The End of June and First Part of July

We have ended yet another month, and it's already the 250th anniversary of our independence as a nation!  Happy 4th of July to all Americans who celebrate this amazing country, and it's beginnings.   More about that later.  Now it's time for another catch-up about the end of June and the first few days of July.

Here are a few more highlights of our belated anniversary/summer getaway to Las Vegas. 

We had the opportunity to get BOGO (buy one get one free) tickets to this place, The Sphere of Las Vegas.  I was very skeptical because the tickets were expensive.  Even with the special deal we got, it was $200 for both of us to go.  Charly really wanted to go, and we were, after all, on vacation, so we went. 

Seeing The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere was one of the coolest and most unique entertainment experiences I've ever had.  It was awesome.  For anyone visiting Las Vegas, go see it!

After we returned to our room, we ate dinner, Charly needed to get something from a nearby 7-11 store, so we took a little evening walk along one of the major streets near the resort where we are staying.  

The hotels on The Strip looked pretty all lit up.  It was a very warm evening, but with the sun down, it was not as hot as the 106 degrees it had been earlier that day. 

Las Vegas ended up being way more fun than we remembered from our last visit.  The city seemed to be cleaner, safer, and more family friendly than last time we were here.  People were polite, kind and helpful. We had a really great time.  I think we will have to go back!

We stayed in St. George one more night to break up the drive back home to Utah County.  We stayed here at this very nice Ramada.  We used accumulated "points" we had so it didn't cost us a thing, which is always nice. 

We got back home about mid-day on Sunday. I was very glad that the sprinkler timers we had set for our little backyard garden worked correctly and the plants survived!  

The last weekend of June was cold and rainy, which was fine with just about everyone, because the state of Utah had several major fires and the rain and cooler temps helped firefighters get a handle on them. We woke up Monday to snow on the peaks of Mount Timpanogos, which is the large mountain nearest to our home in Orem.  Snow at the end of June was actually a blessing to help get the fires out!

Josh had some extra time off of work this week, so he came over Monday afternoon and helped us by trimming our big front yard bushes. They all look great now!

Tuesday afternoon, we went to worship at the temple. You tell from the dark clouds that it was another cool and blustery day. 

Wednesday, we spent most of the day at home, but in the evening, we went to a farmer's market at a park near where we live. We got some fresh baked bread and cookies from one of the vendors to take to our grandchildren.  

Thursday, we went out to the old house to mow and trim. Josh had the day off and he helped us empty the big shed in back. We threw lots of stuff away.  We still haven't sold this place, but we have had a lot more showings lately, and our realtor tells us that there are some people who are considering making an offer.  Obviously, we would like to sell it sooner, rather than later.  

After working at the house for several hours, we all went to lunch, then over to a nearby hospital to see a dear friend who is not doing well at all. He has some very serious health problems, and doctors have said he may only live another 3-6 months.  While that is not good news at all, we did have a nice visit with him, and even got him laughing a little bit at one point.  It was nice to be able to see him.  When he is well enough, he will be taken back to a care center in Wyoming where he lives. 

When we got home Thursday, I was excited to find a package waiting on the door step.  It contained these two t-shirts celebrating our nation and the 250th Anniversary of our Independence.  I had ordered the shirts last week and was afraid I wouldn't get them in time to wear on Independence Day, so I was glad that they came, and yes, I have the white one on as I am typing this post. 

Friday morning, Charly and I went for a walk. When we got home, I hung some more pictures.  I found these cute floral panels at a thrift store and knew they would be just perfect in my downstairs hobby and book room.  I think they look just perfect above the daybed.  

Friday afternoon, Charly and I went to see the new movie that just came out, Young Washington.  It was an excellent movie about young George Washington and his role in the French-Indian War, which really prepared him to command American armies in the Revolutionary War.  I thought the movie would be a great one to see on the 250th anniversary of our independence, and it was!  If you haven't seen this movie, go see it! It was produced by Angel Studios, which is the same group that made The Chosen series.  It is a really good film that is historically accurate and gives the viewer an appreciation for this nation.  It shows that we truly are "one nation under God."

That pretty much catches up the last week, which was another busy one.  I honestly thought I would have much more time to relax, read and blog when I retired. So far that hasn't seemed to be the case.  Last week was very busy, and the coming Independence Day weekend will also be filled with lots of fun things.  It will start out with me getting up about 5 a.m. Saturday to pick up our granddaughters and take them to a 250th Anniversary Parade.  We are then going to Colonial Heritage Festival, complete with reenactments of Revolutionary War Battles. Next, we are going to a family cookout and then hopefully, we will catch some fireworks tomorrow night.  It will be busy, but fun, and good memories will be made!

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a very happy 4th of July, no matter where you live! God bless the USA!

Until next time, 

🎆Deb🎆

"It is impossible to govern 

the world without God. 

It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge 

the Providence of Almighty God, 

to obey his will, 

to be grateful for his benefits

 and humbly implore 

his protection and favor."

~George Washington

 

Washington D. C. Part IV - The National Army Museum and Manassass National Battlefield

On the last day of our vacation to Washington D.C., we visited the National Museum of the United States Army.  We actually visited this awesome museum two different days. The first afternoon, the museum closed before we could get through it all, so we returned to see the rest of the exhibits the next day.  This museum is an great place for history lovers which Charly, Josh and I are.  There were life-size dioramas of major battles of all the wars the U.S. Army fought, using actual historic army equipment. Here are some of the cool things we saw there. 

