± ± Pictorial...Grumble in Pennsylvania ± ±
 

He's gone now...but will never be forgotten! Ian is now in Ohio, off on another joint of his venture around the world. As part of his tour, he graced myself and Mr. Lixy with a wonderful four day visit to Pennsylvania!

His physical presence is much different than his online and email presence. Not that he wasn't true to his self, just that meeting him in person made up for all the parts missing in written interpretation. He is funny and warm and intelligent and curious. He "corrected" my English..."in order to help me learn the Queen's English"...lmao! I learned what I "needed" to and kept to my N.J./Pa. diction as often as I could slip it in on him...*giggle*!

He brought me Tasmanian gifts and made me cry! We hugged and laughed and drank and had a ball! He learned to "drive on the wrong side of the road" and he ate a Philly cheesesteak! We found some history to show him and we talked of his home and of ours. He and Mr. Lixy exchanged jokes (I'll let Ian tell you the one about Dicken's Cider!!! LMFAO!) and they got along so well you'd have thought they knew one another all their lives.

When he left, he left with intent and purpose for his next destination. I waited for him to turn back and wave one last time...but he didn't...and I cried again. I'll miss him, but I find myself smiling a lot lately...at silly things that I'll think of as I drive our roadsides or sit in a "pub" and look around at, or overhear from other patrons!

****Ian...you are a pip and a pistol (elephant gun or 44 magnum) and I thank you for coming so far to teach me of you!!!!! Have a nice day hun! <----*inside joke* ;) ****



OK...so here is a bit of Ian's visit to Pennsylvania. I ran out of room on my camera on some days...but this thread chronicles some of **Grumble in Pennsylvania**

Arrival...Allentown/Bethlehem airport...April 27, 2004...9:35am
 

Hi dude! Oops! He's a bloke...NOT a dude! LOL!

First day...checking out the barn!
 

We took it easy on day 1...just got to know one another and have a look around...

LixyChick,

That's great! Glad you were able to get Grumble out to Gettysburg!

click below for a link to Gettysburg...to explain a bit of the history of the reason for the National Park...



Gettysburg

Day 2...Gettysburg, Pa.
 

a few pics of the park...

Sounds like you all showed him a great time!

Wow I'm so happy for you guys to be able to have met. How nice to have had that opportunity. And thank you for sharing the pictures, we're all so nosey and all! :D It's great to follow him on his wonderful trip. :)

Still day 2...
 

Forgot to tell you...Monday the 26th (the day before Ian's arrival), it rained cats and dogs (not literally Ian...geezzzzz! LMFAO!) and then, on the day he arrived, the weather was amazingly beautiful! In the 70's and 80's (he'll convert that for you or else I have to run to my truck and flip the button to do it!) the whole time! Couldn't have asked for a better trip weather wise!

Outside President's Museum in the town of Gettysburg
 

We weren't sure where we were going when we got to the town of Gettysburg...so we went into town, from the cemetary, and looked around and found this museum while in search of a map of how to best tour the sites.

Thank you jseal, Coaster and Kissy! I'm happy I can share Grumble's visit!

still outside the museum...

OK...we were curious so we went inside...
 

We weren't sure what to expect...as Mr. Lixy and I have been to The Hall of Presidents in Disney World (Fla. USA)...so we went in to explore further...

We took a one hour tour of the exhibit and heard each president speak of his term in office. Wax figures, some very good look-alikes, some not-so good likenesses. Some were interesting, some were jabber jaws (blah, blah, blah) and some told of things even I never knew. All in all it was ok!

Gads, I've lived my entire life in California, always wanting to visit the east coast and soak up some history. I'm jealous now!!

Lovely pics, he looks like he's enjoying himself (isn't he cute?)... sounds like you had a fabulous time during his stay!

I was born on George Washington's birthday...
 

...and I always wanted to say an up close how-do-you-do to the man I feel so akin to!



For those who revere The Father of Our Country...please pardon my silliness!

^^^official disclaimer!!!!!!!!!

Too funny, leave it to Lixy :p

Holy schnikies!!!!! I hate when I spell speech as speach (see above pic of Washinton's opening speech).......I don't know why I do that! So sorry for the brain fart folks!

Glad you are enjoying flutelady!

Might I say, Lil? That man's got some balls!

OOPS! I digress! :D :D :D :D :D

On with the show!

Abe was roped off, but had an interesting say none the less! I couldn't go sit on his lap...but you all know I wanted to...right? LOL!

*wink*... George Washington could only wish to get so lucky!

Sorry to say...I didn't have a cigar to give to Bill Clinton and then have our picture taken...so I decided to save my camera space for something else...:D !

Upstairs, in this museum, they had an exhibit of all the first ladies in their inaugural gowns. Being a seamstress, I was in awe of the detail of the work involved!

I wasn't even aware (I say this as an ashamed American) that not all first ladies weren't the wives of the presidents they represented! In the earlier years of our country, some of the first ladies were the sister's of said presidents. I'm guessing as the years progressed, that "we the people" preferred his/her leader to have a stable life in marriage.

Anyway...on with the picture show!

One of the monuments in the cemetary at Gettysburg...

Just to show you the scale of some of the monuments...this is Grumble at the base of the one above...

