Living History: The Civil War at Waterloo, NY's Memorial Day Celebration

Living History: Civil War Reenactment

Today, I want to share with you a few tidbits from my time at Waterloo, NY's 153rd Commemorative Memorial Day Celebration. You may or may not be aware that Waterloo, NY is the official birthplace of Memorial Day, when we honor fallen soldiers and servicemen and women. Among the festivities was Living History at Oak Island, a Civil War reenactment camp. I was unable to attend most of the events there because I was busy at my book signing, but there were activities all weekend at this encampment. As a history buff, I would have spent the entire time there if I could!

Civil War Ingenuity

I had a long talk with reenactor Raymond Ball of the reenactment group Co. A of the US Regular Engineer Battalion, who explained that during the Civil War, engineers were perhaps the most important facet of the army and one of the major reasons the Union won the war. Without their knowledge and efforts, getting wagons, cannons, horses, and soldiers across the often difficult terrain would have been impossible. The engineers solved problems such as getting troops across gorges quickly (in one case, building an entire bridge fit for a train engine in as little as six days!), or working out how to get a cannon into firing range on swampy land (answer: a floating platform!).

A Moving Office

The engineers needed a place to work out the problems of terrain and equipment. The first thing that caught my eye was a travel desk in the engineers' tent. If I ever need a portable desk, I'm getting one of these!

There were many other things to see at the encampment, but I had to cut my visit short and return to my book signing. If you'd like to see some of the other photos, visit me on Facebook!

Christmas Tree 2016

This year was my son's turn to decide the Christmas tree theme, and my patriotic boy chose red, white, and blue for the theme, so we did a "God Bless America" tree. He chose the ornaments to go on it, and the arrangement of them. I think he did a pretty good job, don't you?

Fort Ticonderoga

If there's a place you want to be on the Fourth of July, it's Fort Ticonderoga. It was amazing to witness how people lived during the founding of the United States, from what they ate, to how they dressed, to how they slept and fought. The raising of the colors, to the music from the Fife & Drum Corps, actually gave me chills.

I can't even begin to tell you how geeky I was over the amazing engravings on the 18th century powder horns belonging to soldiers of the era. Then there were the weapons and arrowheads and pieces of pottery and ... well, you should go there, that's what.

The original fort was mainly earthworks. The stone was added much later. Still, it boasts one of the most beautiful vistas I've ever seen, of New York's Adirondacks and Vermont's Green Mountains.

If that isn't enough to impress you, take a walk through the King's Garden, modeled after 18th century military gardens. The walled garden was part of a project in the early 1900's by the wealthy Pell family, to restore and preserve the property. It must have been even more beautiful back in the day.

Find many more photos of my visit to Fort Ticonderoga in my Facebook album for the site. Hope you had a happy Fourth, America!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day, America! Today, while you're out with family and friends, or whatever you do, please spare a moment to thank the soldiers who keep us safe.

Thank you to our soldiers and veterans for your service to our country.  If you're overseas, we pray for your safe return home, but if you can't be here, please know that we're thinking of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's holiday time! Happy Thanksgiving, America! I hope you get to share lots of good food and football with your families today. If you aren't able to see your family today, I'm sure you're in their thoughts. Enjoy your day!

~ With warm holiday wishes from Nicki Greenwood

Happy Veterans Day!

 Happy Veterans Day to all veterans, and thank you for your service. Be safe today, and have a good one. I appreciate what you do to keep the rest of us safe and free!

Remembering 9/11

Just taking a moment today to remember and honor those who died in the September 11th attacks.  I continue to hope that someday, the world will recognize our collective similarities rather than our differences, and start on the path to a true and lasting peace.

In Support of Boston

As many of you already know, yesterday there were explosions at the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring many others.  It was a senseless, cruel act, and I am stunned.  While I don't like to post about such negative occurrences, as I'm sure no one does, I feel something must be said today in support of those affected.  I'm outraged, and I want justice for what happened, and I feel helpless to do anything.

But I'm not.  And you aren't, either.

The best thing we can do is pull together, stay calm, and get back to as normal a routine as possible so that the authorities can do their jobs quickly and efficiently.  In this day and age, with so many people connected to the Internet, and camera phones, and other devices that provide instant information, the cowardly criminals who did this are bound to be caught.  They're only going to win if we let this break us.

