Sheilaclapkin's Blog;

SLEEP #8 and #9

Over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the “Gateway to the Eastern Shore.

As we drove from P’s home, we were told that we have been sleeping in and among the battlefields of the Civil War.  In fact, we are within walking distance of the very first battle between the North and the South. It is told that everyone thought it was going to be a one-battle war and an outing for the family to see.   People brought their picnic baskets and blankets for a day out viewing an event.  They were certainly in for a bloody surprise as they watched people killing each other and definitely not the picnic in the park they expected. This first battle and surrounding battlefields are protected by the Manassas National Park.

The South won the first battle and you know how they portray that the war eventually turned out.  I am not saying anything about a win here because I truly believe that we are still fighting that war everyday as we go along our dualistic, pluralistic, co-existent lives interacting or ignoring each other.  In some way, we are mirroring and waging the war against human differences in many of our actions everyday in a most global way. The first battle of the Civil War, unbeknownst to the picnicking onlookers was not the first or the last battle for human rights. I cannot see how the war will be won or lost, ever.  Being surrounded by battlefields does give one food for thought.

In the following photos you can see the split rail fencing that borders the battlefields in Manassas National Park.

Next view a Civil War Hospital.

As we drove along on our way to the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, we pass familiar signs depicting shopping at Tyson’s Corner, Bethesda, Rockville, the Mormon Tabernacle, Annapolis, then over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into Kent Narrows on Kent Island. Easton was next and on to St. Michaels, Maryland.

We had a lovely walk and views of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and lunch of crab cakes, fried oysters and lobster sandwiches. Tilghman Island offered a wonderful boat tour, but we found out they needed a minimum of 10 people to initiate the tour.  Since this is the end of the season, there were not many people to round up for a tour, so we left without boating, but did take with us the lovely sights, sounds and a greater understanding of nature’s marvelous design.

Relaxing at Inn at Perry Cabin:

On the return journey, we stopped in Annapolis for a look at the surprisingly enormous United States Naval Academy established in 1845. We were not able to drive into the complex and had to walk if we wanted to gain entrance.  It was a quiet time, most of the cadets were in classes, but we understood the idea of  the immensity and the intensity with which this huge training facility has become revered. It is training our future naval warriors. God bless America and God bless the men and women who insure our freedom.

The city of Annapolis is lovely and we could see through the ravages of two huge boat shows. Last week they had the sailboat show and this past weekend they had the powerboat show. The town needs s bit of a rest. We left the city over a drawbridge that stopped all traffic on both sides to let a lovely sailboat through to the other side.

Today we visited Downtown Old Manassas in Northern Virginia.  We enjoyed seeing the old train station, which is still very much in use. It is the icon of the Old Town, built in 1914 and houses offices as well as daily Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express commuter trains connecting Washington, DC with Manassas. It is a well-used station on a daily basis. The old Candy Factory sign is visible, but the building is used for other purposes.  Many people love to come to the monthly festivals and entertainment in Old Town Manassas.

We continued on through the new section of Manassas and there is every recognizable store and eating establishment you can think of except TACO BELL and it is possible I just missed seeing it.

Onward we head for Middleburg to have lunch where George Washington dined at the Red Fox Inn.

This is the booth where the young surveyor George Washington was served many meals.

The town holds not only an encounter with George, but many other notables have lived and played in Middleburg. Among the many are: Jackie Kennedy, Tab Hunter, Elizabeth Taylor, Senator John Warner, Robert Duvall, C.E.O of U. S. Airways, and the owner of the Chrysler Building in N.Y., Jack Kent Cooke. It is told that he had four wives and one time he went to the post office to make certain that his fourth wife would not get the mail of the third wife which would cause great discomfort. It also was important to keep the appointments of ex wives at the beauty salon separated.

Skip had the experience of trying on a vest in Linda Tripp’s store he thought might be nice to add to his collection. It was only $900.00, so he decided to leave it for the next guy. We had a lovely lunch at the Inn; actually wonderfully tasty. There was definitely a presence of George being served when he was a young surveyor working in town. A specialty we enjoyed is the Peanut soup and the mango chutney curried chicken salad. After our walk in the town we enjoyed ice cream by Hershey’s.  I do believe this is the first time I have ever tasted Hershey’s ice cream. It is full of flavor and very creamy.