We stayed at Submarine Base New London and got to tour the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine. It was pretty cool. My second ship was a submarine tender so I had some connection. In 1967, I volunteered for submarine duty. Fortunately I didn't proceed with that because I wouldn't have met and married Ann.
Then we went to the Navy Training base at Newport, RI.
The next day we were at Hanscom Air Force Base near Boston and visited the Lexington Green where the very first shots of what would become the revolution were fired. I am standing next to a rock that demarks the end of the line of 77 colonial militiamen.
The forth photo is of me standing next to the statue that marks the spot where the American militiamen first fired upon the red coats at the north bridge at Concord, MA.
The third photo is of Ann standing in the place where Captain Parker's militiamen got some revenge for the massacre at the Lexington Green earlier that morning. The red coats marched from Boston under the cover of darkness hoping to gather up and destroy military stores at Concord. But, the two lanterns in the Old North Church steeple announced their departure route, Paul Revere and two others carried the message to the militias. There was a skirmish at the Lexington Green that was more of a massacre of colonial militiamen. The red coats marched on to Concord where the militiamen fought back and drove the red coats all the way back to Boston along what came to be known as the "battle road" - the very route they had used to march to Concord. Thus, on April 19, 1775 the fight went from philosophical to actual battle for freedom.
The final photo is of my good friend Dave Cashman who was the 62nd Commanding Officer of the USS Constitution. When we sailed the USS Constitution for the first time in 116 years we did so from Marblehead, MA and I stayed in his home the evening before the historic event. Ann and I have been sailing with Dave and his wife, Bobbie.  

We went to the most famous deli in the known world today - the Carnegie Deli in 7th Ave and 55th Street in New York City. We had a hot pastrami sandwich and the truffle torte cheesecake. Wow.
Then we went to Times Square and then the Empire State building and all points between. A great time!

We visited Valley Forge and learned the true story of the important role this six-months hiatus from the war played in the Revolutionary War. The arch is there at Valley Forge.
Then we went to the Delaware River where General Washington had his Army cross the river under the cover of darkness to defeat the British and Hessians at Trenton, NJ. There is a very cool and very large monument there in Trenton.
Then we went to what is left of Edison's Menlo Park, NJ facility where the light bulb was invented. There is a large monument there and the remains of the foundation of the Office. Then we went to the large East Orange, NJ Edison facility.
Today we went to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The photo of me standing in front of the wood stand-up table is in the same room that my Grandfather, George John Marin and Grandmother, Marie Loos (GGM) and Ann's Grandparents from Sweden were processed to enter our country. Each of them stood at one of those tables. It was uncanny standing there because a very large percentage of the people visiting the Statue and Ellis Island today were speaking other foreign languages - just as it would have sounded like back when our Grandparents presented themselves in that room.
The last photo is just a little frivolous  Richard

Today the adventure was in Philadelphia, PA the birthplace of our wonderful country. We got to see the Liberty Bell. There I stood as close to the bell as I could get without getting arrested. Then there is the photo of the two of us standing in front of Independence Hall. Next the photo of the legislative chamber where the debates took place and votes that lead to bold and risky move of declaring independence. It was in that hall that the delegates signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It was in that very chair the George Washington sat as the Constitution that has been the framework of everything about our lives was being crafted. And finally, the last photo is of a re-creation of the second story room where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. Too cool. And it was especially cool for me to realize that given my experience as an "elected" had I been privileged to have been involved I would have spoken often and passionately. We loved our experiences today. Richard

Today we drove through some beautiful country, lots of farms and rolling hills on our way to Hershey, PA.  We had the factory tour (more like a Disneyland ride), very fun and interesting to learn about chocolate making.  The best part of course was the chocolate tasting.  It was such a fun experience.  Then we went to the Hershey Story Museum.  One of my favorite parts was learning that Milton Hershey's Dad told him to do things in a  big way.  He certainly did!  Also that Hershey transformed chocolate from a luxury to an affordable treat and he created a great community for his employees to work and live in.  An amazing man.
Then on our way to Lancaster where we are staying tonight we stopped in for another chocolate experience at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory Store in Lititz, PA.  It was quite different from Hershey, most of the candy is hand made. What a great day!- Ann
Their more well know items are Wilbur's Breakfast Cocoa and Wilbur's Buds (chocolate drop.)

