Double Nickels 2016

Monday October 24th

The group had a civilized start leaving for Williamsburg sans the Morgans as Tom was sick and went to the doctor's instead.  The goal...to ride the Virginia Capital Trail (51.4 miles) from Williamsburg, the historic capital of Virginia to Richmond, the current capital. David, Emily, Laurel and Gary checked into an absolutely beautiful condo at the Old Powhatan Resort.  After getting settled, they took the Jamestown Ferry across the river to eat at the Surry Seafood Company.  It was a gorgeous sunset as Emily captured in the photo below.

Jamestown Ferry to Surry Seafood Company

Tuesday

Gary, Laurel, David and Emily rode 24 miles from Richmond to Herring Creek with a stop in Dorey Park for lunch. 

Downtown Richmond looking from Great Shiplock Park.

Neat sculpture in Dorey Park

The Morgans arrived at the Old Powhatan Resort and checked into the condo just before the rest of the group returned from their day's ride.  Emily cooked  a delicious dinner (asian chicken with rice and salad), topped off with a piece of her mother's pound cake and ice cream.  We're ready to ride tomorrow!

Wednesday

The plan today was to ride from Herring Creek to the end of the trail at the Jamestown Settlement.  It was a beautiful day to ride with our first stop being Charles City....but there is no city there!

Charles City Old Courthouse

Onward we cycled until our lunch stop at Chickahominy Riverfront Park, where we shared a table with a couple from Massachusetts....it was in the sunshine and the day was chilly! This evening we ate at one of the Helm's favorite restaurants in Williamsburg,  Giuseppe's Italian restaurant then returned to the condo to while the time away playing a card game

Thursday

This morning we went to Jamestown and toured the Glass House, America's first manufacturing began here...making glass!  It is a really nice facility next to the river, definitely worth the visit.

Glass House

Next we rode the Jamestown Colonial National Historic Park's Island Drive loop,  a wonderful ride with very little traffic and and several eagle's nests! Following lunch at the Jamestown Settlement Cafe, we rode the Powhatan Creek Trail, a spur off of the Capital Trail. Arriving back at the Old Powhatan Resort, we stopped to tour the Manor House; quite an impressive home circa 1835, believed to be the country house of architect Richard Taliaferro. 

Manor House

After cleaning up from our bike rides, we strolled the Williamsburg Outlet Mall, then we stopped to eat at Oceans & Ale seafood restaurant.  It was a good restaurant but they were not Virginia Tech fans...they would not put the Hokies on the big screen TV!  We did watch the Hokies beat Pittsburg back at the condo!

The Belles!

Many thanks to Emily and David for planning a wonderful trip this year. We appreciate your efforts! The Virginia Capital is one of the best trails we have done.  Hats off to all of the folks involved in its development.  It is a very difficult task to build a fifty mile off road, paved bike trail through a lot of densely populated areas, but they did it!

Addendum

Gretchen and I had to finish the Trail so we headed to Richmond on November 15th.  We rode from Richmond to the Four Mile Creek Trailhead and back on Tuesday and then from Herring Creek to Four Mile Creek and back on Wednesday.  Tuesday night we found a neat restaurant in Richmond, The Savory Grain and we had a delightful lunch during the ride Wednesday at the Upper Shirley Vineyards.

Sailing into Old Age

I have really missed sailing since we sold SunShower.  So this spring, Gretchen and I decided to buy a centerboard to sail on Smith Mountain Lake.  I began searching for an old person's boat, one that was relatively comfortable, easy to sail and stable.  We settled on a Catalina Expo and picked it up from Avon Sailboats in Rochester Hills, MI, in late June.

As the wind returned to the Lake this fall, we've been able to get out sailing and put her through her paces...and we are very happy with our purchase! The catboat rig with one sail attached to the Hoyt boom is easy to handle. The boom is high enough to allow easy tacking/jibing without bending too much or fear of hitting one's head. Unfurling and furling the sail from around the mast is easy and allows for the quick reduction of sail area if needed.  I was surprised that standing with the tiller between my knees and the boom off center is the best position to unfurl and furl the sail.  I think it is a more natural position for pulling the control lines than the crew has up front.  The rigging on the boat is excellent.  All of the controls are where they should be.  It's the first boat I've owned in 40 years of sailing that every control is where it should be; I can't think of anything to change!  The seats and the rails are wide and provide comfortable seating positions.  The boat is very stable for a 14 footer, a big surprise for Gretchen and me.  It even handles motor boat waves quite well! Finally, we love the blue sail!

