Hiking At Great Falls - The Maryland Side

It's time to share with you another of my favorite places.  The last time I shared a hike and a waterfall it was Scott's Run in Northern Virginia.  This time it's Great Falls (the Maryland side).

A few years ago I was on the facebook page of my friend Terri who lives now on the western shore of Maryland, not too far from DC.  She posted these amazing waterfall pictures.  I asked her where she took them, and she said at Great Falls.  I was thinking this was some far away place, so imagine my surprise when she said it was right outside Washington, DC.  Great Falls is also know as the Falls of the Potomac, and is part of the Potomac River system.  Great Falls has a large park, which is split into two "sides" - the Virginia side of the falls and the Maryland side of the falls.  The Maryland side has several off shoot trails for hiking, and that is what I will be sharing with you today, hiking the trails at Great Falls.

Great Falls has a very famous hiking trail called the Billy Goat trail, but several sections of it require rock climbing (the "A" section).  Since I am not particularly feeling much like a mountain goat, I do my own modified version taking a few side trails off the path that leads on past the main falls viewing area.  The footing can still be a little tricky in some places, so I always take along my trusty sidekick N.  He is getting ready to turn 17, and I don't know what I am going to do without him in a few years when he is out on his own.  He's always been such a great travel buddy, and we've enjoyed many good trips together.  Well let's not travel down the road to depression, and stick to Great Falls instead.

The Maryland side of Great Falls is located just outside of Potomac, Maryland.  The trails we used can best be accessed by going to the C&O Canal Park / Great Falls Tavern Visitor's Center located at 11710 MacArthur Blvd, Potomac, MD.  I will share with you some photos from the main section of the park another time.  It really is a beautiful place to visit!

So off to the trails....These pictures are from a visit made in April on our school Spring Break.  We have also visited in the fall and the scenery was gorgeous!  

Isn't that a pretty place?  I hope I can go back soon.  If you are ever in the DC area you are really missing out if you don't visit Great Falls.  And be sure and take your camera!

Busy, Busy, Dreadfully Busy

When N. was little he loved to watch the "Veggie Tales" cartoons.  

They always had a good message told in an interesting way, and really catchy songs.  In fact I can still sing several of the songs today!  They are the kind of songs that stick in your head and won't go away.  One of the ones I still sing to my self is "The Busy Song" (although "Oh, Where Is My Hairbrush" and "The Cheeseburger Song" are my personal favorites).  The Busy Song goes a little something like this:

I'm busy, busy, dreadfully busy

You've no idea what I have to do

Busy, busy, shockingly busy

Much, much too busy for you

For the past couple of days I have been really busy.  If you read my post yesterday, you know we spent the weekend off the island on a little trip.  Trips are great, but they sure put you behind on Monday when it's time to start the workweek again.  As of last night I was still trying to unpack and put away stuff, as well as cook dinner, do homework, think about my lesson plans for the week, catch up on laundry and dirty dishes, read all the facebook posts I missed the weekend, etc. 

Continuing from yesterday's post I'll share with you a few things about the rest of our weekend.  First let me suggest you try IHOP's Bananas Foster Brioche French Toast.  N. had it Saturday morning, and let me say as a person who doesn't even like bananas, I though it was the bomb!  

In Salisbury the IHOP is in the same parking lot as Hobby Lobby, so you can guess where I went next.  N. stayed in the car with his iPod, too stuffed to move.  LOL.  He drove me around the rest of the day and got in some "weather driving" hours toward the requirements needed to change his learner's permit to a permanent license.  He dropped me off at several more stores before we went to one that was more up his alley - Wink's Sporting Goods.

Wink's was having a customer appreciation day with specials on hunting and fishing supplies (which N. loves).  And on this one day a year he also puts on a really great food treat to share with his customers.  A few of the things we had were pulled pork, deer roast, meatloaf, sausage, and bbq brisket, (there was supposed to be deep fried turkey and goose but we missed it) baked beans, fries, brownies and cookies among other things.  They really put out a spread!  

We finished our time before catching boat with a big shopping run at Food Lion, a popular East coast grocery chain.  Then came the fun part...getting an entire car filled with stuff sorted out and crated up into storage totes and giant trash bags and loaded onto the boat for the trip home.

