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These are some of the petroglyphs we saw at Puerco Pueblo in the Petrified Forest National Park. The pueblo was built around 1250 and may have been home to 1000 people. There are several locations along the trail through the pueblo from which petroglyphs can be seen.

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When we were in Albuquerque in June, we went to see the church of San Felipe de Neri, which was constructed in 1793. We got there too late in the day to see the interior of the church, but we were able to enjoy the rectory garden.



If you would like to see what the garden looks like as a drawing, click HERE.

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When we visited Fort Smith National Historic Site, we saw rejectors dressed as 1830s-era soldiers firing muskets. Looking at what happened when the second soldier pulled the trigger, those muskets must have been as dangerous for the person firing as they were for the person on the other end.

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The Alex Cole Cabin is located in the Jim Bales Place along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail behind Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The cabin was moved to this location after the park service gained control of the land in the 1930s. It is more representative of the pioneer days of Appalachia than the frame home of the Bales family, which was torn down.

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A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of the drum in the Drum Tower of Xian. One of the interesting things about the Drum Tower is that it was constructed without the use of nails. Another thing is that the interior is richly and intricately decorated. This is the ceiling over the drum in the tower.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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One of the attractions of Xian, the ancient capital of China, is the Drum Tower. The Drum Tower, built in 1384, housed a large drum which was sounded at sunset to signal the end of the day. A similar tower on the opposite side of the city square contained a bell which was struck at dawn to signal the start of the day.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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John Oliver and his wife, Lurany, were the first settlers in what is now Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They purchased their land in 1826, and later built this cabin. The John Oliver Cabin is a popular stop on the Cades Cove Loop.

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American history teaches that General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. General U. S. Grant in the parlor of the McLean House in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. The two met briefly again the next day at this site along the lane between the two armies.

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The mound near the trees in this photo is Battery 5, part of the Confederate lines at the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864 - 65. It's hard to imagine that a scene where so many men were maimed and died could be so peaceful and serene today.

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Biltmore House was the country home built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895 near Asheville, North Carolina. I left Betsy near the fountain on the Esplanade to go to a higher vantage point to get this picture of the house and the mountains under a blue sky with clouds moving in. (That's Betsy taking pictures near the driveway on the left.)

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This house in Winchester, Virginia, was the headquarters of General Thomas J. ("Stonewall") Jackson, CSA, during the winter of 1861 - 62. At the time Jackson was in command of the Valley District of Virginia.

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Last month I showed a picture of the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University, which was designed and built by Robert E. Lee while he was the college president.

The front of the chapel contains the memorial pictured above. It is a statue of a recumbent Lee at sleep on a battlefield. The memorial is directly above the crypt containing the remains of Lee and his family.

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Virginia's Natural Bridge is about 20 stories high and is quite a sight to see. It is also associated with two of our Founding Fathers. Legend says that George Washington surveyed the Natural Bridge in 1750 and Thomas Jefferson purchased 157 acres of land including the Natural Bridge from King George III of England in 1774.

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I visited China for the first time in 1987. While in Beijing, our host took us to visit the Temple of Heaven, which was constructed in 1420. One of three major structures in the Temple is the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The Vault of Heaven is made of bricks and timber and is surrounded by white marble railings. The Vault contained a shrine which held the Tablet of the God of Heaven. The Chinese emperor was considered the Son of Heaven.

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R. E. Lee Memorial Church is adjacent to Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Robert E. Lee served as Senior Warden of the church while he was President of Washington College and the church was renamed in his honor after his death. Lee's last public event before his death was to chair a meeting of the vestry to discuss the salary of the rector. He personally pledged to donate the money needed to meet the rector's salary.

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George Washington used this little log building in Winchester, Virginia, as a military office from September, 1755, to December, 1756, while Fort Loudoun was being constructed nearby. Washington planned Fort Loudoun, supervised the work of construction, and brought his own blacksmiths from Mount Vernon to do the ironwork. George Washington's military and political career began in Winchester. He served as a member of the House of Burgess from Winchester and used Winchester as his headquarters during the French and Indian War, while in command of a Virginia regiment.

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Several days ago I posted a picture of the Lee-Jackson House on the campus of Washington and Lee University. That home was a residence for both Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. It is next door to the Lee House, the residence of the president of Washington and Lee. The Lee House was designed by Robert E. Lee when he was president after the Civil War. He designed the wrap-around porch to make it easier for his wife, who was wheelchair bound, to get around the house. Lee and his family lived in the house until his death in 1870.

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The house in the picture above is on the campus of Washington and Lee University and has a fascinating history. The north wing of the house was first occupied in 1853 by Professor Thomas J. ('Stonewall') Jackson, who had married the daughter of the president of the College. In 1865 this house was the home of Robert E. Lee and his family while the current President's house was being constructed next door.

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The Great Red Gate, Da Hong Men, is the main entrance to the valley containing the tombs of 13 emperors of the Ming dynasty that ruled China from 1368 - 1644. This picture was taken during a visit to the tombs in 1987.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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While walking on the Great Wall in 1990, I spotted the ruins of a watchtower a little below where I was standing. Those ruins did a good job of depicting the history and age of the Great Wall.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.