Fort Chiswell, VA

We are once again in the middle of nowhere and, as we know, the only thing to do in the middle of nowhere is to go flea market shopping and I just happened to eye a few places along our route.  The first one was Snoopers Flea Market.  Snoopers had the most old tools I've seen so far which excited me,; however, they had everything BUT a pick ax...so my bubble was burst.

 

Next stop was Fort Chiswell Antique Mall which also turned out to be useless in my pick ax search; however, I made friends with Elaine, the owner.  She called three other flea markets in the area but no pick ax.  One would think that in the mountainous terrain of Virginia and West Virginia, pick axes would be plentiful. 

 

For those of you who are not  familiar with the pick ax, it's a tool about the size of a hammer with a pointed or chizzled end, depending on your preference, and some have longer handles.  Basically, they look like a small mattox.  The purpose is to pick rocks looking for gemstones and stuff which is exactly what I want to do on our trip out West this Fall.  My friend, Carole Stansfield, gave me the idea as she did this when she lived in CO.  She has created a "pick ax monster" out of me as I now am on the rampage to find one.



Estwing Rock Pick

George pulled up an online picture of one and it was called a "geological tool" which costs $35 at a minimum.  See....this is why I'm looking for one at a flea market because I don't want to pay $35 (or more) and, if you call them a pick ax or rock pick and get them at a flea market, they only cost 5 bucks or so.

The Greenbrier



The Greenbrier (minus the flowers)

Not sure exactly when I found out about The Greenbrier, I'm thinking in the early 80's, but ever since then, I've always wanted to go.  Well, today, my wish came true.  We took a side trip to White Sulphur Springs, West VA where this historic landmark is located.  Prepare to be amazed.  

 

We left our campground around 7:30 AM in an effort to get there in time to take the Interior Tour at 10:30 but missed it by about 40 minutes...oh well.  We took our own private tour and were just as happy.  I did a little online research before going and could not wait to see all of the bright, colorful fabrics, rugs and wallpaper inside the Main House, all designed by Dorothy Draper....absolutely stunning.  She was a pioneer in interior design in her day and her influence continues today.

  

The original building was built in 1779.  Today, it boasts 710 rooms, including 33 suites and 96 guest and estate houses.  There are 10 lobbies which flow together with large black and white tiles and those bright, beautiful colors on the walls and richly upholstered furniture.  There are more than 40 meeting rooms and a full blown conference center facility.  The Greenbrier has been visited by Presidents and distinguished guests from around the world for decades so it's a bit of an eerie feeling when walking these grounds. 



A view of the grorunds...

A nice buggy ride

 

 

Normally, The Greenbrier would be in full bloom by this time of year but we just missed that also.  The groundskeepers were preparing the grounds for the planting of the annuals so my pictures do not fully reflect the beauty of the grounds.

 

We also visited the Pro Shop and, if there is no price tag on an item, don't ask as you probably can't afford it!  I spied a pair of golf shoes to die for, then George walked up to me and politely said "no" and walked away.  Kinda funny.  We walked out on the back patio and watched a couple of guys tee of on #18 of the Old White TPC Course and almost got beaned by an errant tee shot.  These guys were playing from the back tees when one of them yanked it left, it bounced on the pavement in front of us, then hit the building, pinged around and ended up on the brick porch.  Oh, by the way, the greens fee for the Old White is $365 per person.  



The Crochet Club

The Old White TPC Course

 

#18 on The Old White TOC Coiurse











We had a quick lunch on the brick porch then walked around the grounds a bit.  The trees are magnificent and some have very unusual shapes. We walked down to the original sulphur springs gazebo which is now dry, but you can smell the sulphur as you approach it.  We drove around the remainder of the premises.  There are more than 55 activities in and around the facility so there is no shortage of things to do.

Odd Shaped Tree

White Sulphur Spsrings Gazebo

From there, we drove the 11 miles to Lewisburg, hometown of my dear friend Bev Albrecht and where we parked the motorhome while touring The Greenbrier.  We drove through the historic district and where the General Lewis Inn is located (sorry but my picture did not turn out).  It's just an adorable little town and was declared "Best Small Town in 2011".    

