Cyclorama

This morning we went off to the Atlanta History Center to see a few things because Madison had the day off, and you know something?  The Atlanta History Center was free today!  We were there many years ago to see a Jim Henson exhibit, before Madison even came into our lives.  The same could be said for the Cyclorama, which we saw a long time ago.  So this visit was sort of overdue.

Since that time, one of the things that has been moved to the History Center is the Atlanta Cyclorama, and this is the thing that Daddy was wanting to take Madison to see.  And see it we did!  Right away, we went downstairs and got in line, and the good news is that they only let a certain amount of people in at a time.  Daddy held the spot in line, and when the time came to go in, we all ascended the escalator, and found ourselves literally in the middle of the Battle of Atlanta.  Here are some photos that capture that part of our day:

The Battle of Atlanta. 3D elements in the foreground merge with the painting beyond to take the viewer more into the scene. The wall alongside this house here was the position fought for and taken by both armies at various points throughout the day. 

Here's a wider shot of the family overlooking the Cyclorama.  It was good to have only a certain amount of people in there at a time, which made for a more comfortable visit.

Close up of the painting: a lone black soldier assists the Union Army, the only one represented in this entire painting.

Clark Gable visited the painting at one time and remarked that the only thing missing was he himself. So the caretakers of the museum put his face on a fallen Union soldier.

The battle rages on, with Kennesaw Mountain in the background. This painting was the equivalent of virtual reality for many people who first saw it. Imagine some of the Civil War veterans actually looking at this, ones who were involved in the battle itself. 

Sherman's headquarters during the Battle of Atlanta. Sherman himself can be seen on horseback to the left of the house, just left of the trees. 

They may have lost the battle, but they also lost the war. This was pretty much it for the South.

I like this shot too.  The angle is unintended, but it looks like that railway is a pretty steep ascent!

And let's just throw one more of dead Clark Gable just for fun.

This was the primary visit for our day, and it was well worth the trip. We didn't expect to see too many other things because we knew the place would be crowded.  And it sure was!  The parking lot was full, and we had to drive down a long street, and park at the end, and walk uphill in freezing temperatures a considerable distance.  Along with many others.  It was pretty full, but it was also free, and that's why there weren't too many complaints from us.  We saw what we came to see, and from there on we were happy to see anything else extra - which we did.

There were other Civil War images and pictures, even some in 3-D.  Ye-Ye and Madison can be seen here checking those out.

There were other things too, like this old zoetrope that seemed to fascinate everyone.  We'll have to get ours out, and maybe do some new animations again!

One other thing we saw was "The Texas," which was a train that chased down Union spies in "The Great Locomotive Chase."  The actual engine itself was here, and Daddy never ties of seeing train engines.  We climbed aboard this one for a picture with Madison on board.

All Aboard!  Yes, we're in a train-themed series, and it's been fun.  We'll have to watch this movie some time, the one based on this train chase.  We even recently played the miniature golf course themed to that train chase too!

Afterwards, we were with the Freedom Riders, or at least Madison was.  She was given an armband and put in the front of the bus, as this was a bus filled with people who actually understood that we are all created equal.  The idea was for kids to experience the journey of the Freedom Riders, which seemed to be going well in Atlanta, but met a terrifying experience in Anniston, Alabama.  After what happened there, I can't imagine how the people there could ever recover.  Those in favor of civil rights, and for desegregation... they were attacked.  There were slashed tires, thrown bricks, broken windows, and even bombs thrown into the bus.  It did not go well.  But unlike the Battle of Atlanta, though the battle was lost here in Aniston, the war was won by these Freedom Riders.  Madison learned a bit this afternoon about the Civil Rights battle, and you can't complain about that.

We got pins with images of Dr. King on them, and were glad to do a little something to honor the legacy of civil rights, and most importantly immerse ourselves for just a little bit in the story of our nation, and its growth towards healing.  Someday we'll make it there.

Afterwards, we walked to our car - a long walk.  But it gave us a nice view of the Swan House, a very nice place right there next to the History Center.

It made for a nice picture!  We got to the car and warmed up again, and the we were off.  It was a nice trip, and an easy drive home.  We stopped by Cracker Barrel for some fast-friendly food with Daddy and Madison, but Nana and Ye-Ye had a nice meal.  We had a nice time there, and there's one big moment that came with the little peg game they have at each table:  Madison won the game a few times in a row!  She finally figured out how to do it, and what's even better is that she developed her own pattern, one different than the version that Daddy has memorized.  She tested it out again and again, and while we were there waiting for the food, she finally can proudly proclaim that she's not an "eg-no-ra-moose!"

Getting home, it was time to get things together quickly to go to piano class.  We were off and running quickly, and Madison was working with both hands on a few songs that she's been learning all along, one of them entitled "Grand Central Station."  Yes, there's that train theme again.

Tonight, Madison was working on math a bit, and after that we watched a few episodes of "Kickin' It" on the television too.  After reading and prayer, we closed out a pretty good day, a pretty full one.  It was fun and educational, and a nice little memory.