May 27, 2011

GET YOUR TAN ON!!!!

Well I finally finished up the postings from my April trip. This weekend I’m taking off to New Jersey for another trip but I had to post this gem of a story that happened to me last weekend.

With summer coming on I decided that I wanted to try out a spray tan. I am totally against tanning beds and am not much for lying prone on a beach somewhere so a spray tan seemed like the perfect solution. I found a local tanning salon that had half off deals on Sundays so I asked Amber to come along since she was also commiserating about being pale. Prior to coming, we were instructed to shower using sugar as our “soap” so we would be completely exfoliated. With Step 1 complete we headed off to the salon.

When we arrived the girl at the desk asked what level I wanted. Never having done this before I asked what the levels meant. Apparently 1=healthy glow, 2= day at the beach and 3=honeymoon in Jamaica. Being so pale, I opted for level 1 to ease myself into it. She then asked if I wanted clear or bronze coat. I again didn’t know the difference so she said clear, you come out looking the same and the color develops and bronze shows up right away. I opted for clear to be safe. Amber chose the same options. We then went to the spray tan booth and the girl showed us how to use it. I let Amber go first. She came out looking the same so I headed in, expecting the same outcome. But of course, that’s not gonna happen because it's me.

I got all undressed, put on my shower cap and barrier lotion on my hands and got in the booth. Well, the green start button was not flashing like it was supposed to. The girl had said it was heat sensitive so you may have to press your thumb against it for a minute but it still wasn’t doing anything so I got dressed and went looking for help. The girl came back and reset the machine so I went back in and got all set up again.

The process is all automatic and voice prompted so its very easy and quick. I stepped out a minute later and looked at myself in the mirror. I could already notice myself looking tanner. “Hmm”, I thought, “must be the lights”. I took off my shower cap and threw it in the trash. That’s when I noticed that my cap was completely brown while the other one in there was all white and that’s when I got a sick feeling in my stomach.

I got dressed and walked out, making a beeline for the door. As soon as Amber saw me, her jaw dropped and she tried to think of something nice to say. We left and went out to dinner and then to Wegmans for grocery shopping and by the time I got home a few hours later I looked like Snooki. I didn’t even know my skin had the ability to turn this color! Apparently the girl had reset the system and I ended up with a Level 3 Bronze instead of a Level 1 Clear. All I could do was shake my head and laugh. I wanted to get tan and boy did I get a tan!!

Despite all the drama, I honestly really liked my tan and would definitely go spray tanning again. Now I know that I have the ability to get a Level 3 Bronze, a Level 1 Clear probably wouldn’t even make a difference. I don’t have any pictures now but I’ll take a lot over the weekend (the color is pretty durable :) Have a great weekend!! I’m off on my 5th Annual Memorial Day Roadtrip!!

May 25, 2011

Hopewell Furnace

After dropping Jess off at the airport, I had one more stop to make on my way home. After fighting my way out of Philadelphia traffic I soon found myself on back country roads. I arrived at the Hopewell Furnace site and was pleased at how rural and peaceful it was. After a week in big cities, it was a nice change of pace. I immediately saw the intro video which gave me a nice overview of the Furnace. The iron tools and household utensils necessary in the early days of colonial America were either brought along by settlers from Europe or imported at high cost. The colonists quickly realized that, even though it violated their country's laws, they needed to manufacture their own iron products. The construction of charcoal-burning furnaces to produce iron was possible only where the necessary natural resources--iron ore, limestone, hardwood forests, and water--were readily available. The Middle Atlantic colonies had an abundance of these raw materials.

