There is, at Gettysburg Battlefield National Historical Park, an eerie stillness- even in midday, and even with tourist hordes disgorging from buses, filling the Visitor Center, and lining up for bicycle and Segway tours.  The fallen rule these precincts.

Central Pennsylvania is filled with natural beauty, and the approaches to he battlefield are filled with same.

The Visitor Center is huge, and always full.

There is one figure, though, who remains unruffled by it all, having spoken his peace, so long ago.

Once in the cemetery and monument areas, the horror of the three-day battle is underscored by every grave, every monument and every southward view, towards the Mason-Dixon Line, a scant 12 miles away.  It’s said, by frequent visitors, that ghosts congregate here, on a regular basis.  I post the following photos, without individual comment.  Please note that all are of Union soldiers and regiments.

This is a look back north, towards the Union commander’s headquarters.

Below, is The Angle, from which the Union advance guard fired on Confederates, who were advancing in the fields below.

Here is another Union reconnaissance point.  This stone wall was defended by Union troops, upon Confederate General Armistead’s troops having advanced to the Copse of Trees, passing just west of the grove, before Union troops engaged them and drove them back.

This obelisk honours the 89th Pennsylvania volunteers.

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The Copse of  Trees, below, represents the northernmost advance point by Confederate forces in the War Between The States. The monument in front of  the Copse is called the High Water Mark.

Native Americans fought for both sides in the conflict.  This monument honours the Tammany Regiment, from New York City.

The monument below honours the Vermont Regiment, and is shown in two frames.

The following frames show the Pennsylvania State Monument, at the eastern edge of the park.

The next two views are from the top of the Pennsylvania State Monument.

I caught one final glimpse of the Copse of Trees.  Were it not for this vantage point, the story of our nation may have turned out far differently.

I was in a somber mood, the rest of the day.  Driving through the Brandywine Valley, Chadds Ford, Wilmington and the University of Delaware at Newark, I was in no further mood for photography.  At North East, MD, I learned what else had transpired that day- 12 innocent lives were snuffed out, at Anacostia Navy Yard, a place I visited twice, as a soldier, in 1970.

My planned visit the following day, to the United States Naval Academy, took on a graver mien.

My first inclination, when visiting a place of historic significance, is to look at the surroundings of the historic relics.  Who are the people who live here? How do they adapt to having to share their home with others?  What does the town/city, which surrounds the historic park, have to offer?

In going about the city of Gettysburg, PA, I concerned myself with the town center, and with Gettysburg College, which was in existence, and in session, at the time of the seminal battle.  Here are some scenes of those two.

I started at the Central Train Station, walked towards Gettysburg College, and proceeded in a southwesterly direction, then around the campus and back to Lincoln Square.

I came upon Gettysburg College, at the Kline Theater.  Each and everyone of the buildings that follow, bore witness to the horrors of the War Between the States.

Walking back into town, a Victorian neighbourhood comes into view.

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Lincoln Square is the centerpiece of the city, and in fact, was where the President stayed, when he came here to pay his homage to the fallen.

This hotel housed Mr. Lincoln’s entourage, and the press corps, in 1863.

The president himself, though, stayed here:

The Wills House was the residence of a businessman who was Abraham Lincoln’s sincerest backer in Pennsylvania.

Here is one final look at Lincoln Square.

It would be an afternoon of awe, fascination, and considerable spiritual pain, at Gettysburg Battlefield National Historical Park.

I woke up in Danbury, CT on September 15, and, seeing no place open for a Sunday morning breakfast, picked up coffee and a muffin at the Gulf station, and headed out.  Northwest Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley got short shrift this time, as I needed to make it to Pompton Plains, NJ by 11:30, to see the folks at my FIL’s hospital room.

As it happened, the nation’s Prisoners of War were being honoured at High Point, NJ, not far from Pompton, so I spent about twenty minutes there.  High Point is New Jersey’s- highest point. LOL.

I spent about 45 minutes in Pompton, and, satisfied that Pops would be getting out of the hospital the next day, I made a beeline for Philadelphia, and Chestnut Hill’s Wissahickon Park, where I met my youngest niece and her friend, and enjoyed a light supper, amid salubrious surroundings.

Leaving Philly, I passed through Germantown.

Day’s end found me in more familiar surroundings- Glick Farm, for a good night’s rest.

Such were my Sunday meanderings- on the way to Gettysburg.

Sail Blind is a non-profit organization, which supports the legally blind and totally blind, in their efforts to use Braille and other tactile and auditory means, in manning sailboats, for both therapeutic and recreational purposes.  My brother, from Massachusetts, is a member of this organization.  He participated in a series of races, on Newport, RI Harbor, September 14-15.

This is  a series of glimpses into that event, and its environs.  Below, my brother and a member of the supervisory team.

Here is another view of the race group.

Below is a view of Newport Harbor.

While waiting for the race to start, I took a brief ride over to Oceancliffs Resort Hotel.

Here is a view of Aquidneck Bridge, from Oceancliffs.

The decor and landscaping at Oceancliffs are indicative of Newport as a whole.

At 11:30, it was time to go back to Fort Adams, from whence the race would begin.

Here is the administrative boat (below).

Where you see #12, in the photos below, you are seeing my brother’s boat.

The vessel below is one of the supercontainers which use Newport Harbor,

The Manatee, below, was our Spectator Boat.

The gentleman below was our Sail Blind staff accompanist and commentator, who greatly added to the experience.

We ended the day with a group dinner at this restaurant, in Middletown, just north of Newport, on Aquidneck Island.

After dinner, I bid farewell to my brother and sister-in-law, and  headed northwest, spending the night in Danbury, CT.