When I look back on my life, I want to be able to say I lived my life to the fullest by my experiences. I do not want to be one of those senior citizens who have regrets that he/she did not take chances but played on the safe side without adventure or love, kindness or joy. I want to be able to say I lived my Life and I lived it Well.
When Bill & I began this latest road trip we could have taken 95 to Washington D.C. then crossed over to Front Royal by way of RT 66 however we wanted a more relaxed scenic drive so we headed out West passed Harrisburg then took 15 South towards Gettysburg into Frederick Maryland where I quickly got on goggle to check out the area hotels discovered a decent hotel and was pleasantly surprised when I discovered we had enough points for a free room in a nice hotel. We knew where we were going to stay when we arrived in Front Royal Virginia however I wanted to be adventurous and find a place to stay the first night of our travel when we felt like stopping for the evening. After a nice (though late) dinner at the Red Horse Steak House and a restless night (because of eating too late) we were off early the next morning down 340 stopping along the way to stand on a bridge in Virginia that overlooked Harper's Ferry in West Virginia before we traveled through Harper's Ferry West Virginia into Charles Town passed through Front Royal Virginia to get on Skyline Drive and drove 60 miles into mountains of Shenandoah stopping at various overlooks and climbing mountains that reached a peak of 4051 feet before arriving at Skyland Lodge for a tasty lunch of spicy hot vegetable chili and wine from nearby vineyards. We walked the trails down and around rented cabins climbed boulders took pictures of butterflies and wildflowers examined a tree with various holes evident that this tree was a favorite of woodpeckers. Around dinner time, we drove back down the mountain into Front Royal and to our hotel room. We checked in, took our bags to the room, and dropped the bags on the bed, before we headed back out to dinner at Houlihans. Dinner, Dessert and a bottle of Château Ste. Michelle's Riesling later we exhaustedly fell into the bed where we read until late into the evening before sleeping the sleep of babies until the alarm went off at 5am.
Yes. We planned to get up at 5am this morning so we could head up the mountains for that perfect spot to photograph the sun rising over the mountain while oceans of fog rolled out. As Bill set up his camera and I took out my camera phone, I sat on a wall overlooking the horizon with the only sounds of a bumble bee buzzing, a bird calling and the sound of a train very far out in the distance. I counted a total of six deer that passed by, one raccoon and a chipmunk. And I thought this must be what it is like in heaven.
Night left. Dawn came. The sun rose. It was time for breakfast and explore other adventures!
Showing posts with label Frederick MD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frederick MD. Show all posts
Sunday, September 06, 2015
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Great Escape
I was told a few months ago to take a step back and "learn from my adversity". I was in the middle of probably the most frighten time of my life, and I was being told to take something from the experience and learn from it. It is amazing how those few simple words have stayed with me, and have been the source of my strength in these last few weeks.
I did not cause it. I cannot change it. I certainly cannot control it. All I can do is make a decision not to put up with it, and to protect those in the line of direct fire. The words of someone whom you have loved dearly can pierce one's heart and rip the very soul out. I made a decision and it is I who will have to live with the consequences of my actions. I am OK with that. A year ago, I probably would not have been OK with that because I would have allowed my fear to take control. The fear is still there, however, I am making a choice to face it, rather than avoid or hide from it. No easy task, but a necessary one.
I met a man in Frederick Maryland yesterday at a small Irish pub in the center of town. He spoke of Ireland, and in the middle of the conversation, I realized our families were from the same parts of Ireland. I even learned he is also a descendant of the Boland line. He was the owner of the pub and went on to tell me, he owned another pub in Baltimore. He said, he travels back to Ireland each and every year to visit family in County Mayo, Donegal and Belfast.
He invited us to join one of the tours, he puts together every October. I think we will keep in touch.
We love to stay in a rented 19th century Civil War Era house in Gettysburg. We probably stay here three or four times a year. I call it my Great Escape from the real world. We traveled the 30 miles south of Gettysburg into Frederick yesterday for the day. Frederick is a small historic town with a ton of charm. We stopped at an old Catholic Cemetery known as St. John's, before heading to a tiny corner bakery for some treats and a walk downtown. It was cold and the little one was not necessarily in the mood for a long walk, so we stopped off at Patrick's Irish Pub for an authentic Irish lunch of Shepherd's pie for me and Fish & Chips for Bill. Of course, Ava opt for the chicken fingers, which she did not eat. We also made a visit to the Civil War Medical Museum. The old building that housed the museum was once known as the "embalming station", where the Civil War dead was embalmed, placed in coffins and shipped back to their families that is if the family could afford the 62 dollars to pay for such a service. I guess the price is the reason why so many of the dead remained interred where they died. 62 dollars in 1862 was a lot of cash for the simple common folk.
Today, we head back to reality known as Philadelphia with its troubles, problems, and responsibilities. Not sure if I am ready.
I did not cause it. I cannot change it. I certainly cannot control it. All I can do is make a decision not to put up with it, and to protect those in the line of direct fire. The words of someone whom you have loved dearly can pierce one's heart and rip the very soul out. I made a decision and it is I who will have to live with the consequences of my actions. I am OK with that. A year ago, I probably would not have been OK with that because I would have allowed my fear to take control. The fear is still there, however, I am making a choice to face it, rather than avoid or hide from it. No easy task, but a necessary one.
I met a man in Frederick Maryland yesterday at a small Irish pub in the center of town. He spoke of Ireland, and in the middle of the conversation, I realized our families were from the same parts of Ireland. I even learned he is also a descendant of the Boland line. He was the owner of the pub and went on to tell me, he owned another pub in Baltimore. He said, he travels back to Ireland each and every year to visit family in County Mayo, Donegal and Belfast.
He invited us to join one of the tours, he puts together every October. I think we will keep in touch.
We love to stay in a rented 19th century Civil War Era house in Gettysburg. We probably stay here three or four times a year. I call it my Great Escape from the real world. We traveled the 30 miles south of Gettysburg into Frederick yesterday for the day. Frederick is a small historic town with a ton of charm. We stopped at an old Catholic Cemetery known as St. John's, before heading to a tiny corner bakery for some treats and a walk downtown. It was cold and the little one was not necessarily in the mood for a long walk, so we stopped off at Patrick's Irish Pub for an authentic Irish lunch of Shepherd's pie for me and Fish & Chips for Bill. Of course, Ava opt for the chicken fingers, which she did not eat. We also made a visit to the Civil War Medical Museum. The old building that housed the museum was once known as the "embalming station", where the Civil War dead was embalmed, placed in coffins and shipped back to their families that is if the family could afford the 62 dollars to pay for such a service. I guess the price is the reason why so many of the dead remained interred where they died. 62 dollars in 1862 was a lot of cash for the simple common folk.
Today, we head back to reality known as Philadelphia with its troubles, problems, and responsibilities. Not sure if I am ready.
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