One of the few ‘positives’ from my recent recovery was the amount of free-time that I had to lay in bed and watch Civil War documentaries. Over the last 5 weeks, I have done an excellent job of tuning out the modern world (I have no idea what’s going on in the painful world of politics and reality television) and embracing my new favorite media outlet: Fairfax Public Television. A few months ago, we switched our phone, cable and internet over to Verizon’s FIOS, which is their new fiber optic network. It is amazing and I have web-surfing capabilities 10x’s faster than my office. I also have access to Northern VA television which is rich in Civil War material.

The gem of their catalog is the “Blue Ridge PBS Civil War Series,” which features a 10-episode collection that is written and hosted by Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia Tech and William C. Davis, the Director of Programs for Virginia's Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech. To read a detailed abstract of each episode and to get ordering information, visit the Blue Ridge PBS Website.

I have personally discussed the possibility of contributing some time and talent in hopes of creating a Fredericksburg series with our local experts and there may be a project on the horizon. We have such an amazing body of gifted and brilliant historians here, I know we could create something educational, entertaining, and enlightening.