Saturday, June 4, 2011

Reenactment

People are different. Elenka wants to go to Italy. Me? Right now, flying over the big pond and spending a few weeks viewing canals, vineyards and old cathedrals is low on my places to go. Dreams? I have a few. I'd like to head to Ireland someday, but fear I'll never get to go. Another one is closer to home. This past April was the Sesquicentennial of our country's Civil War. I'd really like to visit some Civil War battlefields. I'm not a history buff, but I am intrigued a bit by the exploits of the 20th Maine Volunteer Regiment commanded by Col. Joshua Chamberlain. I also have a friend R- who is a reenactor for the 3rd Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry, and I enjoy listening to what he is up to in his reenacting. Gettysburg, Antietam and the like might be in my future. You never know the places you'll go!


22 comments:

  1. I'm sure there are some battlefields in Italy somewhere, doncha think?

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  2. Suess was right! Compromise on your destinations and start going...live in the moment, BM!! Recently, I, too, have been reviewing and rereading Civil War history. Just finished Ken Burns series on the Civil War...what a terrible conflict on our own soil. Also watched Grant and Lee last night on public television. As a kid I was mesmerized and read a great deal of Civil War literature, and I'm back to it again. I guess what goes around, comes around! Take Suess' advice and visit the battlefields, the old Sod, and Tuscany. You can do it!!!!

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  3. Kate is right. Wishing you wings to reach all of those destinations.

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  4. Most of Europe is a battlefield, if an old one...

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  5. The Civil War is an interesting topic for sure. We are going to Harpers Ferry here soon. We have been to a reenactment before and they are quite interesting.

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  6. I wish you to be able to live your dreams.
    Costas

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  7. I hope your dream comes true. Italy sounds better to me than our Civil War battlefields, but that may be because I taught American history! :-)

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  8. Go to Italy or Ireland now. The Civil War battlegrounds are easier to get to any old time, even when you get older. Ireland in particular is pretty cheap now, but Italy is perhaps more interesting. (Heresy for a son of the sod like me to say.)

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  9. Compromise can lead to ADVENTURE !

    Have a super weekend.

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  10. I like visiting places in Dreams which I have not visited. And when I really visit that place...that's so incredible.

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  11. I am with Jack - go to Europe now - you can always hit the Civil War sites when you are too old to be bothered with the trans-atlantic flights! Or even on a long weekend.

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  12. I've gone on a few Civil War tours with Civil War Round Tables here in Mass. There is probably a Civil War Round Table in the Portland area too. They do low cost bus tours to the battlefields each spring; you just missed it this year, but next year you could go. In the meantime, remember the old saying: happy wife, happy life. Go to Italy and drink some nice vino for a happy life.

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  13. Well you've been given some great advice so far Birdman, love Clueless's 'happy wife, happy life' haha! Will be interesting to see what you do. You think you have far to travel, try getting anywhere fast from Perth, it takes five hours just to get over to the other side of Australia!!

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  14. I agree. Just get up and go! I'm going to do that when I get a round tuit (which should be any year now!)

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  15. Reenactments sound fascinating to me too. But I often wonder why the Civil War is the war so many want to remember. I hope such reenactments don't open old wounds. (Maybe that''s a fear no one else shares, though.)

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  16. I have to agree with Harry on this one. How about some place in between Italy and Ireland?

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  17. I would go to Italy or Ireland and then take in the Civil War sites close to home. The Missouri/Kansas border war which originated during the Civil War is still intact today.

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  18. We've been to Gettysburg. It's an awesome place to visit even for non-history buffs. It's easy to imagine the scenes of battle over the topography that spreads out in front of you. Harper's Ferry is also fascinating.

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  19. What a wonderful photograph Bird. I can see how you'd be interested in visiting those places. You go right ahead and perhaps I can take you place on that trip across the big pond! :)
    V

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  20. Just watched an episode of a series on America in which the whole 2 hrs. were on the Civil War. Quite interesting because they do some comparisons of that war and todays wars. One being technology in Lincoln's favor and how he used it. That technology was the telegraph, with communications with the front being so important. He could get messages or send to or from them before the south by up to a week in many cases. The other was the infrastructure of the rail systems in the north. He moved 7500 men in less than a week and the south couldn't get food to their troops just 30 miles from their home bases.

    I would love to go to Italy myself. Got all the time in the world to study the Civil War.

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  21. Doesn't need to be an either/or proposition, does it? Alternating trips between here and there would be fun. I wonder why you think you'll never get to Ireland? Practically speaking, it's not that far from Maine (at least not in the eyes of us left coasters). Hope you watched the PBS program on Gettysburg. Fascinating and appalling. Where did the Maine regiment fight?

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