Scrappy Hearts

got history?

 

Every summer Mark and I try to plan a few excursions to satisfy our wanderlust and this summer was no exception. Our historical journey found us driving down to Williamsburg last Sunday. We love any opportunity to explore history and since Mark had never been to Williamsburg it was an obvious choice! 

  

One of my favorite things about our little excursion was the opportunity to delight in the beauty of the area. So often life rushes by us and we can lose sight of the little things like a cool breeze on a sunny day and tons of Crepe Myrtle flowers in bloom everywhere we turn. We took our time, didn't make a grand plan and just let the trip take us where it would. We met some really interesting people, ate delicious homemade toasted coconut ice cream and ate several delicious meals. We even took a dip in the pool - look at me relaxing!!

We were only away for a few days but we were very relaxed when we returned. We took our time driving and came north via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Tunnel and treated ourselves to lunch at a little roadside diner that looked a little scary but served delicious food! All in all, we were grateful for the opportunity to spend a little time away! 

30 Days of Gratitude: November 8th

So very grateful for the opportunity to travel, especially this past summer. We made a trip out to Wyoming to visit Mark's brother and sister-in-law at their cabin. Such a wonderful respite from our day to day responsibilities. We hiked, we visited museums, we traveled to National Parks and just celebrated the opportunity to be together in this wonderful place. It was a great trip, grateful for the chance to visit the cabin one more time before it is sold.

Ohiopyle, PA

Our adventures in July took us to a little town in western Pennsylvania, Ohiopyle. We enjoyed the slower pace and the beautiful surroundings. We camped one night in Ohiopyle State Park after being rained out our first night. It is no fun setting up a campsite, especially a walk in site that takes you up a steep hill, inthe pouring rain. While it rained our 2nd night, we were able to get everything set up and bathroom runs done before the real rain hit.

I love to hear the rain on the roof of the tent. I love the smell of the woods after a rain. I just love being outdoors.  

Ohiopyle is a state park in Pennsylvania as well as a cute little town. The park surrounds the town and the town itself sits right on the Youghiogheny River Gorge which makes it a great spot for white water rafting and other water sports. When the town is hosting groups it is really bustling. Other times it is just a quiet little spot on a wonderfully beautiful river.

Ohiopyle is a good five hour drive from where we live, but we surely want to go back to explore the area. There are so many hikes that seem appealing and so many neat areas to discover.  Perhaps next spring...

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Falling Water

 Summer trips, for me, are usually a cross between exploring a new area (Gettysburg) and seeing something that I have always wanted to see. This trip was precisely that. I have always been intrigued by Falling Water and the opportunity to camp in an area where we had never been was an absolute plus. As a child I was blessed to spend a part of every summer on Long Beach Island, off the coast of New Jersey. My grandparents house, bought when I was a mere 6 months old, was located on a bay lagoon. I would lay awake at night listening to the water lap the bulkhead and the rigging of the sailboat next door slap the mast. I had always assumed I would grow up to own a house on the water. Falling Water is one better than that, it is a house built out over the water. The stairway in the living-room, hidden by a retractable set of windows, actually leads down to the water and is just before the falls.

 Inside the home you hear the water everywhere. The house is built with expansive decks that allow the dwellers to experience the outside world from all different angles and levels. There are no photographs allowed while you are inside the home but even in the photograph above, you can see the decks. The house is actually cantilevered overed the water by three concrete fingers.

The house itself is constructed of concrete and because of where it is located, the concrete was actually mixed bag by bag. No heavy machinery was used to excavate the site or to help with the construction. Our visit was everythhing I had hoped for and more. It is truly a work of art and I found myself wanting to travel back to visit during the different seasons just to see what the experience was like for the Kaufmans that had the home built. 

We Managed to Escape,

just for a bit. We left home on Sunday, late morning and arrived in Gettysburg not long after lunch. Our bed and breakfast, The Brafferton Inn, is the oldest building in Gettysburg. The home was built in the late 1700’s by the Codori family. When I selected our room I had no idea that I was selecting the oldest master bedroom in Gettysburg. It was the perfect place to begin our little get-away! 

