Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Florida 2015/Chickamauga 2016

Another trip out of state...this time to Florida! This trip capped off an amazing year of travel. While Florida would not be my top pick for vacation (ahem California), it was amazing to feel the heat and sit near the ocean. My fiance and his uncle took out the catamaran for a rough day on the seas, and we floated through the channels on New Year's Eve, watching the glittering lights of Fort Lauderdale.
Also at some point, I ate oysters! I really love oysters...

We also stopped by the Bonnet House, an historical house and acreage in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Built in 1920 by artist Frederic Clay Bartlett, the estate pays homage to the family art collections. Our tour took us through the lush grounds and into the eccentric house. There were about 10,000,000,000,000 mosquitos, but it was worth the trip.

We left on January 1st, starting the new year off with the 20 hour drive home to Michigan. While I didn't drive at all (he's a champ), it was exhausting just be in the car for that long. We decided to stop in Georgia, and I found a little bed and breakfast overlooking the Chickamauga battlefield. Battleview Bed and Breakfast had a comfortable bed, lovely shower, and the best breakfast. Ever.

We didn't have a lot of time to visit the battlefield, but unlike Gettysburg, one can explore it mostly from the car. The monuments looked peaceful in the crisp morning light, so different from the blood that was once spilled there. We stopped by the 21st Michigan monument for a short time. I felt proud to see the stone commemorating my fellow Michiganders. While we didn't get to stay very long, the experience at Chickamauga made me want to visit more historic sites in 2016!

The drive back took 10 hours, and I almost kissed the snowy concrete. As much as I love traveling, I had spent nearly two weeks away from my pets and home. There are quite a few events on my calendar for February and March, including the Ohio Regimental Ball and a craft show with my Dad.

Let's see...one battlefield stop at the beginning of 2016. I wonder what the new year will bring!

~Kristen

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