Posted on

Why We Built a House in West Virginia

We just had one of the best weekends I can remember. We finally got to use the WV place strictly for FUN. That’s right, FUN. No work. Just relaxing, riding our motorcycles, and hanging out with our close friends Kathy and Barry Spice. They came to visit for the weekend with their dog, Max, who is not pictured here. (There’s lots of pictures from the weekend on my Web site.)

We did a short ride on Friday, stopping in Capon Bridge (about 30 minutes east of Romney) at a yummy little Mexican place called El Puente for dinner. The food is awesome. I am so sad we didn’t start going there years ago!

Saturday was our big day. We did a 200-plus-mile loop over about 8 hours through some gorgeous countryside on curvy mountain roads. Motorcycle riding doesn’t get much better.

Then Barry grilled us a dinner of steak, potatoes and broccoli and plied us with beverages (lemonade mixed with blueberry vodka…YUM).

After dinner we just spent time chatting and relaxing after our glorious day.

They left early on Sunday; Kathy had things to do. So Mike and I did a short 100-mile ride, stopping at El Puente in Capon Bridge, again, for lunch. (I told you the food was good!)

It is a good thing we’re pretty much finished working up here. This motorcycle riding can be quite addictive. As can just sitting around relaxing, hanging out with friends, exploring the town (I have been meaning to do this for years), etc.

By the way, if you didn’t click on my “exploring the town” link above, which leads to my Picasa page and features lots of pictures of Romney, you should CLICK HERE NOW. Assuming, of course, you actually want to see pictures of Romney.

Posted on

Meg’s Moods

It isn’t just me that would rather be anywhere but here. Really.

I’ve often told people that Meg pouts when we are at our Maryland house. They usually say something like “Oh yeah?” and/or a slight nod that says, “Yeah, whatever. A dog that pouts.”

So I decided to take some pictures. Now I have proof. The following pictures were shot over the course of a few days.

Does that look like a pout to you?

How about this one?

I guess she doesn’t look TOO pathetic here.

She looks pretty sad in this one.

This one, too.

Now, she looks REALLY sad here.

But things are looking up. That’s because I just told her we’d be going to “the WV” soon.

Once she gets to our humble little cabin in the woods, she’s a happy girl once again.

You can see she’s smiling here.

This is Meg, totally in her element.

You be the judge. She went from this…

…to this.

So, would you agree that my dog pouts? Or am I just guilty of hopeful pet-owner personification?

Posted on

I Made It!!!

I’m in Romney using the town library’s wireless Internet. It is slow, but better than nothing. If it weren’t for the Hampshire County Library going wireless, I wouldn’t be able to work from our humble mountain abode.

Which, by the way, is what I should be doing. Work that is. So, back to it.

We’ll be in WV for a few days, so you won’t see any new posts for a while.

TTFN

Posted on

I’d Rather Be in West Virginia

Continuing with yesterday’s Anywhere But Here theme…

As most of my loyal readers know, Hubby and I built a house in West Virginia. Literally. Over a period of three years, we spent every free weekend there laboring away.

Our WV property is just under six acres. We’re a two-mile drive from the main road, surrounded by woods on all sides. There’s a road below the ridge behind us–Poland Hollow Road–but with only a few houses, the road isn’t very busy.

This is why we feel pretty safe letting our dogs roam free. They never go very far and usually don’t stay away from the homestead very long. They both enjoy it there. Meg likes it far more than C. In fact, Meg LOVES it. Her tail usually wags for hours after we arrive.

Meg really is a country dog at heart. The girl loves to run. In WV there’s space to do just that. She’s in her element.

I always tell people that she pouts when we are at home in Maryland. Today’s picture is evidence. That’s pretty much how she looks all week. Until she sees us packing, that is. Then she perks up considerably and is once more her usual, crazy self.

Today I’ll be heading to WV (hopefully) on my motorcycle. Hubby will follow tomorrow in the truck, bringing all our gear and the girls. The plan is to spend a four-day weekend in WV with our good friends the Spices. Riding our motorcycles by day and relaxing by night.

In other words, we FINALLY get to do what the WV place was built for.

I won’t be posting for a few days. There’s no Internet connectivity unless I ride into town and visit the library. But maybe I’ll have some good pictures when we get back.

———————————————————-

On another note …

Today is my Dad’s 70th birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!

Not that he’ll see this. He isn’t computer minded. But I thought the world should know.

Besides, maybe my Mom, who is computer minded, will see this and say, “Hey, look. You made it to the Internet today. Now the whole world will know it is your birthday.”

If only the whole world read my silly little Blog.

Posted on

Anywhere But Here

It is early on Tuesday. I’m not feeling much like working. In fact, I’m sitting here, sipping my coffee, wishing I were anywhere but here right now.

I’d take a picture to show you my office, but it is messy. So just use your imagination. Imagine me in a 10 x 10 room (approximate), painted green. I am sitting at my fake-wood desk, blond in color, with my feet up on the file cabinet that sits to the left of my desk. CeCe, my oldest dog, is curled up under my desk. Moses, my oldest cat, is curled up across the room on a dog pillow. Muffin, the younger cat, is on the recliner, which is also green. I’m not sure where exactly Meg is, but trust me when I say she isn’t far away.

I just finished reading some OPBs (other peoples’ blogs), which is probably why I am feeling this way. I blame it all on Scary, of Scary’s West, for posting things like this. I’d love to spend some time hanging out in that cabin!

And then there’s this post, too. My world is so different (sigh).

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things I love about my life. Like Hubby, for example. And my kids, of course. And grandkids. And the rest of the family (parents, pets, extended family, etc.).

I’m not crazy about living in Maryland; I yearn to go west. West Virginia is a start, I guess. I’ll be riding up there tomorrow.

It is far too crowded here. And loud. And hectic. (Imagine another big sigh.)

If you could be anywhere else right now, where would it be? The photo below was taken last year on a whirlwind tour of Zion National Park. I can see myself there, strolling along the road. A backpack full of camera equipment and water slung over my right shoulder. My tripod hitting me on the back of my legs as I amble along, scanning the scenery for just the right camera angle.

Like I said before… anywhere but here. Where would you rather be?