It took two golf cart loads to get it all from the boat back to my house in Canton.  I just had time to get it all in the house and my cold grocery items put in the fridge before heading back out for a bridal shower for my neighbor and former student Whitney.  It was a wonderful evening and she got lots of really nice gifts.  Congrats and best wishes, Whitney!

Vacations are nice, but it's good to be back home too. And that's where I spend most of my Sunday.  Besides all the unpacking, cleaning, and laundry that went on, I also had a few minutes to start some new craft ideas (and watch a link someone sent me of the latest episode of Downton Abbey that just aired in the UK).  

Love my girl Edith!   Maybe this year things will finally go your way (but not likely).

This week I am looking forward to my husband getting home off his two week tour on the tugboat, and some family time together.  And also for things to slow down a bit and not be so busy.  Fall is such an enjoyable time of the year, I want to take some time to do just that.  

While I think of it let me share this recipe link to a delicious pumpkin spice cake.  It's R.s birthday, and I think besides Rice Crispy Squares (his favorite) I'll also make this.  I usually put a few raisins in mine as well.  If you decide to, make sure to soak them in a little water first to plump them up.  And for a change from the usual you can also try chocolate frosting on a spice cake instead of cream cheese.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/incredibly-moist-pumpkin-spice-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/c8ce831f-e933-425d-b8c6-a2335705f63a

And now I will leave you with a link to "His Cheeseburger" the Veggie Tales Cheeseburger Song.  Give it a listen and then I dare you not to hum it the next time you order a cheeseburger.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahUXCdXZ96s

Shopping In The Rain

I'm singing shopping in the rain, just shopping in the rain...

Well I had big plans for the weekend, back when the weatherman was saying there was a 20% chance of showers. Ha!  N. and I took off from school Friday for a couple of days away.  The plan was for me to do some shopping, him to go to the car show, us to visit Ocean City, him to get in some of those 10 required night driving hours, and both of us to go to the Outdoor Expo being held in Crisfield.  In the end that's not quite how it went, but we still had a good time.

Friday was spent thrift shopping our way to Ocean City, MD.  If you haven't gone to the Halo Ministries Thrift store in Salisbury, you should try it.  They often have good stuff, and their prices are reasonable.  Some of the things I got there this trip were a like new Nine West purse for $2 and a giant heavy (it weighs like 10 pounds) glass mixing bowl for $4.  Then I scored a large wall mirror for $15 at one of my favorite little antique shops - Rt 346 Emporium (sounds like a grand place, but in truth it's more like a shack - but that's OK) in Parsonsburg.    N. doesn't really enjoy my love of thrift stores (to put it mildly) but he is willing to help lift up stuff so I can search for buried treasures, and tote heavy objects up to the counter and then out to the car, so what more can I ask. Plus I think he's figured out if he helps me look for things I came in there after, or that he's seen me cart home in the past, the quicker he'll be able to get back on the road.  Noah drove all morning until we got close to downtown Ocean City, then traffic got so crazy I made him switch out with me.

After a bit of a parking spot search (shout out to the nice man that pulled out and gave us his spot - with money still left on the meter - when he saw us looking) we hit up the Ocean City boardwalk.  N. and I had a great pit beef and boardwalk fries lunch at Bull On The Beach (one of N's favorites) followed by a Kohr Brother's frozen custard.  We walked down to the inlet parking lot (which was closed off) for the Endless Summer Cruisin Car Show.  N. has a big interest in classic muscle cars, so this is something he really enjoys.  The sky had been fairly gray all day so we didn't think much of it (remember the weatherman said 20% chance of rain) but soon after getting there the sky opened up and it poured rain.  Many of the car owners packed it up and headed for cover.  Here are some pictures from the show, including one really interesting one of how the owners of one convertible improvised for the ride back to their hotel.

Chevy's 9/11 Tribute Truck.  The paint job on this was AMAZING!

The new Corvette.  Yes, please...

That's a nice Chevelle.  Down at the end of the row their was an orange one that was even better though.  Don't know why but I love an orange muscle car.  One of those new Dodge Challenger Hellcat editions in orange would be perfect!  I just need to find a second and third job...