Conclusion: The Expo is a great old person's boat!  We have found her comfortable and easy to sail in winds up to 15 mph.  We wanted a boat we could sail into our seventies on SML and we think the Expo fits that bill. 

The one caveat is simple.  It is a cat rig and does not point as high as a sloop rig.  So if you plan to race, buy the Catalina 14.4, the sloop rigged mother of the Expo. 

Fall Break and the Beach

Sunday, September 25th

Off to Hillsborough to pick up Henry so we can spoil him on his fall break. It is obvious from the ride home, that Grandpa is going to have to download Pokémon Go to his iPhone!

Monday

This morning we went to see the Unity project at Randolph College.  It portrays the fact that people of different colors, shapes, orientations, cultures and interests can weave a strong fabric IF they work together! And we found quite a few Pokémon stops!

Next we went to the recently installed labyrinth, a replica of a 13th century one at the cathedral in Chartres, France.  We were surprised that Henry really liked walking around the maze.

Tuesday

A day at the lake.  We put the Key West in the water and went to Henry's favorite restaurant for lunch...Moosie's.  Why is that his favorite you ask?  It's not the food,  rather it's the chance to feed the carp after the meal!

Wednesday

Today we continued our tradition of going on bike rides with Henry. Today he was dressed in his new LIGHTNING bicycle shorts when we rode the Virginia Blue Ridge Rail Trail in Piney River.  He rode 13.2 miles, 3.2 miles more than on his last ride with us!  You're the man, Henry!

Thursday

Kelley and Katie get together every year for some beach time and this year they invited us to join them.  So today we are headed to Murrell's Inlet.  We arrived in time to visit with Kelley, Seth and Maggie and to have dinner with them.  Katie and Audrey will arrive later because they are traveling after Katie gets off of work. We're heading back to the campground so we will not see them until tomorrow.

Friday

We took the kids to Savannah's Playground at Market Common. It is a wonderful playground which is ADA-approved with equipment designed to provide children of all abilities the opportunity for social interaction. The kids loved it! After eating lunch at the playground, we headed to the military plane exhibit next to the airport.  We had to search for Pokéman!

Saturday

It was a perfect day at the beach.  The kids loved playing in the sand and the waves were just right for the girls to ride...armed with their life jackets!

Plus there were opportunities at Huntington SP to capture Pokémon!  Who is this dude, Henry?

The kids were dying to have a pajama party and sleep together.  It appears from the photo the plan started well, but I'm told it only lasted about 10 minutes!

Sunday

We went for a stroll on the boardwalk in Murrell's Inlet and of course, searched for some more Pokémon!  After lunch, Katie, Henry and Audrey left for home.

We hung out with Kelley and Maggie this afternoon, visiting The Hammock Shop and several other local venues.  After dinner, we said our good byes and headed back to the camper.  We'll leave for home in the morning. We had a great beach visit and thank Seth and Kelley for their hospitality!

What did I like best during Henry's fall break?  READING his books with him that had the CAPITAL letters!

Class Reunion

Wednesday, September 21st

Gretchen and I are heading north, to Schuylkill Haven for our 50th high school class reunion! How is that possible? First, we'll spend a few days with Priscilla and Phil.

Thursday

It's a Thursday and Priscilla has off so we are all heading to Conshohocken to eat lunch with Stephanie and Natalie.  Natalie is adorable and Stephanie is enjoying motherhood!  And of course, Priscilla and Phil are quite taken with grandparenthood!

After lunch we went for a walk on the Wissahickon Creek Trail,  a beautiful natural path along the creek, right in the middle of the city!

Returning to Orwigsburg, we decided to pick up cheese steaks (minus one cheese) and eat diner at the beautiful Olmes' property.  Priscilla and Phil had hoped to break ground for their new house this fall but the sale of their current house is moving slowly and builders are slow to render bids.  It's a frustrating process and we wish you guys well in getting this building project underway!

Friday

On our way to their property to take a hike and let Maggie run, Phil took us by their realtor's house. Can you tell in what field her husband was very successful?

Yep, you guessed it, he was into cell phone communications! After our hike, Gretchen and I got ready and headed to the class reunion.

Our 50th reunion was held at the Schuylkill Country Club and it was a delightful affair.  Hats off to the planning committee for a job well done. Thirty eight class members attended the reunion; that is 44% of our classmates that are still alive.  So it was a very good turnout, so much so that it was difficult to get to chat with everyone.  The drinks flowed, the food was good and it was fun to learn about the current activities of our classmates.  Being a real introvert, I dread these types of affairs, but Gretchen drags me along.  I'm glad she does because I really enjoyed the evening.  It is evident from the class photo below that our classmates are more healthy and aging more gracefully than previous generations. We are so lucky to have been born in the USA!

