Northern & Southern Armies Approach Gettysburg on June 30, 1863

As the Civil War passed into its second year, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was on a roll....  General Robert E. Lee and his men were successful in numerous battles.  The  Union Army of the Potomac, better supplied and financed, was losing and President Abraham Lincoln was swapping out Generals, trying to find the man who would be victorious and help end the Civil War.

Following the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville, Virginia, General Lee used the Blue Ridge Mountains in early June to hide the Army of Northern Virginia's movements north from Virginia into Pennsylvania.  General Lee planned to win a battle on Northern soil and force the Union to sue for peace.

The Confederate Army would forage for food and goods in the plentiful North for the Army, and to send south to Virginia.

As the Southern Army "disappeared," Northern Calvary was sent out to locate them and report. General Buford and the First Division of Union Cavalry located the marching troops in Pennsylvania.

On June 28, General George Meade was put command of the Army of Northern Virginia.  He had a lot of work ahead of him...

The Southern Army was found and their movements were reported to command.

Scanning the ground from the
cupola at the Lutheran Seminary
on June 30, 1863, General Buford 
made the decision to meet the
Confederate Army here.





General Buford sent of  the Confederate troops massing near Gettysburg to General Meade. The stage was set for the upcoming battle.

Northern and Southern Armies rushed to Gettysburg and battle plans were prepared....

And We're Off... Southwest to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Eric, Adam & I are on the
road... heading southwest to
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.











This is our son, Adam's, belated 35th birthday gift.  We waited one month for Gettysburg National Military Park's jam packed summer schedule of interpretive Ranger Led Tours.

Bands of rain move up the

Schoharie Valley as Eric

drives west on Interstate 88.

"Cloudlets" linger on the
mountainsides as the rain
slows...

I like taking pictures of
farms.

Eric pulls into a Rest Stop,

next to the Kreider Farms

tractor trailer.

It's a quick stop...  We swap seats and I drive off.

Eric takes command of
the camera...

The signature shot of

his feet propped up

on the dashboard.

Frankentree in the mist...

This disguised cell tower
fools no one.






We always get a shot of this "out sized," man-made tree on our westward drive on I-88.

It's construction season.

Pennsylvania Welcomes You

State of Independence

I change lanes to follow

 Interstate 81 South towards

 Scranton.

We stop for fuel at the
Flying J Travel Plaza
in New Milford...

... & continue south on

Interstate 81 towards

Wilkes-Barre.

Bridge supports in a bag...

Eric gets this shot as we

cross a bridge that's

 being repaired.

He snaps this photo for me.

When I was a little girl, I

thought this type of high

voltage tower looked like a

giant angry mouse.

Traffic is getting heavier as we approach Harrisburg.  It's time to swap drivers again.

Eric covers the last

leg of the trip to

Gettysburg.

Here's another "must take photo" 

of the bridge crossing the

Susquehanna River in Harrisburg.

This bridge shows up over &

over again on this blog.

Our drive takes us south

onto US Route 15.

Gettysburg is just

24 miles away.

We pass farms.

Gettysburg National Military

Park's Visitor Center will

be the first stop of our

multi day tour of the

battlefields.

We arrive at Gettysburg

Battlefield Resort.

Eric and I stayed here in April, 2015.  It's just south of the National Military Park and a great home base for our visits.

Eric's Photography @ The Stewart's Shop on Broadway in Schenectady

Spoiler Alert:  It's marvelous!

Eric often walks past this Stewart's on Upper Broadway in Schenectady.

Today he came home with these photos...

                       This Polyphemus Moth was sitting on the mulch at the front of the store.

This large moth is commonly seen across the United States.

It moved to the shade the side of the building....

I think the angle of the photo is lovely.

Here's the cropped image of the moth's antennae & 

its sturdy looking legs.

Shameful bragging...  Eric captured the moth's beauty and structure beautifully.

Change Is Afoot... Our Living Room Gets a Make Over

Eric's Euro Recliner &
the Couch in the
motorhome's living room.






They sit opposite our television on our buffet and our dining room table.

The colorful Serape covers

a 13 year old couch that

has become quite worn.

Not clearly seen in the photos: A repeatedly stained living room rug.  That's OK with me.

Eric and I went shopping and this is what we brought home....

Two Wall-Away Recliners
& an area rug

We lost some seating in

the living room.

Turning the driver and passenger seats around helps make up for this and everyone gets a comfy place to sit.

Draper High School Transforms into Draper Lofts Apartments in Rotterdam, New York

Six weeks makes a big difference at the former Draper High School in Rotterdam.




This entrance has Welcome signs.

Draper Lofts Apartments is booking
appointments to tour its model 
apartment & signing leases with
interested visitors.





The parking lot on this section of the property is paved and striped.

I have enjoyed walking here

to watch the building & its

grounds be re-purposed.

This small area is framed

for a concrete pour.

It will become a section

of sidewalk.

The covered fences around

this section of the building

are gone.

The light pole and lamp have not yet installed.

The area of the building that

includes the gym remains

an active construction zone. 

Earth moving equipment is

still in use.

Covered fencing stretches

around the corner... 

I look forward to seeing 

this portion of the building

rehabilitated for new use.

Come by for a tour and see what this section of Rotterdam, adjacent to the Bellevue section of Schenectady has to offer its residents.