The lot had been packed with row on row of classic cars.  Endless Summer Cruisin is a big annual event.  There were cars there with plates from all over the East coast.  Too bad the weather turned sour.  At this point some cars were already pulling out.  We kept on walking thinking our luck would hold out.  It didn't...

You are at the beach in your expensive convertible and it starts to rain.  What do you do?  Beach umbrella to the rescue!  Although I am not sure how well that worked riding down Coastal Highway.

Noah and his dream car.  At this point he is pointing and begging and reminding me that his 17th birthday AND Christmas are right around the corner.  And since I also like classic cars I can say that if I had a spare, oh, $19,000, I'd be really tempted.

We headed back to Salisbury for dinner and some more shopping (Hobby Lobby, Ross, & Michael's here I come!) but not before shopping for two of our favorite Ocean City treats - Fisher's Caramel Popcorn and Dolle's Salt Water Taffy! YUM!

Well, I think I am going to have to leave you at this point until tomorrow.  It was a long day back at school after a vacation and my housework (and homework) are calling.  Plus I think it's time for some caramel corn.  Thanks for reading my blog today, be sure to check back later!

Deep In Amish Country

I'd like to take some time to share with you again a place that I love to visit and take pictures.  And, like last time it may be a place you are not familiar with.  In my last vacation post I shared with you Scott's Run and the waterfall there, which is just outside Washington DC.  Today I'd like to share with you Atglen, Quarryville, and last but not least Paradise, which are located just outside Lancaster, PA  (and near Philadelphia). These tiny towns are located in "Amish Country" but are off the beaten tourist path. 

Let me say at times I am not a fan of our GPS.  My husband drives by it exclusively, but I don't like to do that - and prefer to navigate by landmarks and maps the old fashioned way.  R. is sometimes amazed when we are on vacation and I can tell him when we are getting back close to the hotel after an excursion or how to go back to a place we saw another day.  I look around me when I drive.  I try to remember which directions we turned, what street names or buildings we passed, etc.  He on the other hand depends on the GPS and follows "her" directions.  I do like the GPS in Amish Country though.  I like to drive out deep into the countryside, knowing I can use the little box to find my way back to our home base.

We have stayed in a couple of different places near Lancaster.  Our favorite, ever, was an "Amish farm stay" called Jonde Lane Farm, where you got to stay bed and breakfast style on a working farm. Sadly, they are closed now, as the couple who ran it have retired.  Another great place, which I would recommend highly, is the Fulton Steamboat Inn.  It is just outside Lancaster and closer to the rural areas (for exploring) and also the outlet stores ( ! ). More about them in another post.  And to answer your question, yes it is shaped like a steamboat.  Check it out at www.fultonsteamboatinn.com.

Lancaster is a great place to vacation, with lots to do, but in this post I want to focus on viewing the countryside, and seeing the different way of life of the Amish people.  Fall is a wonderful time to visit, as there is a lot of activity around harvest time and the landscape is just gorgeous.  The rolling hills, huge farms, peaceful streams and covered bridges make wonderful photography subjects.  I like to get in the car and follow the back roads and take in the sites.  Here are a few pictures from a recent visit.  These were primarily taken in the areas named above, I can't tell you exactly where, we were just out exploring.  Several of them N. took, as he sometimes grabs shots while I drive.

Life at a slower pace

A beautiful farm, with a covered bridge near its entrance.

Harvest Time.  There were lots of farmers out in their fields when we visited.  It was very interesting to watch.

You may not be able to tell it, but that is a small (well smallish) kid handling that team and wagon!

An Amish schoolhouse.  Kids were playing some type of tag in the courtyard.

Boys on their way from school.  I try not to take their faces, but one turned toward me at the last second.  Generally, the Amish do not take photos or believe in having their image captured.  He was not happy with me.  I imagine their privacy gets invaded quite a lot.  I do try to take pictures without bothering them, but I am sure it gets old...

It;s Laundry Day...and I am feeling thankful for my washer and dryer.  It does make for a neat picture though.  This lot is small compared to some of the laundry we saw out to dry.

