Anywhere you see a symbol next to a subject, click on it to see more links about that subject.

I was driving in the motor home on my way to see this mountain outside Atlanta, Georgia, on the morning of November 16. I heard on the car radio that on that date in 1864 General Sherman had set fire to Atlanta and had begun his march to the sea. That the dates matched was a great coincidence and a not especially nice one, at that. I hated to think of all that destruction, even if it resulted in the North winning the Civil War and the United States all staying together to become the strong union that we are today.

In the picture you see Stone Mountain, which is a dome of granite that stands 825 feet (251.5 meters) high, on a plain east of Atlanta. Geologists estimate that the rock is 300 million years old. The distance around the base of it is five miles (8.0 kilometers)! Carved into the mountain are portraits of three of the Confederate heroes of the Civil War. On the left is Confederate president Jefferson Davis. In the middle is General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and on the right is General Robert E. Lee . (It's interesting that Robert E. Lee was born on a Virginia plantation just a few miles from where George Washington was born about a hundred years earlier.)

The sculpture looks small compared to the mountain, but the entire scene covers a space the size of a city block, or three acres (1.2 hectares). The figure of Lee is the height of a nine-story building, and a man could stand in the open mouth of Lee's horse.

You can see some Christmas decorations in the pine trees in the foreground of the picture, while some of the trees back near the mountain are still showing off their fall colors. That's how it is here in the South, with Fall lasting much later than what I'm used to in Colorado.

Rain was starting to fall as I took these two pictures, and I don't know if the raindrops or my tears had the most to do with my damp cheeks. I had just come out of the National Park Service Visitor Center, where I had spent two hours immersing myself in video clips of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There were moments in history that I had forgotten all about until I saw the news clips once again, making 35 years ago seem like yesterday. In the Visitor Center I walked among statues that were representing the people who peacefully crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in March of 1965 in that famous march in which many were beaten by police, and a few died. Needless to say, the whole experience was a very emotional experience for me. I am so thankful that we had such a man in America to point the way to nonviolent social change in order to achieve equal rights for all citizens, no matter the color of their skin.

I could tell you much about the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but I want you to look up as much information as you can in these links. I will tell you that the first picture shows Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King attended church as a child when his father was pastor there. Late in King's life, he was co-pastor with his father at that same church. The second picture shows King's tomb and the surrounding King Center. The Center houses the organization that continues Dr. King's work toward economic and social equality. The National Park Visitor Center is right across the street from the church and the King Center.

There is no picture of the statue that I found most inspiring. It stands in front of the Visitor Center and depicts an African man holding his newborn baby up at arms' length face-up to the sky. It's called the Behold Monument. The plaque in front of it states that it is placed there to commemorate the heroic principles that guided the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It continues, "This monument is a tribute to Dr. King and his enduring inspiration to all who fight for dignity, social justice, and human rights." Sculptor Patrick Morelli was inspired by the ancient African ritual of lifting a newborn child to the heavens and reciting the words, "Behold the only thing greater than yourself."

Young Woodrow Wilson lived in this house in Columbia, South Carolina, from the age of 16 through 19 (1872-1875). Wilson's parents had the house built when his father came to the University of South Carolina as a professor of religion. His father also served as the minister at First Presbyterian Church, which is still in use. Both of Wilson's parents are buried in the cemetery on the grounds of the church. One of the items on display in the house is the bed in which Woodrow Wilson was born.

Wilson led the United States through World War I, and afterward tried to bring it into the League of Nations. His effort was defeated by seven votes in the Senate.

You may remember that this state capitol building in South Carolina was receiving quite a bit of attention in the news in the last few months. For years the Confederate battle flag had flown from the top of the capitol dome. It was offensive to many people, African-Americans among them, because to them it represented prejudice and division between people. Bowing to pressure from many voters, the legislature finally voted to take it down. The flag that now flies at the top of the capitol dome is the state flag of South Carolina. The Confederate flag wasn't put away, however. It is hanging from that pole near the monument on the right side of the picture, and to me it seems that it now has an even more prominent spot than it had previously. Passers-by can't help but see it, for it's nearly at their eye level now.

A friend of mine in Columbia who is an architect told me that this huge building was recently earthquake-proofed. Somehow springs and other cushioning devices were slid under it. I would be very curious to learn what materials were used and how that was done.

The city of Savannah and the colony of Georgia were founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe. Georgia was the thirteenth and last colony established by England on American soil. The city was designed to have a perpendicular street grid with a square every third block. These small squares were to serve as centers around which commercial and residential buildings were gathered. In the photo you see Whitfield Square with its lovely gazebo. Live oak trees are growing in the square, and hanging from the trees is the graceful Spanish moss which is so typical of a warm, southern climate. Through the trees and across the square is a very old house typical of the architecture of over a hundred years ago.

When General Sherman set fire to Atlanta in November of 1864 and began his march to the sea, burning every town he and his Union troops stormed through, he stopped at Savannah on Christmas Day, 1864. He didn't burn this lovely city but instead offered it to President Lincoln as a Christmas present.

Thanks to a very active preservation society in Savannah, 22 of the original 24 town squares still survive. I drove past a few of them, and each is different from all the others. One had a modern children's playground in it. Others were paved with walkways and dotted with benches.

An interesting side note: parts of the movie "Forrest Gump" were filmed in Savannah.