First Houseguests

And the distinction of "first overnight houseguests" goes to . . . family members Jim, Sara, Lyla and Stitch!

We were blessed to have a visit from this sweet family over President's Day weekend.  We had originally scheduled an earlier visit over the New Year's holiday and had big plans to don our Ducks gear and cheer Oregon on in the Rose Bowl together, but Type A Influenza put the kibosh on those plans.

Although the weather has not been ideal, they braved the threat of snow and 40-60 mph bone-chilling winds to make the trip up to the DC-metro area from North Carolina.

The weekend went too fast, but we managed to pack a lot of visiting and togetherness in a short time.  Jim and Sara even got a chance to slip away for a few hours to see some good friends while we got to reconnect with the wonder of the world through the eyes of an almost-two-year old.  Priceless, and we enjoyed every minute of it!  Lyla and the boys got some quality "cousin time" and had many giggles together.  Stitch and Spike checked each other out and generally did what dogs do (yep, what you're thinking!).  All-in-all, it was a great weekend.  What a great antidote to the homesickness we're all feeling to be able to connect with family again!

Although the insane cold and dangerous wind chills kept us from all venturing into DC on the metro for some Smithsonian time, we did make our first trip out to Dulles to the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center (the "other" National Air and Space Museum that everyone talks about).



The opportunity to see the Discovery Space Shuttle up close and in person made it worth the trip!  Seeing the impenetrable mosaic of 24,000+ individually numbered and catalogued 6-inch by 6-inch ceramic tiles on the bottom surface of the Shuttle, and learning the Shuttle had to withstand temperatures of up to 2300 degrees upon reentry into Earth's orbit, gave us a much better appreciation for what the fuss was all about when there was a possibility that a couple of ceramic tiles were missing on several of the voyages.

Another highlight was being able to look down into the huge hangar where they were restoring aircraft that were part of the museum's collection.  Some of the planes looked like they had just been pulled out of the jungle and they were being meticulously taken apart, cleaned and reconstructed for eventual display either in the Dulles location or the original Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in DC.  Somehow we didn't manage to get a picture of the restoration hangar (sorry!), but don't miss checking it out if you find yourself at this museum.

The hide-a-bed must not be too lumpy, because we didn't hear any complaints and I didn't notice any huge bags under their eyes when they packed up for the long car ride home.  Must mean we're okay to host other visitors who venture East, so family and friends please keep us in mind.  We'd love to see you!

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our next houseguest (Grandma Carol!) in less than a week . . . with Grandma Judy not too far behind.

Full Immersion

A few weekends ago, we decided to brave the cold and head over to Old Town Alexandria to take in the sights and see another historic house, The Carlyle House.

The occasion was the celebration of John Carlyle's 295th birthday, and the flyer promised "18th-Century Dancing!" "Live Music!" "Cake!" and "Soldiers, Muskets and Drilling!"  Ah, something for everyone in our family . . . how could we go wrong?

The Carlyle House was built in 1753 by a British merchant.  It is described as "architecturally unique" because it is the only stone (sandstone), 18th-century Palladian style house in Alexandria.  The tour of the home and grounds did not disappoint.

Neither did our wanderings down some of the nearby streets in historic Old Town Alexandria, a town that dates back to the mid-1700s.  Here are a few photos of some of the 300+ year old historic row houses that are still in use today!

Perhaps the most fun, though, was watching the First Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line practice drilling with members of its Musket Company.  

Boom!  Good thing we remembered to bring Owen's noise-canceling headphones.

Spoiler alert!!!  If you look closely, you might just recognize two of the First Virginia's newest recruits!

Yep, two of us are "livin' the dream," as they say.  We came out here to immerse ourselves in history, and these two are doing the proverbial "Full Monty." Owen and I are content, for the time being, to support our soldiers from the sidelines, keeping our technological lifelines within reach at all times while deliberately avoiding the discomfort of simpler times.

Stay tuned for more posts on the adventures of these fearless "old school" adventurers!

Our Own Backyard

I have always been more excited about history if I can see it or touch it.  Some part of me is still that towheaded little girl who would get excited digging around in the dirt back home in Oregon, looking for Indian arrowheads.

All four of us are having those same "itchy fingers" here, only this time we're eager to find musket balls, buttons and Virginia Halfpennies!  Knowing that there might be artifacts from the Revolutionary War or Civil War right beneath our feet makes it hard to resist the urge to grab a shovel, run out in the backyard and start digging a hole to look for historic treasures.

We are also not used to seeing historic buildings nestled like jewels in the 21st century urban landscape as we go whizzing by in our car, rubbernecking and wishing we had time to stop.

Thanks to a slight break in the weather several weekends ago, we decided it was high time to do a driving tour to check out some of these historic gems hidden right in our own backyard in historic Fairfax County, all within a 15 mile radius of the house.

The general area where we live actually dates back to pre-revolutionary times (around 1650), when Northern Virginia was first being settled through land grants made by the Virginia government at Jamestown to homesteaders and speculators.  Our neighborhood is part of a 24,000 acre tract that was originally a tobacco plantation, a common commodity crop in the mid- to late 17th century.

