I spent a rather mild, but rainy and misty day, the last day of summer- September 20, taking in more of the loveliness along the Arkansas River, in the River Market area of Little Rock.   About an hour and thirty minutes were also spent reliving the Clinton years, at the 42nd President’s Library and Museum.  Those were fine years for my wife, son and me.  They were, like Bill himself, a mixed blessing for the country.

Little Rock sometimes gets a bad rap, but my two visits there were very pleasant, and I would like to see more mid-sized cities emulate a locale like the River Market.  I had a very cozy two hours, sitting in the warmth of Boulevard Bread Company.

Later in the afternoon, I enjoyed the larger food court.  It’s a mini- Quincy Market.

My first rainy day adventure was visiting the Central Arkansas Nature Center.

It has some things that could figure in one of my nightmares- if I ever have nightmares.

Still think turtles make cute pets?

I next took a walk along a section of the River Trail that I had missed last time.

At the eastern end of  this fine park, a small botanic garden separates it from the freeway.

Here is where I thought further of my Little Rock friend, Reilly.

The route to the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Library follows this boardwalk.

The clean-up along the banks of the Arkansas River includes this unique device.

Many hard-working people of the soil have kept the faith, and kept places like Arkansas going.

Here are some scenes of the Clinton Presidential Center.  This is the table from the Cabinet Room.

Another table served dignitaries at State Dinners.

One such visitor presented the Clintons with this unique piece d’art.

Here is Mr. Clinton’s desk from the Oval Office.

The view from the third floor offers a new perspective on the timeline.

Inside looking out also gave me pause.

So, also, did looking back at the complex, afterward.

Little Rock is worth discovering.

So, too, is east Texas, and I found a bit of it to my liking, on the first day of autumn.

Ste. Genevieve, MO lies tight along the Mississippi, about two hours south of St. Louis.  It is Missouri’s Canadian connection, and having been founded in 1735, is the oldest permanent European settlement in the state.  I spent about 2 1/2 hours there, in the afternoon of September 19.  Here is a sampling of the town’s architecture, both of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Of course, I started at a 20th Century edifice:  Great River Road Visitor Center.

Then, it was time to revert to Les Bontemps Vieux.

The County Courthouse is typical of  the Midwest’s great structures.

The Cathedral of Ste. Genevieve is, by far, the signature piece of this lovely town, named in her honour.

This grand little settlement has its cheeky side, and here’s a nod to one of my online friends.

Day 29 was a misty, cool visit to another unexpected favourite- Little Rock.

I had interesting stops along the way, from Annapolis to Ste. Genevieve, MO.  Taking I-86, instead of I-70, took me through Hancock and Cumberland, MD, both small, but historically vital towns.  Hancock was my dinner stop, and has a couple of hiking trails that could occupy the time of furloughed Federal workers, should there be another “hiccup”.  It also has Weaver’s, a decent family restaurant in the downtown area.

I didn’t take the hiking trails, but in the off-chance I get back this way, Hancock is close to the AppalachianTrail.

One of the trails begins near this bridge, behind Main Street.

My stop in Cumberland was for dessert and Wifi.  There was the added bonus of this historic train station park, which has a European Desserts Cafe on its southern edge.

Day 26 ended at a Super 8, in Waynesburg, PA. This is the heart of a fracking area, so I was lucky to get a room, on that rainy night.

The next day was bright and sunny, and got me as far as Bloomington, IL.  I didn’t indulge in sightseeing, though Rudy’s, in Springfield, OH, has some worthwhile barbecue, at a rock-bottom price.  Richmond, IN, is worth a stop, if one wants to sample Amish goods.  I stopped there for about an hour, for Wifi.  Getting to Bloomington, IL around 8:30 P.M., I encountered a welcome sight, at Schooner’s.

Nataly was gracious and a fine conversationalist.  Since Bloomington has become a favoured stop of mine, in this part of Illinois, it was  doubly worth our two hour visit.  I stayed at America’s Best Value, for the second time in two months, and took care of “housekeeping” tasks the next morning.  Much of Day 28, though, was spent in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri’s oldest settlement.

The United States Naval Academy was an outgrowth of the War of 1812.  It had become evident that America would be subject to continued outside harassment, without a more systematic training of officers, especially for our Navy.  After years of debate (wonder of wonders), the Academy was founded in 1845, at what was then Fort Severn, near the waterfront of Annapolis.

Today, here are some scenes from this elegant and well- appointed institution of learning.  It must be remembered that the Academy is also an active military base, so the photographs are of public areas, only.

This entrance is for special events, only.

The north entrance is the main gate.

The Academy’s mission is clearly stated.

One clears security, in this building.

Admiral William F. Halsey,  a hero of World War II, is prominent in Academy lore.

Slogans from earlier times keep the cadets inspired.

Here is the Visitor Center, from the water’s edge.

As the residential areas and classroom buildings are off-limits to visitors, here is a reprise of the water, as seen from the Academy grounds.

It was, all too soon, time to head west, so I said farewell to my  childhood friend, the Atlantic  Ocean, and headed across Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, before stopping for the night.

Upon arriving in downtown Annapolis, I meandered around the back streets a bit, before checking out the Visitor Center.

Of course, lunch was very much on the agenda, so I checked out a Baked Potato restaurant, of all things.  it was fabulous.

The decor inside was innovative and entertaining.

Annapolis being the state capital of Maryland, the government edifices were much in evidence.

One of Maryland’s great human treasures was the late former Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall- a paragon of jurisprudence.

Maryland’s Roman Catholic roots are celebrated throughout Annapolis.  Here is the Calvert House.

The Church of St. Ann is Annapolis’ premier Catholic edifice.

Moving away from the Capitol ^, we come upon the city’s historic watering holes.

Along with the rest of  the nation, Annapolis paid its respects to the Anacostia 12.

The events of the previous day just made my visit to the United States Naval Academy all the more poignant.

The right way, to me, to experience a town like Annapolis, MD, is from the water’s edge, on inland.  That was not exactly how I actually carried out my visit, because there was a rather important matter that attended my arrival there:

I was glad to spend an hour or so visiting with Christina Fullmer and her daughter.  I have known the family, online, for about 3 1/2 years now.  Real time just underscores my joy at feeling close to them.  Christina has a very good sense of things, and is an excellent parent.

Returning to the traveler’s Annapolis, my maritime roots were well-nourished here.  Some of these scenes were taken from the Town Dock, and some from the United States Naval Academy- more on that great institution, later.

Annapolis’ maritime history is part nefarious (It was a center of the slave trade), and part honorable (The American naval effort in the War of 1812 was, in good part, waged from here.)  It is all worthy of study.
There are two major African-American figures associated with Annapolis:  Alex Haley and Thurgood Marshall.  Mr. Haley’s ties to this city stem, as is well-known, from the documented arrival here, in 1767, of one Kunta Kinte (see Harold Courlander’s, The African), whom Alex Haley claimed as an ancestor, in his book, Roots.  Alex Haley, and his ancestors, are honoured at a dockside park.

Following, are some tablets, recapping some timeless quotes from “Roots”.

The full story of Annapolis is contained herein.

This edifice is, for me, something to be savoured another time.

In Part 2, I will focus on the center of historic Annapolis, from the Visitor Center, to the Capitol and on to Dock Street, gateway to the Naval Academy, which will itself be the focus of Part 3.

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.