William Penn lured colonists to Pennsylvania by stressing not only religious toleration, but also the fact that his colony was rich in natural resources, including good quality iron ore and extensive forests. Immigrants from Europe poured into the colony. Large numbers settled in Philadelphia and its surrounding region. These settlers needed everyday objects such as tools, nails, horseshoes, and cooking utensils. Many small iron-making furnaces were built in southeastern Pennsylvania to take advantage of that market. By the time of the American Revolution, there were approximately 65 ironworks concentrated in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Hopewell Furnace was established in 1771 and supplied shot and cannon for the Continental Army and Navy during the Revolutionary War. Reflecting the economic problems of the young Republic, the furnace led a troubled life and often changed hands during the last years of the 18th century. In 1800, it entered a new period of prosperity under new owners. Between 1825 and 1844, Hopewell Furnace supplied a wide variety of iron products to cities all along the east coast, including the popular "Hopewell Stove." The furnace continued to operate until the 1880s, but never again achieved the success of the 1830s and 40s.

It is a gorgeous site. It reminded me a lot of the Genesee Country museum. I think in the summer they have a lot more interpreters around but it was pretty quiet on this spring day. I grabbed my self-guided brochure tour and set off.

Anthracite Furnace

From the 1840s onward, America was shifting to large-scale concentrations of steam-driven coke and anthracite furnaces so this was a last ditch effort by the Furnace to modernize.

Inside the general store:

These little chimneys used to be everywhere for making the charcoal pits. Charcoal pits, measuring 30 to 40 feet in diameter, were generally located in cleared areas, often near where the wood had been cut. Four-foot lengths of wood were stacked on end around a wooden chimney in the center of the pit. It took about 25 to 50 cords for each pit (a cord is a stack of four-foot logs measuring eight feet long by four feet high). The mound was then covered with leaves and dirt and set on fire at the center. A collier carefully tended the smoldering wood 24 hours a day for 10 to 14 days until it had "come to foot" or was completely charred. The temperature of the interior of a charcoal pit was generally from 700-800 degrees Fahrenheit, with some parts reaching more than 2000 degrees. During the coaling, the master collier and his helpers lived in primitive huts near the pits.

Water wheel

Iron production at Hopewell Furnace required a blast of air to bring the heat of the furnace above 2800 degrees. The water wheel supplied the power for this air blast by pumping a pair of pistons inside two blowing tubs. Compressed air moved from the blowing tubs into a receiving box between the tubs, and then through a long pipe to enter the furnace through the tuyere, a cone-shaped nozzle attached to the end of the pipe.

I loved learning about the process because it is so interesting how so much work and resources went into this business that quickly became outdated.

This sign outside of a house was pretty funny:

One of the was a “children’s house” so called because there were tons of hands on activities for kids. I took full advantage of the toys and had a grand old time churning butter and playing with my Jacob’s ladder.

The farm animals were adorable! There were several little lambs that were playing around and a yard of chickens as well.

The ironmasters house is restored quite nicely. I loved the Hopewell Furnace and highly recommend it. It was just so quiet and peaceful, you really felt like you stepped back in time. There’s tons of buildings to explore and it’s a great learning experience.

May 22, 2011

Gettysburg Part II

Eisenhower Tower:

At this point of the tour I was starting to wonder how much of Gettysburg I really remembered because a lot of stuff was unfamiliar. However, as soon as I caught sight of the Eisenhower Tower all my memories started flooding back. In August of 2001 the five of us Burns’ were in our conversion van listening to the auto tour on cassette. The Eisenhower Tower is right around the point where side 1 ends and we spent a good 10 minutes at the tower trying to find our way because no matter how many times we flipped the tape or rewound and fast forwarded every time we pressed play we heard “you are now approaching the Eisenhower Tower”. Us kids thought this was the funniest thing ever while my Dad got increasingly pissed off. I don’t know how we finally fixed it but it’s one of those childhood vacation memories I will always cherish.

Alabama Memorial:

It represents the Sprit of Alabama pointing the way forward, while the wounded soldier passing the cartridge box to his comrade represents determination to continue the struggle.

Little Round Top:

I really liked this spot because it had a good view of the battlefield. There were a couple statues and monuments and even a little tower you could climb up into. In the tower, we had managed to escape the bus loads of school children so I was trying to take a picture with both of us in it when Jess pulled this maneuver

I think the Union hat was getting to her at this point.

