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Grandparents’ Weekend

This past weekend at the WV place was really quite eventful. We filled all of the bedrooms for the first time ever. We got to take the parents on a train ride, spend time with Joey (our youngest grandson) and talk to and see Shannon from Barcelona using Skype.

I shared Saturday’s train ride pictures with you the other day. So now you get to see what Sunday brought.

Fall! When I got out of bed on Sunday morning, it was 39 degrees. That’s only 7 degrees above freezing.

Sorry, I won’t bore you with my nature photos yet again. After all, we did have 6 people in the house at one time. But I couldn’t resist sharing these two. They look better if you click on each pic for a larger view.

Here’s my Dad having breakfast with Joey, our entertainment for the weekend. When Hubby pointed out to Amy that she was shipping her son off to spend an entire weekend with FIVE grandparents, she almost changed her mind. I mean, if 2 grandparents can spoil a kid in a weekend, what would 5 do?

We took turns passing him from one lap to the other.

Even my Mom (aka Mawsie) got in on some Joey loving.

He’s really a personable, well-behaved, happy little fellow.

And with people like me around, he’s gotten really good at saying, “cheese.”

It was too cold to go play outside, so we brought out the zero gravity lounger. It kept him busy for at least an hour.

He and I were taking turns reclining then locking the chair in place so Joey could unlock it and have the chair back shoot forward. Meg had to get in on the act, too.

Joey thought the chair was the most fun ever. Everyone else just liked listening to Joey giggle.

He was sort of excited and sort of scared to sit on my big motorcycle.

See what I mean about him always looking happy?

Here Joey and Pop are goofing off as the parents get ready to leave.

Then it was time for lunch. Take a closer look at Joey…

… doing his best to sit like Pop.

He’s at that mimicking phase, which is cute until someone slips and says something like, “dumbass.” Lucky for us, that one wore off quickly.

He’s also at that “I wanna help” stage, which is cute, too. But it means it takes ten times longer to get anything done. Which is okay, unless you’re supposed to be someplace at a certain time.

Finally, we were ready to leave. He’s even a good car passenger.

Mom Murphy, sorry I didn’t get a picture with Joey on your lap!

Other than that, we all had a fabulous weekend. This weekend is going to be fun, too. We’ve got more company coming. More on that next week.

I can’t close without sharing at least one picture of Belle. Just a quick one…

I keep saying she’s fast. She really can fly.

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A Potomac Eagle Weekend

As I mentioned the other day, we had our first full house at the WV place this past weekend.

Pictured here, from left to right, are my Mom (Doris), my Dad (Phares), my mother-in-law (Dena Jeanne), Hubby, me and our youngest grandson (Joey).

A long time ago, Hubby and I decided we’d like to take the parents on a train ride. It just took a while to implement. What train? The Potomac Eagle, of course.

The train is actually based in Romney, a few miles from our house. We really have been wanting to do this for a while, but the timing had to be just right. I think Fall is the best time, scenery wise. But then, I love Fall.

It really was a very nice weekend. I’ll expand more on it later. I managed to come down with a cold, which is why I am so late posting about the weekend. It’s also why I’m sharing the pictures with very little commentary. I need to go to bed.

The Potomac Eagle rides south from Romney along the South Branch of the Potomac River. It really is a pretty area. The mountains may not be as dramatic as they are in the American West, but they’re still quite lovely. Especially in the Fall.


















This shot cracks me up. It looks like someone said, “Everyone tilt your head sideways.” Joey got the “tilt” part, but didn’t get “sideways.” He tilted back instead. It’s sort of like me telling him to squeeze out a little more pee (he’s potty training). I had to follow that statement with, “No, not with your fingers!”

And here’s the grand finale shot of the day…

I’ll post more pics from the weekend and tell you how much fun we all had in my next post. I hope. Right now, I need to blow my nose for the gazillionth time and go to sleep.

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Our First Full House

For the first time ever all of the bedrooms at the WV place were used in one weekend.

A while back, we’d planned for the parents to come up for a visit. At the last minute, Amy needed a place for Joey to go because it was Gaige’s 6th birthday weekend and the party would have been too much for the little guy.

I’ve got lots of pics to share, but I am pooped. So I’ll have to share those pics tomorrow. Or the next day. And maybe even the day after that.

I did say I have lots of pics to share, right?

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Capon Springs, West Virginia

Hubby and I love our WV home. It’s cozy. And peaceful. The dogs LOVE it here. Amazing motorcycle roads are abundant. It’s the perfect weekend getaway for us. The only bad thing is that it’s too close to Capon Springs.

The WV Place is located in Hampshire County, West Virginia, a county that straddles the edge of the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions of the state. It just happens that the Capon Springs and Farms resort/spa is also in Hampshire County. Which means, even if it is the coolest little place ever, it would feel sort of stupid for us to go and stay there.

This map shows our place (the “A” pin) in relation to Capon Springs (the “B” pin) and our Maryland house, which is about halfway between Baltimore and Washington, DC.

