Getaway to Mountain Lake

We married in 2006 on the first of April. It was not a holiday, there was no convenient spring break going on, nothing to make the day particularly convenient either for a wedding or for an anniversary celebration.

But the date was ours. And so it is still. This means, though, that our anniversary celebrations, especially since having children, can be tricky to arrange. People willing to take our kids on for an overnight are a small, very special group. Fortunately, this year, help came to us. The Grunert Grandparents were so generous as to include an overnight at our apartment in their own anniversary/spring break travels this past weekend, so Jon and I could nip away and enjoy some precious, precious time alone and away.

 Another nice thing about our wedding date is we can often celebrate it in March and get "off peak season" rates with few crowds at our destinations.

That's not to say leaving these guys was completely easy to do.

More in our handholding at the library season. This one includes Spot as intermediary.

 Miles has started swim lessons as of this Saturday, by the way! A class that had been full opened up. I'll be sure to get some pics of him as soon as I can, as he's having a BALL in his "minnows" class at the rec center.

After swim class, we made a trip to the library and nearby little garden.

There are crocuses! Snowdrops! Spring is underway whether the snow we expect tomorrow likes it or not!

"You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming." -Pablo Neruda

There's some new construction downtown. When your town is as small as ours is, every new building changes its overall appearance. We can't wait to see these handsome buildings completed!

 I explained to this little girl very solemnly that Mum and Papa would be going away for one night to the mountains. She listened seriously and asked only that we "remember to pet the mountains."

We did our best.

Jon was surprising me, so I didn't know where we'd be landing. It turned out to be the famous "Mountain Lake" Lodge, where Dirty Dancing was filmed.

Can you see the Lake?

 I couldn't either, at first. It's apparently been noticeably receding for a couple of decades, part of a centuries-long natural cycle of waxing and waning.

 Jon liked this natural bench a lot.

 There's the lake:

 Or what's left of it. One of VERY few natural lakes in Virginia. It did strike me as sad, as I am from a land of abundant lakes, that this is what they have left of this one.

The Lodge. 

Oh look, Jon, I had already lost my earring at this point.

We didn't care. 

Sunshine made the wasteland beautiful

I have a thing for totem poles, even those whose native American legitimacy is ... questionable. 

For Dirty Dancing fans, here is a corner where nobody puts Baby. 

 Here we are fresh from a HUGE gourmet dinner:

 After dinner, we ambled out to the fire pit to enjoy the sunset and the bird noises.

 Chilly, but gorgeous. The mourning doves made a whole atmosphere.

Good night!

....And Good Morning! Look at my breakfast. Look at it. 

 This was our table.

 The dining room is a gorgeous, spacious stone room that played classic jazz and swing endlessly. We sat by the window at dinner and breakfast and watched the birds at the feeder, spotting jays, juncos, chickadees, doves and blue tits.

During breakfast, we strained our eyes to make out the first flakes of a surprise snow.

 It was short, lovely, and infinitely preferable to the cold rain we'd expected. If it's not going to be warm, it might as well snow, is my motto.

 In the morning, we took an explore:

We poked our noses in this Dirty Dancing memorial cabin. Because, why not. 

 Next, we satisfied my curiosity about a building labeled, "Mary's Barn."

It turned out to be a dance floor with a jukebox on the lower level...

...And a game room on the upper level!

We had a great old time playing pool, air hockey, ping pong, and fuseball for well over an hour while the snow fell. 

 For a one-night getaway, we could hardly have asked for a more beautiful, peaceful, and cozy time together. We feel so grateful.

On the way back: we descended about 2000 feet to Blacksburg's elevation of about 2000 feet above sea level.

 The landscape thrills even in early Spring.

 Upon reaching Blacksburg, we decided upon an old favorite for lunch.

 Gillie's wasn't nearly as crowded as it usually is on a Sunday! We didn't even have to wait to sit at the bar...

 When we got in at about 1 we were greeted enthusiastically by this guy:

 Even after one night away, I missed them. A night's uninterrupted sleep gave me a badly-needed recharge for an afternoon of play and exercise.

So far, I'm doing it. Thanks to support and unexpected blessings, my 2014 word, ALIVE, is a true motto for my days. I'm so very grateful.

