These little guys to your right ware downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. As with any city, it has its art culture and the metal works of the giraffe caught the eye of my camera. We also had a wonderful day over at Monticello. Our trip was to see the country and Thomas Jefferson's home. If you are ever in the area, it is a must.

I was fortunate to take this trip to Richmond, Virginia June of this year, 2012, with a dear friend. We spent ten wonderful days seeing sights, experiencing some of the battlefields from the Civil War as well as soaking up the beautiful scenery. We participated in one of the Road Scholar's programs , which included well planned lecturers of Richmond's history, with field trips, including museums, tours and much more. All this including lodging accommodations and excellent food. If you have never heard of them, I suggest you check out their site as referenced above.

Now, while out examining the battlefields in Petersburg, Virginia, we saw The "Dictator" (my photo to your left). This mortar, used by the Union forces, is located at the National Battlefield Park, Petersburg, VA. The 13 inch Mortar or "Dictator" participated in a nine and one-half month siege (June 1864 - April 1865). It could fire a 225 pound exploding shell up to 2 miles with the assistance of 14 pounds of black powder. The "Dictator" was said to have fired 218 rounds at Petersburg.