As we figured out...driving the acres was a better way to see the park. Along the road, we could drive on the left (Ian felt at home this way) and if you wanted to stop and read about a particular battle or person depicted by a memorial or statue, you pulled to the right and stayed out of the way of oncoming traffic. This entire town is a monument...and yet people live and work here...so, between all the daily goings on...they've cut a road into history!

It sounds like you guys had a great time! Thanks for keeping us updated and sharing the pictures!:D

And...did I mention they had a shit load of cannons? Holy geezzzzzz! We kept saying to one another..."Oh, look! We finally found a fuckin cannon"! LMAO...guess you had to be there...but take my word for it...cannons, cannons everywhere and not a one of them went KABOOM...(that day, anyway!)

We sure did...and TYSVM huntersgirl!

We climbed a tower to view some monuments. This one is one of the most vandalized in the park! I can't explain why someone (immature or otherwise) would feel a need to destroy a part of history! Someday, those who vandalized these memories will regret it...but how can you tell them that now?

This was taken from another tower on the auto tour. It's an occupied farmhouse right in the middle of what was a battlefield! I ran out of camera space (didn't have a chip in the camera) and didn't get a pic of Eisenhower's retreat (farmhouse)...but Ian has one and I hope he'll post it for you when he get's to a CD burner (I don't have one)...or whenever he has a chance!

What wonderful pics and such wonderful memories you will have to look back on...thanks so much for sharing.

This is what we read along the roadside...it tells of each space and what happened on it!

Not all plaques from the confederate side gave specifics...some did, most don't...but I love that they included the loss or wounds of the horses as well. All in all...an excellent toll and recap of exactly what happened at each and every spot along the routes!

TY TinTennessee! YSVW! So glad to share and that you are enjoying them hun!

Self explainitory...and getting repetitive, I assume...so I'll end Gettysburg here! Just a note though...I ran out of camera room for the last, and most impressive, monuments of all...the Pennsylvania monument (because the battle was in Pa.) as you leave the park. Grumble (hopefully) has a pic of it...so we'll wait for that one! It was tremendous!

Sooooooo...on Day 3...
 

We didn't get home from Gettysburg (about a 2 1/2 mile drive) till 11ish that evening...so on day 3 we relaxed and hung out (not bloody literally again, Ian...Geezzzz!)...lol!. Ian will be renting a car on his journey, and I promised to teach him to drive on the right side of the road (as opposed to the "correct side of the road"...roflmfao!). Here he is...scaring Mr. Lixy within an inch of his life...(JK..JK...Mr. Lixy wasn't all that scared!)...

In all seriousness...he did pretty good for an Aussie! <--*ducks*

We partied around the picnic table that night and I took some pics...but, I better not post how drunk Mr. Lixy was (or me, for that matter!!). SUPERPIPE came over for a visit...as well as our neighbor, Mike. Yada, yada, yada...

On to the next day!

So...we wanted to show Ian the heart of liberty! The place where it all started! But nothing is free (anymore), and when we got to Philadelphia, we found that the tour for Independence Hall (where The Declaration of Independence is displayed) was booked.

Until just recently, till terrorists took our freedom away, this hall was open to perpetual visitors! I have to admit, it was kind of embarrassing how the guards treated us and our friend/visitor from the other side of the world! Only one guard was helpful, and all others treated us if as we should already know how to travel the streets to get to the buildings that hold our symbols of freedom. I realize that security is on yellow alert...but I must once again appologize to Ian for the discourtesy afforded him from the uptight/ignorant guards of our nations most precious records of history!

A sidenote: I am writing to someone in authority[ies] (Governor of Pa.) to let them/him know that, as we do understand that national security is at a high and we must do everything to keep our country and it's symbols safe, they might want to include a bit of "bedside manner" to those protecting said sites!!!!! These people didn't even ask us who we were or where we were from...(and don't think I don't understand that they are so very busy every single day), but stopped us as if we were a threat and sent us away without explaining how things work now (post 9/11)! Gawd-fuckin-damn-it...me and Mr. Lixy were pissed off!!!!!!.



Anyway...(sorry for the rant...but be forewarned if you visit Philly)...here are some pics of what we could take photos of in Philadelphia!

This is as close as we could get because the tour was booked till later that afternoon...

You had to aquire tickets...which are free...but the hall could only hold so many. We opted to see The Liberty Bell instead...and then tour the city for sites with nicer people!

They moved The Liberty Bell for security purposes. I'll admit, in all the trips I've ever made to Philly with my mother in my younger years, I had never seen "the bell". It used to be in the open, as you passed along the streets on ones way to Market St. or somewhere, to go shopping. Now (post 9/11) they have moved it and secured it inside a "tourist building". It is still free to see, but you'll have to go through a security system similar to boarding a plane.

As you meander through the building, you'll see the progression of the bell's history in billboards and in video. We went in during a school day, so the tour was packed and we passed some boards to get to the bell itself before it was too crowed to see.

I made Ian stop here for a photo op! LOL!

The bell gave me chills! I don't know for sure if Ian can appreciate the fact that I, just then, for the first time in my life, stood in it's presence...the history beaming from it...the historical figures that had been before me, touching it, ringing it, speaking of it and it's significance...but I have to tell you all, I was in awe!

Nuff said!

Another angle...

(for those who may never get to see it in person)