After leaving there, we went through two tunnels on the way to Fort Chiswell, VA where we will stay until Friday.

Laundry Day...

We are leaving tomorrow so I did our last few load(s) of laundry and started to do some packing.  Also needed one last Walmart run so I took the Jeep across the mountain (overSR  211) to pick up some last minute items.  Love driving the Jeep especially across a mountain road...it performed beautifully and was just sooo much fun to drive.



Our JEEP

 

 

Fixed Tacos for dinner and early to bed so we can get an early start tomorrow morning...night, night.

Flea Market Shopping Day

I have officially gone "stir-crazy" because I'm not really a flea market shopper, however, when life gives you lemons...

 

On our trek to Luray Caverns yesterday, I spied a few unique looking flea and antique markets so I visited them today in search of my pick ax and pail.  Wanda, at Vintage Treasures, was most helpful and actually got on the phone and called three people that she thought might have one but - no go.  I visited on the porch and talked with Wanda for quite a while...even invited her to join me in a cup of frozen custard from Pack's Frozen Custard shop next door.  She declined as she was watching her weight but I had a small cup and lingered a little longer in a rocking chair on her porch watching life go by.  Let's see...there was the school bus that made a stop in front of the store, then two jeeps heading up the mountain (probably to go off-roading) and, of course, a Walmart truck!

 

Vintage Treasurers

Pack's Frozen Custard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK...in place of a pick ax and pail, I found an old red-handled potato masher ($4.50), a sharp pointed fork ($4.50) and a great old rolling pin ($4.00).  I doesn't take much to make me happy today.

 

My new "old" utensils

Once back at the motorhome, I had a friend request on FB from a high school classmate.  I accepted and, in doing so, found another friend and former neighbor, Gloria Haynes.  "Glo" as we called her, was the younger sister of my friend Sharon who lived two doors down the street from my childhood home.  What a nice surprise.  We've spent some time catching up with each other this afternoon.  You just never know what's in store for you each and every day of your life.

Luray Caverns

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there today. I heard from both of my step-sons today and so proud that they think enough of me to bless me with their good wishes.  We talked to George's mother this morning also. She hopes to go hear Rocky and the Rollers at Brownwood this evening.

 

 

As for me, I spent Mother's Day in a cave...yep...a cave.  We explored Luray Caverns today which was interesting.  Our first experience at caving was at Carlsbad Caverns with Tom and Pat, our friends from CA.  I was a bit reluctant at first but was awestruck in short order by the vast beauty of Carlsbad and am now forever spoiled.  We also visited Mammoth last year which was a great experience too.  All caves have similarities, of course, but all have their own special characteristics. 

 

We had a snack before leaving then made a Walmart run on the way home.  Anna is still finding ways to get under the sofa and George is out to win this battle so we need more trickery.  Good luck Sweetie but, as we know, it's really hard to outsmart a cat.  OK, we are back to closing up the 'L" in the L-shaped sofa as Anna is getting in through the back end of the "L".  That said, did we outsmart the cat or did she outsmart us?  Hmmm...

I made Tortellini for dinner and we devoured it.  Watched the climatic end of the Player's Championship and happy that Rickie Fowler won in the fourth hole of the playoff.  Relaxing evening watching TV.

 

Shenandoah Valley

  

SATURDAY:  We left NJ this morning (bye, bye bad roads) and stopped at Shenandoah Valley Campground in Mt Jackson, VA for a couple of days.  We have stayed at this campground before and love the area.  It's a small campground run by a young couple...it's fairly new and very well kept.  The Shenandoah Valley is beautiful at any time of the year so, after we got set up in the campground, we took a drive through Mt Jackson and New Market stopping at a big flea market and rustled through stuff we remembered from our childhood days.

 

 

Flea Market Cow

Flea Market Man

I'm looking for a pick ax and a pail for our Fall trip out West but didn't find one at this flea market. Who knows, I may find some gemstones or an arrowhead in them thar hills.
 

There is a nice breeze outside so we are just going to chill here tonight and grill hamburgers.