This is tobacco drying.  We were told that while they can't use the tractor for harvesting they can use the motor on it, if rigged to run on propane, to power some tools or other items when necessary.

We followed this buggy leaving a shopping center.  It was interesting to see rows of buggies tied up in the parking lot along with the cars.

Pretty covered bridge

And while you are out in the countryside, be sure to stop to any farm stands you see in people's yards. We have been able to get some delicious treats that way!  There is one farm stand in particular (Mrs. Lapp's) that I always try to find.  Her preserves, whoppie pies, and wonderful molasses cookies are always a highlight of our trip.

A Throwback Saturday / B-17 Plane Visit

This week on the local Salisbury news station they featured a story about a restored B-17 bomber that would be visiting the Salisbury Airport.  My grandfather, Leroy Pusey, flew on a B-17 as a tail gunner during WWII.  So, when these planes are nearby, my family often takes a day trip to see them. We have been to the Dover Air Force Base museum a couple of time to see the one there.  But this particular aircraft that was coming could be toured inside as well as out, and N. had never done that.  Since N. is trying to rack up some driving hours on his permit, and I like to try and teach him a bit of family history, off we went to Salisbury this morning.  

My Pop Pop,  S/Sgt Leroy E. Pusey, bottom row extreme right
posing with a B-17 bomber at 487th Bomb Group Lavingham Station  England 1944

Here what Tangier looked like this morning as we left...

A beautiful but extremely hot day, especially for September

It took us about 45 minutes after arriving in Crisfield to get to the airport in Salisbury.  I have never seen a B-17 in flight, so I was hoping to catch them doing one of their ride along flights (which at $450 a head was too expensive for me though I would have loved it, but then again I'm not too keen on flying in general). As luck would have it, just as we pulled up to turn into the airport staging area, they fired up her engines and began to prepare for takeoff.  I had to hurry and shoot a few shots through the fence since we had not yet entered the compound.  Both N. and I were excited that we would get to see her in flight.

The tail gunner position, they have a mannequin that sits back there to show the crew position.

We waited for the plane to finish her ride along flight, and to open up for tours.  She came in and taxied right by us...

and parked at the staging area.  

In the pics below we are preparing to tour.  At this point the weather has gotten close to 90 degrees. Which will help explain why I didn't take any inside shots.  It was all I could do to not pass out.  Seriously, inside that big plane it is very small with close quarters, and an aluminum tube sitting in the sun generates a lot of heat.

The one part of the plane you were not allowed to go during the tour is the tail, just where we wanted to see.  It is very difficult to access the tail gunner position, you have to crawl around the rear wheel assembly and down into a very narrow space.  I assume insurance and potential injury have caused them to block this off.  You could peek over the safety netting but couldn't see much.  I told N. that I was going to ask one of the flight operations crew if he could just try to go back there just a little ways.  I found a crewman as we were taking pictures preparing to leave.  

I explained about Pop Pop and how much we had wanted to see his tail gunner position.  He took N. aside and told him he was going to do something special for him if we would wait til the crowd thinned out.  He explained he could not take down the safety barrier but he could get him a closer look.  The tail gunner had a very small bail out panel that they could remove near the tail position if they could not crawl back forward because of damage or lack of time to bail out the side door or open bomb bays. The flight operator opened up the panel for N. so that he could stand up and stick his head and upper body in through the hatch and look into the tail position.  I took a peek too but it was way too small for me. We are talking a very small opening.  How Pop Pop got out of there with a parchute pack on I'll never know.  Pop Pop was shot down on (I believe) his 13th mission, bailed out and was held as a prisoner of war.  I didn't take any pictures because we were trying not to attract attention, but both N. and I were amazed. Thank you Sentimental Journey Flight Operations Crew.  N. actually agreed to pose for a picture before we left.

Here we were standing under the belly of the plane looking at the open bomb bay doors.  They let B-17 veterans who visit the plane sign the door panels.  We were looking to see if anyone had signed from the 487th.

After this we had a delicious lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse. May I suggest their lunch pairing of a half shaved prime rib sandwich and french onion soup?  Yummy!  Then a little Walmart and Food Lion shopping, and back down to Crisfield by 4pm to catch the boat back home.

