SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
Yay, Wendell's first snow! How exciting! If you aren't that fond of it, be glad that you got out of Alaska when you did.
Wendell the Wandering Wabbit's Travel Blog
- Thread starter SnowyShiloh
- Start date
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Ape337
April
Looks like Wendell's having a rockin' time with Mike! That's awesome :biggrin:
WendellWabbit
Active Member
Hi! Wendell here again!
It's been a really beautiful weekend here - clear blue skies, and crisp cool air. When Natasha got Mike up on Saturday he looked out the window and told me, "forget about the chores, we're going flying!" He checked the weather and said it was going to be perfect for a day trip out to a really Special Place. So, it was off to the airport and get the airplane ready.
The flight was nice and smooth, but it was a bit hazy, and the valleys along the way were filled with fog. That was really quite pretty, actually.
"Look - we're passing Warrensville! I wonder how many bunnies live in their warren?"
An hour and forty-five minutes after we left Ithaca, we landed at W05 - Gettysburg Regional Airport. The airport was deserted, so we just parked the plane in the grass and started walking. In only about fifteen minutes, Mike pointed out this sign:
This was the Special Place that Mike had said we'd be visiting. There were big guns all over the place.
There were lots of statues, too - Mike said that this statue of a man riding on a horse is General Reynolds. Mike told me some of his story - 150 years ago, on July 1, 1863, Reynolds himself was here, leading a whole lot of men wearing blue uniforms - they were the 1st Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Right here where we were standing, as Reynolds rode in on his horse directing his men into battle, he was killed.
A little further down the road we crossed a bridge over a railroad line.
The tracks weren't here in 1863, it was just an unfinished ditch where the railroad would be built. A lot of soldiers - dressed in blue uniforms like Reynolds, and in grey uniforms like mine - fought and died in this railroad cut.
Mike showed me a small stone in the grass, just a little way along the road from the railroad cut. I could spell out "L.F. 76. N.Y." on the stone.
Mike said this meant we were standing on the spot where the 76th Regiment of New York Volunteers had been on July 1, 1863 - where the left end or "flank" of their line had been. He said that the men in the 76th New York mostly came from Cortland County - right around where his warren was. When they left New York in 1861 there were over 1,100 of them, all dressed in new blue uniforms.
Just a short hop away was a big monument to the 76th New York:
This monument says that when the 76th arrived on this spot, there were only 348 men left, and 232 of them were killed, wounded or missing in the battle - leaving only 116 men, three days later. Mike did the arithmetic for me - in the year and a half since they left Cortland and arrived on this spot, 90% of the men were gone. I felt really sad about that.
We walked on toward the little village of Gettysburg. I could see the spires of a church just ahead.
Mike told me this was the Lutheran Seminary. General Buford used the cupola to watch the soldiers in grey approaching on that July morning in 1863, and by the end of the battle, the building was full of wounded men in blue and grey.
We made it into town and discovered that this was "Remembrance Weekend", when Gettysburg remembers all the soldiers, blue and grey, who fought here - and also the soldiers, living and dead, from later wars right up to today. Mike said that one of those soldiers is his son, who lived in the warren and brought the first bunny to live there. Mike showed me a picture of him - he's wearing a blue uniform, too, today.
As we entered the square in the middle of town, we heard music approaching, and a group of soldiers in grey uniforms marched past us - since I'm grey, too, I stood to attention as they passed.
(Mike's watching over my shoulder as I type - he said to say, "You asked for a marching band, Patti - you got it". I have no idea what he's talking about)
When we got home, Mike told me more. The men who fought where we had visited were really only boys, most of whom had never left the area around our warren before - none of them had traveled as much as I have.
Many were wounded and killed by big bullets like these, called Minie Balls...
... but even more died because they got sick, and people just didn't know as much about how to make sick people better back then.
