This has been the most restful week of our trip, I believe. Partly due to having a campsite at the lake's edge... I enjoyed the reflections as they changed throughout the day and night, the geese flying in and taking off, the ducks paddling in the water and waddling up the bank, and the cormorant spreading his wings out to dry even while floating in the water.
But another contributor to the peacefulness was the decision to stay over until we knew more about my brother Dale's condition. Much time spent in prayer for his strength for the fight, and for comfort for Linda and all 5 of their kids, and for the wisdom of the doctors... In spite of our concern for Dale, a sense of peace prevailed, knowing that God is in charge of all things.
Because of our extended stay, and a need to be still, we didn't have our usual compulsion to dash out and see every local attraction. We got out some, but we also spent lots of time sitting quietly. Curt and I both took time to practice out long-neglected music. For my singing and guitar playing, I chose to be Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.... (Or lake, in this situation) ...
...and Curt whistled along to his baritone ukulele while holding down the doorway of the trailer:
L
The streets of historic downtown Lancaster offer a wonderful opportunity to honor today's servicemen and women. On every lamppost (4-6 per block, on both sides of the street), there is a "Hometown Hero" banner which displays the photo and branch of service for current-day and recent service personnel. Look past the first nor here and on down the street, and you can see several more. What a great way to thank those who sacrifice so much for our freedom!
In the afternoon we moseyed into town to visit the pride of Lancaster: the birthplace of General William T. Sherman.
There was an historical symposium going on when we arrived, so our tour was somewhat piecemeal. But it was great, because we got to spend time with two different tour guides, both of whom are well-known local historical scholars, and who had fascinating insights and stories to share.
William Sherman's father was a judge, and he had quite an affinity for the Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh, so Tecumseh became Sherman's middle name. As a child his family called him "Cumpy," and even as an adult his friends continued to call him "Cump." He was the middle child of eleven. Here is the room where he and some of his ten siblings slept and played as children:
Next door was his parents' room:
The little bed off to the side of the big bed is a "nursing crib," so Mom didn't have to get all the way out bed for the nighttime feedings. Sounds like a great idea to me!
The stenciling was done by an itinerant craftsman who went from house to house. While he worked in a house, he roomed and boarded with the family and participated in their family life. Our guide told us that to stencil a room this size with this much detail would probably take about two long days. There is more stenciling downstairs, so the craftsman probably stayed with the Shermans almost a week.
Ten of the eleven Sherman babies slept in this cradle. It's almost exactly like one that was passed down in Curt's family, made by his great-grandfather. Curt slept in it, as did all four of our children. Now it resides at the home of our daughter Kelly and her husband, Tim, who have twelve children! I'm sure this cradle has seen at least as much action as the Sherman cradle did!
Another exhibit I really enjoyed was a reproduction of General Sherman's battle campaign tent. Several of his original belongings (two trunks and a writing desk) are actually displayed inside.
These next two photos are especially for three of our grandchildren. Patrick, Rebecca and Robert, you are right in the middle of a large family just like General Sherman was. Last week when we talked, you told me about your studies of the Oregon Trail, and how your teacher made hardtack for you to try. Well, here is some genuine Civil War hardtack. Be sure to read the sign underneath if it's clear enough to read. Your hardtack may not have been super flavorful, but I bet it was quite a bit better than this!
I didn't quite get the reflection in the mirror, but on the very edge on the right hand side, you can see a few insect holes. Yum!
Lancaster is a very historic city, with much local pride in their heritage. There are 5 well-known museums. We only got to two of them (Sherman, and the Glass Museum), so the others will have to wait till a return trip, if we're able to do that sometime. But we did get to see some of the beautiful downtown parks and sights.
The Veterans' Park honors all veterans in all service branches, but naturally, it especially commemorates General Sherman, their Native Son.
LOur guide at the museum told us a fascinating story about this cannon.
It was brought to Lancaster and placed downtown (I don't remember the year). Everyone was excited about shooting it off at community and patriotic celebrations. Perhaps a little too excited. Somebody didn't do their homework in researching how much gunpowder to use. The first time they fired it at a celebration, they used between 3 and 4 pounds of gunpowder and consequently blew out the windows of almost all the downtown buildings! Before they fired it again, they towed it out not the country where it couldn't do any damage, and tried different amounts of gunpowder to "dial in" the proper quantity. 12 oz. and 10 oz. were both far too much. 2 oz. and 4 oz. didn't create a very impressive bang. They found that 6-8 oz. was a perfect amount for safety and festivity, so that's the amount of gunpowder they use today.
Across from the Veterans Park is another beautiful park, shady and flower-filled.
The sculptures in it are done by local high school art students.
Along one side of the park are several permanent chess tables. It reminded me of several scenes in the film, "Searching for Bobby Fisher."
Note the chalk art on the sidewalk beyond the chess table. There were some beautiful pictures there! The one below may not have been the most beautiful, but it's the one that made me laugh!
This was a wonderful last full day in Lancaster. Tomorrow, Sunday, after church we will head southwest toward Louisville, Kentucky. So we have officially made the turn in our trip and we are headed in the direction of home. What a wonderful place this has been for us!
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