A Year in Gettysburg

Here I am! I'm still alive! You may have started to wonder, but I'm still here.

I've been very busy...yeah, I know that's not a very good excuse, but I hope to explain some of that in this post. But where do I start? I've been absent from here for what. Almost a year? Much too long.

Well, I've gotten more active in some events around Gettysburg. In October I attended the Civil War Trust's event for the Lee Headquarters grand opening. That was exciting. My grandfather and I were able to attend the event, it was a beautiful day (if but a bit chilly), and best of all (drum roll please) I got to meet Garry Adelman! (For those of you who may be new to the blog, Garry Adelman is a historian, Licensed Battlefield Guide and the director of Education for the Civil War Trust. He puts together many of the "In4" videos discussed in some of my articles. I'm kinda obsessed with him.)
Okay, well, I took a selfie with him. Is that a formal introduction? Maybe not....


                                

                                 

Plus right after this my grandfather 
drove me around the battlefield and 
took me up Culp's Hill for the first time.
Such a nerdy awesome time!

                                                                                       

                                                                           

I attended the Remembrance Day Parade in November. That was beautiful!! The ladies' dresses, soldiers marching down Baltimore Street, carriages, Lincoln impersonators (4 were there, I believe...) PLUS Robert E Lee!! It was such a grand and well done event.





                                                                

And then my biggest new experience this year has been my 2nd job at a museum in Gettysburg! Its an 1860 house dedicated to the civilians in town. Its a museum that talks all about the people side of the war! Right up my alley, right? Working around Gettysburg has definitely been a new experience, cause all of a sudden you have to be an authority on the town-I have to be able to direct to the nearest bathroom, best restaurant, or maybe just how to get to the battlefield. (Trick question since most of Gettysburg is battlefield!)

                   

This job has been the best thing that has happened to me when it comes to learning about the Civil War. From listening to my new coworkers telling tourists about things on/about Gettysburg that I've never heard before, to hearing explanations to questions I've always heard enough times that I can now answer them myself with confidence. I even took my family on a tour of Gettysburg just a month or so ago and we went from one side of the battlefield to the other with me explaining the major happenings that went on. (I am NOT claiming to be a battlefield guide or know half as much as the next guy, but I can navigate the battlefield pretty well and can explain  the major battle points. I'd say not bad considering where I'm coming from!.)

I had no idea from the start of this blog where life would take me. I was passionate about the Civil War, and hoped that would carry me to some sort of reenacting. Now, I'm realizing I'm not cut out for reenacting, but for living history. Reenactors show up once every now and then and try to be as authentic as they can within their budget. Living historians have to be authentic, and be able to answer any question about their outfit, town, subject, etc. Even if their answer is "I honestly don't know", its our job to answer.

Well, thanks for sticking with me this long! Those of you reading right now are my most faithful followers, holding out for a year to see where I was possibly taking this blog. So for that, I sincerely thank you. I've got so many ideas for blog articles now, so I hope to keep up with writing. Lets hope I can be more consistent this year!!

See y'all around my virtual Gettysburg!