Horizon

Thank you, Martha — that was lovely. We had a wonderful time, and count our stroll among the high points of an overall-delightful trip. My calves wish we hadn't walked right back to the top of Lombard street after parting with you and Joel, but that was hardly your fault.

Do let me know if you ever find yourselves within a few hour's drive of Austin. I know I've already promised Alan Hogue a trip to "demon pizza" at 3 A.M., and since our trip I've been thinking about taking you and Joel to Jenny's Little Longhorn Saloon. It's a place down the street from us that offers a lottery on Saturdays -- you buy a number that corresponds to a quadrant of newspaper in the bottom of a chicken coop, and then hope you "win".

Not at all to imply that you all are in any way, shape, or form chicken-sh**ted. Really.

I really enjoyed our visit as well -- conversation was exceeding pleasant, even if I kept getting distracted by the trick kite out the window.

Sorry about the hill-climbing. And here I thought we were being gentler than on poor Mr. Allport, who we managed to sunburn badly on a walk around Angel Island.

And who has just been badly sunburned recreating Pickett's Charge on a sultry Gettysburg morning.

Martha, it was hardly your fault that we decided to push a stroller right back up Lombard immediately after you left. I recommend against the stroller thing, by the way -- hard work all the way up, and paranoia all the way down.

How was Pickett's Charge? You know, it was Pittsylvania County boys that actually reached Union lines. I had a great-great-great grandfather in that regiment (38th VA), though he'd been discharged for old age before Gettysburg.

We spent three days in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, conducting the USMA standard staff rides of Antietam and Gettysburg that West Point cadets receive. I may write more about this (and about the whole three-week USMA History Summer Session, of which this was a part) later, but two points for now. One, nearly all visitors mistake the location of the charge because they follow the monuments rather than the topography. Two, the importance of ground is subtle. From Seminary and Cemetary Ridges (which themselves are just slight rises in the ground, not the imposing banks that maps tend to suggest) the fields between appear to be flat, but in fact they roll in gentle undulations which obscure anyone approaching for critical lengths of the journey. The principle of the charge was not nearly so flawed as history usually suggests. Oh, and three, check yourself for ticks afterwards.

I'd love to see a writeup, either of the Gettysburg and Sharpsburg tour or of the whole Military History Camp experience.

Sorry not to make this one. I do hope to have another such opportunity, though. And this time I will not rely on Muni and will take along a map (even if it's on Market Street).

It's probably just as well, Alan. If you'd have shown up, we'd have probably rattled about linguistics long enough to push Martha into the neighboring Ruby conversation — at least until you asked me whether I'm a formalist or functionalist, and I just glared at you angrily in response. Might have wrecked the whole afternoon.