Traveling as Two - Richmond

We checked out of our Harper's Ferry hotel early since we had tickets to be at Monticello by 11:15. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive without stops and we got there with 5 minutes to spare. After we passed through the metal detectors, it was time to get on the shuttle.

This was our first glimpse of Thomas Jefferson's beloved Monticello.

It wasn't as big as we were thinking it might be. Here you go, up close.

The entryway was really cool...no staircase!

I loved the library and all the old books. Here was Jefferson's bed...pretty short for a guy who was 6'2", but our guide told us Jefferson always slept sitting up!

Look at his closet!!

We toured the kitchens and the underground tunnel. We stopped at the cafe and bought a root beer. A quick dash through the gift shop and then it was time to go. We still had lots of miles before we could sleep.

Next stop, Richmond and this fleeting glimpse of the state capitol.

And this really cool building from capitol square that I don't know what is.

We left Richmond for our last hour on the road. Our destination was Williamsburg and after checking into our condo, we went looking for somewhere to eat.

The Plaza Azteca was so good and even a bit different. They made fresh guacamole at the table.

And our food was delivered by robot!

More fun tomorrow.

 

Traveling as Two - Harper's Ferry

We got up bright and early on Sunday so that we could eat our free Hampton Inn breakfast and then get to church by 9:00.

When Sacrament meeting was over, we drove the short distance to Harper's Ferry. After checking in and changing my shoes, we climbed on the shuttle to Lower Town.

Harper's Fery was not really what I expected. Nearly all the old houses and storefronts had been turned into various museums. My sweetie was so sad that he couldn't really buy fudge at the confectionery!

The first building we went into showed us a little movie about the various floods that kept taking out the town.

Harper's Ferry is at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, so that isn't really surprising. After looking inside several buildings, we walked over to the bridge leading to Maryland. It spans the Potomac just before the Confluence.

We walk slow, but it wasn't too long before we got off the bridge. We decided to get something to eat, so we stopped at a cute little pub with a crazy small winding staircase leading to the second floor. (That's where the restroom was...)

The food was way good, especially the french fries.

After several more buildings and a run through the gift shop, we caught the shuttle back to the visitor's center.

Our feet were hurting from all the walking on uneven terrain, so we decided to take a dip in the hot tub.

Then it was a quick dinner of pita bread and soup in the room, and we decided to call it a day. 

More excitement tomorrow...

Traveling as Two - Philadelphia

We left on Saurday morning and by 5:00, we were in Philly. We usually travel with 3 suitcases, but this time, we had 5. Teach asked us to bring her a suitcase full of bread...

And we had some cookie jars and jewelry from Grandma for the girls. So Teach and Twiz met us at the airport and just like that (snaps!) we are down to three suitcases again.

Then we picked up our rental car and got on the road. We had a 2 1/2 hour drive to get to our hotel in Harper's Ferry. The sunset was beautiful.

We decided to stop for dinner at a little Greek place in the suburbs of Baltimore.

After we ate, we drove the rest of the way to Charles Town. It was late and we were ready for sleep. More tomorrow...

Jess's Wedding

Remember when we did the bridal shower a couple of weeks ago for my niece, Jess? Not only did Scout get her wisdom teeth pulled, but we had the wedding in the morning and the reception in the evening. (They yanked Scout's teeth out at 2:00!) Scout and I drove over to the care center about 9:30 to pick up Grandpa, but he was still in bed. We finally got to Provo just before 11:00, but things didn't really get rolling until about 11:45.

After the ceremony, we left Grandpa with my oldest sis and headed for home. We only had a few minutes to change and pick all the green beans before we left for the dentist.

We were finished with teeth and stopping by Jamba for an Orange Dream Machine (no seeds) and getting prescriptions by 4:00. Then I had Baby Doll and Curly pick all the red tomatoes.

My sweetie and I worked like mad to make the beginnings of 8 scant gallons of tomato soup before we changed and drove down to the reception about 6:30. So much to do! But the soup would be ready for blending as soon as we got home.

We stole some fun pics from the wedding...

We dropped Grandpa off just before 9:00, made dinner and finished the soup. Dog Walker helped me bag it up while I pressured 5 pints of green beans. I finally dropped into bed not long after Curly got home at midnight. It was a long day and we are traveling on Saturday! More later...

Poor Scout!

She refused to let me take a pic, but poor Scout had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled. She was a trooper. But she is still in a lot of pain.

Not a pic from today...

Please pray for her to heal quickly.

My Cute Dad

 

Grandpa is coming up on his 89th birthday on Sunday. His favorite color is purple and he loves to get a twist cone from Arctic Circle after a doctor's appointment. He loves having his pic in the newsletter like this one. I miss not having him around every day, but I see him a couple of times a week. Love you, Dad!!

Wordless Wednesday - In My Backyard!

 

From L'il Bro, a true Bird Nerd:

Sharp shinned hawk. Pretty cool to see it right there. They are reasonably common in Utah.

BUT NOT IN MY BACKYARD!!

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

Today we hit 41 years. It has been an amazing roller coaster ride. Even though I don't love roller coasters because on my motion sickness, I would definitely do it all over again.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!

And many more.

Boy Scout Blankets

I've wanted to take this pic for a long time! All my guys and their Boy Scout blankets. All have their Eagles, but Curly's shirt and sash have not been sewn on yet because he is still using them.

So proud of them!!

Maybe soon I can work on the blankets for the girls...

Powderpuff Derby

The last couple of weeks, my sweetie has been helping Scout and Baby Doll make cars for the Aspen Service Unit Powderpuff Derby. They take car building and racing very seriously! 

And this was Scout's last opportunity to race as a girl scout. Baby Doll is #14 and Scout is #15. Scout's is a tribute to her new app, Kope With Kate, and you can install it by going to KopewithKate.com to see her other icons.

 

Baby Doll was nervous, but Scout and K jumped right in to help things run smoothly.

Both girls had the opportunity to start the race and speak into the microphone.

Both girls won 1st place in their divisions with Baby Doll having the fastest car by beating Scout by a hair.

We all had so much fun!!