The war lasted another two years before it ended. Some of the soldiers did make it back home to Cortland, and they met every year to keep in touch with the other men who had gone off to Gettysburg with them. Mike let me try on one of their reunion ribbons, from the 1905 reunion in Cortland. It was pretty big on a little bunny, but by wearing it I felt a real connection to the men who had fought in the Special Place we visited earlier.
A really great day ended with a nice dinner out at a place called the "A-1". Mike said he'd had a get-together of bunny people here once. The food was good, starting with a huge salad...
...and ending with some nice carrots.
A perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
I've heard from my travel agent, and I'll be staying here another week while she arranges my connections. So, I'll be spending Thanksgiving in Central New York. Mike says he'll take me to a Thanksgiving Dinner with some friends. I'm looking forward to it.
That's all for now.
It's been a really beautiful weekend here - clear blue skies, and crisp cool air. When Natasha got Mike up on Saturday he looked out the window and told me, "forget about the chores, we're going flying!" He checked the weather and said it was going to be perfect for a day trip out to a really Special Place. So, it was off to the airport and get the airplane ready.
The flight was nice and smooth, but it was a bit hazy, and the valleys along the way were filled with fog. That was really quite pretty, actually.
"Look - we're passing Warrensville! I wonder how many bunnies live in their warren?"
An hour and forty-five minutes after we left Ithaca, we landed at W05 - Gettysburg Regional Airport. The airport was deserted, so we just parked the plane in the grass and started walking. In only about fifteen minutes, Mike pointed out this sign:
This was the Special Place that Mike had said we'd be visiting. There were big guns all over the place.
There were lots of statues, too - Mike said that this statue of a man riding on a horse is General Reynolds. Mike told me some of his story - 150 years ago, on July 1, 1863, Reynolds himself was here, leading a whole lot of men wearing blue uniforms - they were the 1st Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Right here where we were standing, as Reynolds rode in on his horse directing his men into battle, he was killed.
A little further down the road we crossed a bridge over a railroad line.
The tracks weren't here in 1863, it was just an unfinished ditch where the railroad would be built. A lot of soldiers - dressed in blue uniforms like Reynolds, and in grey uniforms like mine - fought and died in this railroad cut.
Mike showed me a small stone in the grass, just a little way along the road from the railroad cut. I could spell out "L.F. 76. N.Y." on the stone.
Mike said this meant we were standing on the spot where the 76th Regiment of New York Volunteers had been on July 1, 1863 - where the left end or "flank" of their line had been. He said that the men in the 76th New York mostly came from Cortland County - right around where his warren was. When they left New York in 1861 there were over 1,100 of them, all dressed in new blue uniforms.
Just a short hop away was a big monument to the 76th New York:
This monument says that when the 76th arrived on this spot, there were only 348 men left, and 232 of them were killed, wounded or missing in the battle - leaving only 116 men, three days later. Mike did the arithmetic for me - in the year and a half since they left Cortland and arrived on this spot, 90% of the men were gone. I felt really sad about that.
We walked on toward the little village of Gettysburg. I could see the spires of a church just ahead.
Mike told me this was the Lutheran Seminary. General Buford used the cupola to watch the soldiers in grey approaching on that July morning in 1863, and by the end of the battle, the building was full of wounded men in blue and grey.
We made it into town and discovered that this was "Remembrance Weekend", when Gettysburg remembers all the soldiers, blue and grey, who fought here - and also the soldiers, living and dead, from later wars right up to today. Mike said that one of those soldiers is his son, who lived in the warren and brought the first bunny to live there. Mike showed me a picture of him - he's wearing a blue uniform, too, today.
As we entered the square in the middle of town, we heard music approaching, and a group of soldiers in grey uniforms marched past us - since I'm grey, too, I stood to attention as they passed.
(Mike's watching over my shoulder as I type - he said to say, "You asked for a marching band, Patti - you got it". I have no idea what he's talking about)
When we got home, Mike told me more. The men who fought where we had visited were really only boys, most of whom had never left the area around our warren before - none of them had traveled as much as I have.
Many were wounded and killed by big bullets like these, called Minie Balls...