Big Party at Brother Dave's

Brother-in-law Dave (George's baby bro) usually has the family over on Saturday nights but hosted everyone tonight to accommodate our schedule.  Dave and Sharon have a large house, big covered porch on the back and large backyard with fun things to do.  The guys played corn hole while the wives visited and the kids played on the swing set and slide.  Bro Dave was at the BBQ grilling hamburgers and hot dogs plus busy at his Margaritaville machine making his infamous margaritas.  Life is good...

Me and my sis-in-laws

Only two of Dave and Sharon's five children were present...Kerrigan and Delaney.  Donna (George's only sister) was there with her daughter, Rhiannon and her boyfriend.  Randy is George's middle brother and was there with wife Linda and all four of their children Ian, Kyle, Lindsay with boyfriend Jack and Erin with boyfriend AJ.  Danny and Megan were there with their two children Danial and Torianne.  Whew!

The whole family

It was great to see everyone but the evening was way too short...bye bye for now.

Delaney and Torianne



Erin and AJ

 


Lindsay and brother Kyle

 

Bye, bye for now Miss Coraline

I found a nail salon near the campground this morning where I got a much needed pedicure....ahhh, life is good.  Afterward I made Chicken Olivia (see Recipes page) and we took it over to Mark and Pauline's for dinner tonight along with the strawberry pie.  There was not a morsel left...except for 2 pieces of strawberry pie which I left for Pauline.  I held Miss Coraline as long as I could, then it was time to say "bye bye for now".
 

 

Dinner with #2 Son

For those of you that have never driven in NJ, there are NO left hand turns (at least on major highways).  They have these things called "jug handles" which goes past the street you want to turn (left) on, then you take a right hand turn onto the jug handle which comes out on the street you wanted in the first place.  Got it?  For example, I went food shopping this morning and took 3 right hand turns to get to the shopping center, then I was able to take the dreaded left hand turn because I was not on a major highway.  Upon leaving, I took 3 right hand turns (including 1 jug handle) which got me back to the campground all while taking a different route.  So, basically, 3 right hand turns equals 1 left hand turn.  Hmmm...

 

I saw some beautiful strawberries (probably from Florida) in the grocery store and decided to make a strawberry pie!  In honor of Mothers Day, I'm going to give it to Pauline.

PS:  Haven't put the whipped cream on it yet. Hopefully it will cover the already crumbling crust.

 

OK don't be alarmed...I often refer to Mark and Brett as #1 son and #2 son respectively simply because of birth order....nothing personal and no favorites intended.  Anyway, Brett and new wife Nicole, met us for dinner tonight about an hour north of our campground and 45 minutes from where they live in Asbury Park.  I haven't seen them since their wedding last August and they both look great.  We had a few short hours together but good catch-up time.  Nicole works for The Learning Experience and has a 1 hour commute but is going to try for a transfer closer to home.  Brett's work is only about 30 minutes from home and he is pretty happy there. They are very proud owners of our old Suzuki Grand Vitara and tell us so often.  It apparently has had a big impact on their lives so glad it worked out for all.

The Wedding 8-22-14

 

Stocking the Freezer

We arrived at Mark and Pauline's at 3:30 today as Pauline wanted me to help her prepare food for the freezer. With my favorite meatloaf recipe in hand, I made two meatloaf's and 57 meatballs.  She also wanted to make Chicken Caccitorie but feeding time and dinner time got in the way plus she was pretty tired.  So we will save that one for tomorrow.  It was fun being in the kitchen with Pauline again as we like cooking together.  Our Christmas tradition is to make cheesecake for the guys, plus, she taught me how to make wontons.  With her Asian background, it's second nature for her but a challenge for me.

 

For dinner, I sliced two port tenderloin into 1-inch pieces and sautéed them in a little butter and olive oil.  I served them with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley of corn, carrots and green beans.  There was just a small portion of meat and veggies left over....we scraped the bottom of the pot of potatoes.

 

After cleaning up the kitchen, I had some Miss Coraline time then we were off to the motorhome. 

Night night sweet Coraline....

 

Tryinng to outsmart a cat...

