Escape

We needed to get away.  Fred's job is so stressful and people are so demanding that the only way to have some peace and quiet is to leave town.  (He still got four phone calls--I counted.  But at least he didn't have to directly deal with the problems.)  I needed a break too.  I love teaching, but the pace of preparing lessons each week for my classes on top of my ordinary work is leaving me exhausted.  So we headed to our favorite place--Gettysburg!  Every time we go there, the personality of the town is different.  It changes with the seasons and with the weather.  We've been there when it rained all weekend and when it was stifling hot.  This time it was beautiful autumn, but packed full with people. 

I had never seen it so crowded.  Maybe that was due to the government shut-down that closed the park before we arrived, or maybe because Gettysburg has special events for its 150th anniversary.  But we found own special escape by hiking up Big Round Top.  It was quiet and beautiful.  It's October and the trees are full of glory, their last hurrah before winter arrives.

"Everywhere she walked the color shouted and sang around her…

In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.”

― Elizabeth George Speare

 

 



We did a lot of nothing.  Listened to some of the battlefield tape.  Walked around our favorite sites with the girls taking turns doing photo shoots.  It was too cold and windy for me to climb the observation towers, but the girls did.  Marveled that we ever played hide-n-seek at Devils' Den years ago.  It's so dangerous on those rocks that I can't believe people aren't injured daily.  Looked for books in the Visitor's Center that we might want to read.  Arielle and I are both reading Killer Angels right now.  She has to read it for a class but it looked good to me so we are sharing her copy.  Had a wonderful Thai dinner at our favorite restaurant.  We bought bags of beautiful local apples, butternut and spaghetti squash, and a huge pumpkin on the way home.  Precious family time together once again.  I am grateful.