Well I must say it great to visit family and friends but there is nothing like being home or back at the cabin in the mountains. We left Woodstock around 9:30 after a quick stop at the meat market for some vacuumed packs of bacon, some shopping in Galax and made it back around 3'ish We did stop in Roanoke for lunch at Hardee's as we took a different route through that area which we will take the next time, when we go north. I tell you driving anymore wears you out and we did leave the cabin around 6 to shop in Sparta for a few items before heading over to our Monday night Bible study class at Cornerstone. It was after 9 before we got home.
I had started Monday with a wake up in beautiful Woodstock, Va. at my youngest sister place who always makes our visits enjoyable and memorable. We took trips to Berkley Springs, W.Va. and then over to Capon Bridge and visited with family there as well as a trip to the Mt. Falls area where we enjoyed a great get together with many family members, although most were all second and third cousins and even further down the line. We met several we had never met before and it was enjoyable and the food was awesome as well with some of the finest dishes prepared from old recipes, but the box of fried chicken was really outstanding. There were lots of memories shared, lots of laughs and even a few tears as we remember several who have passed on. Their stories are forgotten unless we retell them with old pictures and shared thoughts; that is mainly why I write this daily blog. I want my grand kids to know what I was like and what I did during my life time.
I skipped many of my start the day in-depth quiet times and silent walks with my lord, Jesus as well as lifting up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post as is our home in Floridas which was touched by this hurricane which dropped over 12 inches of rain in our area. A few trees were down and I learned we lost several branches from the back yard big oak tree at our place. I want to keep it because of the shade it gives off, but Nancy wants it gone, anyhow the house seems fine. Thankfully as is all of our neighbors as we spoke on the trip home yesterday.
Well yesterday the 5th was my birth mothers 98 big day and now today is my 78 big day, where did those years go and so fast it seems as we age. We are back here for a day or so before heading down to visit our " mountain mom" Helen in an ALF in Elkin. She and my birth mom are close in age. Helen seems to be doing fine and still has her mind although she is limited to what she can do. We will take her lunch and the eat with her during our visit and then we have a birthday party for young Seth on Friday, who turns two and then a church picnic on Sunday at a river where several will be baptized, so we are back with a full agenda in this coming week. We have some friends who are visiting for a long weekend some time towards the middle of this month and then we are free from guests unless De and Mike come again in September which isn't in stone.
Well that was about it for Monday and some thoughts on our trip up the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and our stay with Dee and Mike. They always make our visit memorable and we once again ate well and we so enjoyed their new pup Sophie, who is a bundle of energy and quite the ball player and who is just a lovable little thing. She almost makes me want another pup, NOT but the thought has entered my mind with her personality, LATER