Saturday

Class reunions have always been held the weekend of Schuylkill Haven's Borough Day and today is the day of the event.  However, we must skip it and hit the road to Virginia since we have to pick up Henry tomorrow in NC.  He is on fall break and will be spending the week with us!

On the way home, we stopped at Orr's Farm Market in Martinsburg, WV, to buy vegetables.  To our surprise, it was the weekend of their fall festival....lucky for us!

Thanks for you hospitality Priscilla and Phil.  As always we enjoy being with you guys and appreciate your kindness.

Camper Shake Down

Friday August 5th

Today, we began our first shake down trip in our new Aliner camper.  After several weeks of planning and preparing the trailer, we felt we were ready.  Our plan was to drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway so we could camp in the cooler elevations.  Our first stop was at Chantilly Farms, a beautiful campground near Floyd, VA.  After setting up camp, we drove to Mabry Mill and walked around Floyd where people were gathering to go to the Friday Blue Grass concert at the Floyd Country Store.  We love the funky shops in Floyd.  I particularly love the tie-dye clothing!  We opted not to go to the concert and returned to the campsite to enjoy a beautiful evening in the mountains.

Saturday

We headed down the Parkway and stopped at the Blue Ridge Music Center. To our surprise, there was a free mid-day concert and we were able to eat lunch while listening to a really good Blue Grass band. The three folks on the right in the photo below are father, daughter and grandfather respectively! We got off the Parkway at West Jefferson and drove through Todd to the KOA Campsite near Boone, NC.  By the time we set up camp, it was time to call it a day.

Sunday

Today, our first objective was to ride the Railroad Grade Road in Todd.  We thought it was an old rail road that had been made into a rail trail...since I found it on the Rail Trail website. It is not!  It's a country road that is heavily used by bikers and the cars were few and bike friendly so it was a great place to ride....flat as a pancake for 10 miles along the New River.  The weather was for showers possible after noon so we thought we would be safe beginning at 9:30 a.m.  We rode 10 miles to Fleetwood and tuned around for the trip back.  Three miles into the return trip, we noticed heavy fog in the distance.  It turned out to be pretty heavy rain that soaked us for the last seven miles! The ride is absolutely beautiful and the only downside from the ride was the smelly, wet bike shoes we had in the back of the van for the rest of the trip; even when we put them on the roof while parked whenever we found a moment of sunny sky.  Alas, nobody stole them...we were hoping!

Hot tea with lunch in Boone warmed us up and we headed back to the campground for showers.  Later in the afternoon we headed to Blowing Rock to walk around the old town.  It's a yuppy kind of place and we love it!

Monday

We drove south with a quick lunch stop at Linville Falls en route to Mt. Pisgah where  we noted the camper brakes were acting funky.  We set up camp and then headed to the Inn for dinner.  The Inn was in the clouds and we asked a couple at the window table near us if we could take their photo to verify the view.

Mt. Pisgah Inn was the first place Kelley ordered something off of the menu other than mac and cheese or toasted cheese, 22 years ago.  She was 16 years old and ordered trout.  In her honor, I ordered trout tonight and it was delicious!

Tuesday

During the night, we found out that our camper was water tight as it just poured on and off all night. After breakfast, we headed down the mountain in search of sunlight and the North Carolina Arboretum. What a wonderful place, with gardens, galleries, an outdoor Bonsai exhibit, biking and hiking trails and an education center with a cafe. One of the artists on display throughout the gardens was Sean Kenney, a Lego sculptor.  Here is a photo of his Monarch Butterfly.

The one thing that did not work well in our camper set up was the grey water drain. So we headed to an RV dealer in Asheville.  It was a nasty place. Gretchen took one step into the store and walked right out.  But they had the parts we needed and now we have a functional drain!

Our next stop was Brevard.  We had never actually stopped there but we had passed through on our way to finding the spot Daniel Day-Lewis ran up the rocks in Last of the Mohicans for the girls when they were teenagers! Brevard has a really nice town center to stroll around.  We then found the Brevard Music Center which was really nice.  We'll have to plan a trip in the future to attend a concert.

