I’ve been in awe at the damage that Hurricane Irene caused in late August. Nearly four months later, damage can be seen all over the area we are visiting. I spent some time on YouTube today looking at videos of the flooding and frankly, I’m amazed at how quickly some of the areas have recovered….
There’s something magical about Vermont at Christmas. We spent a most enjoyable weekend at one of our favorite inns in the world, The Woodstock Inn. Isn’t it lovely? A gingerbread house crafted by the inn’s chef helps to decorate the lobby. Across the green from the inn is this pretty covered bridge. We spent a…
Kate of Centsational Girl is hosting a “Favorite Things in My Town” party. I love where I live and thought that it would be fun to share some of the things that I like about living in Lynchburg, Virginia. Lynchburg is a historic city chartered in 1786 along the banks of the James River. One…
We checked out of our hotel on day four and headed to Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, RI. This seven acre estate overlooking Narragansett Bay was purchased in 1872 by Thomas Brayton. He hired as his superintendent Portuguese gardener Joseph Carreiro, who created the gardens and topiary. The house isn’t always open for…
Day three of our trip was my favorite because we packed so much into one day. Our day began with the Cliff Walk, a 3.5 mile trail along the coastline. We began on the western end near Easton’s Beach. The trail parallels the coast and is stunningly beautiful. Have I…
Day two of our trip was spent touring some of the mansions of Newport. We started our tour at The Elms, circa 1901, the summer retreat of coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind and his wife Herminie. The back of the home has a gigantic yard and when it was built had harbor views. No water…
We recently spent a long weekend in Newport, RI and had a marvelous time. If you like history, architecture, and the water, Newport is a destination you would love. We hoped to escape the one hundred degree heat in Virginia, but Rhode Island ended up having similar temperatures. Fortunately, the heat wasn’t unpleasant at all…
I have read about Black Dog Salvage located in Roanoke countless times over the years and always thought that it would be a place that I would enjoy visiting. This company rescues and then sells architectural treasures from historic homes and businesses that are being demolished. I didn’t realize until this past spring that wanting…
Every year at the end of June we take a family beach trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My aunt, uncle, and their extended family stay a few blocks away which ads to the fun. Mr. SP was there the first week with the boat. Unfortunately, the second week when he was back…
Last Tuesday I was lucky to get to go on a second PE field trip, this time with the 8th graders. I asked an 8th grade teacher who is not so athletic if he wanted to switch spots for the day and he couldn’t say, “Yes!”, fast enough! We both were happy – I got to…
Friday was my last day of school for two months. Hee-Haw! To celebrate we headed to the beach for the weekend. My principal kindly let us leave on Friday as soon as our work was complete, so for the first time since last summer, it was light when we crossed the bridge to enter the…
Last Tuesday I went on a PE field trip with the 7th grade boys to Crabtree Falls in Montebello, VA. I was a bit worried about being with only boys for an entire day, but it ended up being the best day of my entire 20 year teaching career. Crabtree Falls is the highest vertical-drop…