Anniversary Adventures

It's been a while since we took a trip with no definite plans made.  Usually we plan a trip and do a little research and have some idea of what we want to do.  This year, all we knew is that we wanted to get away from "stuff".  Nothing in particular, just get away from all the busyness.  So...we made reservations at a little place in Cumberland, Maryland.  We knew there were a lot of places of interest, historical interest, in Western Maryland, but who knew there was so much?  We learned about the C&O canal, the B&O railway, some battles of the Civil War and the French and Indian War.  Now we didn't spend a lot of time learning about these things...so we will probably make another trip out that way maybe this fall...to visit some of the other Civil War battlefields, but after I do a little more research so I know what I'm looking at.  Here are some of the things we did see...  

This is Mutt, one of the last mules to pull a canal boat along the C&O.  George Washington was in favor of building canals to ship goods farther west and encouraging people to move that way once we were free from British rule.  Mutt's statue can be found outside the C&O Museum.  There's not a lot of information in this museum...and after we left we discovered it's part of the National Park Service...but it did give a little insight into canal life.  I hope to go back and explore the tow path a little more.    It was just too beastly hot to spend much time outdoors while we were there.  

The museum is in the lower part of the railway station.  You can still buy tickets to ride the railroad and they have special events like the fall Murder Mystery trip (which is already sold out for this year) and the Polar Express Christmas trip in December.    We picked up this hitch hiker at the giftshop there.  My collection of duckies is getting bigger by leaps and bounds!  LOL!!   

Here are a few shots from inside the Allegheny Museum.  I loved learning about the Conestoga Wagons and the horses that were bred specifically to haul those big heavy wagons.  While Cumberland is one of the places where people stopped on their way to Ohio, it is not the famous Cumberland Gap I thought it was.  Still it seemed to be an important town back in the day.  It was a stop on the B&O Railway, and once that was established, the canal system became obsolete as the train was more efficient and economical back then.  The First National Road went through Cumberland, and they showed the progression of the roads, from course rocks to more refined rocks to accommodate first the wagon wheels, then the motor cars, invented by a man named McAdam.  The china was from railway dining cars.   

We did learn a little about George Washington, and the skirmish that was attributed to the beginning of the French and Indian War.  The French say the forces led by Washington fired the first shot, Washington insists they were defending themselves against the French.  Either way, he was present for the first battle that started the war.  I think Washington's reputation must have improved greatly after the Revolutionary War since he was nominated to be the first President to govern our country.  They did have a little mockup of his headquarters that had been moved from it's original site.  

We also learned about Emmanuel Episcopal Church which is reported to have been the last stop before reaching freedom on the Underground Railroad.  We tried to make reservations to visit the church, but were unable make them on such short notice.  We hope to go back and see it again sometime.  It's a beautiful church!  

On our way home we stopped at Antietam National Battlefield.  We picked up a book about the battle there, and after I read it, I hope to revisit.  The film we saw there gave an interesting back story about the plans of General Lee being found wrapped around two cigars by Union Infantrymen.  This has been debated by historians, but it explains the change of plans by the Union forces and may have contributed to the final victory over the Confederates.  

The purpose for us having this vacation at this time was to celebrate our 39th Wedding Anniversary.  It's hard to believe that it's been that long...sometimes it seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye....other times has seemed longer...LOL!!  Either way it was a fun celebration.  

We also took time to see a movie!  We saw Mission Impossible.  And even though it was a 3 hour movie, it went by in the blink of an eye.  I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing a few times...haha.  Lots of folks were at the theater, but they were there to see the Barbie movie, so DH took a minute to show his love for the camera...LOL!!  What a ham!!

This has probably been a bit boring for those who aren't interested in history, but my blog is for more than just stitching.  It's sort of a journal of my life in a way.  Having said that, I did stitch each day while we were there...and I finished an ornament for my Granddaughter!  This is Flamingo Christmas by Stoney Creek.  It was stitched on 32 count Summer Skies by Sparklies which was a gift from Ms. Mouse!  

I also started an ornament for my son, this is 2009 Santa by Prairie Schooler.  This is being stitched on 36 count Khaki over one.  

And now I'm off to climb mount laundry...Vacations are always fun, but there's always work involved....hahaha.  I hope you are all safe from the terrifying storms that passed through the country the past few days.  We were lucky to have dodged the fiercest weather, though some in our state are still without power.  Take care, and Happy Stitching!!