Our next stop was the Cradle of Forestry on our drive up Mt. Pisgah to our campsite.  It is an impressive place exhibiting the history and scope of forestry.  The science of forestry began on the Biltmore Estate with Gifford Pinchot, who managed their  forest in the early 1890s and then became the first Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. German forester Dr. Carl Schenck replaced Pinchot at the Estate and founded the Biltmore Forestry School in 1898.  Summer classes were taught in a camp on the current Cradle site.

We decided to eat at the Inn again since the food was great and the prices reasonable.  Tonight the view was the same from the restaurant and fog shrouded our camper. We both had burgers and they were really good and REALLY huge! We have not eaten that much food in one seating in years and hopefully, will not for years to come!

We were planning to drive back up the Parkway but since we encountered brake problems, we decided to come home via major roads.  All in all, it was a great shake down trip.  The only item we needed that we had not packed was an essential...a wine stopper!

A Life Celebrated!

Friday July 29th

Family traveled from afar to celebrate the life of Peg; our mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.  We gathered at the Olmes house Friday evening for dinner. It was a chance for old folks to remember, cousins to catch up on each other's lives and children to meet and play. The food was great, the beverages ample and the camaraderie priceless! Thanks so much for your hospitality Priscilla and Phil.

Saturday

The morning was blue sky and sunny as we gathered on the cemetery hill to return Peg's ashes to the earth.

Adults reflected as the pastor read, while children petted granite lambs, wondered what the hole in the ground was for, roamed among tombstones and shuffled on chairs. Tears dropped on cheeks as family and friends voiced remembrances, mementoes were placed in the grave with the  urn; a photo, roses, dollar bill, and a deck of cards.

We departed feeling blessed for having known this strong, loving, kind woman who always voiced something positive about the people she met.

May the Lord bless and keep you Margaret Louise Bolton, Amen.

Next stop was Seton Manor to hang the Dove on the 'Living Tree' wall plaque, signifying the contributions family and friends gave to the nursing home in Peg's memory. 

Lunch followed at Heisler's Dairy Bar, a favorite of Peg's plus everyone who grew up in the area. Indeed, ice cream was consumed and miniature golf was played!

In the evening, we ate dinner together at the Oak Hill Restaurant; a final time to enjoy the memories we have of our times spent with Peg and to cherish the short time we had to see each other this weekend!

Sunday

The celebration was over but our memories of a life well lived persisted as we headed north, east, south and west by plane and car to our distant homes with smiles on our faces!

With an end, a new beginning awaits.

P.S.

Priscilla and Phil, your property with its view of Hawk Mountain is awesome! May the real estate elves move quickly and the construction begin soon!

Summer Break with Henry

Friday July 3rd

Grandma and I picked up Henry in Hillsborough and headed for Lynchburg.  The plans were to spend the Fourth of July weekend with Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jeff at SML.  Of course, as soon as we arrived at the lake, Henry wanted to do his favorite thing...go FISHING! Soon, he caught the first of 43 fish he would snag over the weekend from the Bender's dock..

We went to the festivities at VISAYC on Saturday and Sunday which has become a tradition.  Sunday night Henry, Aunt Jenny, Uncle Jeff, Grandma and Grandpa piled into our boat and went to see the fireworks at Parkway Marina.  We had a wave-filled ride home but it is definitely a great event on the lake!

On the Fourth, we went to Booker T. Washington National Monument and hiked on the trails.  It is a beautiful spot! In the afternoon, we went for a boat ride in the Bender's boat and had a traditional Fourth of July dinner with hamburgers, hot dogs and chips.

Tuesday

Grandpa had a dentist appointment and then we traveled to Orange, VA, to see campers Grandma and Grandpa were interested in.  With Henry's help, we selected an ALINER Ranger 12!

Wednesday

The highlight of the day was a trip to the Lynchburg SPCA where Henry got to play with the kittens! It is interesting that visitors can play with the kittens and cats but not the dogs.

Thursday

Today, we went for a seven mile bike ride on the Blackwater Creek Trail.  Grandma and Grandpa are so excited Henry likes to ride his bike.

 We are also excited that he wanted to stop when he saw this sign on a tree.  He is a young environmentalist and that is a very good thing!

Friday

We went back out to the lake for an end the week surprise that Grandma and Grandpa had arranged. Grandpa, Uncle Jeff and Henry were going on a fishing trip with Kenny, a local guide.  The trip was a success as Henry caught his first striped bass; a 37" 7 pound fish that stretched from his chin to his knees!

It has been a great week Henry.  Grandma and I love having you with us during your school breaks. And we have proof it was a busy week that tired you out!