... but even more died because they got sick, and people just didn't know as much about how to make sick people better back then.
The war lasted another two years before it ended. Some of the soldiers did make it back home to Cortland, and they met every year to keep in touch with the other men who had gone off to Gettysburg with them. Mike let me try on one of their reunion ribbons, from the 1905 reunion in Cortland. It was pretty big on a little bunny, but by wearing it I felt a real connection to the men who had fought in the Special Place we visited earlier.
A really great day ended with a nice dinner out at a place called the "A-1". Mike said he'd had a get-together of bunny people here once. The food was good, starting with a huge salad...
...and ending with some nice carrots.
A perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
I've heard from my travel agent, and I'll be staying here another week while she arranges my connections. So, I'll be spending Thanksgiving in Central New York. Mike says he'll take me to a Thanksgiving Dinner with some friends. I'm looking forward to it.
That's all for now.
whitelop
Morgan
Wow Wendell, what a special weekend you had!
You got to see some true American history! I bet it was really awesome to be there and experience that.
Can't wait to hear about your Thanksgiving dinner.
You got to see some true American history! I bet it was really awesome to be there and experience that.
Can't wait to hear about your Thanksgiving dinner.
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
Looks like you are having a ball!
agnesthelion
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2012
- Messages
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Wow, Wendell, look at the experiences you are having! Much more exciting then visiting me and the life of a stay at home mom 
Love the flying and the Gettysburg pics. Just fantastic!
Love the flying and the Gettysburg pics. Just fantastic!
ukcarolm
Well-Known Member
Wow Wendell thankyou so much for telling us all about your informative weekend, it's been so nice for me to learn all this history with you.
slavetoabunny
Well-Known Member
Wow...Mike is really taking you on the rounds. I'm glad you finally got your marching band. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner and I can't wait to hear where you are going to visit next!
SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
Wendell is becoming a more cultured rabbit with every day! Glad he got such a great history lesson
MikeScone
Mike - Camera Corner Mod
Hello RO, it's Wendell again!
Today is Thanksgiving, so Mike took me with him to his friends' house in Cortland for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was really nice and made sure to make me feel welcome.
As soon as I arrived, I met the other guest at the Thanksgiving dinner. He said his name was Cthulhu, and he was one of the Ancient Ones. He said he was a malevolent super-natural being, and had been trapped in an underwater city called "Râlyeh" for thousands of years, so this dinner was a treat for him.
He said that Christmas would be really interesting this year. He knows if you've been bad or good - and he prefers bad... I hope he was kidding.
Anyway, it was soon time to eat. I was amazed at the amount of food. There was turkey, and potatoes, and squash with marshmallows, and corn, and... well, just lots of stuff. Unfortunately, none of it was suitable for bunny food.
Not to worry - Mike's friend Donna brought out a special dish just for me!
After such a huge dinner, I really needed a cup of coffee to stay upright. No, I didn't drink it - I just used it to stay upright.
While everyone was visiting after the meal, a few of the other inhabitants of the house came out to meet me, and we played "dress up" for a while.
Finally, Donna turned on the TV set and we settled in to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
There were all sorts of people making noise on instruments and hopping around oddly, and people on moving things waved and sung songs that didn't seem to have anything to do with the thing they were standing on, while big animals floated overhead. I didn't really understand it much - it must be a people thing - but it was fun.
I think I liked the commercials the best...
When it got dark we came back to the warren to share another Thanksgiving Dinner with Natasha. While she ate, Mike explained the meaning of Thanksgiving to me. What a wonderful idea - one day a year to just think about what you're thankful for.
I'm thankful for all of the people who have been so nice to me on my wanderings - and I'm looking forward to wherever I'm going next!
Today is Thanksgiving, so Mike took me with him to his friends' house in Cortland for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was really nice and made sure to make me feel welcome.
As soon as I arrived, I met the other guest at the Thanksgiving dinner. He said his name was Cthulhu, and he was one of the Ancient Ones. He said he was a malevolent super-natural being, and had been trapped in an underwater city called "Râlyeh" for thousands of years, so this dinner was a treat for him.
