The Hunt for White September

Today an albino Woodchuck was spotted on the battlefield. The Law Enforcement Ranger who made the initial observation showed me the burrow that it ducked into.



My (off duty) mission: capture it on camera.


Wish me luck.

Ranger Mannie

Why I love my job as a Ranger.

I work with the greatest people.

(Ranger Mike, Ranger Brian, Ranger Mannie, Ranger John, Ranger Alann)

These are just a few of the remarkable Park Service people that I get to work with every day.



Still lucky, just north of Sharpsburg

Ranger Mannie

p.s. this photo was taken by Ranger Keith

Earl Roulette - one last thing...

When I was interviewing lifelong Sharpsburg resident Earl Roulette for America's Civil War magazine he shared much of his collection, or accumulation, of Civil War artifacts with me and editor Dana Shoaf.

The thing that caught our attention as soon as we walked into Earl's back door was his pencil holder - an original artillery waterbucket.

Earl said that he never set out to collect Antietam artifacts they simply turned up under his plow as he cultivated his extensive Sharpsburg farm.

"I must have climbed down off that tractor a thousand times" laughed Earl as we pawed through an old artillery projectile crate loaded with formerly lethal pieces of iron.

Even more fascinating than his collection was the conversation. Mr Roulette is a walking compendium of the history of the battle, the valley, and the town. He gets regular visits from authors, historians, and even just regular people (with steady jobs).

He's one of Sharpsburg's living treasures.

Ranger Mannie

Somebody stop me

Here's just one more, then I'll knock it off for today:

[click on the image]

I sort of wish I could retake every picture I've posted so far on this blog.

Mannie

I can see clearly now

Today I got my new camera, a little Canon SD800 (smaller than a deck of cards). Here's why I already like it so much:



Can't wait to get back to Antietam on Thursday!

Ranger Mannie