It’s not that we’re spa people or anything. It’s that the place is just so darn cute. It’s exactly the sort of place we like to stay when on vacation. It’s old (est. ~1840), very well maintained and situated on 4,700 acres in the Allegheny foothills just outside a piece of the George Washington National Forest.

We discovered it by accident back in August. Back then, I knew I wanted to return to explore more. That’s what we did on Saturday. Although it was a beautiful day, our motorcycles were out of commission. Both needed new back tires, which Hubby bought and mounted on the wheels, but he left a crucial part at the Maryland house. So we just took the truck.

It really is a neat little place with all sorts of stuff to do. There’s hiking, golf, fishing, tennis and swimming. Did I mention the full-service spa? The outdoor volleyball court. The croquet course set up on the lawn?

This place manages to be quaint without being the least bit tacky.

It really is a spring, too, as in water. There’s water bubbling up in a variety of places (like the ornamental ball in the above image). Their Web site says, “A bottle of refreshing Capon Water is provided in all guest rooms. Please take it home with you when you leave so you may enjoy the benefits of good healthy spring water between your Capon visits. You are also welcome to bring your own containers and fill them at any of the fountains around the grounds.”

Speaking of the grounds, there’s this neat swing on the lawn. There are Adirondack chairs everywhere you look. There are also hammocks and other assorted benches scattered strategically in spots that are sure to inspire deep contemplation.

In case you’re wondering, this is not a paid endorsement. We’ve never even stayed at the place. It’s just so darn charming, I figured I’d tell the world so maybe a friend or two could come and enjoy it.

I’d guess the best times are Fall (mid- to late-October) and Spring. There are huge old rhododendron bushes in front of several of the cottages. Plus little flower gardens galore.

Here are some more images of the place…







If you decide to stay there, do let me know how it is. It’s a bit weird to talk-up a place you’ve never stayed. But, really, it’s just so darn charming.

After we left Capon Springs, we drove up to Capon Bridge for dinner at our favorite Hampshire County restaurant, El Puente. Then we took the scenic route home, which is where I snapped the closing image I have dubbed…

Fall on the Cacapon River

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It’s All About the Light

As I’ve said at least once recently, the quality of light in the Fall is awesome. It’s very soft. So colors are generally more vibrant. Add that to all the changing colors of the flowers, trees and grasses, and Fall presents a pretty good show.

Yesterday, between rain showers, I took the girls for a walk. I almost always take my camera. In fact, they get excited when they see me pick up my camera because they know it usually means a walk.

As expected, I was able to capture quite a few leaf images. The light was good, but I also massaged them a bit with Photo Shop. And added some artsy frames. Titles, too, which were not easy to come up with. I put them all together in a short little slide show, with music of course, for your viewing pleasure. (If you don’t see or can’t start the slide show embedded below, let me know.)

If you’d rather just see the images, or see them at higher-resolution, I posted them on Flickr, too.
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Oh, What A Lazy Day

Fall is definitely here.

We’re at the WV place. It’s 59 degrees outside. And raining. We have the front door and some of the windows open. The only sound is the rain hitting the leaves in the forest that surrounds us. That and water dripping in the puddles just beyond my window, where it lands after running off of the roof (we don’t have any rain gutters).

Meg is curled up on a braided rug beside me. Belle is snuggled down on top of her bed near my feet. They’re both worn out from their morning romp.

Hubby is on the sofa. (Awake, believe it or not.) The air is ripe with the smell of chili simmering in the crock-pot.

A lazy day indeed.

I did take the girls for a walk this morning between rain showers. As you can see from the pics, the leaves are really starting to change colors. In quite a few spots, a carpet of leaves blankets the ground. Those are maple leaves for the most part. They tend to change colors and drop first. Which is fine by me. They’re pretty on the trees certainly, but they’re also pretty interesting to look at (and photograph!) when on the ground.

I’ll share my artsy leaf pics in my next post. First, I have to share this…

Technically speaking, it’s not a great picture. It’s blurry for gosh sake. But look how happy my little Belle looks. This is how she looks as she runs around reveling in her freedom at the WV place.

When outside, she’s almost always–95% of the time–on the move. She moves fast, too. Ears flying. Goofy grin on her face. Tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.

She loves it here.

Here’s a rare shot of Belle standing still. (I deleted about 27 other failed attempts.) We were waiting for Meg to return. Belle stays pretty much at my side. Definitely within earshot. She’s the kind of dog that likes to stick close to her people at all times. (She’s the one who puts her toes under the door when I am in the bathroom.)

Here’s a shot of Turkey Hollow Road. That’s the official name now. The county actually came around and installed road signs.

Here’s a shot from almost the same spot as the last image, facing the opposite direction. That’s our driveway on the left. Turkey Hollow Road continues for about another half mile before it dead ends.

Meg showed up very shortly after the previous shot was taken. Belle greeted her exuberantly, as usual, before the two of them headed down our driveway, back toward the house, with me bringing up the rear.

Look into the back of the picture, among the trees. That’s an awful lot of yellow.

Fall is most definitely my favorite time of year.