The rest of our trip - speed version.

I have been so exhausted these past few days. There comes a point where you just can't absorb any more history!

After Washington DC, we headed to Richmond Virginia, the Confederate capitol during the Civil War.
They have a great Confederate museum there. Soooo many times, Civil War museums are very biased towards the North. They say that the war was primarily about slavery, when that wasn't the case.
Lincoln originally fought the war to keep the Union together. Slavery became a part of the war later.
The Confederacy fought the war for states rights. They weren't fighting FOR slaves. They were fighting for the right to choose whether or not they wanted slaves or not.
I must say that I am on the side of the South. People who hear that usually go, "WHAT? You want slavery???"
No. I think slavery is wrong. All men were created equal. The only difference between white people and black people is melanin!
I believe that if the Confederacy had won the Civil War, slavery would have eventually died out and we would be a much freer nation than we are today.
Anyway, enough of past wars.
Here are some pictures from the Museum of the Confederacy:
(It's a fez! Fezzes are cool....)

(Civil War drum! They are SO cool!)

(J.E.B. Stuart's saddle, desk, hat (you can see the hat in the picture in the back), gloves, sword, and pistol)

(A 19th century bull horn: "Let's MOVE. THAT. BUS!!!!!!!")

Another drum, along with a fife, and a bugle!

Civil War pipes:

I will let these two next pictures speak for themselves:

"Sherman's Bow tie." Sherman, a Union general, had his troops pull up rail road tracks and twist them into spirals so the Confederates couldn't use them.

I will let these next to pictures speak for themselves:

Next we toured Jefferson Davis (the president of the Confederacy) house:

It was very nice inside, although he only lived here during his presidency.

The day after Richmond, we went to Colonial Williamsburg. It was amazing! They say take three days to meander through the whole place... We had one afternoon. It wasn't long enough. We could have stayed a lot longer.
We saw lots of people in period clothing and lots of building that were period buildings. I was very excited to walk down the streets because Felicity, the American Girl Doll, is from Colonial Williamsburg!
Near the end of the afternoon, there was a big presentation done by reanactors. It was so good! We nearly witnessed a tar and feathering! And we got to sit in on a young couple's wooing.
Oh yeah.... and Grama, Tintin, and I were thrown in the stocks.

Then to the gift shop.... And I got a fife! A $15 fife! A great price... Especially since we saw $25 and $100+ fifes in other stores in Williamsburg. I have wanted to play fife for awhile now (along with piccolo and organ) and this instrument will be the perfect thing to learn on. I even love the color.
So far I can make noise. The fife came with instructions for a beginner but without a teacher to show me how things work, I don't think I'll get far. I don't even know what sound is supposed to come out when I play a certain note.
So, when we get to Grama's I will be searching "How to play fife: beginner" on Youtube.

After 10 hours in the car, we went to the Creation Museum. It was a very good museum! Lots of great information. What was really neat was they were refuting things that evolutionists say. I feel like I can defend my faith even better now. Plus, the museum had a lot of dinosaurs, which is always a plus. =)

Wax paleontologists. This museum was full of wax figures that looked real! As all homeschoolers, I had a dinosaur faze. I wowed my parents when, at 6 years old, I could name all the dinosaurs. Grama was impressed that I wanted to be a paleontologist when I grew up. When my dream changed to archaeologist, she was still impressed. Now that I want to be a worship team/youth leader/mom/writer/wife when I grow up, I'm not sure what she thinks. Hee hee.

"I found Captain Haddock's friends from Prisoner's of the Sun!" Tintin laughed.

He wasn't too pleased when a dinosaur decided to have him for a snack.....

He even got to meet Adam and Eve!

(They invited him to go for a swim with them but Tintin declined the offer....)

Methuselah:

Outside the museum in the beautiful gardens was a petting zoo. They had Zorses!

And a whole family of peacocks (including a white one!)

(Where'd the head go?!)

Yesterday we went to a museum about the Underground Railroad. I didn't take any pictures and personally, I didn't think the museum was all that great. It was mostly reading repeating stuff.
But it was still interesting! To each his own.

Today we went to the Abraham Lincoln museum in Springfield Illinois. It was absolutely amazing. Lifelike figures and displays to make you feel like you were really there, enhanced the experience greatly.

Tintin got to sit on Abe's shoulder:

Tintin and I with fellow Shakespearean.... John Wilkes Booth:

Fascinating museum. I would recommend it highly to anyone who is a fan of Abe Lincoln.

Tonight marked the last day of our travels. We drive for 7 hours tomorrow and end up at Grama's house where we will stay for a week or so. Then Mom and I will drive back home. I can not wait to get to Grama's, and eventually home. As I said before, I am burned out. I have learned to much and experienced so much. It's like you can't believe it's over so quickly, but yet you can because you want to get home so much.

So long farewell for now, I suppose. Until my next blog post. =)

Now I bid you all a good night. And don't let those bed bugs bite.