Okay. I am first to admit I am not a politically active type of gal. For the better part of my life I have not been interested in politics at all. Even worse, [and please don’t hate me for this!] I was not even registered to vote for many many years. I just frankly didn’t care.

This year I care. I really wanted Hillary as President. I think we need a woman running this country. Men have governed for 200 years now. It’s never happened before, (a woman in control) and exactly why is that? When did men take over and we became the lesser, “weaker” sex? Too long ago to even try and keep track. It’s very sad. Women in ages long past were held in high regard as healers, rulers. Then we became “witches” to those who wanted us out of the picture. Mostly by the male gender.  uh oh. I feel my hereby dormant feminist side raising its nasty fangs. Excuse me! But I digress ...

Having a black Presidential candidate is as ground-breaking as having a female one. I am probably sorely dating myself here by what I am about to say. When I was a child in the early sixties and we drove to Florida from our home in New York for vacation, we stopped in many southern locales. I clearly remember stopping at a motel in North Carolina and going into their adjoining restaurant which displayed a sign saying “No Blacks allowed inside. Service for Whites only.”  I remember it like it was yesterday. [ahem, just when was that little tiff between the North and South?]

I have to admit I haven’t really paid much attention to Obama as focused as I was on Hillary, so I need to start listening and decide which is the lesser evil. I am a Democrat, but at this point does it make sense to vote for McCain? I don’t really like Barack that much from what I have seen and heard. His religion for one scares the pants right off me. Maybe scarier than a Republican viewpoint. ouch. How can I even be thinking of changing sides? But Reagan was a great President and he was a Republican, but the Republicans have had control now for many years and they just seem to be running this once great country right into the ground. On the other hand, McCain is pretty old to be taking on a Presidency. Then there is the unfortunate resemblance in names between Obama and that guy we have all been taught to hate (I’m sure I don’t have to mention his name here.). I am not the first one to mix his name up with the other one. Decisions, decisions.

Does it matter if Obama takes Hillary as his running mate? Just what does runner-up mean in the whole scheme of things, either in Miss America or the presidency? What are the odds of something happening to Obama and she takes over? Not very likely, so that doesn’t even sway my vote.

What a year to go down into history. Too bad it wasn’t a woman. bummer. Sorry, Hills.

I hereby announce the first sighting this year of a firefly (or fireflies). Just now I walked out on our back deck. It’s nearly dark at 8:43 p.m., but not quite. I’ve been watching and waiting this past week for their arrival. Tonight I saw my first firefly of the season. It started in the darkness of our woods. Before long it was tracking across the yard towards Hailey who was chewing on her bone. It passed by her unnoticed.

Winking. Blinking. Tiny, but bright, flashlights in the night.

Welcome back. I’ve missed you.

After our lantern tour on Saturday night we decided to visit Long Pond Ironworks again on Sunday to see what the soldiers were up to.  The reenactors were the 6th New Hampshire Volunteers and the 12th Alabama Infantry. Local members of the Friends of Long Pond Ironworks were also dressed in costume. Even some of the visitors got into the spirit of things.

I didn’t think the tents looked like very much protection from the elements.

This older gentleman on the Confederate side I found to have an interesting face. To me he looks just like Scarlett O’Hara’s father in Gone with the Wind.

We planned our visit just right and got to watch them act out a skirmish.

Look out, the Yankees are coming!

No real ammunition was used of course, but the guns were fired. The acrid, metallic smell of gun powder hung in a pall over the clearing. It was interesting and entertaining at the same time.

We’ve passed the Ironworks on many occasions when they are hosting a Living History weekend but have never stopped in before. We’ll be going back again. I think over the 4th of July they do a Revolutionary War reenactment which should be interesting as well. I hope you enjoyed it. We certainly did!

On Saturday night we took a candle lantern tour at Long Pond Ironworks as part of their Living History weekend, which this time was an encampment of Civil War soldiers. Grab a lantern and join us. Pick one with a nice long candle.

It was an eerie kind of night. Early evening rain showers allowed for the misty steam rising up from the damp ground. Peepers and frogs added background music. It was overcast, so no moonlight. Once we got away from the roadside street light we only had the glow of our candles to guide us down the path.

Our guide pointed out to us what life would be like back during the Civil War, with no electricity to help people navigate the darkness. It certainly gives you pause for thought on all our modern conveniences we rely so heavily on today.

A few ladies with baskets of bandages for wounded soldiers accompanied us. We met up with two Yankee soldiers that agreed to take us to the enemy lines. Once there, we had to leave our escort behind and proceed on. Along the way we met a man with his head wrapped in bloody bandages walking with a stick for a crutch. He told us he had fallen off his wagon in the dark. A little further on we met a German immigrant on his way home from working a shift at the iron works.

Then it started to rain on us. Not a downpour, but enough to put up the hoods on our waterproof jackets (which we had this time been smart enough to wear). We reached a roaring campfire where the entertainment of the night awaited us.  We clapped and sang along to “Oh, Susannah,” “Dixie” and other Civil War era tunes. By this time the rain was heavy enough to warrant opening our umbrella, but the show went on.

The campfire snapped and popped; lightening flickered in the distance along the tops of the trees.

When the entertainment ended we once again picked up our candle lanterns and headed back into the darkness. On our way back we visited the Rebel camp where they started enlisting our group to join their side. Thank Goodness we were at the back of the line and recruitment ended before we got there. I’m a Yankee through and through; no changing sides for me!

Last year I posted a vid that Rick made with a camera ( Phantom Miro 4)  that the company he works for makes. That little video ended up being shown in many places, including a segment on the History Channel!  Everyone seemed to enjoy the slo-mo vids, so here are two more one second clips he made a few weeks ago. Keep in mind that these were shot at 1,000 frames per second. I tried to count wing beats and came up with somewhere around 76 wing beats per second. See what you come up with!