We spent the day at the Civil War Gettysburg Battlefield and Cemetery. It was very emotional to be there. The photo is of the "High Water Mark" the farthest point of penetration by the Confederates into the Federal line. In the three days of battle here, 50,000 men lost their lives, were wounded or captured. From this point, the Confederates withdrew and retreated. It was the turning point in the war. The cemetery was everything that President Lincoln said in his speech. As I read the words on the bronze plaque of the Gettysburg address, I recalled reciting the speech when I was in the seventh grade. Now I understand much more fully the significance of that speech and the work left for us. Richard

We started the day in Baltimore, MD again and went to the location where the Militias defeated the British in their attempt to attack the city from the land. This even was critical to the defense of Baltimore and could very well have been immortalized in the Star Spangled Banner too.
Then we visited the River Walk and had a great time.
We ended the day by visiting the Antietam Battlefield. I was completely overwhelmed at seeing the landscape where 23,000 men died, were wounded or lost in some way in the Civil War there. I took no pictures because I could not see very well because I was so overcome.
Today, we stumbled upon lock #44 of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal tucked away. It was cool to see a place where every load that came to be transported on the canal came on a horse-drawn wagon.
We later found a section of where the Buchanan Trail intersected the Appalachian Trail - a trail that ran from Georgia to Maine. Pretty cool huh?

I wish that I could take credit for brilliant planning yesterday; but the truth is it was an incredible opportunity that fell into our laps. We had visited the original of the 1814 Fort McHenry flag the day before at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Then yesterday we showed up to visit Fort McHenry in Baltimore and to our surprise it was Flag Day and a major program was planned for that evening. Of course, we had to stay and witness a recreation of one of the most seminal events in our country's history. There were probably 5,000 people there in attendance and most missed the coolest part.
After a night of horrendous bombardment that included over a thousand Congreve Rockets fired at the defenders hunkered behind "earthen works" and in a heavy rain, on the morning of September 14, 1814 the 17' flag that had been up through the night was hauled down and the 30' x 42' flag was hoisted. Only a few days earlier the British had burned the public buildings in Washington DC. Now the defenders were saying with this gigantic flag that we have survived your wretched bombardment and attack and have prevailed!
Shortly after the flag was hoisted on that September morning, the British departed. For me witnessing the fireworks yesterday finally evoked the true significance of who and where and when the rockets were being fired upon - because we were standing right there where it happened. Wow. Richard

Yesterday we went to Mount Vernon, George Washington's Estate.  Ann is standing in front of the right section of the house.  The far left section was being painted and was covered with plastic.  What a beautiful place--in the first room we saw, the dining room had beautiful ornate white designs on the walls and the ceilings.  The walls were bright blue.  Some of the other rooms were bright colors also (one yellow, one green), something Richard and I enjoy.  It was so peaceful and beautiful, set right above the Potomac River.  There were many outer buildings for various functions--laundry, kitchen, smoke house, stables and lovely flower, fruit, vegetable and tree gardens.  Richard is pictured on the side of the house and then the third picture is behind the house showing the river view.  It was a very hot day.
Today we went to Washington DC for the day.  We took the Metro light rail into town from where we are staying in Manassas, about 13 miles from the Metro station (park and ride).  In the bottom picture we are standing in front of the Washington Monument.  Then we went to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.  We had to wait in line about an hour to get inside.  The whole city is a busy place and it was fun to walk around all the huge federal buildings. We headed toward the Trade Center to find something for lunch and happened to encounter a special lunch time concert, "Live on Woodrow Wilson Plaza" a free summer concert series, Monday through Friday, from June 13-September 23.  We were there for the opening concert where Smokey Robinson was performing.  It was fun.  Lots of people were dancing and swaying to the music, totally into the experience.  There were more than a thousand people. We really enjoyed it and it was a fun surprise.  Then we went to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to see the Star Spangled Banner.  What a thrill it was to see that historic symbol.  It's huge.  It is such a varied museum featuring scientific, cultural, political and technological history.  Some of the exhibits we saw were transportation, electricity, military, presidents of the US, food in the US and first ladies gowns.  All very interesting.  We could have spent a couple of days in there since there was so much to see. - Ann
 

Today we went back to Appomattox Court House since we got there late in the day yesterday and wanted to see more.  We walked the road where the surrender took place and the Confederates grounded their arms and we also saw the printing press where the parole documents were printed, which granted the Confederates safe transportation on a train and rations to get home.  We also saw 2 films and a dramatization of a Confederate Officer.
Then we went to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, where we spent the afternoon touring the house, going through the museum and taking a garden tour.  I loved learning about Thomas Jefferson, that he was so interested in so many things and wanted to learn about lots of new things and understand how things worked or how to do something.  The top picture shows 2 peas in a pod, Richard and Thomas J.  I often call Richard Benjamin Franklin because he is so innovative and resourceful but now I have another nickname for him--TJ. The middle picture is of TJ, Thomas Jefferson and Ann.  Then the bottom picture is a view of Monticello.  What a marvelous home! - Ann

