I'm back at an airport

4/25/08 -- I'm back at an airport, this time in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Just finished a week in schools in Mechanicsburg and Blain. Once again I was treated to a great bunch of kids and educators.

Also, my gracious host Ila Verdirame and her husband Matt took me on a tour of Gettysburg, the famous Civil War battleground that ultimately was the turning point in the North-South conflict. I visited with my family when I was a fourth grader, so it had been a long time (46 years!). Still, certain places brought back lots of memories, especially the infamous Devil's Den and Little Round Top (pictured below), where the fighting was particularly intense. The area is very beautiful -- redbud and dogwood trees in bloom -- but it also struck me as somber. In three days of fighting -- July 1-3, 1863 -- over 51,000 died.

And yet I remain hopeful that some day humanity can figure out a way to live together in peace.