True Love

I came across a wonderful You Tube video while catching up on my blog reading this morning. I just couldn't help but smile when I saw this!



Special thanks to Snappy Di over at The Blue Ridge Gal for finding and sharing this! Be sure to stop by Di's blog for a wonderful trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains!

And for a real smile, here is my favorite Dog of all time!

Until next time ~ Live, Love, Laugh

Road Trip - Part 4

The Hollingsworth Family Settlement was just the beginning, Old Town Winchester was a real treat. We left the Shenandoah Tourism Center armed with a "Brand New" Self Guided Walking Tour pamphlet. Please click on the photos to enlarge.

(My photo buddy Rosie at the Daily Grind)

The walking tour was comprised of 29 locations, some of my favorites are what I've added to this page to share.



George Washington's Office Museum, built around 1748 and presently operated by the Winchester-Fredrick Ccounty Historical Society served as Colonel George Washington's headquarters from 1755 t0 1756 during the French and Indian attacks.




The canon above was used by George Washington to protect Fort Loudoun in 1756.


Washington's political career also began in Winchester. At the age of 23 he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses where he represented Fredick County for two terms. According to the tour guide his career began at Old Fredick County Courthouse on July 24, 1756.





Old Town also has a Pedestrian Mall on Loudoun Street, with many shops and buildings with historical architecture highlights.

We were entertained by local artists and musicians as we enjoyed coffee at the Daily Grind.

Needless to say we a great time, there are tons more sites to see http://www.flickr.com/photos/maggie_gem/sets/72157620477803465/ and I'm hoping we can make another trip in the fall when the leaves are changing color and the apples are being harvested!

Until next time - Live, Love, Laugh

Road Trip - Part 3

Shenandoah University's History and Tourism Center is a great place to get acquainted with the history of the area and find some points of interest. The center is located on the land of one of the first settlers in the Shenandoan Valley, Abraham Hollingsworth. The Hollingsworth Family Settlement consists of Abram's Delight, built in 1754 it is the oldest house in Winchester.


The house was built by Abraham Hollingsworth's son Issac near the stream that Abraham is said to have commented was "a delight to behold". The stream is the main reason Abraham purchased the land for his family home.

Abraham's great-grandson built the stone mill building on the grounds in 1833. This building replaced an earlier mill that was worked by the Hollingsworth family since the mid eighteenth century.


The nearby pond looks like a nice place for ducks to enjoy the surroundings too.


Until next time - Live, Love, Laugh

Road Trip - Part 2

On day 2 of our jaunt we made a short trip through Front Royal to the north entrance of the Shenandoah Nation Park

One of the highlights of this area is the Skyline Drive (those AAA Guide are very useful!), a 105 mile highway that runs the entire length of the park along the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are many overlooks on both the South and North bond sides, we stopped at overlooks on the South bound side between the North Entrance and Thorton Gap which is the first exit point at about 32 miles. The highest point we reached was about 3,385 ft. , the highest point in the park is Hawksbill, 4,051 ft located off the drive to the west at about 46 miles. The day was like the majority of June, overcast and rainy.

Our first glimpse of the Shenandoah Valley

I must admit, I did not like this over look point because that was some drop! Not the best time to remember you're afraid of height! :-0

A tiny break in the clouds gives a bit better view of the valley

Back in the groove

Three weeks have passed and this blog has been very lonely. Well that trip was planned, booked and taken! Where does the time go?

The trip was great, we had a wonderful time exploring Virginia; Winchester was full of history, Old Town Winchester was very quaint and the Skyline Drive was fantasic. I want to go back in the fall when the colors are at their peak, I'm sure it will be simply breath-taking!

The nights, well they were mostly spent in West Virginia at Charles Town Races and Slots. Steve had a great time, he loves to watch the horses. One thing I can be sure of: I can go anywhere in the world, as long as there's a race track!

This statue of George Washington is located at the George Washington Office Museum in Winchester, VA.

More updates to come, come back soon!