Andersonville Civil War Village, and the POW Museum and Civil War Prison

I stayed at the Andersonville City Park campground in mid-April, on a beautiful spring weekend, to explore Andersonville GA. It's a pleasant small campground right in town. $18/night, and you register at the Visitors Center at the Drummer Boy Museum.

I set up camp and set out to explore Andersonville.

The first thing I did after setting up was to walk to the Drummer Boy Museum.

Lots of artifacts
and mannequins
dressed in
Civil War attire,
and a model of
Andersonville Prison
in the middle of the room.

There is also a pioneer farm, which includes the original jail, a blacksmith shop, and a functional mill.

This is the Cherokee Rose, Georgia's State Flower.

At the entrance to the RV park is the Old School House Antique Shop, one of several in town.

I was there browsing when a local man came in to show the people there what he'd scored at a yard sale: Some 27 volumes of Little Leather Library books. Yes, once upon a time you could get a tiny book of Shakespeare along with your Whitman's Chocolates.

I was charmed by the architecture and landscaping of this historic log church just downhill from the campground.

When I left Andersonville, I visited the Andersonville National Historical Site. This includes the POW museum, dedicated to POWs in all wars.

Prisoners would arrive in Andersonville by train and be marched to the main gate of the prison.

There really was no prison. Whatever could be scrounged served as housing.

The only water source was a sluggish stream through the middle of the prison camp, with the latrines downstream but other sources of pollution upstream.

"In desperation, a group of soldiers began to pray for water. Soon, a storm broke out, and thunder roared, and where lightning struck the prison ground, a fountain of pure spring water erupted. Whether it was the prayer or construction of the prison that caused the underground water to well up, no one knows, but that clean water saved the lives of thousands of Union soldiers, and continues to flow to this day." (quote is from site linked.)

I'm on my way, takin' my time, but I don't know where

Well I'm on my way, I don't know where I'm goin'
I'm on my way, takin' my time, but I don't know where

("Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard", Paul Simon)

That's the ear worm of the day. We call it "Hitch Itch". Or "Tumbleweed Fever". I was thinking I'd stay here at least until April 1. Maybe longer. I do have a list of things I could be accomplishing. However, there is no arguing with Tumbleweed Fever. Today the wind picked up a lot, so I rolled up my awning. While I was there, I cleaned up the patio area, put a few things away, enjoying the sunshine, stirred by the wind, organized things in the bins, organized the compartment... before I knew it the patio area was pretty much packed.

Then I fiddled with how things need to ride, and where - I've had stuff in the drivers seat and on the windshield - and now oh gee, the motorhome is 80% packed. Which means even with a leisurely tweaking fest tomorrow, I will be driving away in a day or two.

Where am I going? Certainly NOT to the Home Driveway up in Virginia where my van awaits me.

It's waiting under 5 inches of snow.

And no, because I'd have to have the van first, I'm not going to either of the events this weekend that I would dearly love to attend.

I let work know I'm available, so they may call and give me a destination. I've been looking around on Ultimate Campgrounds for ideas. Someplace still warm, someplace pretty, someplace profitable, or at least inexpensive...

Wherever the wind blows....

Loose Ends

As the winter draws to a close, I'm working on tying up the loose ends and getting ready for travel.

7 weeks ago, my friend Ellen came to camp here for a week or two. She found it such a peaceful, relaxing place to be, and such a good place to take care of stuff and sorting and ordering needful items from Amazon and what not, that she stayed until today. I really enjoyed our visit.



While she was packing and loading, I was crossing things off my to do list. This is one I'd been meaning to take care of for a while.

Years ago, I dated a blacksmith. He made me a bunch of towel rods and hooks for the travel trailer I lived in at the time, and they've been moved from RV to RV ever since. One of the towel bars you have seen in my kitchen, holding pot lids.



Today I replaced the original towel bar in the bathroom with the last 2 unhung towel bars.



I moved the original towel bar down to the bottom of the bathroom door, where it now keeps slippers and shoes out of the way.

Today's Yard - Tumbleweed Fever

Technically, Spring starts this week.  The Sun has only just come out after days of rain which my northern friends experienced as snow.  Sue tells me my van, back in Virginia, is under not quite a foot of snow, but close.

Here, the events that brought in campers are over and I am free to move on, but I don't have to.  Which is good... I still have some personal things to take care of.  I've done my federal taxes.  State taxes are next.  I'd like to get a copyright registration done.  I have bays yet to clean and organize, although I did the worst of that job during the last warm sunny spell.  But I will be ready soon to travel.

So I'm thinking of where.  I don't want to go northward quite yet... I hear they still have another winter storm coming their way.  I don't want to go into the hills... I'm driving the wrong vehicle for that.  I may knock around southeast Georgia some more...  Florida might be pleasant for a while...  some paid work would be nice...

The road beckons...

Then and Now

I haven't stayed in one place for three whole months in a long long time. It was lovely.

Today I loaded up the motorscooter and stowed most everything.
Then we had a chili dinner and played music until we'd worn ourselves out.

A last look at my campsite - if you look closely, you can see the trees turned green and the flowers are blooming in front of the wall.
I actually would have enjoyed staying a while longer - but there are family and friends to visit and vehicles to attend to... The road beckons.

Springing Forward, Indoors edition

I was hoping to have the Spirit of Simplicity manifest in my home by now. Not so much. I still have clutter. But it's not on the top of my woodstove-looking heater. Actually, as I prepare to travel I see that I have accomplished a lot of de-cluttering and simplification - Just nowhere near as much as I'd hoped.




Recently there was a bit of electrifying excitement. It was pouring rain out, and thankfully I was home when some of said rain managed to get inside my walls and short out an electric outlet.

I heard a sizzle, looked up and saw sparks flying across the bedroom! Shut all breakers, unplugged the house, checked for fire.
As it turned out, we have campers here who do electrical and roofing work, so I got my roof sealed (no more water getting in causing excitement) and socket replaced, without having to go anywhere or into hock.

With spring comes all this wonderful daylight. And Reflectix over the windshield. And so much light coming in the east facing windows that I couldn't see. Having just gone through the basement compartments, I had a set of shower curtains I used to use for picnic table tablecloths. They have become my new dinette and living room curtains.

Springing Forward

As I prepare to spring forward from here, I take this moment to review. March and April. The sleepy brown world waking to yellow - and purple - and green. Here in Georgia, the sun is shining. Birds are singing. Snakes are slithering (only when I don't have my camera handy). I'm winning the battle of the swamp. The water level is down to where the dock is just above water

and the hill can be reached without wading. I have seen the beavers' house - but that's the next post. Here, I give you Spring in Georgia.


Why did the beaver cross the road? He had work to do downstream.

They block the culverts

I clear them, they block them again.

And again.

Good to look up sometimes.

Spring blooms Purple

And

Yellow.

Tonight's Yard (March 28)

View from the Hill

Water flowing in spite of the Main Dam.

Beavers dig mud off the bank and use it to build dams and block culverts.

Sometimes you're not sure which way is up.