What's Civil about War?

In our Mormon culture we do a thing called "Treks" where we dress up in pioneer clothes and push or pull handcarts over rough terrain to simulate the experience of our ancestors as they crossed the plains to Utah. It's supposed to give us an appreciation for the trials they went through and the sacrifices they made in order to practice the religion they espoused.

I suppose the same might be said of the "reenactment" we experienced this weekend of the Battle of New Market, a somewhat lesser known Confederate victory fought in the Shenandoah Valley late in the conflict known variously as the Civil War, the War between the States, the War of Northern Aggression depending on your viewpoint or ancestry. The re-enactors are perhaps seeking to appreciate and keep alive the history of the bloodiest, most uncivil conflict in which this country has ever been engaged, maybe in appreciation for the sacrifices that were made to maintain the Union.

A few thousand modern day Americans dressed in clothes to simulate their 1860's ancestors, converged on the little town of New Market, Virginia to reenact a battle that had taken place 145 years earlier. If you were not in costume, you were in the minority. I, frankly, have never seen anything like it. I am of conflicting feelings about the purpose of such doings. As a Northern sympathizer I truly felt out of place and more than once wondered if such activities could only serve to preserve and perpetuate the divisions still had in our country. I saw exactly one black citizen the entire day.

Another good, long day

Sad that I got no posts in whatsoever in April. We had another long day in District yesterday. Maybe I only post when I'm worn out from the day before. And most of our pictures are going onto Jim's computer and then Picasa and I have no easy way to add them here.

We picked up Kodie about ten and headed toward town. Our goal was to visit Theodore Roosevelt Island, Tudor Place, Dumbarton Oaks and Meridian Hill Park. We got it all in and added a visit to Ben's Chili Bowl and a drop-by of the D.C. version of the "legalize marijuana" rally going on worldwide, as well. Back at Kodie's we ate yummy food she had fixed and played bananagrams. Everyone won at least once so that worked out well.

Our time here in Virginia is winding down quickly. We've been able to see and experience so much being here along with our work in the mission office and our associations with the missionaries, senior and otherwise. We've enjoyed the friends we've made in our Spanish ward as well.

The "greening" of Virginia is almost complete. Although it's been coming on for weeks, it seems so sudden. The trees are leafed out and the bare woods are filled with green. The Farmer's Market opened yesterday for the season so we took our traditional stroll through the woods to the train station and paid way too much for fruit and veggies. We said hi to our friends there and thought of one more thing we'll miss as we head home.

That said...can't wait to be home and hug the grandkids. We think we'll stay home for a while. We've been gone for three of the last four years and we could stand being home for a time.