By the time I get this posted, the day will be technically over, but Happy July 4th! 

My family and I went up to Gettysburg today. Jesse came along, of course, but whatever. We stopped in Gettysburg itself before heading out to the battlefields. We wandered in and out of stores and museums and whatnot, just poking around. Met some nice re-enacters that let us look at their replica pistols. That sort of thing.

We'd parked by one of the cemeteries, and if you donated a couple dollars, you got a little boquet of flowers to put on a soldier's grave.



I chose to give my flowers to soldier 194. No one knows his name or even what state he came from. So I gave him my flowers and took his picture, promising to remember him.

After meandering the town, we got back in the car and headed out to the battlefields. We stopped at one area that had some paths back into the woods. We followed one of the paths and found ourselves at the foot of Big Round Top.



And from there, you can see across to Devil's Den. We didn't feel like traipsing up Big Round Top, so we went back to the car and drove over to Devil's Den.

I haven't been there since a field trip in sixth grade, but it was still as much fun to climb up the rocks to reach the top instead of taking the path that was put in. Jesse is apparently afraid of heights, so he made me and Angel go first in case he wigged out and fell or something. Whatever, we're tough chicks.



From the top of Devil's Den, you have a pretty good view of Big Round Top. Angel and I had a brief discussion of the tactical advantage of having the high ground. Jesse wouldn't come anywhere near the edge of the rocks.



Me on the other hand...I don't like heights unless I have something under my feet. The rock counts as under my feet, so I was more than okay with getting close to the edge and looking over. Long way down.



More climbing about wherever possible. Dad kept yelling for me to be careful. *shrugs* More fun to take chances! 



There's quite a few of these little niches and stuff in the rocks, and we explored all but one. The one we didn't we would have had to crawl through, and Angel and I didn't feel like getting that dirty. Jesse just followed our lead for the most part, except for here where he went first. Angel was expecting to need help, because after years of people crawling over the rocks like we were, they're pretty slick, and she wasn't wearing good shoes for grip.

Hail the rock climbing heroes! I laughed about doing a gangsta pose, but Angel's the only one of us that managed not to smile.

"Oh yeah, we're gangsta's all right," were her words, I believe.

Real proof that we can spend a day as a happy, functioning family! One good thing about bringing Jesse along: it gives us someone to take a family picture. Normally Daddy takes the picture of me, Momma, and Angel, but not today! 

I had a really fantastic day today. I enjoy hanging out with my family when we all get along like this, and I really wish it could happen more often.

I hope everyone had a good holiday themselves!