Trostle Farm:The striking feature about this was the barn that still bore its war wounds. Major General Sickles sat mounted on his horse near the Trostle Barn. As the battle raged, a 12 pound cannon ball screamed through the air and shattered the General's right leg, nearly tearing it completely off. Federal surgeons amputated the General's right leg just above the knee. His amputated leg, which the General insisted be saved, is now on display at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Years after the war, in December of 1894, then United States Congressman Daniel Sickles sponsored bill H.R. 8096. The signing of this bill into law a few months later in February of 1895 by President Grover Cleveland established the battle grounds as the Gettysburg National Park. So thank you Sickles for preserving Gettysburg!

Pennsylvania Memorial:

Since Gettysburg is in PA it makes sense that they have the biggest monument. More than 23,000 Pennsylvanians were at Gettysburg, over a fourth of the Army of the Potomac. Bronze statues of Pennsylvania generals George Meade, John Reynolds, Winfield Scott Hancock, David Birney, Alfred Pleasonton and David Gregg, Governor Andrew Curtin, and President Lincoln flank each of the arches. You can climb up in the memorial and get another view of the battlefield.

Our final stop of the day was at the National Cemetery. It was here that Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address. In the cemetery the Soldiers National Monument was placed at the center, promoting the Union victory and the valor of the fallen soldiers; second, the graves were arranged in a series of semicircles around the monument, emphasizing the fundamental egalitarian nature of U.S. society, with all the graves considered equal. The original plan was to arrange the plots in essentially random order, but resistance from the states caused this to be modified and the graves are grouped by state, with two sections for unknowns and one section for the regular army.

May 21, 2011

Gettysburg

Our last day took us to Gettysburg. It was in the 40s and raining so it definitely set the somber mood of the battlefield. They had a great new visitor’s center (well new since I’d been there last in 2001) where we bought some knockoff soldier hats: mine in the Confederate gray and Jess in the Union blue. This may sound contrary since Jess is from Florida and I am from New York but Jess had done some family research and discovered she had some ancestors on the Union side. My Grandmother is from Louisiana and raised us grandkids to be Confederates and my cousin is a re-enactor for the 34th North Carolina so we are rebels at heart. We did end up getting lots of stares and comments on our opposing allegiances.

I had last been to Gettysburg in 2001 with my family and my dad had purchased an auto tour cassette and I brought it along since it is a great way to see the highlights and learn at the same time. It took me awhile to get on the right route since I think some of the directions had changed but once I figured out where the first stop was, we were on our way.

The highlights of the auto tour were:

John Burns Statue (no relation ;) This guy has an amazing story that you should check out : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Burns)

Eternal Flame: The dedication of the Eternal Flame memorial by President Roosevelt was the highlight of four days of activities commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the battle. More than 1,800 aged Civil War veterans attended the last great reunion. Roosevelt had a great quote at the dedication: “All of them we honor, not asking under which Flag they fought then- thankful that they stand together under one Flag now."

Oak Ridge Tower where most of the first day of battle took place One of the cutest things I saw all day was the statue with “Sallie” curled up at the bottom who has an amazing story: Sallie was a stray; a small mixed breed dog that one day wandered into the camp of the 11th Pennsylvania and became attached to one of the regiment's soldiers. Sallie went into the fighting on July 1st alongside her human comrade. When the Union line collapsed that afternoon, survivors of the 11th Pennsylvania staggered through Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill, where they reformed and counted their losses. Among the missing was the small dog. Late on July 5th, a burial detail from the regiment made their way back to the scene where the regiment fought on Oak Ridge. Here they discovered Sallie lying among the corpses of the regiment which had adopted her. Very much alive and loyal to a fault, she had remained with her fallen master. Sallie was taken back to the regiment and informally adopted by the men as the regiment's mascot. Sallie remained with her regiment, sharing in the dangers and duties that her masters faced until she was killed at the Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia, in 1864.When the veterans of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry erected their monument at Gettysburg in 1890, they chose to add the likeness of the homely little dog that brought happiness to their lives as soldiers, for she was the most humble symbol of loyalty they had experienced during the war.

