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New friend and a good cigar

MarkwellMarkwell Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭✭✭
in General Discussion
Finally met up with @Martel today in Gettysburg for lunch and a cigar hike up Big Round Top. Great day for it. Thanks for the sticks and a fun day out, Eric! I'll have to try that Gen. Longstreet burger next time. 

Some pics:


NY Irish Brigade


The wheat field ('Lil Round Top in background)


NJ Monument


Breached Napolean 
“Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman – or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.” – George Burns

Comments

  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Great day, and @Markwell is a nice guy to spend it with.

    The 11th PA monument is my favorite, BTW.  For those in the know, when I take guests, I tell them the story of Sallie Ann Jarrett, and when they think I'm just telling them a touching story about a dog, I then lead them around the back of the monument so they can see her dutifully guarding the spot where so many of her human companions fell.

    Sorry I had to leave before you.  I drove right by the East Cavalry field on my way home and wondered if you were gonna head there.  That Ybor stick you gave me was pretty tasty, too!  Thanks for it.

    Next time I'm gonna order off the Union side of the Burger menu.  Mostly because I feel those guys get no love.
    Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

    I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot.  I will smoke anything, though.
  • MarkwellMarkwell Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Killer Angel's is a great book, along with the other two in the series. I've read them all a few times. Gettysburg is definitely a place everyone should see at least once. Do yourself a favor and spend at least two days. One for the famous locations and one for the lesser known places.  @VegasFrank

    @Martel Fun fact about where we were yesterday at the summit of Round Top. There once stood an observation tower at this location. The first was constructed of wood and the latter of iron. The tower stood until 1968. I believe the rebar and concrete I saw was one of the original footers or the final steps leading up to the summit.



    The veterans had created the original path from where we took the loop trail around the hill. Amazing how it's changed over the years. Ended up watching a lecture by one of the LBG's last night. He says the park service really did a disservice to the veterans by relocating the trailhead because hardly any visitors get to see the monuments along the original section now. 



    The 11th Mississippi Vols. monument is my favorite on the field. Look up the dying letter of J. S. Gage Very sad story goes along with it. 
    “Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman – or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.” – George Burns
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    That's good stuff right there.  Yeah, that could easily have been a footer or anchor point for the tower.

    I have a number of friends from Oxford or alums from Ole' Miss.  I'm very familiar with the 11th.
    Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

    I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot.  I will smoke anything, though.
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,833 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019
    I like history and all,.. but the absence of herf pics is a bummer.

    Did you light up, or not?

    If not, I'm really gonna be sad.

    Ok,...  I went back and reread it,... "cigar hike"??? 

     I've never done that. I always cigar sit.  
  • YaksterYakster Posts: 27,916 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Have you cigar paddled?
    [spoiler]
    on a kayak
    [/spoiler]
    Join us on Zoom vHerf (Meeting # 2619860114 Password vHerf2020 )
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,833 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yakster said:
    Have you cigar paddled?
    [spoiler]
    on a kayak
    [/spoiler]
    austin powers GIF
  • peter4jcpeter4jc Posts: 16,679 ✭✭✭✭✭
    But, but, but...  even in a kayak, Bob's on his butt, butt, butt...
    "I could've had a Mi Querida!"   Nick Bardis
  • MarkwellMarkwell Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ....neither of us actually took photos of the herf  :sweat:  If it makes you feel better, I smoked a Julius Caesar Eric had given me though. 

    I haven't cigar paddled but I have cigar pooped lol. 
    “Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman – or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.” – George Burns
  • Amos_UmwhatAmos_Umwhat Posts: 8,898 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nice that y'all got together, and what a place to do it.  I re-watched Ken Burns Civil War documentary last week.  So much history that so many want to forget, or rewrite the telling of in terms of modern values.  Every so often, when I'm in the mood for an all day motorcycle ride, I'll go on down to Shiloh.  Heart wrenching.  
    WARNING:  The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme.  Proceed at your own risk.  

    "If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed.  If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." --  Mark Twain
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    There are a couple of lounges in the area if anyone wants to get together.  But the cigar on a hike was nice.  Maybe wouldn't have been on a weekend, but a weekday that wasn't busy meant we could meander some back-paths and talk and smoke.

