Monday, January 19, 2009

A Weekend Trip to Our State Capital






Scott and I traveled to Raleigh last weekend to visit our friends, Aaron and Lauren.
(I first met Lauren in college; she transferred and graduated from NC State. She also met Aaron in Raleigh.)




(I doubt anyone guessed, but Lauren is around 6 months pregnant!)










We had fun at their house, playing with their animals, (Maxwell the Rabbit, Lyra the Macaw, Simba the Cat, Bailey the Dog, a snake and geiko, (what were their names, Lauren?)



My camera click and flash caused Lyra to drop her toy...


Aaron and Lauren gave us a tour of downtown, including a trip to the NC Museum of History and a view of the governor's inauguration parade. (We had no idea the inauguration was that weekend.)



To see more photos, click here for our Raleigh Picasa Web Gallery!


Monday, January 5, 2009

The Northern Neck of Virginia

Before Christmas, we visited northern Virginia. Several of Scott's relatives live in small towns in that area: Warsaw, Farnham, Kilmarnock, and Dahlgren.


This area is the northern part of 3 peninsulas, traditionally called "necks" in Virginia, and runs along the Chesapeake Bay on its western shore. The Potomac River is northern border of this area while the Rappanhannock River runs along the south of the peninsula. Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland Counties make up the Northern Neck. For more information, click wikipedia and check out the map.


The Northern Neck of Virginia is also historical. Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, Stratford Hall, (click here for info,) and George Washington's birthplace, Pope's Creek, (click here for info,) are in the area, not to mention several other historical sites and markers and churches that are a few hundred years old. Fortunately, this area preserves its history. Older buildings are well kept and functional; if they are not being used for their original purpose, they are often turned into museums, restaurants, or other businesses.


A Few Sites...





A Coca-Cola Bottling Plant in Montross, VA






Views of a Shore Line






Kilmarnock Inn





An Old Theater in Mathews, VA


Friday, January 2, 2009

Biltmore Estate

We visited the Biltmore Estate on Monday, December 29 with some friends. The estate is located in Asheville, NC.










For more information or history, visit: http://www.biltmore.com/




To see our photo album and slideshow from this trip, check out: http://picasaweb.google.com/mandolinartist/BiltmoreEstate#