That's Karen outside her home in Collingswood, New Jersey, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. She invited me to stay with her for a week in October, and we spent a lot of that time diving into America's past, from the establishment of our country and government through its most serious challenge, the American Civil War.
We explored several historic sites and museums in Philadelphia, and then later in the week, drove across Pennsylvania for a visit to Gettysburg. The pictures on this page show some of the places we visited on our road trip. There is a separate collection of photos from the Gettysburg National Military Park (opens in a separate browser window or tab).
This is Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Inside is the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the US Constitution was debated and adopted, below left. The guide is explaining that this is "the room where it happened."
Inside the Constitution Center, we met the Founding Fathers (lifesize bronze versions). Later in the week, we came back to explore the Museum of the American Revolution, below, where we spotted a few colonists sitting outside.
Leaving Philadelphia, we drove through the farmland of central Pennsylvania, home to many Pennsylvania Deutsch. We stopped in the town of Lititz, above left, where we enjoyed a slice of tomato pie for lunch. The bottom pictures are from the Dobbin House in Gettysburg, where we stayed in the Lincoln Suite.
There is a separate collection of photos from the battlefield, (opens in a separate browser window or tab).
That's Karen and her good friends, Marshall and Annie, sitting on Seminary Ridge on the Gettysburg Battlefield. Marshall's knowledge of the battles fought here added great depth to our experience at Gettysburg.
On our way home, we spent some time at the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania.
Thanks, Karen.