Maggie's Spring Break

Sunday, April 16

Easter Sunday and we are headed to NC after church to have dinner with Katie and the kids. Thanks for the invite Katie, dinner was wonderful and we always like spending time with you guys!

Monday

Today, we're driving south to see the Hills in Murrells Inlet.  We arrived at Huntington Beach State Park early afternoon, checked in and got the camper set up.  Looking forward to spending time with Maggie this week on her spring break. Tonight, Kelley cooked dinner and we got to catch up on the latest news with Seth, Maggie and her.

Tuesday

Kelley dropped Maggie off at the campground on her way to work and we went for a bike ride.  Maggie rode 2.2 miles!  Then we went to Maggie's favorite restaurant for lunch, Chick-fil-A!  Maggie traded in her toy for an ice cream, a really good deal, I say!

Grandpa had to get a pair of sandals so we went to the shoe store in Myrtle Beach where Maggie found some really cool Converse, which we had to get because they're 50% off!  Our next stop was Samantha's Playground where Maggie showed she was quite good at traversing the monkey rings.

The Hills treated us to dinner this evening at the King  Street Grille...really great burgers!  Thanks Seth and Kelley. We appreciate your kindness!

Wednesday

A walk on the board walk in Myrtle Beach and a few turns on the SkyWheel were the items on the agenda this morning.  The SkyWheel was a real treat.  Maggie was fascinated by how small the cars and people were as she looked down.

We stopped for lunch at Gordon Biersch in The Market Common before heading to Samantha's Playground for a little more play time.  On the way back to the campsite, Maggie needed ice cream!  The sign behind her says, "There is no problem a bowl of ice cream can't fix."  True, especially if you have a whole bowl of sprinkles to put on it!

Thursday

So, if your name is Ripley and you find a yacht for rent on Airbnb at Ripley's Point Marina in Charleston, you just have to rent it!  And Sam and Sharon did!  So today we drove to Charleston to see the Captain and his mate. On the way, we tried to eat lunch at Five Loaves in Mt. Pleasant, which we found after practicing a bunch of u-turns!  It was standing room only so we headed to their location in Charleston.  It is a great place for lunch!

After touring the yacht, we checked out the view from the high deck.  It's a great spot for happy hour and to watch the boats coming in and out of the marina.

On the way back to Murrells Inlet we stopped at Boone Hall Farm for strawberries.  They are fresh from the field and delicious!  One note, we can't believe how Mt. Pleasant has changed since Kelley lived there.  A whole lot of development to the north and a lot of traffic on Route 17.

Friday

After a morning bike ride, we spent the afternoon at the beach.  It was windy and the water was chilly but that didn't deter Maggie from getting in the ocean with her boogie board.  The adults sat and watched!

It been a great week catching up with the Hills and spending time with Maggie on her spring break.  We pack up and leave for home in the morning. And...we've already made a campsite reservation for Maggie's 2018 Spring Break!

Spring Break with Henry

Sunday March 26th

Henry, Audrey and Katie arrived mid-afternoon with many exciting stories about their cruise.  I know they had a wonderful week sailing the high seas!  Henry now knows there are a lot of great things to do on a cruise and that cruise boats do not sink!  Audrey and Katie went home to go to school and work while Henry stayed in in Lynchburg for his last week of spring break.

Monday

We went to Smith Mt. Lake to continue our tradition of spending our first day on the water when Henry is with us.  It was a beautiful day in the seventies!  We tried a little fishing...no luck...then headed up the Roanoke River to see the carp at Bridgewater Plaza.

Tuesday

Today is Pokémon Day!  Grandpotter thinks he has enough data left this month to play for a day so the three of us headed downtown where Henry knows there is a lot of Pokémon action.  We walked around downtown mining stops, capturing Pokémon, fighting Gyms and hatching eggs until Henry's battery was drained and Grandpotter's was down to 5 percent!  Along the way, the weather went from sunny to a downpour in 30 seconds and we had to duck into an insurance office to avoid getting soaking wet! We were so busy, we forgot to take a photo so we took the Pokémon photo below on Wednesday at the lake.

Wednesday

It is the day of Henry's first camping trip!  We left for the lake, got the camper set up, ate lunch and helped unload some dock building supplies all before 2:00 p.m.  Then we put the motorboat in the water and went down to see the dam and fish a few coves...no luck.  We headed back up the Lake and stopped at SML State Park.  Henry fished off the dock before we headed up the trail only to read on a sign that fishing was not allowed.  OOPS!  We then went up to Moosie's for dinner and arrived back at the sail club just in time to put the boat away and to build a campfire before dark.  We needed a fire to make S'mores! The S'mores were great and Henry showed us how to explode a marshmallow in the fire!

The S'more man!