The Far Edge of Winter

I took these photos of snow on the mountains on March 18th. You can see how spring comes first in the valleys and creeps up the mountains.

Spring is officially here, and we are beginning to know it. Daffodils are budding and blooming, some trees are budding. There have been crocuses. We expect snow next Tuesday, but it will be one of those weak spring snows with songbirds shouting absurdly throughout. So I think we will endure.

Jon is planning a night away for tomorrow night, to celebrate our eighth anniversary, which is a bit more than two weeks away. Grandparents Grunert have volunteered to spend the night with the kids, so we can fully enjoy it.

There are disadvantages of having an anniversary at this time of year. There is no convenient holiday nearby, and the weather is usually chillier than one would like.

Still, it is ours. I will always remember and associate with my wedding day this time just before Spring takes hold, where everything hangs in the balance, and the watching hosts of songbirds pretend to be in suspense.

What we've been up to

 I've not  been so post-y lately! Part of this is due to the recent collapse of our computer, or rather, its ability to read the external hard drive. We're not sure how much if any of our pictures and other documents may be salvageable, or what we're going to do about it if they're not. One problem at a time. In the meantime, I've been using my work computer, but this cannot be a long-term strategy. Is this the sort of thing people pray about? is there a patron saint of computer storage?

We have been enjoying another happy Blacksburg March. I often tell folks that March is the only month of the year I am SOLIDLY happy to be away from Rochester (sorry, guys) because March up there is usually just a repeat of February.

Here in SW Virginia, we've enjoyed many days of sunshine and 50-some degree temperatures, mixed in with more than usual days of snow, ice and sleet.

So what have we been up to... Last Monday I took a day off work during Spring Break Week to pay another visit to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.

 I still love tiny towns.

 They loved gazing at the little scenes too.

 ...Though they were over it more quickly than in our last visit.

Miles enjoyed the dress-up opportunities even more this time.

Cooperating on a puzzle

Pretending to be in flight on a small aircraft. 

It was funny to see this cable car bound for Glen Echo, an old amusement park outside DC that Jon and I have enjoyed many times. 

 They're still delighted by the creative playground.

 And, I think, they had even more fun on the train yard.

Pretending to eat in the caboose.

Adele saw a stuffed Dalmatian in the window and demanded a pic with her own Spot in front.

Adele poses.

If you're tickled by comparison pictures as I am, take a look at our visit last year (February 2013) where Adele plays with this same toy, Miles wears the same costume as above, etc. Of course, Adele's changed more; she's grown a head of hair, to start!

 She also speaks in sentences, which doesn't show in photos. Neither does Miles' astounding reading progress show on pictures, but I can tell you it's a relief and a delight to watch him read books aloud to his sister.

 Jon went to Raleigh and felt himself fairly successful at his Jeopardy audition last Friday! We shall see if he is selected and gains the opportunity to tell the story of Adele's birth by car on television.

I took the kids about on stroller that day, since he had the car. We paid an enjoyable, sunny visit to the playground, during which Miles impressed me by walking boldly up to a little girl there and saying, "Hi. My name is Miles. What's your name?" I do hope he can keep that confidence into his teens.

 Adele having informed me it was Spot's birthday, we had nothing to do but to throw him a birthday tea party!

 The birthday dalmatian, Adele informs us, is three now. For his birthday, that night, I opened up one of his seams and gave him some more stuffing. He gets about a bath every week lately, as he goes almost everywhere with his loving toddler.

 If you know Adele, you know about her undying love for Spot. She has loved him since they first locked eyes in the Ikea and he's been her #1 ever since. He is not the most well made stuffed animal she has owned, but we all know that children see things adults can't. Spot is well on his way to becoming Real, if you catch the reference.

 Happy Birthday, Spot!!

 The tea party and brownies ended with a stuffed-animal dance party in the living room before bed.

And, to conclude, here are a couple of parting shots I got of the kids, celebrating Saint Paddy's at home today since their daycare is, once again, closed due to weather!

 If I can manage it, I'll get this videos of the kids celebrating Spot's birthday working soon. It was a treat to make much of this occasion, as I remember so clearly my parents doing for me and my beloved toy when I was around Adele's age. Whenever possible, one likes to take their ideas seriously.