Life’s Ideas

One of the highlights of our visit to the United States is the Gettysburg National Military Park in the state of Pennsylvania. We got there after lunch time and we went to check out the tours of the battlefield. We could just go around with our car but the tours are much nicer so we went with it. The fee was 24 dollars per person. The bus is air-conditioned, very comfortable and gives you a good view of everything. The tour started at the very beginning of the battle and there were stops along the way. The tour guide talked us through the American Civil War.

The Gettysburg battle is the bloodiest battle of the American Civil war with a casualty of 51,000. It also ended the civil war. Most soldiers did not have serious wounds but they still died due to lack of medical attention. There was no proper hospital in Gettysburg at the time to take care of so many wounded people.

One of the prominent buildings there is the Hall of the Presidents. It is a wax gallery of the American Presidents and their wives. We did not really went inside since we were only interested in the tour.

Another is the house of David Wills, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous address which today is considered one of the best speeches of his presidency.

The last stop of the tour is the famous valley of death where we got to feel the difficulties of being in the valley with your enemies high above you at the devil’s den. The place gives you the creeps of the actual battle. From the devil’s den, we could also see Camp David from very far away.

The park was really made to look like the site of the original battle. There was a photographer who had pictures of the old Gettysburg and so they restored the place back to the way it looked then. They build barns and farm houses where they were before. They also put big trees and plants where they were supposed to be. There were also old houses that are still standing there. The look of the old town is still there.

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War, battlefield, David Wills, devil's den, Gettysburg, Gettysburg address, Hall of the Presidents, National Military Park, Pennsylvania, valley of death
Posted in History and Culture, Travels|Vacations | No Comments »

My aunt had been inviting us to visit their place in Mechanicsville, Maryland last year. We initially planned to spend Christmas at their house but we changed our minds. We decided to go there during the early spring instead. It’s nice to explore the surroundings when the temperature outside is not mild.

We finally visited my aunt’s family in Maryland last April 7 this year. My aunt and her husband picked us up at Baltimore airport and we drove for about forty five minutes to their house. The house is situated in a two-acre lot somewhere in Mechanicsville. Their place is full plants and trees. Wild animal frequently visit there too. They have deers, racoons, cats and a lot of bird species. My husband had a great time taking photographs of the plants and animals in their estate. He even took shots of the moon and Saturn there since we also brought with us a telescope that can be connected to our Olympus SLR digital camera. The photos were so nice that my aunt’s husband was planning on buying the same camera as soon as their budget would allow it.

I brought with us my magic sing. We did videoke on the night we had barbecue. We had a lot of fun although we were not really good singers. We mostly had fun laughing at how everybody sang badly. In the end, my aunt thinks she should buy a magic sing too. It’s good entertainment when you have visitors in the house.

They took us to Annapolis, the capital of Maryland. It is where the US Naval Academy is located. Annapolis an old place with many of its old buildings and houses still remaining. We went to their wharf where there are lots of seafood restaurants and cafe. We had dinner there and the food was great.

We stayed in Maryland for three days and four nights. My aunt’s husband took a leave from work and he was with us throughout our stay there. He was our driver and guide when we went to Washington D.C. and Pennsylvannia. He also sent us off and picked us up at Amtrak Train station in D.C. when we left for New York.

Maryland is a nice place. When you think of Maryland, you can already imagine trees everywhere. It’s just a thirty minute drive from their place to Washington D.C. If you live there, you can just get a job at the nation’s capital and drive home every day. I can only say positive things about the place because we were well received there. We will definitely keep coming there because we felt we have a home there.

Tags: Digal camera, Maryland Olympus SLR, Mechanicsville
Posted in Travels|Vacations | 2 Comments »

     Even before I know of its health benefits, I have always loved to eat seaweed. My mother is a big fan of seaweed and she knows how to prepare it well so all the children in the family love seaweed too.  Seaweed is said to be the most nutritious plant food in the planet. It contains all the trace minerals that we need. It’s just so ironic that I, who love to eat seaweed had a nodular goiter before. Seaweed is so rich in iodine which is very crucial in helping regulate our thyroid function. It’s only lately that I learned that goiter is rarely caused by lack of iodine in the diet. In my case,  it’s more of a genetic thing. My mother used to have a nodule like mine before, so tiny and just went away on its own.

     The seaweed that we eat  in the Philippines are different from what the Japanese restaurants are serving although just the same, they all taste and smell of seawater.  All the seaweeds that I know of, need blanching before you season them and turn them into a salad.

     Today I made my first Japanese style seaweed salad. I never miss to order this every time we go to a Japanese restaurant. I always love this as a side dish. I made mine from dried wakame seaweed and I just followed the recipe for the seasoning that I got from the internet. It turned out really nice. My husband loved it too. From now on,  dried seaweed is going to be a staple in my pantry.

Tags: seaweed
Posted in Food, Cooking and Dining, Health and Home, Wellness and Me | 1 Comment »