Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Garden Pics

How does my garden grow?

My bush beans are all bushy, with tiny beans. . .


my red potatoes are all in bloom. . .


the cucumbers are tiny. . .



and so are the peppers.


The tomatoes are small. . . (I can't wait for juicy tomatoes from the garden)


the yellow squash are blooming. . .


the berries are coming along. . .



and so are the grapes.


And the blueberries are covered up to keep the birds away.


How does your garden grow?

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Traveling WV

I thought I'd post some fun pictures we took on our vacation.

Get off the interstate and ride around and it's no telling what you'll see.

Santa Claus welcomed us to this neat place,



and so did the ranger of Jellystone Park.


Even Paul Bunyan beckons you to come and take a closer look.



In the middle of all this was a beautiful pond. . .



and flowers. I saw these flowers everywhere, do any of you know the name of them? I think they are so pretty.



We had creatures flying above us . . .



and these beautiful alpacas observing us. I think they are so cute!




A dinosaur roamed the grounds. . .



and so did a shark.


The Simpsons enjoyed riding the roller coaster. How Homer and his family found their way here, I'll never know.



Here I am below the surfer dude. This shows just how big these statues are.



This guy will hold your groceries for you while you look around. Service with a smile!


We had fun!
Just goes to show, you never know what you'll come upon when you are traveling the roads of WV.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Harpers Ferry

We recently visited Harpers Ferry. This small town has a population of 312 as of July 2007!
We drove in at the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park Visitor's Center which is located above the old town. It only costs $6 per car and they take you by bus to the town below.
If you go there, I would advise that you go early and plan to spend the entire day there (wish we had).

It's like taking a walk back in time.


There are people in town that walk around in period costume.



Along the above road on the left are cellars carved back into the hillside.



This is the beginning of the path that leads to Jefferson Rock




After walking a long ways up the hill you come to this sign in front of the rocks.


Here is the view from the top.


Thomas Jefferson stood here on October 25, 1783. I stood here in June 2009 - 226 years later.
He said 'The scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic.'



The town is filled with museums, replicas of old stores and many old buildings. We went into a building they made into an old dry goods store of the 1850 time period. Below is a list of prices.


Old buildings. . .

more old buildings. . .


John Brown's Fort. . .



The footbridge to the C & O Canal. ..


And which way do you want to go? I think I'll head for Georgia, it's shorter!


If you are ever in the area, I would recommend visiting Harpers Ferry, especially if you like historical areas. But, go early, and plan to spend the entire day.

Have any of you ever been there?

Monday, June 22, 2009

Grasshopper Chairs

When we were kids we didn't have computers, video games and electronic gadgets that kids have today.

We played outside. All day, in the summer.

We never had cell phones. When Mom wanted us back home, she would go to the front door and holler. We eventually heard her and came home.

It didn't take much to keep us busy or amuse us during the day. We found many things to do and to play.

After rainy days we would dam up the creek. We would make two or three in a row. The largest one would be in front and one by one we would tear down the dams and see if the first one could hold all the water. It was fun getting in the creek and getting our feet and hands muddy.

We swung from grapevines hanging in the trees in the woods by our house.

We played horseshoes, bad minton and croquet. We played games such as - red light green light, freeze tag, ring around the rosie, red rover- red rover, hide and seek, mother may I?, and chased lightning bugs at night.

And, we sat and pulled the petals off of daisies while we recited "she loves me, she loves me not."

We made whistles from blades of grass, searched for 4 leaf clovers and made grasshopper chairs.

You want to know how to make grasshopper chairs?

First, you go out and find yourself some plantain. (I didn't know they were called that, I called them grasshopper plants). My cousin Vera says the younger ones work best, they bend easier.



You make the back of the chair first.


Turn your hand upside down and lay the stems flat across your hand and then fold the 'legs' of the chair over them and down in between your fingers. This holds your seat together.


Keep laying the stems flat across your hand and folding the stem beside of it over and down in between your finger to hold it in place.


After you have your seat as big as you want it, grab hold of the stems under your hand and slide your fingers out. The back of your chair will flip up and you will have yourself a grasshopper chair.


Now take a stem and tie it around the legs of your chair to hold it together.