We also went to Manassass National Battlefield.  It was another hot and humid day, but we enjoyed hearing the history of this site of the first battle of the American Civil War, from a young park historian.  Here are some pictures of Manassass National Battlefield, where the first battle of the Civil War was fought. 

This is our historian/tour guide explaining the details of the battle and where everything took place. 

This is known as Henry Hill, because it was the farm of the Henry Family.  It is also where much of the battle of First Manassass (Bull Run) was fought.  This is the battle that politicians took a picnic lunch to watch.  Many thought the war would be over that afternoon after a short skirmish.  The battle that took place here, with the resultant casualties, proved them very wrong. 

This is one of the original Union cannons. 

This is the Henry House, where the only civilian casualty of the battle of First Bull Run took place.  It was the elderly woman who lived in the house and refused to leave even though union and confederate forces surrounded the place. 

Canons from the battle. 

Memorial to the dead on Henry Hill.

This is a statue of confederate hero Stonewall Jackson. 

This is the Henry House and Farm. 

Another view of the Stonewall Jackson statue. 

This is a monument marking where Confederate General Bernard Bee fell mortally wounded on July 21, 1861.  Bee is the general, who, while trying to rally his troops, said "There stands Jackson like a stone wall."  It is from this quote that General Thomas Jonathan Jackson became known as Stonewall Jackson.  

This is view of the battlefield looking toward the Henry House. 

These are Crepe Myrtle blossoms on a tree near the visitors center for the battlefield.  I thought they were really pretty.  We don't have Crepe Myrtle trees around here, at least that I know of. 

With that, our vacation in Washington D.C. and Virginia came to an end.  We had a great time and hope to return again soon, maybe next summer, when we hope to visit more Civil War Battlefields.  

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

“Why should the peace of a true Christian be disturbed by anything which man can do unto him? 

Has not God promised to make all things work together for good to those who love him?”

~ General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson

Washington D.C. Part III - The White House and Smithsonian

The next morning, which was Thursday, we got up early and rode the Metro to the Metro Center stop which, in theory, is a short walk (several blocks but less than a mile) to the White House.  

I was fascinated by the long elevators that went from the underground Metro stop up to the street. 

It was a very hot and humid morning and we were relying on Siri for directions on how to get from the Metro station to the White House.  In the middle of our walk, at least a couple of members of our group (who will remain nameless 😉) needed to find a restroom.  We were successful in that quest, but I am pretty sure we walked several blocks out of our way.  Although there were fences all over, and no real signs or directions,  I believe this are is The Ellipse, which is infamous because it where Trump addressed his supporters before sending them to the Capitol on January 6, 2021.  I am also pretty sure that the evergreen tree on the left side of the picture is the National Christmas Tree. 

Eventually, we did find the back of the White House and this was as close as we could get.  After the U-Haul truck crashed into a barricade at the White House, a few months ago,  there are more fences, more police and Secret Service and hardly anywhere to get a good picture of the place.  

We had to walk several more blocks to get this close to the front of the White House and this was the best picture we could get of it, and you can barely recognize what it is.  

By this time, we were incredibly hot and tired and you can see that in our faces. 

This building is the Executive Office Building.  It was originally built back in the 1870s to house the State, War and Navy Departments - as those departments were then known.  The architect, Alfred B. Mullett tried for French Second Empire architectural style in the building which some felt clashed with the neoclassical style of other buildings in Washington D.C..  Due in part to criticism of the building and the financial ruin that brought with it, the architect committed suicide.  Very sad.  I know very little about architecture, but I have always though the Executive Office Building is one of the most beautiful old buildings in D.C..  Some others agree with me because it is now designated a historic landmark after almost being demolished in 1957.  

This is one of several statues of Revolutionary War heroes in Lafayette Square which is basically right across the street from the White House, although Pennsylvania Avenue is now closed off and inaccessible.  This statue is Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben, who was a Prussian who volunteered for the Revolutionary War and wrote the Revolutionary War Drill Manual, which served as the standard U.S. military manual until 1812.  I am not sure why this is the only statue I got a picture of, but I think it had something to do with the fact that we were all very hot and tired and mainly just wanted to get to the nearest Metro station as soon as we could. 

We rode the Metro to the Smithsonian stop and got off and walked across the upper end of the National Mall.This is the view of the Capitol from where we were. 

We walked over to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.  We had been here briefly last year, but it was super crowded and Charly wanted to get a better look at the Hope Diamond, so we came back. 

Again, the Natural History Museum was super crowded with lots of little ones. Seems that a lot of summer camps and day care were having field trips here.  We did get a better look at the Hope Diamond however, and this is it.  It is big and bring and personally, I wasn't that impressed, but the museum is pretty cool and has lots of neat exhibits, including dinosaur bones. That area was even more crowded because kids like to see dinosaur bones and the place was packed. 

After seeing the Hope Diamond, I was tired and sat down for a while as Charly and Josh wandered around.  Eventually, we made our way to the museum gift shop and found some cute dinosaur earrings for our granddaughter's birthday gift.  After that, it was lunch time and we decided to back to the air conditioned condo, eat lunch and take a break. 

After lunch, we got in our rental car and drove about 15 miles outside of the D.C. area to the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.  Josh really wanted to visit that museum and it did not disappoint.  In fact, we went there two days in a row because there were so many neat things to see. I will post more about that in my final installment in our trip to Washington D.C. and Virginia. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Washington represented something immensely precious. Freedom, hope, strength."

~Erik Larson