For my part, I went home, turned off the television, and played a board game with my family.  I remember, from 9/11, what watching all of that video over and over was like.  Today, I decided that any income I receive for the next quarter for my writing will be donated, 100%, to the Red Cross to aid them in support of the Boston tragedy.

We're in this together, folks.  If everyone does a little, we can accomplish a lot.  As horrible as yesterday's events were, I am still amazed, grateful, and so very glad to see that there are those still who believe that we are all a part of the human race.  So many people were there on the scene, right away, to offer assistance, comfort, support, and protection, and it didn't matter if the person was a friend or a complete stranger.  As capable as people are of great cruelty, we are also capable of great heroism.  Saying a prayer for all of you today.  Take care.

~ Nicki

Ain’t Technology Grand?

Skimming through my Twitter feed last night, I discovered a snippet posted by actor Ian Somerhalder (of “Vampire Diaries” fame), saying he would be streaming live from his living room.

What?!?

As it turns out, Ian was watching last night’s presidential debate, live, with some 10,000 of us and counting, and tweeting ongoing discussion-prompters regarding both parties’ statements. Very cool. Ian is very environmentally active, and his concerns included their views on clean energy and where we’re getting our energy from. He’s passionate about protecting our planet (see the Ian Somerhalder Foundation), and it was great to see him using his popularity to get people involved in the election process, regardless of their own political leanings. (There were the expected “I love you Ian” posts, but some of the folks commenting had interesting things to say about the environment, jobs, and healthcare.)

I’ll be honest, and say that I hadn’t been planning to watch the debate ... but watching it online, live, with 10,000 people certainly put an interesting spin on what the candidates had to say, and how people reacted to the discussion. I couldn’t stay on for the whole thing, but what I heard, from the candidates and listeners alike, sure got me thinking.

The Internet is full of fluff, it can’t be denied. But things like this make it cool again. I, for one, am going to start watching more of the election process online.

And this can’t be denied, either: it sure didn’t hurt that I was watching it with Ian Somerhalder. :D

Happy Birthday, America!

Wishing you all a safe, happy, and festive Fourth of July today (and passing along a big "Thank You" to our soldiers and vets, who have made it possible for us to enjoy our freedom!). It's going to be a hot one in my neck of the woods. Be safe wherever you are, and try to get out there and enjoy some fireworks!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day (Monday, technically) to all our brave soldiers and vets who have served, and are serving, our great country. We have our troubles and flaws, but please set aside this weekend to remember that there is a reason we are free to live our lives the way we do. Thank you to our military for keeping us safe!

Remembering Our Heroes

Today I am posting to honor those who died on 9/11/01. Please keep them and their families in your hearts and minds today, and never forget that our freedoms have always come with a sacrifice. Thank you to all who have served and died for our country to keep it free of terrorism.

Happy Fourth of July!

Taking a moment today to wish all Americans a happy Fourth of July. I'd also like to thank our soldiers for the sacrifices they make to keep our country free to celebrate days like this. Be safe, everyone!

Happy Fourth Of July

Just taking a moment to wish all Americans a safe and happy Fourth of July. Here in NY, it's threatening rain, but my family is home and we all get to celebrate a nice day together. That's enough for me!

Ya Better Shop Around

Well, the final draft of GEMINI is out the door and making the rounds in New York prior to their usual holiday slow-down, and I am so excited. In the meantime, The Wild Rose Press still has my full manuscript of EARTH. Santa, if you're listening, all I want for Christmas is a book contract! :)

Meanwhile, I'm plugging away through my current book in the GIFTED series. Once I'm done with that, if things pan out with EARTH, I will probably turn my attention to the next book in that series, WATER. I won't be posting excerpts on that one for quite a while, but stay tuned to the blog and I will keep you updated with tidbits and news.

Lastly, I want to say a belated THANK YOU to all U.S. Armed Forces veterans for their service to the country. You keep us safe and free. This one's for you!

Happy 4th - Just A Bit Early

In lieu of the fact that tomorrow is a U.S. holiday, and I won't be around to post, I'd like to take the time to wish all you Americans a happy Independence Day. Please take a moment to remember the soldiers who can't be home to spend it with their families. I hope you all have a safe and happy day. Don't forget to grab a hot dog and catch some fireworks. Cheers!