Virginia Safari Park

After visiting Monticello, we drove to Natural Bridge, Va to visit the Virginia Safari Park. This stop was totally for the kids, and they deserved it because they were so well-behaved at Monticello. The main attraction at the safari park was a 180 acre drive-through exhibit where you could feed the free-roaming animals. I thought that all of the animals would be smallish- like deer, ostriches, llamas, etc... These animals were there, but there were also some larger animals like elk, bison, and watusi cattle. Before entering, we purchased two buckets of feed. My dad drove so that the kids and I could all sit in the front and feed the animals. I let the kids choose which animals they wanted to feed, so we mainly fed the smaller animals. Probably the most memorable moment of the entire trip occurred when Olivia decided that she wanted to feed the bactrian (two-hump) camel. This surprised me because it was pretty big. We pulled up to the camel and stuck out the bucket of feed. It came over and started scarfing down the feed. I was a little concerned because I had only purchsed two buckets and I didn't want the camel to eat too much (and not have feed for animals later). So, I pulled the bucket back inside the car- and the camel came in after it. That's right- the camel had its head in my lap. The kids were delighted, but I was a little freaked out. I started shouting at daddy to drive- and he's like, "I can't- there's a camel head in the car". All of the commotion must have distracted the camel, because he pulled his head out of the car- and we took off. After driving throught the "safari" part of the park, we got out of the car and walked through the zoo portion. The kids especially liked the petting zoo. This park was lots of fun, and it was a good way to end the second day of our trip.

Monticello

Our first stop on the second day of our Blue Ridge road trip was in Charlottesville, Va. We went there to visit Monticello- home of Thomas Jefferson. President Jefferson was an incredibly intelligent and interesting man, and I think that I learned a lot about him by visiting his home. I wanted Olivia to have some idea about the significance of Monticello, so I gave her a nickle to carry around (because Jefferson is on the front and Monticello is on the back of that coin). We took a guided house tour, and we also walked the grounds on our own. Some of the more popular sites were the garden, the "ice house", and the dumbwaiter exhibition. Before leaving, we visited Jefferson's gravesite and bought some souvenirs at the gift shop. An interesting fact- they give you change in $2.00 bills at the gift shop because Jefferson is on that bill. We all enjoyed the visit- especially my dad (he's really into this sort of thing).

Luray Caverns

There are several caves and caverns along the Blue Ridge Parkway that are open to tourists. After asking around, we learned that the "best" ones to visit were the caverns at Luray. According to their brochure, Luray Caverns are the "largest and most popular in the East". Owen has never been in a cave, so we decided that this needed to be one of the stops on our road trip. The caverns did not disappoint. There were plenty of stalactities, stalagmites, columns, and other formations to look at. The kids did fairly well in the cave. Of course, it was a constant battle to try to keep the kids from touching the formations, but they did a good job walking and keeping up with the group. At the end of the tour, we found ourselves in a large room with an organ in it. Luray Caverns is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for having the world's largest musical instrument. Any guess what it is? It is an organ that is connected to the stalactites. Somehow it is rigged so that little hammers hit the stalactities causing them to vibrate and release sound. We were able to hear "A Mighty Fortress is our God" played on the stalactities. It was kinda cool.

Skyline Drive

The kids and I have recently returned from our fall break trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Brian was not able to go with us because he had taken off work the week before to visit his dad. Not wanting me to drive alone, my parents graciously offered to go with me. The journey began last Friday in Dover, De. I picked the kids up from their Poppy's house and then drove to my Aunt Connie's house to pick my parents up. They had flown up the day before to visit with my Aunt and Uncle. The itinerary for day one: drive the Skyline Drive and visit Luray Caverns. After saying goodbye to Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie, we set off toward Front Royal, Va to get on the Skyline Drive.



















The Skyline Drive is the name given to the northernmost 105 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a scenic drive that runs the entire length of the Shenandoah National Park. The scenery was stunning, and we were greeted with beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley almost immediately. Of course, we had to make several stops so that we could get out and enjoy the view. Unfortunately it was overcast, so a lot of my pictures turned out dark. In addition to making several stops at the overlooks, we also made a stop at Luray Caverns. By the end of the day, we had driven 65 miles along this scenic road. Here are a few of the pictures from the drive.

Canoeing on McGinnis Pond

I was stuck at home- alone- all last week while Brian and the kids were living it up in Delaware. One day, they went canoeing in the pond behind Poppy's house. Olivia told me all about the canoe trip on the phone that night, and it really made me wish that I was in Delaware with them even more so than I already did (if that's even possible). Apparently, everyone had a great outing on the lake. Well, maybe Uncle Dustin not so much- it looks like he had to do most of the rowing.

A Week in Delaware

Following Gary and Katie's Wedding, Brian and the kids remained in Delaware for a week to visit with Poppy and Nana. I had to go back to work, so I didn't get to stay. From what I hear, though, everyone had a great time. The kids got to play and spend some time with their grandparents. I drove back to Dover on Thursday to pick the kids up, and it was obvious to me that the kids (and the grandparents) were having a ball. Here are some pictures that I took on the kids' last night in Delaware.

Gary and Katie's Wedding

Here's what I learned on my recent trip to Delaware: when you rent a car, don't be cheap- get the GPS. Owen, Sarah, and I almost missed the wedding because we couldn't find the church. Fortunately, we made it on time, but we had to sit in the last row. Sitting on the last row was great for monitoring Owen's behavior, but it was also bad because I only saw Olivia when she walked in. The ceremony was just like I like them- short and sweet. Once it was over, we took pictures and then drove to the Dover Downs Hotel for the reception. This time I made sure that I was clear on how to get to the reception. I wouldn't want to get lost and miss that!

The reception was super-nice. I had heard about weddings where a full meal is served, but I had never actually been to one. Usually, there is just a spread of finger-food. Gary and Katie's reception had a full meal including bread, salad, and filet mignon (yummy). Seated at our table were many of our favorite people- including Barb, Brian's dad and brothers, Sarah, and my Aunt Connie and Uncle Mike.

For Olivia and Owen, the main attrations at the reception were the DJ and dance floor. Those kids were out there dancing long before anyone else, and they stayed out there until they were too tired to move anymore. Olivia went back and forth between swaying (so that she could watch her dress move) and spinning around on the floor (those are her break-dancing moves). Owen pretty much stuck to his one move- the spin. Olivia really wanted to dance with Owen, but Owen wasn't having that. Uncle Mike stepped in and obliged. Later I spotted Olivia dancing with the ring bearer. I don't know how that happened, but I've got them dancing on video. I'm going to post that, too. Anyway, the wedding and reception were nice. I didn't get to stay until the end because the kids were getting tired, but I hear that the party lasted well into the night. I want to say once more how thrilled I am for Gary and Katie. They are two wonderful people, and they deserve all of the happiness in the world.