He said that Christmas would be really interesting this year. He knows if you've been bad or good - and he prefers bad... I hope he was kidding.
Anyway, it was soon time to eat. I was amazed at the amount of food. There was turkey, and potatoes, and squash with marshmallows, and corn, and... well, just lots of stuff. Unfortunately, none of it was suitable for bunny food.
Not to worry - Mike's friend Donna brought out a special dish just for me!
After such a huge dinner, I really needed a cup of coffee to stay upright. No, I didn't drink it - I just used it to stay upright.
While everyone was visiting after the meal, a few of the other inhabitants of the house came out to meet me, and we played "dress up" for a while.
Finally, Donna turned on the TV set and we settled in to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
There were all sorts of people making noise on instruments and hopping around oddly, and people on moving things waved and sung songs that didn't seem to have anything to do with the thing they were standing on, while big animals floated overhead. I didn't really understand it much - it must be a people thing - but it was fun.
I think I liked the commercials the best...
When it got dark we came back to the warren to share another Thanksgiving Dinner with Natasha. While she ate, Mike explained the meaning of Thanksgiving to me. What a wonderful idea - one day a year to just think about what you're thankful for.
I'm thankful for all of the people who have been so nice to me on my wanderings - and I'm looking forward to wherever I'm going next!
That was great. We're still cooking the meal here--different time zone and all that and watching my Redskins tear up the Cowpies!
SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
Looks like a great Thanksgiving and how nice for Mike's friends to invite you over! Hope you didn't get on Cthulhu's bad side. Wendell.
whitelop
Morgan
Looks like you had a great Thanksgiving with Mike!
ukcarolm
Well-Known Member
So pleased you had such a wonderful thanksgiving with Mike and his friends Wendell.
WendellWabbit
Active Member
Hello RO friends! It's Wendell here. I've had a great few weeks with MikeScone and his warren, but it's time to go. I just heard from my travel agent, and she's booked my next flight for tomorrow morning.
I'm going to Olathe, Kansas, in the morning mail. I asked Mike where that was, and he showed me - it's a long way to fly!
I took a few minutes to update my log book and look back on my wanderings to date.
I'm trying to write down everywhere I go, so when I retire someday I'll have my memories to look back on. I said goodbye to all the bunnies in the warren, and had a group picture taken of me, Borders, Butter and Guernsey.
Last, but not least, I spent some time with my love, the beautiful Natasha Rabbitova. She gave me a goodbye kiss.
Mike packed a travel lunch for me, and told me to save some for my new bunny friends in Kansas.
Finally, all the goodbyes were said, and it was time to get into my box for the trip. Next stop Kansas!
I'm going to Olathe, Kansas, in the morning mail. I asked Mike where that was, and he showed me - it's a long way to fly!
I took a few minutes to update my log book and look back on my wanderings to date.
I'm trying to write down everywhere I go, so when I retire someday I'll have my memories to look back on. I said goodbye to all the bunnies in the warren, and had a group picture taken of me, Borders, Butter and Guernsey.
Last, but not least, I spent some time with my love, the beautiful Natasha Rabbitova. She gave me a goodbye kiss.
Mike packed a travel lunch for me, and told me to save some for my new bunny friends in Kansas.
Finally, all the goodbyes were said, and it was time to get into my box for the trip. Next stop Kansas!
This has been great--still think he needs to come back to Vegas for Xmas/New Years!
SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
Ha, look at Wendell all packed up and ready to go! Hopefully he won't be too heartbroken over leaving Natasha.
MikeScone
Mike - Camera Corner Mod
Wendell was dropped off at the ship-it-store this morning, and he is winging his way off to Kansas as I type. They said to expect delivery in two to four days.
:wave:
ukcarolm
Well-Known Member
Wishing you a safe journey Wendell and many thanks Mike for letting us all join in with Wendells travels. I hope I'm able to give him such an interesting stay when he gets here in the UK next year!