North Carolina Memorial: An interesting fact about this memorial is that it was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum. Sound familiar? He designed Mount Rushmore! North Carolina provided 14,147 men to the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg, the second largest state contingent after Virginia. It lost close to 6,000 casualties (over 40% of its men engaged) and, as the monument states, over one fourth of all Confederate casualties.

Virginia Memorial:The Virginia monument was the first of the Confederate State monuments at Gettysburg and the largest of the Confederate monuments, a fitting tribute for the state that provided the largest contingent to the Army of Northern Virginia, its commander, and its name. Lee is shown astride his favorite horse, Traveller and this horse is considered to be one of the finest sculptures ever made. Virginia contributed over 19,000 men to the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg. Almost 4,500 of these became casualties.

One of the oddest statues I've ever seen was that of Longstreet. Jess told me that traditionally rider/horse statues were mounted above ground level on a platform or base. To keep the perspective right for someone on the ground looking up, the statues were made with the horse about 2/3 the size of the rider. One story says that the Longstreet statue was intended to be on a base, but because of some people who were upset about Longstreet's writings against Lee, there was a delay in actually putting his statue on the Park. When if was finally placed, it was on the ground, and not in a prominent place. Thus, the size of the horse to the rider is off. Another story says that the monument is not on a pedestal, “to become not less heroic, but more personal and approachable". So approach I did

May 18, 2011

Catoctin Mountain Park

After Monocacy the next stop was Catoctin Mountain Park. It was really quite pretty and not at all what I expected to find in Maryland. We hiked out to Cunningham Falls. At 78 feet it is the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland.

It was so nice to be out of the city and hiking through the woods. It was a very easy hike.

There was also a short hike out to the Blue Blazes whiskey still. The interpretive signs along the way told the history of this place which I will share because I think it is so cool.

In the days before good highways and before rails had been laid, the rugged mountains presented a barrier for horse drawn transportation. Products such as grain, meat and lumber were too heavy to be transported to the more profitable markets in the larger cities. Corn and rye were also very bulky to transport but when converted to whiskey, they became a better profit. While the average horse was capable of hauling only 4 bushels of corn at a time, the same horse could haul the equivalent of 24 bushels if the grain was manufactured into whiskey.

Until Congress passed the 1791 Excise Tax, every farm probably had it's own still. For the next 128 years it was legal to own a still--provided you paid the tax. Not until the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was possession of a still an offense.

The problem with the 1791 Excise Tax was that it took the profit out of making liquor. For mountain people, the liquor concentration of rye and corn was the most practical way to get crops to market. So rather than pay the tax they went underground, operating by the light of the moon.

On the last day of July 1929 --Deputy Sheriff Clyde L. Hauver was fatally wounded in a raid on the Blue Blazes Still. It was a large commercial operation, a "steamer" still. More than 25,000 gallons of mash were found in 13 vats of 2,000 gallon capacity each. Police eventually tracked down several suspects, and two moonshiners were convicted in connection with the murder after several days of conflicting testimony. Tales of a double-crossing informant, a love triangle, arson, and other rumors spread throughout central Maryland. What exactly happened remains a mystery.

Our last stop of the day was Sauck’s Covered Bridge, just outside of Gettysburg, PA. Due to its involvement in the Battle of Gettysburg it is known as “the most historic covered bridge in the state.” It is haunted according to this tale: as Robert E. Lee's troops were withdrawing from the field, three Rebel soldiers were found to be spies. A speedy trial on the spot found them guilty and they were hanged from beams in the covered bridge. Their bodies were discovered by Union soldiers patrolling the area.
We also passed by the Jack's Mountain bridge. The traffic light cracked me up. I drove across the World's Largest Covered Bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick last fall and there was no stoplight for that bridge (you had to speed through and hope no one was coming the other way AND it was in a decent size town) and yet this tiny little bridge in backwoods PA has a traffic light!