From Phoenix to Vermont and back to Phoenix, Part 3

 On Saturday, we stopped in Columbia SC for lunch at the Blue Marlin Restaurant.  It is in a former train station in an area known as the Columbia Vista - a revitalized section of the old city that now has many restaurants and arts centers and events.  After lunch, we walked down to the riverfront and canal which is still being rebuilt.  There is now a new boardwalk to view the river and where the water comes from the generating plant at the end of the canal.  There were many birds fishing in the river including several herons (you have to look closely at the center of the photo).

The bridge was to our left and the outfall from the generating station and canal was to our right.

The walkways were so new, in some places you could still see the saw dust from the holes drilled to attach the railings.  It is clearly a nice addition to the water front.

There is much new landscaping around the museum and canal.

 

 On Sunday, we visited Andersonville National Park and Cemetery.  This was the site of the infamous POW camp run by the Confederacy for Union POWs.  Based on photos, drawings and archeological drawings, they have a very good idea of what the camp was like.  Here is a recreation of one of the two gates to the camp.

Here is Providence Spring.  After a lack of water for the thousands of POWs, one day a spring erupted naturally from the side of the hill.  Forty years after the war, this memorial was built where the spring was and water was flowing from the spring when we were there.

The Visitor Center and Museum are dedicated to POWs (and MIAs) of all wars and has some amazing artifacts, stories and photos.  Patty's dad was captured during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, marched to the train station in Koblenz GE, then spent four months in the Stalag in Leipzig until liberated in April 1945.  In the later 1990s and early 2000s, he became active in the Vermont Chapter of the POW/MIAs.  When Andersonville first opened, they had living quarters for ex-POWs to stay in while they spent time at Andersonville answering questions from visitors.

We also  drove through the cemetery.  While the 13,000 plus Civil War POWs are buried there, it continues to be an active National Cemetery where veterans of later wars are being buried still today.

We then went to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site.  We visited the old Plains High School which has been converted into the visitor center.  Many interesting photos, memorabilia, exhibits and short videos about both Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter.  To me, the most interesting aspects were about Carter's positions on implementing voting rights in Georgia and what the Carter Center has been (and continues) doing since his presidency.  Many say Carter is a much better former president than he was a president.  What ever one's opinion of his presidency, his work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center has been truly amazing.  Patty had me sit in the simulated oval office for my photo.

From Phoenix to Vermont and back to Phoenix, Part 2

On Friday morning, we drove from Dover DE to Norfolk VA to have lunch with niece Laura and her daughter Ashley on the 21st floor of the office building where Laura works as office manager.

From her office, we could look out at the Naval Museum and the USS Wisconsin, as well as Portsmouth across the water.

Friday afternoon, we drove to Durham NC to visit the Sarah Duke Gardens at Duke University.  This is an amazing place.  Some tea roses and many azaleas were in bloom.

I espied this one multicolored rose all by itself.

Flowers of all color were in bloom.

At one of the large ponds, there were ducks and Canada Geese.

I also saw some beautiful Japanese maple trees.

The White Garden had all white flowers, including white tulips.

Near one of the smaller ponds, I found a quiet spot to sit and listen to the birds.

Here was another solo rose I found.

There was a thicket of black bamboo.

Some amazing blossoms I could not identify - these were more than six inches tall.

And here are Patty and Helen as we were preparing to leave - these blossoms were very soft and aromatic.

Then we drove for another 45 minutes to Apex NC for the night.  A busy but beautiful day - I really need to learn more about flowers and birds.