Spo-Reflections on Valley Forge

I am back home (for there is no place like it) after a four day excursion to PA. I spent a lovely Saturday with Nate, Cubby, Ann Marie and her main man Todd at the Valley Forge National Park.  The park had a few curious aspects to it:

Unlike other “war parks” this one didn’t have a lot of monuments or cannons or men running around in period uniforms. This makes sense for there was no battle; it was a six month long of camping and training base. I found the inevitable souvenir shop somewhat unsettling. It had the usual sundry of T-shirts and sweatpants with “Valley Forge” on them, as well as fluorescent coloured water bottles and Christmas ornaments of the makeshift log cabins in which the troops lived (and many froze and died).

The majority of deaths at Valley Forge did not come from freezing but disease, of which there were plenty.  This seems to be always the case: armies are not stopped by the enemy but by mosquito-borne and/or fecal borne illnesses.  What an end.

George Washington gets all the credit but a Prussian named Von Steuben did all the real work turning the men into a well organized army.

George Washington slept here. Really. 

It is hard to imagine what it was like living for six months in such abject conditions. I felt chilly in the crisp November sunshine, but I could easily retreat to the car. From the valley I could see the casino resort hotel within walking distance.

I could write a lot more about my time in PA (and I probably will) but it is late and I am tired. I have all week to get caught up in blog-land.

Rest well Spo-fans.  And be grateful for food, warmth, and comfort.