We visited Colonial Williamsburg, VA and then drove to Jamestowne, VA the site of the first successful English settlement in America. The Roanoke site that we visited a few days ago was a failure. As detailed in the great National Geographic article last year, Jamestowne was a very tough experience and barely succeeded. The girl on the left inside the dig was the archeaologist who conducted the tour. Way cool to stand inside the actual verifiable fort.
Then we drove to Appomattox, VA for an extremely emotional visit to the site where the Civil War came to an end. General Lee sat at the larger table on the left in the photo and General U.S. Grant sat on the right. It is very hard for me to see some of these Civil War sites because, in many cases, the war pitted kin against kin - they were fighting and killing people they should not have been fighting. Today we stood at the very place where the nation stopped being divided - a reference to Abraham Lincoln's quote that a nation divided could not stand. I was awed to stand at that spot and, at the same time, had a hard time seeing because of the moisture in my eyes. Richard

Today we started our day by visiting the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, VA. It is the home for all artifacts of the Ironclad USS Monitor. The first photo is of the full-scale cut-away replica of the turret and twin Dahlgren guns. The second photo is of the actual turret submerged in a water bath to complete the restoration of the iron and steel. Right next to that tank were others with the engine, Dahlgren guns, gun carriages and some other stuff I couldn't see. Inside the museum I got to touch some of the restored steel deck plates. The third photo is of me standing on the full-sized replica of the whole ship. It was really cool to see and feel something else that I read about as a small kid.
The final shot is at Yorktown, VA and the site where the British Soldiers laid down their weapons after what would be the final battle of the Revolutionary War. This was thrilling to stand on the very spot. - Richard

I am standing next to the Earthenwork Fort on Roanoke Island where the first English settlers were. Saving yourself from an enemy in a crude fort such as this makes a lot of assumptions and is subject to failure at every turn. When their sponsors returned, the settlers had disappeared with no explanation, hence they are know as the Lost Colony.
The middle photo is of us standing near the top of the main sand dune at Kill Devil, NC, where the Wright Brothers flew over a thousand glider flights learning about how to control an aircraft. The final photo is the least impressive from a photo standpoint - but, the most significant of them all. It was on a roughly 40' wooden monorail - depicted on the ground - where Orville Wright took off in the first powered flight in history. My camera was about where he approached the plane. The large rock in the foreground is where he lifted off. The next four rocks are where the brothers landed on the four flights that day. And, since I am a private pilot, this was pretty exciting to be standing on the spot where it all began. Richard

June 3 was our 43rd anniversary.  We stayed in Charlotte, NC.  We looked for a restaurant on the GPS and found 2 that sounded good so we headed there and both had been closed.  Then we decided to go to Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen (top picture-Ann is looking at it from across the street.).  We had lightly fried fresh bay shrimp and red beans and rice. It was great food.  Then we enjoyed an arts and crafts fair that is held on the first and third Fridays in that neighborhood.  It was on the street where the restaurant is and a couple of more blocks beyond that.  It was fun, lots of people and fun things to look at.
From Charlotte we went to Raleigh, NC and stayed with our friends, Alen and Chris Gibbons, who used to live in Edmonds Ward.  It was so good to be with them and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with them and their family.  Shown in the backyard BBQ picture are (l to r) Shealee, Tegan, Alen, Chris, Bri (sitting on the grass), Emily Miller (a friend of the family), Caleb, Ann and Richard.  What a treat to be with them! - Ann

In this part of the country, we have seen lots of road names that must be named for the person who built a home on the road. Many have been pretty cool; but, this one takes the cake. I only wish that we had taken the time to drive up the road and ask about the story behind the road name. Richard

We spent the afternoon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  What a beautiful beach!  The sand is soft and fun to walk in and the water was warm, even late in the afternoon.  As you can see there are some nice waves.  We also saw some nice beaches on the coast of Florida and they had soft sand and waves too. - Ann

We had a wonderful visit in Augusta, GA and totally loved the River Walk. As you can see, we sat in the shade and enjoyed the boats going up and down the river too. Then we got to drive on a series of non-freeway scenic highways to get to Charleston, SC where we stayed for two nights on the Air Force Base.
Today, we visited Fort Moultrie which has guarded the entrance to Charleston harbor since the Revolutionary War. The leaders in South Carolina vowed that if Abraham Lincoln and his new Republican party won the election they would secede from the Union. So, true to their word, they broke from the United States and within three weeks the Union Defenders at the indefensible Fort Moultrie abandoned the fort and moved over to Fort Sumter in the middle of the channel where they thought they might have a better chance of defending themselves and the harbor.
Ann is standing in roughly the same place where the Confederate Soldiers bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. You can vaguely see Fort Sumter in the shot. This was the first engagement of the Civil War.
Inside the National Park building we saw a section about the reprehensible part of Charleston's past where between 200,000 and as many as 360,000 slaves entered the United States - roughly half of the total brought to this country. It was a little uncomfortable to be standing in the area where human beings were bought and sold as property. This was Ellis Island but without rights or hope in a future.