    I give a pretty good tour-by-car customized to your availability and comfort level for free to friends, too.  The battlefield is less than an hour from my house.  Even closer from work.  If my wife hadn't gotten a new job, I could get the Cavalry field in about 20 minutes from her old office.

    @Amos_Umwhat when I was in Memphis, Shiloh was on the bucket list.  I did get to drive, but not spend much time there, once.  After coming up here, one of my son's friends was up for a visit.  He's in scouts and has done Shiloh a number of times, including during the big anniversary year a couple years ago.  He came up here and started walking Gettysburg with us, and said our battlefield was better.  The reality is, he's a schmuck and has to be competitive about everything.  "Better" meant it wore him out more.  He'd spent the previous day talking about how awesome Shiloh was like it was his and his alone and he'd conquered the world by hiking it.  At any rate, it was nice to put him in his place and a recreation of Pickett's charge and back to the starting point plus a tour of Little Round Top did the trick.  In the middle of July.  In a hundred degrees.

    So, yeah, anyone is welcome to visit, but I recommend the fall.
    Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

    I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot.  I will smoke anything, though.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    There are a couple of lounges in the area if anyone wants to get together.  But the cigar on a hike was nice.  Maybe wouldn't have been on a weekend, but a weekday that wasn't busy meant we could meander some back-paths and talk and smoke.

    I give a pretty good tour-by-car customized to your availability and comfort level for free to friends, too.  The battlefield is less than an hour from my house.  Even closer from work.  If my wife hadn't gotten a new job, I could get the Cavalry field in about 20 minutes from her old office.

    @Amos_Umwhat when I was in Memphis, Shiloh was on the bucket list.  I did get to drive, but not spend much time there, once.  After coming up here, one of my son's friends was up for a visit.  He's in scouts and has done Shiloh a number of times, including during the big anniversary year a couple years ago.  He came up here and started walking Gettysburg with us, and said our battlefield was better.  The reality is, he's a schmuck and has to be competitive about everything.  "Better" meant it wore him out more.  He'd spent the previous day talking about how awesome Shiloh was like it was his and his alone and he'd conquered the world by hiking it.  At any rate, it was nice to put him in his place and a recreation of Pickett's charge and back to the starting point plus a tour of Little Round Top did the trick.  In the middle of July.  In a hundred degrees.

    So, yeah, anyone is welcome to visit, but I recommend the fall.
    Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

    I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot.  I will smoke anything, though.
  • MarkwellMarkwell Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭✭✭
    And on the same token, I'd be happy to accompany anyone who may wish to come up/down/over for a day. I may not be as knowledgeable as others but I'll supply a few cigars and live about an hour and a half north of town. 

    We truly lucked out with the weather. Couldn't agree more that fall would be much better once the 90° days arrive. It's hard to say one battlefield is better than another. They all have their highlights. I feel Gettysburg gets more attention than others in the media and entertainment industries due to it being the significant turning point in the war. It is a very wonderful and special place in my heart. 

    If we could get a group of some of you guys together, Martel and I had briefly discussed it would be great to do a herf with forum members. Any interest out there?
    “Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman – or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.” – George Burns
  • TBonzTBonz Posts: 554 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Back in the day I would have joined you since I was about 1.5 hours south of Gettysburg.  We used to go up there frequently and got engaged there although we were there for music vs. touring the battlefield that trip.  Growing up in that area we visited quite a few different Civil War battlegrounds over the years.  Now down in NC I don't get up that way too often.  
  • TNBigfoot68TNBigfoot68 Posts: 2,762 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Amos_Umwhat said:
    Nice that y'all got together, and what a place to do it.  I re-watched Ken Burns Civil War documentary last week.  So much history that so many want to forget, or rewrite the telling of in terms of modern values.  Every so often, when I'm in the mood for an all day motorcycle ride, I'll go on down to Shiloh.  Heart wrenching.  
    @Amos_Umwhat next time you go to Shiloh let me know.. I will meet you there if I can

    I was born a fool, and just got bigger!
  • TNBigfoot68TNBigfoot68 Posts: 2,762 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great post guys, this is on my bucket list @Martel & @Markwell Need to do this soon, fall sounds like an amazing time.
    I was born a fool, and just got bigger!
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