We sat around the campfire, watching the light fade over the lake and the stars come out.  We sang songs and by the time the fire burned down and we doused it with water, it was time for bed.  A really busy day!

We were soon tucked in our beds and fast asleep.  Henry had a good night, didn't poop in the port-potty (it is not allowed) and proved he is a great camper!  

Thursday

In the morning he enjoyed his camping food choice for breakfast, Lucky Charms!

Grandma and Henry hung out this morning while Grandpa helped with dock building.  One of the things they did was put together a complicated 300 piece puzzle! WOW!!

After lunch we cleaned up the camper and headed for Lynchburg.  

Friday

Spring break is coming to a close and Henry has school on Monday.  This afternoon, we are meeting his Dad and sister in Danville so he can get back to North Carolina following two fun filled weeks!

Beach Time

Monday March 13th

It's beach time and we're headed with Gary and Laurel to Sandbridge to spend a few days with Sam and Sharon.  En route, Gary confirmed that the Virginia Dinner still makes the best onion rings and we arrived at the condo late afternoon....just in time for cocktail hour!

Tuesday

The weather was cold, windy and rainy and Laurel was a bit under the weather. However, we did get to go for a walk around the neighborhood and a brief walk on the beach.

The rest of the time we focused on puzzling, trying to piece together a beautiful bird puzzle.  We did it!

Wednesday

The sun was shining as we headed to First Landing State Park to take a hike.  The weather was cold and windy but the forest provided enough protection for a very pleasant hike with a picnic lunch.  The park uses ceramic blazes to mark the trails which Sharon thinks is a good idea for the A.T.  When the blazes are attached to the trees, nails are not driven all the way in; rather a 1/4" gap is left to allow for tree growth. It is an interesting idea and I only saw one blaze that someone had tried to pry off.

After the hike, Laurel, Gary, Gretchen and I headed to the Cape Henry Light House while Sam and Sharon headed back to the condo. It is definitely worth the trip, a beautiful spot... today looking out over a very rough sea! The old light house was the first construction project authorized by the United States costing $17,700 and completed in 1792. The photo is taken from the top of the old lighthouse with the new one in the background. The new light, built in 1881, is still functional.

Thursday

Noon found us at the Chrysler Museum for the glass blowing demonstration.  The girls below pulled the glass rod from a one foot blob out to at least 25 feet!  It was really amazing. The demonstration today was showing how to make a large (1 foot square) glass "G".  They succeeded!

I can't walk by the mirror sculptures without taking a photo!

Following a gourmet lunch in the Wisteria Cafe, we spent a few hours touring the museum.  Did you ever know the name of a famous person, yet, knew nothing about them?  That is the case for me with Toulouse-Lautrec, who was the subject of one of the museum's seasonal exhibits.  I learned he was a post-impressionist artist who created lithographic posters to promote new cafe-concerts at the Paris dinner clubs like Moulin Rouge in the late 1800s.  Many of his sketches and paintings depicted patrons of those clubs.  One interesting fact highlighted in the exhibit was that he was influenced by Japanese wood block prints that were being exported to Europe during that period.


In the evening we went to Blue Pete's Restaurant for clams, oysters and shrimp.  It's a great place for seafood on the west side of Back Bay.  We had a fun time this week and we all appreciate Sam and Sharon's hospitality. Thank you very much!  We just hope that Sam's arm starts healing and he gets some relief from the pain and recovers some fine motor function.

Great Time...Great Friends...Great Week!

Pullen Park

February 17th

On the Friday following Gretchen's birthday, we went to NC to babysit as Katie worked the weekend.  Katie made a dairy-free chocolate torte for the birthday girl.  It was wonderful!

On Saturday, we took the kids to Pullen Park in Raleigh.  Founded in 1887, it was the first public park in North Carolina.  Located next to NC State, it is still free and rides cost one dollar.  So, a wide range of people can afford to visit and have a fun family outing.

Note, it is February!

We rode the train and the kids rode the revolving boats. Henry did not want to go on the carousel but he had to go since we could not leave him alone.

 The carousel was built in 1900 and it is kept in pristine condition. And...Henry really liked riding his ostrich!

For Valentine's Day

How would you like to come to our house and cook dinner for your valentine this year? Well....yea....we can do that...you'll tell us what to do, right?  Yes Indeed!  Norman, you bring pears and red wine. Gary, you bring sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, mushrooms and scallions.

The day has arrived, the guests are nestled by the fire place and the chefs are diligently at work. Oh yes, we cook better with wine...like Julia Child!

Pears are steaming, dessert is being assembled, salad is a toss, sauce is simmering, and shrimp is baking. And the chefs dressed to the hilt, are pleased with the results.

What's on the menu?  Winter pears vino nobile, an arugula/blueberry salad, Tuscan pasta with shrimp, and a cake trifle for dessert.

