True enough.

And we do have a small wine cellar, which only complicates things. Ah, such problems. 🙂

Eric

Please see my blog post today, which your post inspired.

And I do absolutely agree with you about Bentonville. I’ve been there three times now, and the most I’ve ever seen out there is about a dozen people. It’s quite sad indeed.

Eric

Indeed, one size does not fit all. I have a great many reference books, too, from The Death Investigator’s Handbook and Crime Classification Manual, to Mosby’s Medical Encyclopedia and the Complete Guide to Service Handguns. But I’m sure my working library is a shadow of yours.

I haven’t been at Appomattox, so I don’t know what’s there, but can guess. The people here at Bennett Place seem quite dedicated, but their funding is constantly being cut and as a tourist destination, it ranks somewhere below Allen & Sons Barbecue.

We’re used to being overshadowed by the Army of Northern Virginia. Poor Bentonville is little more than a dusty field hospital and a collection of rutted fields. When I visited the site the staff treated me like visiting royalty, they were so desperate for attention.

I certainly understand your philosophy. The problem is that the vast majority of my Civil War books are used regularly in my work, so what you propose is really not much of an option, although I understand where you’re coming from.

I’m glad you enjoy your visits here. We have some friends who live in Pinehurst, and I’ve made three visits to Bennett Place so far. In many ways, what happened there is more important than what happened at Appomattox, but I find the contrast between them stark and striking.

Eric

Books are a bit tougher, but I’ve kept things manageable with the same diligence. When I got out of the service, everything I owned fit into two foot lockers. I doubt I’ll ver be that unencumbered again, but it’s something to shoot for.

It helps that I’m married to a pack rat. Yin and Yang, you know.

(BTW, this is my first time visiting here, but it won’t be my last. My grandfather’s grandfather was the color bearer for the 42nd Georgia Infantry and I live a mile from Bennett Place. The Civil War is still very much a part of our lives here in North Carolina.)

I agree. Since we have to be stuck here in the frozen Arctic wasteland of Ohio, we figure that we might as well live in a place we like and which provides us with what we really want/need in a house. I think that the new one will do just that.

Eric

Seriously, Eric, I know you’re tickled to be going to a new place. You’re familiar with my home, and even at about 4000 square feet much is also wasted space. My library is also jam-packed, and I can see making a library out of our daughter’s bedroom once she’s flown the nest.

That would be my dream as well – designing a new home that includes plans for a modern library. I’d also design in a map table on one end, etc. However, since we plan to stay here until moving south when I retire, that either won’t be an option until then, or we’ll try to find an existing place down there that accomodates us.

You’ll be much happier in the new digs, and I look foward to seeing it 🙂

J.D. Petruzzi

Barbara

I’m lucky here, because Susan’s dislike of this house exceeds mine by quite a lot. She REALLY is eager to be out of here. 🙂

Moving all of these books isn’t what I fear, since I’m paying pros to do it for me. Nope, what I really dread is unpacking the damned things when we get settled in the new house.

Eric