Sunday we checked into our room and then immediately traveled out to the National Historic Site. We wandered the visitors center and learned about what they offered before deciding that it made more sense to begin that part of our journey on Monday. We took a quick drive back towards town with a stop at the Appalachian Brewing Company for an early dinner. Before we travel most anywhere, I spend a little bit of time doing homework. Most of our excursions will include a little camping, a little outdoor activity, a little history and a little relaxation. As travelers, we are really pretty relaxed. We know what we want to see first and foremost but we are flexible with our timing. Before we left for Gettysburg, I had decided that the Appalachian Brewing Company would be a fun stop for Mark.Dinner started with jalapeno poppers, open-faced, wrapped in bacon and baked, they were delicious! We spent a great deal of time discussing the local area with our server and had a leisurely drive back into town where we took a long walk around the square. Our bed and breakfast was ideally located for spending our time downtown and we were thrilled. Just what we needed, no schedule and lots of exploring!

Adding to my Collection

I am definitely a Starbucks mug addict. I have quite a few plus several different incarnations. My favorites would have to be the architecture series. My first purchase was in Las Vegas and I found the tree ornament size of that particular mug. Then, I couldn’t find that mug any longer so I switched to purchasing the “city” mugs. I was on a pretty good roll with those, well, until they disappeared. It was around 2009 or 2010 that I first saw the You Are Here collection. I think my first purchase was New York City, but then again, I really can’t be sure. I have purchased the special edition black and white mugs in Seattle and New York. I have been gifted any variety of mugs from places like Prague and St. Louis. This weekend I was able to add to my collection. I picked up the Niagara Falls mug and the Canada mug at a Starbucks right outside of Niagara Falls, New York. 

I love the styling of these, You Are Here mugs. They remind me of 60’s vintage drawings and I love the fact that they appear to be color blocked. Niagara Falls happens to be blues and grey while Canada boasts reds, blues and taupe. Mark and I are beyond purchasing touristy types of things, except for Starbucks’ mugs. For the most part we use the city mugs and the architecture mugs for beverages through out the day. I guess if we ever ran out of those, we would start using the You Are Here collection, but we have not been that desperate, yet!

 

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Off On An Adventure

Wednesday morning Mark and I headed off for an adventure. I love to travel with my hubby because we travel so well together. We had no set agenda and no time frame. I just had two expectations. First, that we would have a late lunch at Millers’ Smorgasbord because Mark had never been there. Second, I wanted to stop by the classroom of The Old Country Store, just so that I knew where I needed to go for my class on Thursday morning. 

We were able to accomplish that and so much more! I love traveling out to Lancaster County and I usually visit at least once a year with Bunkey. This is the first time that I have taken this trip with my hubby. Mark last visited Lancaster over 10 years ago and as far as I’m concerned, that is just too long between visits! On Wednesday we managed not only to enjoy a hearty meal at Millers’, we were also able to spend a good deal of time perusing the quilts at The Quilt Shop at Miller’s. Mark has always wanted a Mariner’s Compass quilt and spent a great deal of time looking at all of the magnificent quilts on display. Me, well I found a wonderful poster to frame for the shop and I also managed to remember to pick up the shop’s license plate and pin! I love participating in the Row x Row!Another visit took us to one of my favorite shops, The Log Cabin Quilt Shop. There I was also able to pick up the shops’ license plate and pin. I had such fun showing Mark around to all of the places that Bunkey and I find the most fun. Once we decided we had explored enough, we checked into our hotel. This visit we stayed at The Inn and Spa at Intercourse. We were one block away from The Old Country Store where I would be taking my class on Thursday, as well as one block away from The Kitchen Kettle Village.Right in the middle of where we wanted to be! Close enough for me to walk to my Thread Painting class on Thursday and for Mark to meet me for a quick lunch between class sessions. After we got ourselves unpacked we ventured out for a long walk. We watched a local men’s baseball game, wandered around the town of Intercourse and marveled at the number of fireflies surrounding us as we sat and took in the night sky. A glorious day which led to a really good night’s sleep!

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What an engaging pair these two are! I have no doubt that this is the way the drive from Houston to New Orleans looked on Tuesday. Jess doing the driving and Jason believing that he was in charge. Tomorrow is Jessica’s birthday and I wonder how they will celebrate. She is in one of her favorite cities and I know that she was anxious to show Jason around to all of the interesting places she had discovered on her last visit. I must say that I miss celebrating with them but I am thrilled that they were able to have this adventure together. I am looking forward to catching up with them when they arrive home!

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These two will embark on an adventure. I am thrilled that they have chosen to celebrate their birthdays together, and to celebrate by taking a road trip together is just way cool! I am hoping that the trip is all that they would like it to be. I am hoping that they meet wonderful people, eat delicious food and share magical moments. I love these two more than anything! Happy, Happy Birthday!