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On the Road
May 20, 2002
Greetings from Harrisonburg, Virginia!
I do believe that the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is one of the most beautiful places on this earth! Joe, age 10, says he loves the mountains and the old houses and traveling with his mom. He says he also likes being near the places where his ancestors lived. Jimmy, age 11, enjoys the mountain views as well, and he wants to learn more about the wild animals that live there. Both boys imagine that there must be lots of wild and wooly things in those woods, the likes of which they don't see at home. Woods, that is. We have our share of wild & wooly things running around the back yard.
We had a delightful & delicious dinner at the Texas Steakhouse & Saloon last night - so delicious, in fact, that we went back again tonight. I'll admit that I had some doubts as to whether a restaurant in Virginia could turn out a steak good enough to call "Texan," but my fears were unfounded: I had one of the best steaks I've ever eaten! And the dinner rolls were the stuff that dreams are made of! If you ever travel through the Harrisonburg, Virginia area, you ought to stop by and give them a try - their steaks are wonderful. I don't know the name of te street, but it's on the same road as the Comfort Inn, where we're staying.
We've had a wonderful drive from Texas to Baltimore. I never cease to be amazed at those of our ancestors who managed to cross those mountains without the benefit of an interstate highway and an air-conditioned car. I'm humbled when I think of the endurance and rugged persistence it must have required to move a family lock, stock and barrel, crossing deep rivers and finding one's way amid soaring walls of stone. As a West Texan, I can't even conceive of finding my way without the aid of landmarks, at least... and all these trees keep me from getting my bearings!
We have the great luxury of a rather loose itinerary, and I hope to spend a day or two here in the mid-Atlantic area, visiting places I've only read about until now. We're so close to West Virginia and Pennsylvania it's tempting to mosey along over there, too. We'll see....
Most of all I'd like to spend several more days right here in Virginia, exploring the Piedmont region where my ancestors lived, just on the other side of the Blue Ridge from my window here in Harrisonburg. And if I could get a genie to pop up out of a lamp, I'd be able to go to the State Library in Richmond and hunt for some particular records in the Archives! But that's not so easily done with 2 boys in tow, even if they're pretty well-behaved for their ages. Maybe someday...
Best of all, we were thrilled to attend my lovely niece's wedding to a fine young man while we were in Maryland. We enjoyed visiting with family and witnessed one of the prettiest weddings I've ever seen. We're thankful to have been together for the occasion and I hope everyone gets back home safely.
My husband is already home with Brownie and the puppies while Cookie and the boys and I wander the country. Cookie enjoys being the only dog along for the ride, but being the only grownup on the trip isn't always fun for me!
I'm still adding more stories to this website, albeit more slowly than usual since I've got a slow dial-up connection instead of my usual cable connection. I had some old articles scanned and saved to Zip disks, and brought them with me to add to the site as time permits. When I return home to Texas, though, you can expect a much greater volume of updates to the site!
As always, thank you so much for visiting and thank you for your great patience as I learn while I build this website!
Following my nose in the Valley of Virginia,
Barbara
Happy Hunting!