It has been a few months since I have posted on here. There had been some distractions that took precedence over devoting time to blog, the most pressing of which had been family medical necessity. Just a few days before Christmas, my wife had hip replacement surgery, and I am happy to say she has recovered wonderfully. The Lord has really blessed us. After two and a half years of increasing pain and decreasing mobility, she has come back renewed, and looking forward to once again hiking the battlefields and enjoying our research projects together.
The other major item that consumed my time was the completion of my second book's manuscript and delivering it to the publisher. It is an illustrated history of Spotsylvania County that focuses on the impact of the Civil War, the establishment of the battlefield park, and the continual struggle to preserve significant lands along with the development of a tourism ethic in the County government. The last chapter in the book is devoted to the period of 1999 to 2010, where a mixed bag of preservation victories and placating rhetoric from the Board of Supervisors, defined Spotsylvania County as one of the most endangered battlefield regions in the east. The current release date from the publisher is June 27, 2011. I will keep everyone updated on here as we get closer.
Additionally, I have begun to provide a bi-weekly Civil War column for an on-line news magazine called Fredericksburg Patch. Outside of one deliberate reworking of an early post from this blog, the goal will be to supply fresh material that compliments what I post here. Essentially I have doubled my blog-like workload, but I will go at it with spirit and hope everyone checks in over there and enjoys what the site has to offer the region. I find the Patch to be a refreshing source of local news with the promise of a online community feel.
Now we are into the first year of the Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the Civil War, 2011-2015. I am expecting some exciting events and educational opportunities over the next four years in the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania area.
My goal on this blog will continue to be an ongoing source of interesting perspectives of the Civil War and its cultural legacy.
2 comments:
It's good to see you back here, John.
Welcome back! Sorry to hear about your wife, but glad that she is doing well. I look forward to upcoming posts, and to your new book as well.
Post a Comment