We both apparently died last night when we went to bed.  Neither of us woke up until dawn and the bed was very easy to make up as we had not moved all night.  Had a lazy morning...George working on his laptop and me getting the weekend blog caught up on mine.  Suddenly, Anna goes missing - right before our very eyes so, once again, the search is on.  George found her under the sofa.  Little stinker found yet another very small opening where she was able to wedge herself.  I have officially run out of towels to close up all the openings.  Once out, I decided to outsmart her by creating her own little cubbie-hole.  We have a small closet next to the fireplace where I keep my vaccum so I emptied it and coaxed her in.  Nothing doing....she doesn't like it.  I tried opening a bathroom cabinet where towels once lived but she doesn't like that either.  Now wishing we had brought along their kittie condo.  What's a gal to do now?  I'm still plotting...not going to let a cat outsmart me!

NO to the vacuum closet

Anna's new cubbie hole

Isa is tired of playing ball...

 

Last night, I offered my services to the kids as a housekeeper, launderer, cook, weed puller, bottle washer and expert shopper, but they apparently have everything covered.  However, I noticed that they fixed a frozen pot pie for dinner so I announced that I would cook dinners for them this week.  Stopped at the grocery store on the way home last night and am going to fix a big pot of spaghetti for tonight.....enough so they will have some leftovers. While they eat, I can hold Miss Coraline.  It worked!

Back to the cats....George ended up going to JoAnn and purchased a large block of foam (for $68.00 no less) and is going to attempt to close all the openings and return all the bath towels to me which I will now need to wash.  It just never ends....I surrender.  It's impossible to outsmart a cat.
 

A Big Travel Weekend

SATURDAY:   We left Myrtle Beach around 9:00 AM and drove until about 9:00 PM.  We had planned to camp on the north side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (aka "The Chunnel"), but, after the crossing, it was only 6:00 and George felt like driving farther up the road.  The problem with doing so was that we were literally in the middle of nowhere so we ended up spending the night in a Walmart parking lot!  Our first experience but it worked.  George checked in with the manager of the store and they were more than accommodating to us.  Why?  Because we spend lots of money in their store.  Our neighbors were a couple in a large rental truck pulling a very big sailboat.

 

Back to The Chunnel experience.....this was our second time crossing The Chunnel so we were not as nervous this time.  It was not a windy day and our BRT made it just fine.  It's still amazing to me that we were actually driving UNDER the bay.

Coming out of the Chunnel

 

SUNDAY:  The motorhome is a mess...stuff is everywhere. George slept on the sofa and I slept crosswise on the bed as we could not open the slides in the Walmart parking lot.  I gave him the comforter off the bed and I used a throw and a sheet as my cover. Amazingly, we slept pretty well.  As accommodating as Walmart is, they want you out of the parking lot at an early hour so their otherwise paying customers can have a place to park.  I threw everything on the bed, grabbed a clean shirt and we were out of there by 8:00 but not before having coffee and a Special K Flatbread Sandwich...these are pretty tasty when in a hurry.

 

Since we now have plenty of time to get to our destination, I coaxed George to take the scenic route through Ocean City, MD.  He was relunctant to deviate from the designated route as you never know about detours, low bridges, etc but he decided to try it.  Glad we did as it was the most beautiful drive. I've never been to Ocean City, home of my friend Heather Devlin, but heard a lot about it from her. Ocean City is home to such famous bars as "Big Peckers Bar and Grill" and "Bull on the Beach". 

 

Now into Delaware, we passed through Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach, it was like spring had sprung as all of the trees and flowers I am accustomed to back home in Atlanta, were now in full bloom.



Quansa Cherry Tree

Red Bud Tree



Azaleas

More Azaleas

 

We checked into Timberlane RV Resort in Clarksboro, NJ a little after 1:00.  We've stayed here before but, this time, they put us in the back with the other "Big Rigs".  It's very nice and quiet back here. Once we got settled, we drove up to Marlton to meet Miss Coraline.  When Pauline handed her to me, an unexpected flood of emotions came over me as tears filled my eyes.  She is such a perfect little princess, very petite and dainty and very much a little girl..  She has the cutest little button nose and appears to have Mark's facial expressions of the mouth and a flood of dark hair.  I am in love in a way I've never been in love before.



Miss Coraline

Pappy and Miss Coraline