I'm sorry the instructions are pretty confusing. But if you have a bunch of plantain in your yard, get some and give it a try. Teach your kids how to do this vanishing craft.

I thank Vera of Intouchwith for refreshing my memory on how to make them. I couldn't remember how the chair bottom was held together. We sat around the picnic table after our family reunion and she showed me how to do it.

We made them all the time when we were kids. I remember Mom showing me how to do it. I'd say she made them when she was young, too.

I think they are kinda pretty.

What do you remember doing when you were a child? Did you ever make grasshopper chairs?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A Visitor to our Garden

Our garden had a visitor today. A long, sleek black snake. My son noticed it while cutting grass around the vegetable garden.


This is the first one I've seen on our property this year.
Andrew decided to take it for a little trip down the hill to the creek.




Isn't he pretty? But, I think I would have lost my cool if he wound himself around my hand like that. I don't like snakes! Since he wasn't poisonous we decided not to kill it, just transplant him to another location. I don't want him slithering into our building or blackberry patch. One year I reached my hand into the berry patch and a huge snake was laying on the middle board of our blackberry trellis. Boy, did I pull my hand back quick! I don't like those kind of surprises.


We let him go into this clump of flowers on the edge of the creek.


Have you seen any snakes this year?

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Happy Birthday West Virginia!

Today is West Virginia Day.
She is 146 years old.
We were born out of the turmoil of the Civil War and we officially became a state on June 20, 1863. She is a grand old lady.

When I count my blessings, one blessing is that I live in West Virginia.

Some still refer to us as Virginia. When I say I'm from West Virginia, some say "Oh, I know someone from Richmond," or some other Virginia town.

Has this ever happened to you? (of course, I ask this question to my other fellow WV bloggers)
I have nothing against Virginia, she is our mother state. I love Virginia, but I live in West Virginia.

I've traveled this week and I've went to places within her boundary that I've never traveled to before and I will post about it later.
Today I wish her happy birthday.

West Virginia Hills

Oh, the West Virginia hills!
How majestic and how grand,
With their summits bathed in glory,
Like our Prince Immanuel's Land!
Is it any wonder then,

That my heart with rapture thrills,

As I stand once more with loved ones

On those West Virginia hills?


(Chorus)

Oh, the hills, beautiful hills.

How I love those West Virginia hills!

If o'er sea o'er land I roam,

Still I think of happy home,

And my friends among the West Virginia hills.


Oh, the West Virginia hills!
Where my childhood hours were passed,
Where I often wandered lonely,
And the future tried to cast;
Many are our visions bright,
Which the future ne'er fulfills;
But how sunny were my daydreams
On those West Virginia hills!

(Chorus)

Oh the West Virginia hills!
How unchang'd they seem to stand,
With their summits pointed skyward
To the Great Almighty's Land!
Many changes I can see,
Which my heart with sadness fills;
But no changes can be noticed
In those West Virginia hills.

(Chorus)

Oh, the West Virginia hills!
I must bid you now adieu.
In my home beyond the mountains
I shall ever dream of you;
In the evening time of life,
If my Father only wills,
I shall still behold the vision
Of those West Virginia hills.

(Chorus)


Come take a look, you won't be sorry. Come and


join me in wishing West Virginia a happy birthday!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

On Vacation

Hi, everyone! I've been on vacation since yesterday. We've been in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

I slept here last night (Cacapon State Park Lodge). . .



but, wish I had slept here.



Yes, you read it right. Berkeley Castle in Berkeley Springs, WV.



I bet you all didn't know there was a castle in WV. Well, here it is peeking out from behind the trees, high on a hill. Isn't it the neatest little castle you ever saw. And, it is snuggled in the hills of WV.


And we went to the Chesapeakie & Ohio Canal National Historical Park to see the Paw Paw Tunnel.


Here's looking out from inside the tunnel.



And, we also went here (Berkeley Springs State Park).


We drank the mineral waters. . .


and I stuck my foot here. . .



in George Washington's Bath Tub.


It was a dreary, rainy day. But, we made the best of it. Maybe we'll have better weather tomorrow.

I'll catch up on my blog comments when I get back Friday evening.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.