Virginia!

 

Our adventures in Virginia continue. We went on a hike on the Cellar Mountain Trail the other day. The above picture was taken near the top but we didn't have time to make it to the peak before the sun went down. Besides, who has time for climbing to the top of the mountain in their fifties? The air is fresh, but the lungs are old and out of shape. The older I get, the more I realize why I like Florida so much . . . because it's flat! It was a beautiful hike, and the dogs thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

The trail was complaint-worthy as most of it was uphill (but not both ways like our parents used to walk to school). Both Pam and I had to breathe hard! We don't like exercise. Rather, at our age we prefer something more flat, like a sidewalk or Florida. Is there any way we can petition state parks to make the mountain trails out of sidewalk? The picture below clearly shows the negligence of the state by not providing us with a clear walking path that isn't so challenging.

While in Virginia we have spent some time with Pam's family (Uncle Kenny and cousins Bob and Bethany). If you want to know how to do something on the farm or ranch, Kenny and Bob are your men. If you want to know anything about banking, then talk with Bethany. You will notice in the picture below that Bob is icing his hand (really his index finger) and Kenny has a heating pad on his neck. Neither of them knows how it happened! Although, if I had to guess, Kenny slept wrong and Bob was likely pointing and laughing at Kenny's demise, thus he jammed it into something while uncontrollably laughing and pointing. In either case, these are good 'ole boys from the South and we love spending time with them. They were also both in the military, and Bethany is married to Larry! Thanks for your service. 

I asked Bob at one point if he knew anything from his military days that, if he told me, he would have to kill me. Bob is a man of few words. His reply was simply "nope." End of conversation. Whew! I already have Pam looking for a shallow grave for me, I certainly don't need a second bounty on my head! Upon meeting Bob for the first time on this trip he proudly showed me the display that he keeps in his truck of his rifle and handgun. Welcome to the South . . . Northerner!

I was out with Bob the other day and we/he was felling a tree in Kenny's yard. Kenny, you'll have to stick to weeding and hoeing and let the big boys take care of the more challenging tasks. Bob is somewhat of a tree-fell expert (certainly more than the novice that I am!). Watch him cut down this tree with the precision of a surgeon. Landed right where he wanted it. I stayed out of the way. I don't like getting hurt. I'll leave the "getting hurt" up to Bob and Kenny (see above picture). The way I see it, the less I do the less chance there is of hurting myself.

It has been great visiting with the Virginia family. We hiked another trail yesterday that was absolutely beautiful. I will post about that in the next couple of days. We have plans to go see the Natural Bridge today. I can't wait! Please feel free to leave a comment or share. You can also follow this blog by clicking the three lines at the top left of this page. Happy trails!