Manassas and Great Falls

On Labor Day we took a drive to Manassas, VA to visit the Civil War battlefield, also known as Bull Run. Here we are on the infamous bridge over Bull Run where silly spectators from Washington were overrun by retreating Union troops. We were not sure which side we represented that day with the Union caps and the Tarheel clothing! We also drove over to the Great Falls of the Potomac in Northern Virginia for a picnic and a look at the magnificent falls. Of course the water was low this year. It definitely warrants another trip in the spring.

This past Thursday the boys had the day off so we went into DC. We were able to get a tour of the Capitol including the House Chambers. We also took the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument. But sadly we left the camera at home. You'll just have to trust me :)

School starts

School started on August 27. Here are Trenton and Drew headed to 5th and 2nd grades with their new friends Rachel and Jacob. Believe it or not they are in 6th and 1st grades.

More Missouri photos

More Missouri photos. See me doing my Bill Dance impression. Kiss, kiss.

Missouri

The week in Missouri was so much fun. The state park is beautiful. At the visitors' center they offer a basket weaving class. Yes, each of us weaved a tiny basket with grass and raffia. But of course we were there to catch rainbow trout. Tim and Opa hit the stream very early every morning and then took the boys out in the afternoons. The boys were good sports about having to wade in the frigid water in their clothes. They both enjoyed the thrill of catching their own fishes. I also gave it a try-without waders the first time. What fun! I caught my limit the first time out. We ate fish a few nights and brought home our limit of 32 in dry ice.

August was busy!

In August, we drove out to Bennett Springs, MO for a week of fly-fishing with Tim's parents. We made the drive out part of the fun. On the second day we stopped at Daniel Boone's grave in Frankfort, KY and drove around the state capitol area. We stopped in Evansville, IN to see some good friends who used to live down the street from us in Georgia. That was a treat for all of us. On the third day we visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. We were a little nervous about the ride up and down in the small capsule-like cars but it was well worth it. What a view! Then we were able to visit with more friends in the Ft. Leonard Wood, MO area before arriving at our destination.

We're having fun

For the July 4th holiday we went to Boone, NC for my family reunion. Here are just some of the great-great grandchildren. Oh, and be careful while traveling the US 321 corridor. The second photo was our view all the way down the mountain. (She was NOT part of the family reunion!)

A couple weeks later were back in NC, in Fayetteville, for my 20-year high school reunion. Yes, I'm that old. It was so much fun seeing and catching up with old friends. It made my entire year when everyone told me that I was the one who had changed the least since high school. :) Also in July we had the opportunity to go boating and fishing with my lifelong friend, Christine, and her family. Drew was the only one who caught a fish that day, a striped bass, aka rockfish. But we had fun riding in the boat, swimming, and picnicking.

House, Garden and animals

Here are some photos of our house and our little garden in the backyard. We are growing zucchini, corn, watermelon, canteloupe, green beans, okra, peppers and tomatoes. The tomatoes are yummy and we are enjoying walking out there to pick beans, okra and peppers for our dinner. The corn will be ready soon. Yum Yum! We also have an abundance of animals here. There are dozens of rabbits in our yard everyday. The ducks from the nearby pond come to visit for bread right out of our hands. We have seen fox and deer. But the most fun and/or infuriating animals are the groundhogs. They are persistent little things that will do anything to get into our garden. It is a constant struggle to stay one step ahead of (or behind) them. They even climb trees!

Our trips

We have been trying to do as much sightseeing as we can while we live in this historic area. We have been to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington; Harper's Ferry and John Brown's Fort; and Gettysburg, where we learned much about those terrible 3 days. We took our picture in front of General George G. Meade.

Summer time

We have had a busy summer. Over Memorial Day weekend Tim's brother Chris and his family visited us from Ft. Drum, NY. We had a great time visiting Ft. McHenry (where we put the kids in jail) and DC. We even got a tour of the White House. Unfortunately we couldn't take cameras to that. We celebrated Trenton's 10th birthday with a trip to Friendly's for ice cream.

Band Concert

On May 23, Trenton participated in his first band concert at school. He started playing the trumpet in March and has really made outstanding progress. He auditioned for a solo which ended up as a quartet, but he was the only trumpet player. We were all so proud of him.

Andrews AFB air show

We recently attended the Joint Services Open House at Andrews AFB outside DC. It was truly awesome. We got to tour some large aircraft and then saw some in action including the Thunderbirds. The Army's Golden Knights jumped in too. My favorites were the F-22 when he opened the bomb bay and the heritage flight. I don't know how the pilots make these fighters do what they do. We all had a fantastic time. There are so many photos I can't possibly show them all.

Living American Flag

On May 22, Tim and I took the boys to historic Ft. McHenry to participate in the Living American Flag. Hundreds of school children (and parents) from around Maryland form a flag by holding a colored piece of cardboard over their heads. An airplane then makes a photo. See this link for a slideshow. Scroll half way down to 2007 Picture Gallery. http://www.americanflagfoundation.org/content/livingamericanflag.cfm
The day also involved history recreators posing as George Washington, Harriet Tubman, Dolly Madison, Francis Scott Key, and others. We planted ourselves on the bottom red stripe. Tim tried to get a photo from on the fort. It was a neat day and the boys enjoyed being a part of history.

The Squirrel!!

I was so excited to finally find a bird feeder that will suction cup to the kitchen window! We have a million squirrels here but I thought for sure that no squirrel could get to it way up on the window. Well I was wrong. We have had great fun watching this squirrel until today when she got scared and jumped to the ground. She took the feeder with her. It broke and all the seed went onto the ground below. Varmint!