made me like Maryland more because every day was so beautiful.

Fall has traditionally been our exploring season. The weather is finally nice again after a sticky summer, and we are eager to get outside and see new sights. This year was a little different because we had so many big events going on in the autumn months: Nate went to Alaska, we all went to Utah, and Nate had a big deadline at work. We still managed to squeeze in a few fall outings (in between me lamenting that the most beautiful season was slipping by).

Beckett had a field trip to a farm. The weather was beautiful and warm that day. Just the drive would have made the trip worth it--it was so pretty. 

All the kids got popcorn to take home.

Felix was a real trooper through the corn maze.

This was the best I could do for a pumpkin picture. Felix kept rolling his pumpkin down the hill. He thought it was a ball.

One Sunday afternoon we hiked to this bridge. We kind of stumbled onto this hike, and it was really quite a find. It's in the Patapsco Valley State Park and is really close to our house. The hike has almost everything our boys could desire:

A bridge

At the trail head. We will hike down to the base of the bridge.

Fall foliage

Okay, maybe this one was mostly for the adults.

Railroad tracks

And a train tunnel!

Everyone looks goofy in all the tunnel pictures. Best I could do.

And the hike ends at the river -- a perfect spot for throwing rocks into the water

Felix tolerated the pack.

Beckett kept telling us, "I am such a good hiker." And he really is. I was taking that kid hiking before he even turned two. When Beckett was Felix's age he had been on many hikes at the Ernie Miller Nature Center. Felix, however, is a lousy hiker. He's always sitting down, picking up leaves and rocks and eating them, and turning around and heading back.

Look! A picture of me makes an appearance on this blog. I step out from behind the camera.

We'll definitely go back. 

We also like to go to Harper's Ferry every fall. We went a little late in the season this year, so Harper's Ferry wasn't in its full glory, but we still had a good time.

Spiraling down to the Appalachian Trail.

Harper's Ferry is a great outing for the whole family. I think we saw seven trains this time, so Beckett was thrilled. Felix likes nothing better than being outdoors. Nate and I enjoy the scenery and the town. Everyone loves the ice cream. It's so nice to see the kids happy in a place that we can all enjoy so much too. (I guess this statement is a dig at all the places I take my kids that they love but that bore me to tears.)

We found this new spot to watch the trains.

Felix thinks he's suppose to sit down every time I pull out the camera.

A portrait of our stroller. Our first trip to Harper's Ferry is what inspired its purchase. It's also where we coined the term "Extreme Strollering." A sport at which Nate could really excel, if it were actually a thing.

Felix loves throwing rocks into the water.

As always, fall was over way too quickly.

More From Utah

While we were in Utah we did all the Hall of Fame stuff, and we also crammed in as many visits to friends and family as we possibly could.

Beckett spent an afternoon with Grandma Dorothy and Papa Val. When we saw the pictures they took it looked like he'd spent most of that time running. I chose one running picture from the many.

 Dorothy: "It takes Beckett a really long time to finish an ice cream cone." Yes it does.

We just happened to have some relatives at the football game. After the Hall of Fame Half Time Nate and I went to visit my sister and Peter. From there we stopped by my Gramma's box (such good memories there from college) to see my uncle, aunts, and cousin, Mark, Leila, Christine, and Reese.

Paige, upon looking for me on the field, "Ahh. She's wearing a hat. Thank you JoLee."

Remember how I mentioned a mysterious errand that kept Nate and Beckett away from the team breakfast? You don't? Well he was picking up this Darth Vedor costume so that we could surprise Toby and his boys at the Quarry. A few years ago Toby showed up in Kansas City in a Storm Trooper costume. It was time to repay the favor.

We then had the most well-documented visit to the Quarry in history because we gave Beckett the camera.

Toby gave Beckett a rock climbing lesson, and we learned that B is quite the climber. 

Felix got in on the climbing action too.

We also visited the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. That place is pretty amazing, and totally worth seeing. It is way better than the dinosaur exhibit at the Smithsonian. And, since we've been living out east, the price seemed really reasonable to us too.

Felix loved all the guys we met on this trip: Papa Val, Toby, Chad, Dr. Parry, Coach Shane, and Ronald McDonald.

We drove up to Salt Lake to visit my Gramma. We walked through City Creek Mall. The fall weather in Utah was absolutely the best.

After visiting my Gramma we drove down to Mapleton to see Nate's cousins. We were too busy having fun to take pictures. We also didn't get any pictures of Chad and his family, but we had a wonderful time with them as well, and were very grateful they let us stay with them.Trips to Utah always go by in a blur, and we didn't get to see many of the people there we love. There's always a reason to return.