In The Beginning

One thing we love about living in Virginia is the variety. For fifteen years we have called Virginia "home," and our love for the state has not become stagnant in any way. We love being in Washington, DC, its hustle and bustle - and yet, being only thirty minutes from the small towns of the Shenandoah Valley, and their slow and casual ways. At times the fast pace gets to us but more often we are thankful for our jobs, our home and our good health. It's only an hour's drive East to the Bay, and another hour past the Chesapeake to the beaches of the Mid-Atlantic and our favorite beach retreat - Cape May, NJ. Heading South only two hours or less, has us visiting the birthplace of America - Jamestown and Williamsburg - and one of the capitals of the Confederacy - Richmond. Going two hours North puts us in Philadelphia (where Josh, Courtney, and Jon attended college), with additional hour and a half we get to enjoy the theatres of Broadway in New York City. Our favorite direction is West, though. We travel this path often on our way to Two Oaks (or "the land" as Althea calls it), our family retreat in Capon Bridge, West Virginia. Naming this peaceful spot has been quite the dilemma. So far on any given day it can be called Two Oaks, Dillon's Run, or The Land. More often than not we end up just calling it The Land. We enjoy listening to, and singing along with John Denver's Country Roads as we head towards our haven. This hour and a half journey takes us through the plains of the Shenadoah Valley: its rivers, wineries, farms, apple orchards, and hay fields - crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail - past the City of Winchester, VA: "The Apple Capital of The World" with some of our favorite restaurants located in Winchester's Old Town - and finally an ascent into the leading edge of the Appalachian Mountains, then descending into a hidden valley where Dillion's Run (a spring-fed trout stream) snakes its way through wild flower-laden fields, and along one of its banks lies Two Oaks. We rarely head west without stopping at our favorite frozen custard place called Packs.
One could spend a lifetime just attempting to see and experience all the sites, sounds, smells, and taste sensations of this area of our country. We consider ourselves fortunate, and blessed, to now call this region of the mid-Atlantic home. Our experiences in this area will make up a large majority of this blog, but we also plan to share, what we hope will be, many travels to other lands outside the borders of the USA. We have traveled to Brazil, France, and Italy, and now in just two weeks we will join Josh, Courtney, and Althea on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. We always have memorable experiences wherever we travel, and, of course, many funny events complementing the experiences. We will also blog about our trips back to our mother-state: Alabama. Our extended family - parents, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews - still call "the heart of Dixie" their home, and when we return to them, there are always priceless moments shared, which we will in-turn share with you.
Our three sons are now at the stage in their lives in which they are, and may, strike-off in different directions... they are spreading their wings. As much as we would like to keep them close to the nest, there is no way of knowing where they will eventually call their "home." One of the purposes of this blog will be to assure them, and their families, that there is always a "home" to return to where Pop and Suzie wait with home-cooked (maybe some carry-out, too) meals, a glass of wine by the warm fire, some "big-fish" stories, a little work to do with Pop, and hearts full of love. That's where we will be... at home in 'ol Virginny.