Handmade Rifle - The gentleman on the right makes these rifles that are made like they were in the late 1700s. (Double click on any picture for a larger view.) The rifles have elaborate scroll work and inlaid metal designs. He works on making these rifles as a hobby and it can take 6 or more months to make just one rifle. They were really beautiful.

Dinner is Served - I don't know what they were cooking, but it smelled so good.

Flight 93 National Memorial - September 11, 2001

Flight 93 Crash Site - It is windy with overcast skies that mirror the somber mood of those visiting the memorial site. It is a quiet rolling hill that once was a strip coal mine. The hills are gently sloping with a border of Hemlock trees. It is eerily silent.

The site volunteer lives in the small village of Shanksville, two miles away. She tells us the firemen were at the site within 10 minutes of the crash which they were alerted to as the plane was being followed on radar. A farmer and his wife who live only 1/2 mile from the site were first there. Both the farmer and his wife and later the fireman saw the black smoke billowing up to the stratosphere, but they did not see an airplane.

At impact, the plane was going 550 miles per hour and dug a crater of over 40 feet deep into the ground. There were only small unrecognizable debris in the area and later it was discovered that the debris covered an area of 9 miles.

The surrounding dirt had been removed to find whatever information could be found, and later the crater was filled in with fresh dirt and the area reseeded to grass. DNA was ultimately found for over 80% of the victims. Only a bible that belonged to Toshiya Kuge, a 12 year Japanese boy, and a backpack were found intact. Over time some belongings were found and returned to the families.

Temporary Memorial to Crew and Passengers - The volunteer told us that on September 11, she was at home in Shanksville, two miles away, working at her computer and watching the news on television of the attacks on the World Trade Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. She heard what sounded like a screeching engine in reverse and the sounds were so loud, she had to cover her ears. She didn't know what was happening and then her home began to rumble from the ground up. She ran out of her house fearful as she had no idea of what could be happening. When she got outside, there was only silence.

Two miles in the other direction of the crash site, her husband, a teacher, at the local school that housed K - 12 said that it was a warm September day and the windows of most classrooms were open. Suddenly, they also heard a loud sound and children on the top floor of the building saw the plane going down. From the impact, windows slammed down and doors blew open and the building also began to shake. Had the plane crashed 2 seconds earlier, the school would have been in its path. The plane was 20 minutes from Washington, D.C.

The temporary memorial has an area where people leave personal items or write notes in remembrance of those souls who make an incredibly brave decision to try and overtake the terrorist so others would not become victims. Benches with the names of the crew and passengers is another memorial to them. There is a small building that has photos and stories about the event, and a book that has a picture and small biography of each crew member and passenger. Reading the biographies makes you realize even more that these people were no different than your family and your neighbors and your friends--just going about there daily business.

Being at the site is a profound experience and it is heartbreaking all over again.

Renaissance Festival of Greater Pittsburgh

The Enchanted Forest - The setting is England at the end of the War of the Roses through the culmination of the reign of Elizabeth 1 (1455-1603). It was a relatively peaceful time of recreation and enjoyment. It was the time of Shakespeare. (Double click to enlarge any picture)