I think it’s pretty much been deconstruced–hardly looks like there were houses there.

THIS did not make me happy. BOO HISS! (previously…)

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I think it would be very strange to live in Sharpsburg, an area that seems completely given over to Antietam Battlefield National Park.

I wonder if it is hard to live so much in the past and in the history of such horror.

As I said yesterday, I took very few pictures of the battlefields. Here are the pictures I took within the park area.

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As we walked around Antietam, I was surprised at how large the area was. I have no experience with war (for which I am greatly thankful) so I really had no idea what to expect.

The day was beautiful, which made it even stranger to consider that 150 years ago so very many men had bled and died there.

Here are some of the pictures I took at Antietam–not many pictures of the battlefield–I mostly walked and reflected.

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Saturday was supposed to be gorgeous, so we hopped in the car and went to Shepherdstown & Antietam.

We spent most of the day (that wasn’t spent in the car) walking around Antietam, but we did stroll around downtown Shepherdstown. And ate two very good meals there.

Didn’t take my camera out much around Shepherdstown, except for the cemeteries.

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We walked downtown for dinner, and then back home.

There’s really only one corner of debris now–most of it is already down to dirt.

Debris

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YAY! (Confused? See this and this.)

Wall is done, and tomorrow they are supposed to put back the fence.

Yesterday I pruned half the heather, which hadn’t survived, and most of the rosebush (not in either picture), which was in bad shape, as well as one of the holly bushes, which took a significant hit, but I’m hoping that with the pruning those plants will come back.

For our evening walk (now I’m not longer feeling like death warmed over) Michael and I spent 50 minutes walking around the area close to our house.

We saw four separate construction projects, and we only walked 2 1/2 miles (and half of that was back-tracking to return home).

Most striking were the pictures of the Sunnyside area–I’d taken pictures there just a week and a half ago.

Sunnyside (previous)

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The Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken Game / Contest has ENDED! (Sorry about the long delay. I got miserably sick.)

Emily Warren Roebling will be winging her way to Shawn Powers as soon as Michael can make it to the post office.

Because, that was awesome!

The winner of the naming content is JERI, because Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken’s sibling who will be remaining and traveling with me has been named: Ada Lovelace!

(Jeri, that means you’ll need to actually check your mail.)

I expect photos as soon as your loot has been received!

Yesterday we walked to town (and back) for dinner, and discovered that the Sunnyside deconstruction is now going full scale.

For those not familiar with Morgantown, Sunnyside is an older residential area that transitioned to student housing years ago.

Any by transitioned to student housing, I mean, turned into an utter slum.

Houses were divided into multiple apartments (in the cheapest manner possible), yards were turned into trash heaps, and the whole place looked like hell.

Which is really too bad, because many of those houses were almost certainly gorgeous at one point. Unfortunately, they’d been neglected to the point of no return, and there was no saving them. So whole swaths of Sunnyside are now being knocked down to create a new apartment / shopping center complex.

What I’d LIKE to see from this is a revitalization of the remaining houses–that they be bought up and returned to single-family homes, but I think that’s blindly optimistic, so I’ll just have to hope that maybe the remaining landlords will clean up their properties.

I’m not holding my breath.

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So, I think Jeri won the second contest, with her recommendation of Ada Lovelace.

Which, if I continue the theme, means I should have a second scientist name.

Here’s a list of possibilities, which do you like best?

Florence Nightingale
Jane Goodall
Rosalind Franklin
Marie Curie
Shirley Ann Jackson
Wang Zhenyi
Barbara McClintock
Lise Meitner
Emilie du Chatelet
Emily Warren Roebling

I’m leaning towards Rosalind Franklin or Emily Roebling.

For some reason, everyone seems to think Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken’s siblings are boys, because everyone is suggesting boy names.

That’s silly.

They’re obviously chicks. Awesome chicks.

Names I’ve been considering:
Lady Day
Rosemary Clooney
Ella Fitzgerald
Dinah Washington
Aretha Franklin
Mae West

So, as those of you who’ve been around here for awhile may know, we’ve been taking Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken with us when we travel. (Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken also enjoys visitors.)

The problem is that Ricky Martin is somewhat large and definitely unwieldy, and not easy to take places.

I decided I wanted a smaller metal chicken we could more easily take places. As in, something that might fit in my camera bag.

Thus, I found Yardbirds. And placed an order for siblings for Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken.

Yes, siblings, plural.

One of these adorable hatchlings will travel with us for our weekend trips, and when we walk and see things of interest. (Never fear, Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken will still travel on the trips where we visit people.)

The other one, will go to someone else. Maybe you!

Here’s what you have to do.

You must comment (here!) about what you would do with one of Ricky Martin the Metal Chicken’s siblings.

The winner will be chosen by me (and perhaps Michael), and go where we think this teeny metal chicken will have the best home.

Additionally, I am lousy and giving things names. (Which is why his furriness is named Kat.) So, some other random (as yet to be determined) prize will be given to the person who comes up with the best name for Ricky Martin’s younger sibling.

This contest will remain open until I decide it is closed.

And remember: I am completely and totally open to bribery.

I’d forgotten I’d taken these pictures of house down the block from us being demolished. I won’t say I was sorry to see those houses go. They–like many houses in Sunnyside–are beyond recovery.

Mind you, the building in the background is another brand new apartment complex, but I guess we really can’t have too much new housing around here.

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Temperatures got into the 70s today(!) so Michael and I took a short hike around the Arboretum.

Looks like the plants have recognized it’s warm as well–won’t they be sadly surprised when it snows on Wednesday.

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