Take me out to the Ball Park

Following our camping adventure in Maine Thomas and I headed back to Foxboro to see his wife Margaret.  We did some eating, some movie watching, and went to a Red Sox game Monday night.  Thomas was offered the tickets for free, so little thought was needed.

Before the game we went by Christ Church while in Boston.  This church was built in 1761 and has bullet holes in one wall from the Revolutionary War!  Many famous people worshiped and spoke there including: George Washington, Martin Luther King, Teddy Roosevelt, and Jesse Jackson.

I thought this sign was pretty funny hanging on the bathroom door.  I later found out though that the church does a lot of homeless ministry in the city.

Welcome to Fenway!

The seats were given to us by a player so they were in the family section right behind home plate.

The action heated up as as the sun went down, the Sox were tied 3-3 with the Padres before the 7th inning when they scored 11 runs.

Picture from on top of the famous "Green Monster."

The "Green Monster"

Boston's catcher Jason Varitek 

I'm pretty proud of this shot with the ball in flight.  My photography is progressing.

Thomas and I towards the end of the game.  I have begun my "Mountain beard" for East Asia.

Thomas and Margaret

The game was a lot of fun and an awesome way to finish a great visit.  Thanks again for having me guys.

To hear more about the visit check out Margaret (an English major) and Thomas' blog here.

The Great Outdoors

Before I begin this post on Thomas' and my camping adventure I have to share a special picture.  This is why you have your camera at all times people!  I was able to sneak a picture of this guy while in Cabela's outdoor store.  He looked about 60 and was wearing Chocs (which I must admit I fell victim to the craze years ago), two different color and height tall socks, knee braces, short shorts, a Joe Montana jersey, and best of all he was listening to a cassette player that was hooked to his jersey.  Cassette player?  Can anyone tell me when the last cassette tape was made?  I tried to look it up and could only find "late 90's.  So lets just say 15 years?  Beautiful!

So the journey continued as I drove to Thomas' house to head up to Maine for a little camping trip.  I realized this marked the 17th State I have been to in a little over a month (11 were in 6 days).  Hawaii, *California, *Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine.

*Notes only in airports, so don't REALLY count.

The site we camped the first night.

Thomas walking on the beach about a hundred feet below our campsite.

You can't hardly see but to the right middle just below the trees is our tent. Beautiful (during the summer).

The sun began to set soon after we set up.

It is humbling to view creation...

The next morning we rented a canoe and set out around the peninsula we were camping on.

Cool little house right on the water.

So...this is where it kind of got bad (where Thomas said he stopped having fun).  I had the great idea of taking our canoe to a couple islands...Thomas didn't care to share that he thought this was a terrible idea. You see I just came from Hawaii where we took kayaks out to a few islands...the only difference is that canoes are extremely top heavy and the water was 50 degrees here...

We made it around the inlet you see to the left and were headed to the island you see to the right when it became very apparent this was a TERRIBLE idea.  We almost lost it in the waves multiple times. We then had a wave hit us from the side when we were trying to turn around that splashed water all in our canoe and I still don't know how it didn't flip us.

We made it back to the mainland to enjoy our picnic and reevaluate our life decisions.  We realized that we were far from land and if we would have flipped we wouldn't have been able to get back in that thing with the waves hitting us.  We would of had to swim it all the way back to land in that freezing water...Well you live and learn, right?  Luckily we didn't suffer the full consequences.

There were tons of "lobstah" boats coming in from their early morning of fishing.  The sun came up about 4:30 each morning so they got started early.

This was where we camped the second night.  It was actually the highest point on the peninsula at about 130 feet.  Awesome views again.

After our exciting morning we decided to have a little reading time.

We wanted to get the full Maine experience.  So we pulled 3 "lobstahs" out of the freezing water (a cold tank) with our bare hands (there claws were rubber banded) and ate them (an old man boiled them for us).

We had a visitor to our tent the next morning.  We were considering eating him too but decided we might get in trouble since there were no hunting signs everywhere.

It was great bro time.  It will be a while before we'll get to do something like this again.

Note for when I'm gone

Hey friends.  I am in Foxboro, MA with my brother Thomas and his wife Margaret.  This is the 15th State I have hit in just over a month.  I will blog all about my adventures here (and believe me there have already been some) soon when I can get my pictures up.  But before then I just wanted to leave a little note.

I fly out in 15 days to East Asia (July 4th).  I will probably just wait till like two days before I leave to deactivate my Facebook.  Once I do that I will only have this blog and email to communicate to you (my dear family and friends).  However, you reading what I am doing is a pretty one sided communication form.  So, if you are following this blog I ask that you 1. hit the "Follow" link to your right so I know who is reading my words, and 2. comment every now and then while I'm gone.  It doesn't need to be anything about a post it can be about whatever.  What you did last week, funny stories, etc.  I would just love to hear from you guys too.

That's it.  Thanks.

Gettysburg Trip: Reliving July 1-3, 1863

Hey friends, I'll return to my summer catch up session later with some pictures from my time at Keri's house.  But first I wanted to blog a little about the trip I just got back from to Gettysburg, PA.  My dad and I did the 4 hour drive down to see the battlefield for 3 days.

We left just after 8 am Monday and after sitting in traffic for 2 full hours arrived just in time for our tour at 2:45.  It really was a great tour.  However, our tour guide found out that dad was a West Point graduate and then pretty much just talked to him and ignored the other 30 of us.  It really embarrassed him.. 

