More Engagement Pictures!

Our photographer, Fritzi, has sent along a couple more pictures.

Fritzi's idea, to be a little romantic.

Engagement Pictures!

When we first got engaged it seemed like our wedding was sooooo far away!  Now here we are, FIVE months out!  We recently took engagement photos and it was really fun.  We wanted to take pictures downtown in Fredericksburg and our photographer, Fritzi Newton, had a vision for what she wanted our photos to look like and made suggestions on what we should wear.  Me:  a dress that had an "old fashioned" feel to it.  Jason:  dress shirt and bow tie. Jason didn't own a bow tie, so we had to go shopping.  I am not a fan of bow ties, so was not super excited about that.  I have changed my mind about bow ties.  At least on Jason.  He looks so handsome!

The Rappahannock River is a great background, and Fritzi
caught a shot with a train going across the bridge.

Fritzi played with this one, and made the background look like
a painting.

After the river we headed to the train station.

We took a bunch of pictures at the train station,
and the pictures came out kind of telling a story,
like we were going on a trip.

Under the station platform, with some PhotoShop magic
from the photographer.

Fredericksburg has lots of old buildings, which make great backgrounds.

Yep, we had some fun!

We shot this inside an abandoned building that had no roof. As
our photographer was taking pictures, birds kept swooping
in and out and we were constantly distracted by them.
On this one, Jason looked away just as she snapped the
picture and I love it, it ended up looking playful and fun.

Can You Canoe?

One great feature of Fredericksburg is the Rappahannock River, which forms one boundary of the town.  Though it once was a significant river for trade, silt has dramatically decreased the depth of the river, so it is no longer deep enough for trade ships, but perfect for recreation like fishing, kayaking, and canoeing, and we have finally taken advantage of it.  One of Jason's students this semester is an employee of the Friends of the Rappahannock, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the river, and he organized a canoeing trip for students in that class.  One of the perks of being a significant other of the instructor is that I get to tag along.

River View

Being on the river, we got to see the back side of many buildings we'd only seen from the front (street) side.

Chatham is one of the historic homes in the Fredericksburg area,
and looks beautiful from the river.

This is an old electricity generating plant, and there
is talk of someone converting it into a restaurant.

Not only did we get to see this building from the back, we got to
go in under it...

Under the building, looking back out at the river.

Being on the river let us see Fredericksburg in a new way.

 River Life

We saw a tiny river snake, a couple of geese, and lots of turtles sunning themselves.

Walking through history

Fredericksburg is an incredibly historic city, from colonial times through the Civil War.  At the end of our canoe trip, we came out at the area where the Union Army built a pontoon bridge across the Rappahannock to engage the Confederates.  We then walked up the same way the Union soldiers did, through a narrow alley that felt like walking a gauntlet.  It made us realize how incredibly dangerous this invasion was.

After this trip, Jason and I decided we need to get a canoe :)  

You Know You're in the South When...

There is a Confederate Cemetery in town and on Memorial Day you can find a field of Confederate flags honoring the Civil War soldiers buried there.



It was a disconcerting feeling going into this cemetery
with all of these Confederate flags flying, a symbol I
associate with racism and bigotry.  As Jason and I
walked into the cemetery a woman was leaving and
she said "look at all those flags, isn't it just beautiful."
Beautiful is definitely not the word I would have used.
Frightening is the word I would have used.
 

I have often driven past the Confederate Cemetery in town, and have wanted to go wander around, but it is usually locked when I've been past.  However, this weekend, for Memorial Day, it was open and Memorial Day was being observed there in a way I have never experienced, with Confederate flags marking many graves.

I learned something on this trip through the Confederate Cemetery (thanks to Google on a smart phone :) ).  I had thought the "Stars and Bars" was the name of the flag for the Confederate government, and was this flag:

Not true!  This flag was never the official flag of the Confederate government, it was the battle flag of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, and was square, like this:

The "Stars and Bars" was the name of the official flag of the Confederate government, but it looked like this:

Memorial Day Weekend at Fredericksburg National Cemetery

Each year on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, Boy Scouts from the Fredericksburg area set out American flags and light luminary on the graves at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, where 16,000 Civil War Union soldiers are buried. 

It is a beautiful, solemn and moving experience to walk through this cemetery in the dark, the way lit only by the candlelight from the luminary.  Though there are hundreds of people making their way to, from, and around the cemetery during this time, it is quiet and there is a reverent atmosphere, punctuated every 30 minutes by the playing of Taps.



The entrance to the cemetery is at the base of a hill, and as we walked up more and more luminary came into sight, until we crested the hill and they were spread out before and around us.  My first thought when I saw the candles spread out in front of me was how incredibly beautiful it was, and a second later I remembered that all that beauty represents thousands of people who died tragically in war time and I was filled with awe at the pain and suffering this sight represents, not only of those who died, but of their families and friends.

 

History Comes Alive

I had explained to the girls where we were going that night, but they didn't fully understand until we got there how large the cemetery is and how many people are buried there.  I told the girls they had to be quiet going through the cemetery to show their respect and they were.  They also started bowing to each grave we passed, and with 16,000 graves in the cemetery that would have taken forever, so I complemented them on their good manners then told them they didn't have to bow to each grave.

I think Elise really grasped the significance of this Memorial Day event, because she told me she was thankful these people had fought for our country.  Experiences like this make history personal and more memorable.

The girls investigated several gravestones, to find the
name of the person buried there.

Our friend Will, who is an American
History professor and works with
Jason, helped the girls figure out
the abbreviations on the gravestones.

Living in a historical place certainly has benefits when it comes to gaining an appreciation for historical events.  This is a unique experience and it is nice to think we can go every year if we want, and be reminded of where our country has come from.

You Know You are in the South When...

Civil War cannon are used as lawn ornaments...



As seen in front of a house in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia

Breakfast With Santa

Eileen's Bakery is one of my favorite places to eat in Fredericksburg.  It is in an old church and they have outstanding sandwiches, salads, bread, cookies, cakes and pastries.  We discovered Eileen's one of the first times I visited Jason.  After we moved here and I started working for the library, I realized the Headquarters Library is just a few doors down, and have eaten at Eileen's several times when I'm working at HQ or have training there.  A few weeks ago I saw an advertisement for an event there called "Breakfast With Santa," a breakfast buffet with Santa as a guest for the kids to visit with.  I made reservations and this morning was the big event!

Eileen's had this event pretty organized, there was a seating chart and our table had a sign that said "Caswell."  As soon as we were seated, our table elf brought our drinks and after we got our food another elf came to tell us it was our turn to visit with Santa. 

Elise and Anja visit with Kat the elf.

Santa was delightful, the food was delicious (the BEST pancakes I have ever had), and the environment there is always quaint.

The girls!

My dad, mom, Anja, and Santa in the background.

Me and my sweetie.

Elise & Jason

With her arms crossed, Anja looks a
little stubborn, but I think she was
just a little nervous with Santa. 
I think.  She doesn't usually get
nervous, though, so I don't know
what was going on here. 
Maybe she was cold.

I would like a toy cat and...

Elise is displaying the cookies the girls got from Santa.

Grandma and Grandpa are looking good!