During the Revolutionary War, this area (still considered to be "frontier" territory) was in the process of being settled and farmed.  The nearest Revolutionary War battles in Virginia were fought in the Chesapeake, Petersburg and Yorktown areas, and the Capitol of the newly-emerging nation was still in Williamsburg.

It was during the Civil War that there were many, many large and small battles and skirmishes fought right on this very soil.  This area was generally considered to be "behind" Union lines and the protective ring of forts and fortifications that surrounded the nation's capital, but the Confederates, on occasion, would make inroads here, which put them a mere stone's throw away from taking Washington.

The following are just a few of the nearby structures we saw on our excursion that are testaments to some of this local history:

Wakefield Chapel (Annandale, VA), built in 1899.  One of the "newer" old structures around, a country "Gothic" chapel, just a mile or so from our house.

Annandale United Methodist Church (Annandale, VA--the "Historic White Church").  The original church was built in 1846.  Union troops took over and occupied the church during the Civil War.  It was eventually burned to the ground and rebuilt after the Civil War in 1870.  Loved the circular stained glass window!

The Falls Church (Falls Church, VA).  There has been a church on this site since 1734.  The present church dates back to 1768.  We thought it was especially cool that George Washington himself was a vestryman in this church.  It was used as a recruiting station during the Revolutionary War and as a stable during the Civil War.  As with many old churches, the church cemetery occupies the church grounds all surrounding the church, with graves dating back to the 18th century.

Cherry Hill Farm (Falls Church, VA), circa 1845.  During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate soldiers repeatedly raided this Greek Revival-style farm house.  It survived and was sold after the Civil War, eventually falling into the ownership of Joseph Riley, a key figure who incorporated the city of Falls Church and established a public school there.

The Blenheim House (Fairfax, VA), circa 1859.  During the Civil War, soldiers camped and convalesced there, turning it into a hospital.  The house wasn't open the day we drove around, but we'll be back to see the inside because it apparently has a large display of "Civil War Graffiti" (soldiers wrote their names and drew pictures on the wall, all of which has been preserved).  How cool is that?!?

St. Mary's Historic Catholic Church (Fairfax, VA), circa 1858.  Not long after this church was completed, it served as a hospital during the Civil War.  In 1862, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, nursed wounded and dying soldiers in this church after the Second Battle of Manassas in nearby Chantilly.  There was also a Civil War skirmish fought right outside this church, where Col. John Mosby and his Confederate troops surprised some 60 Union troops who were resting at the church and quickly got the upper hand, chasing them all the way to the Fairfax County Courthouse, which is several miles away.

The Sully House (Chantilly, VA).  This historic house was built in 1794 by Richard Bland Lee, the uncle of Robert E. Lee, and Virginia's first Representative to Congress.  The Lees were well-to-do, and during the Civil War would often found themselves unwillingly playing host to either Union or Confederate troops, depending on who had control of the surrounding territory at the time.  

It's amazing what one can see and do around here in just one short afternoon!

Baby, It's Cold!

Apologies to our readers that it has been over a month since we shared an adventure!

Winter has put a bit of a hitch in our get along . . . the cold has been cramping our carpe diem spirit!  There have been many, many days in the single digits, and the howling winds make it unbearable to be outside for more than a few minutes.  Quite a few days have also started out--or ended up--looking something like this!

Truthfully, we have been hunkered down, conserving our energy and trying not to freeze to death as we make our appointed rounds to work and school.

Last winter in Dundee was definitely cold.  Seems like early last winter there was a week or so that the temps never got above a 8 degrees. You remember these things when you have outdoor livestock and have to cart hot water outside several times a day so you can break the two inch crust on their watering trough.  I also remember it well because we were literally snuggling with our lambs underneath blankets and heat lamps in the barn trying to keep them alive in the extreme cold.

I gotta say, though, an East Coast winter is definitely colder!  It is SO COLD outside that Owen's bandana that he wipes his face with FROZE on one of our more foolhardy adventures a few weeks ago.

The siren song of a bright blue sky day lured us outside, and we found ourselves at Arlington National Cemetery.  It was about 21 degrees out that day, but much colder with the wind chill.  We had only been outside for about 5 minutes and had just started up the hill at the cemetery when we noticed that Owen's wet bandana was frozen solid!  Needless to say, we cut our outing short but stayed long enough to pay our respects at John F. Kennedy's grave and see the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier.

It was hard not to notice that the soldier on duty out in the cold had a runny nose.  He had a thick patch of mucous running from his nose to his upper lip that had frozen to his face.  You gotta admire that he was so singularly focused and dedicated to his task that he didn't break form to wipe his face.  Bless him that he cared more about duty, honor and respect than he did about personal comfort and vanity.    

Once we had warmed up sufficiently in the car, we also made a very quick stop by the U.S. Marine Corp War Memorial (Iwo Jima).  Awesome to see up close and in person!  We'll definitely be back when winter is over.