Picture of "Devil's Den" from "Little Roudtop."  Just to the left is the "Wheatfield." A small field where 6,000 soldiers fell in a 2 hour battle.  That is more casualties then the allies suffered during the entire D-Day invasion!  Craziness.  How imagine the 53,000 for the whole battle...

After spending a few hours at the battlefield we headed to our hotel where I found our shower.  It was 6 feet by 6 feet!  36 square feet of shower?  What is America coming to?  Do the Chinese really think we are this fat?  My only other theory is that many in the new generation of wealthy made their money using computers.  This means that they probably didn't play too many sports and these showers are as close as they are going to get to showing in a locker room.

We then left and went to dinner and a movie to only return to this... 12 charter buses of middle schoolers filing into our hotel.  It was like a nightmare.  I almost envied the soldiers I was just reading about.  Luckily, like the song "I"m Trading My Sorrows" joy came in the morning as the locust were all gone by 8 the next morning.  I love my elementary students, but middle schoolers...just horrid creatures...I'm sorry.

The Gettysburg Cyclorama at the museum(not a good picture because I had to illegally sneak it).  This was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen.  A 360 degree painting 42 feet tall and 377 feet around.  All painted by Paul Philippoteaux and his French team of artist in 1 year (1880).  Depicted Pickett's Charge.

Quote that dad loved.  He was pulling on his Southern roots from Alabama.

People love Honest Abe.  I wonder how many statues there are of him in the world.  Not to mention the billions of pennies and 5 dollar bills.

Looking down the barrel of a cannon facing the Union line of Cemetery Ridge from Seminary Ridge.

This tour guide must have been retired military because he had his middle school group line up and march in ranks part of Pickett's Charge.  Pretty comical.

Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveler.

The South Carolina Memorial.  They started the War so I  guess the least they could do was show up.  This was one of literally HUNDREDS of monuments.

However, Pennsylvania definitely wins for the largest memorial.  This beautiful memorial was built 101 years ago with all 35,000+ names of the soldiers that fought in the battle from PA.  You can take steps to the top and everything.

Dad coming over the wall reenacting Pickett's Charge right where General Armistead fell.  Crazy fact one local soldier that fought was over 70 years old and General Greene for the Union was 62 at the time of the battle.

I'll leave you with my attempt at artsy photos and one of my favorite quotes,

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." -John Staurt Mill

The Story Becomes a Trilogy: Summer Part 3

The day is now wisdom teeth extraction plus 2.  Last night I slept in my bed rather than the couch in the living room.  It resulted in one glorious night of sleep, but one super swollen face in the morning since my head wasn't elevated.  So, another day without great plans means another day to blog on past events.  (Don't worry this many updated in one week will probably never happen again.  Sorry If I'm tiring you out already)

I got really tired of having my hands preoccupied with bags of ice so I rigged this fashion setting piece up.  I look like a burn victim, but an old knee wrap holds the ice to my face pretty conveniently and leaves my hands free for all kinds of exciting activities like book holding, blogging, Facebooking, channel flipping, texting, and most impressive, Wii Tennis Tournaments.  (Sadly my dad has told me how good I am getting.)

Anyways.  Soon after the wedding I hit the road for Keri's house (oldest sister).  The trip is about 900 miles through 7 of our great United States.  Most people do such trips in two days, I however prefer the "band aid" approach.  Just rip it off quickly.  Don't stop, unless for gas.   

Mile 1: Car loaded down and ready for a long day in the car.  Nicole gave me a Bluetooth last summer that I use when I travel long distances (thanks again).  They are required in New York and a few other states so just to be safe I usually where it the whole way up.  However, I always quickly take it off whenever I get out of the car for fear of being confused as "that guy."  (Sorry if you are reading this and you are that guy or girl.)

The sun was rising as I left Greenville soon after 6:00 am.

It was weird.  As I was leaving South Carolina I realized that it would be the longest I have been away from the state in 16 years!  Ever since we loaded up the 15 passenger van and drove down from Manassas, VA in the summer of 1995 after my dad retired from the Army and took the job in Camden.  Just then a new never before thought idea came rushing through my mind, "maybe I will miss this state after all."  I mean don't get me wrong, there are countless people "in" the state that I will miss daily.  However, the state itself I have never felt a great attachment to or love for... 

Next came over 330 miles of Virginia.  I believe it is my favorite state on the East Coast.  It has a hint of Southern charm, combined with a touch of the North.  Mild winters and summers.  And best of all mountains galore!  Beautiful!

I hit the halfway point somewhere in Virginia.

It is tough getting this pictures while committed to only stopping for gas.  I almost missed West Virginia.

It is always weird going from being in Virginia for 5 hours straight to going through West Virginia, Maryland, and into Pennsylvania in like an hour.

Unfortunately, after talking on my phone all morning it died while driving through Maryland.  I had to stop at Target to pick up a charger.

Hello Amish country.

Unbelievable!  After all those miles I missed!  I could of gotten a picture of York on a sign back in South Carolina.

This is in New York...that must be a LONG exit ramp.

I started getting a little delusional.  Does anyone else see a face on this pop?  Mouth, nose, eyes, and hair?  (He is facing left) 

Mile 895: I made it!  Even with a lot of construction and my 30+ minute stop at Target I made it in 13 1/2 hours.

And my reward?  A kiss and hug from this cutie!  (my niece Skylar)

And getting to meet this little guy for the first time.  (my nephew Finley)