The reviews were great. We now know that both Gary and Norman can cook and there are rumors that a tradition is in the making.

Happy Valentine's Day to our wonderful wives!

💝💝💝

Washington DC 2017

Friday January 6th

It's time to board the train for our annual trip to DC.  This year we got off in Alexandria and checked into the Spring Hill Suites just before noon.  We went downtown and had a delightful lunch at the Brabo Tasting Room.

After lunch we took a walk down memory lane for Gary by touring the National Inventor's Hall of Fame which was relocated from Ohio where he worked to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office campus in Alexandria.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around of Old Town Alexandria, and visiting the Torpedo Factory art center before making our way to Ted's Montana Grill for happy hour and a great dinner!

Saturday

Since Tom was ailing, the Morgan's enjoyed a restful morning at the hotel while the  rest of crew went to Renwick Gallery (Emily was ailing last year and missed it.) and they found the tsunami exhibit was still there so she got to see it!  Their next stop was the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument before we met mid afternoon at the National Gallery to see the East Building renovations.

One unique exhibit we saw was Lick and Lather, a set of 14 sculptures, seven make from chocolate and seven from soap.  You could smell the chocolate!

We went back to Jaleo for dinner since it was near the venue we were going to see a show.  The food was wonderful as usual and we even got the same table we had on  a previous trip!

Next stop was the Capitol Steps, a laugh out loud satire stage show that slams all parts of the political spectrum.  It's hard to believe that the cast is made up of folks who have worked on Capitol Hill!  We all loved the show and would recommend it to anyone willing to laugh for a couple of hours!  

Sunday

Our first stop was the National Archives to see the exhibit Amending America, which chronicles successful and unsuccessful attempts to amend the Constitution.  The rest of our time was spent in the National Museum of Natural History viewing several wonderful photography exhibits; Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, 100 Years of America's National Park Service: Preserve, Enjoy, Inspire and Primordial Landscapes: Iceland Revealed.

Alas, it was time to head back to Lynchburg after a great weekend. Many thanks to Gary, our annual tour guide and I hope the streak will end and next year we will all be healthy!  

Note: The weather in DC this weekend was chilly with just a few snow flurries, but a southern storm has dumped 7 inches of snow on the cars waiting for us at the Lynchburg train station!

The Holidays

Kelley and Katie brought the kids to Lynchburg for Thanksgiving. We had a great visit although we did not document it well with photos.  We had fun with a balloon tying kit and enjoyed the traditional turkey dinner along with pecan and pumpkin pie.

Katie brought the marble track the kids got for Christmas which we set up and they played with it the entire weekend. We went to the playground at Riverside Park which has several Pokémon Go stops so Henry was in heaven. He was battling in a Gym and found out the person he was fighting was the mother of one of the kids playing in the park.  We took the kids and their moms for a drive to look at Christmas lights.  Not a lot of enthusiasm for that activity from the younger generations!

Thanks for coming to Lynchburg Kelley and Katie.  It was a fun time!

We started a new tradition this year....going to the girls for Christmas.  First, to Katie's on Christmas eve.  Cookies were made for Santa Claus and we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner!

Then it was off to bed to dream about Santa's arrival.  The night passed quickly and Henry and Audrey awoke to find many, many presents under the tree!

Audrey and mommy made pancakes for breakfast (yum) and then we spent the day playing with toys and building Lego kits.

In the afternoon, David picked up the kids to have Christmas with the Alexanders and we spent a relaxing evening with Katie!  In the morning, we packed up, and Henry, Grandma and I headed to SC to see the Hills. 

Upon arrival in Murrells Inlet, we opened presents and spent the afternoon playing with games and catching up with each other.  Maggie showed Henry how to play Bean Boozled, a game where you spin a dial to select the color of a jelly bean to eat, BUT you don't know what flavor it is until you taste it.  So a bean could taste like peach or barf,  Tutti-Fruitti or stinky socks, etc.  Henry and Maggie liked BARF the best!  In the evening, we went to Quigley's Pint and Plate for dinner to cap a great Christmas celebration.

Tuesday morning we hiked down to the Marsh Walk with Kelley and Maggie.  After lunch we headed to Lynchburg.

Our Christmas trip was short but it was great to see everyone.  Thanks for your hospitality Kelley, Seth and Katie.  And mom and I just want you to know, we LOVE our new TRADITION!

Henry spent a few days with us in Lynchburg and we played Pokémon Go at churches, parks, fire companies and downtown.  We played so much Grandpa got a warning from the cell phone company warning me that I was running out of data for the month!  We also put together one of Henry's Tinker Crates.  He didn't know if he could do it, but he was successful assembling the three LED lights in the kit!

Good job Henry!