Pulling in and ready to go home.  Air conditioning here I come!

And I will leave you with this another picture of Pop Pop and his crew.  Oh how young many of them were.  I can't believe he was only about two years older than Noah is now.  Thank you Pop Pop for your service.

The crew of B-17 "Paddlefoot" after a few missions.  Pop Pop at top right.  He was shot down in February, so this may be just before then since it is winter.  They all look like they have aged from that first picture, even in a few short months.  I think that's sad...

Scott's Run Nature Preserve - One of My Favorite Places

Beautiful Scott's Run in McLean, Virginia

I love taking pictures!  Photography has long been an interest of mine.  I also like to travel, though usually we do weekend trips close to home.  The great thing about living in Virginia is that there are so many wonderful things to see within a half a day's drive.  So, I thought I would share a few vacation ideas from time to time.  Here is one you might not be familiar with, but is one of my favorites.  This is Scott's Run.

Scott's Run is a path along the Potomac River in McLean, Virginia just outside Washington, DC.  It is found within the Scott's Run Nature Preserve, a small park just off Interstate 495.  It is also very close to Tyson's Corner, which if you haven't heard of it, is a HUGE shopping complex.  (The perfect day trip  - hike a little in nature in the morning - feel good about self - reward self with massive shopping trip in the afternoon) The Manassas / Bull Run battlefields are also nearby, and I will post about them on another day.  It takes about 4 hours for us, once we land in Crisfield, to get to Northern Virginia. Northern Virginia has so much to offer in terms of things to do!  I try to go a couple of times a year.

There are different trails to hike at Scott's Run Nature Preserve.  We always do the River Run Trail, because it has such an nice bonus at the end...a waterfall!  This may not be exciting to you - but we don't exactly have a lot of waterfalls on the coastal plain Eastern Shore of Virginia.  Waterfalls are also a photographer's dream!

Here are some pictures from our hike during Spring Break two years ago.  N. has grown so much since then! Here he is being a good sport and carrying my camera equipment over the "jumping stones" that help you cross shallow parts of the water on the trail.  I had two cameras that day. He's carrying my big camera, while I have the little point and shoot - because of the two of us, I am the one much more likely to end up in the river.  Those stones are very photogenic, but not exactly an easy crossing for the non athletic / non teenager types (like me).

In this picture we've struggled made it up a killer large hill and back down the other side to the Potomac. At this point I know I am in trouble because the down side of the hill was an even steeper angle than the up side, and that's the only way back to the parking lot.  N. scouted around and found a downed tree limb that was just right for a walking stick and gave it to me for the climb back up the hill later. That was so sweet.  I still have the stick.  I keep it in the trunk of my car for further hiking trips (and the memories of this one).  You can not go into the Potomac here even though it looks tempting.  The current is very swift!

Turn left at the bottom of the hill and walk along the river and around a bend and this is what you find!  Scott's Run Falls.  Oh so pretty, and on the day we were there, deserted!  Seriously, there was only another couple there when we approached.  We let them take pictures for a few minutes while we sat and rested, then they moved on with their hike and we had it all to ourselves.  Except for the eagle!

We saw, what I am pretty sure, was a bald eagle.  He made several close passes over us, but I wasn't able to get a good picture.  That little black dot in the picture above is him, use your imagination.  LOL   

Here is my best shot from that day, using the artsy "slow shutter" effect that is a must for waterfall shots to get that misty water look.  I was pretty impressed with myself on this one.  Thank you N. for toting my big camera and tripod and making this shot possible, and for being such a good travel buddy.  My husband works on a tugboat and has a two weeks home, two weeks away rotation, so pretty often it is just N and I on our little getaways since school vacations never seem to coincide with R's schedule. It's the life of a tugboat wife, I'm used to it.  And we do usually try to go somewhere as the whole family at least once every summer.

And here's a shot N. took of yours truly, resting and contemplating how in the heck am I going to get back up that hill.  I really want to go back to Scott's Run this fall.  I can only imagine how beautiful it would look decked out in fall colors.  But that hill is already on my mind...