Purge and Party

All that's left is to strap Granny to the roof and head to Beverly!

Today's title refers to the lamer, more grown-up version of 'Boot and Rally'. 

We just spent the past several days getting rid of tons of junk and hanging with friends. Many thanks to everyone at our most recent send-off....I know how many send-offs can a couple have. We do have amazing friends and families. I guess the continuous delays have allowed us the luxury of multiple farewells. Fear not, dear reader, we have completed the final dump of 12 years of hording and we're on our way! Believe it or not, we've done this twice before. And, yes, we do recycle and donate. 

Free ball from the hotel - yeah that lasted 5 minutes

Just a one OMG moment

The moving crews descended this week. We've been scrambling to get out of our current home. The shear speed at which we're working brings a whole new meaning to 'wait and HURRY UP!!' We've temporarily holed up at the Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria before our flight out. The boys are still adjusting to the Waldorf-Astoria lifestyle, but generally they are doing fine.  JoJo has even found a way to visit the neighbors through a most unorthodox method.

 

Steel Bars Do Not  A Prison Make

Again a HUGE thank you to all of the folks that came from near and far to wish up well once again! We had an amazing time this past weekend. The surprise guests were the la cerise sur la gateau! A special thanks to Dee and Chris for making it down. And a super special - you are too good to us - THANK YOU to our party hosts, Angel and Mike. The food and booze were unparalled!

The Gang's all here!

We truly are blessed, and we'll miss everyone.

Edging ever closer...

 

Let me first thank my wonderful sister, my awesome brother, my amazing brother-in-law and marvelous sister-in-law for traveling across the mid-Atlantic and for missing out on all sorts of fun activities to create a Super Sunday Send-Off. Most of our fabulous east-coast nieces, Lauren, Hailey, Jane and Emmy along with our stellar nephew Chris – Derek and Lexi (both of whom are equally as tremendous) weren’t able to come due to work obligations - descended upon the home of my stupendous parents for a day of food, family time and general ‘filling-in-of-details’ regarding our pending move. We’re really grateful for all the well wishes. Their support means a great deal to us!

Whew...I was running out of adjectives

Now onto the beach:

 ‘Unbridled Joy’ best describes Jonas’ first foray to the beach.

Tob Man and The Sea

Toby is an old pro at the shore, but Jonas had never seen anything like it. On his first visit to the coast he made sure to let anyone within sprinting distance know how utterly amazing this wide-open stretch of sand, salt and smells truly was.

OMG OMG OMG OMG

We had a delightful time in Duck, North Carolina. Taking strolls twice a day with the boys along the beach was great, and the overall lack of stress was much appreciated before the penultimate purge ahead of moving day!  Our vacation rental home was enormous…as most tend to be these days. With five bedrooms and three baths, we maintained our residence on the upper level only. Everything down there is super-sized nowadays (definitely not our rental unit by the way). Believe it or not, ours was the most cost-effective, dog friendly place we could find in our preferred location. What we love most about the Outer Banks is the slow pace. We only dined out a couple of times using the full kitchen to cook in most days. Duck has evolved tremendously since my first visits back in the 1980’s (don’t worry I won’t go back there). The town now has a great boardwalk that connects all of the shops (too numerous to detail).

Five years! See we really are a happy couple.

I must thank the folks at Elizabeth’s Café for a fabulous dining experience on our wedding anniversary. As you can imagine, most restaurants along the ocean concentrate on fresh seafood…and rightly so. Elizabeth’s Café is a French style fine dining restaurant specializing in a wine-pairing menu. When asked if they could accommodate our vegetarian diet, they didn’t hesitate. In fact they were most accommodating. They served up two (yes two) vegetarian options sized up to become proper entrees with great sides and wonderful wine.  Don’t let me forget the Belgian Pot-au-crème for dessert! The laid-back beach life melded seamlessly with a ‘Maison’ experience. Fine dining in flip-flops…it just doesn’t get any better. No photos of the food, sorry. Popping a flash in the dim candlelight would have been a real Rube thing to do. 

Surprisingly not un-mediocre

 

The Salty Dawgs!

The discovery of sand crabs!

They're not allowed to do this at home - Vaycay is for everyone!

We'll be back!

A Brief Interlude

    Greetings from the land of 1980's paneling! Just a quick post while we're celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I'll follow up with a full recap when we return to Alexandria. Just taking in one last bit of sun and surf before heading to rainy Luxembourg.

The view from our deck is amazing!

Grateful as we are for this wonderful vacation spot...the paneling is overwhelming. More to come :)

Wait there's more

Howdy Pardner!

It's absolutely everywhere! Like an M.C. Escher gone wrong.

Just look at the faces on this lovely couple!

Still wildly excited about the future!

Why do I do these things?

"Because it's FUN!! And I LIKE IT!" - Russell Edgington.

Just making the rounds to visit friends and family before we begin the arduous task of packing up and shipping out. I recently returned from Wise, Virginia. If you ever feel the need to drive to the end of the line, Wise County - touted as the 'Safest Place on Earth' - is a great destination about one hour northwest of Abingdon, VA (mm 19 on Interstate 81). JUST DON'T CLICK ON THE "Safest Place on Earth" banner as it has been labeled an 'ATTACK SITE' by my browser. I just love irony.

My best friend Tyler, who've I've known since the fourth grade, lives and works in Wise. Which is great since it's tucked into some of the most rugged mountains in the Appalachian chain.

Tyler and his Family - So much blonde hair!

As outdoor adventure is something we share a passion for, we decided to go for a backpacking trip at the Mt. Roger's National Recreation Area. This is a unique area that remains as one on the southernmost outposts of the Northern Arboreal Forest - think Canadian wilderness on the same latitude as Virginia Beach. During the last Ice Age, the peak of Mt Roger's (5,729 ft above sea-level) and some of the other 5,000 - 6,000 foot mountains in the area were the only bits of land trees and animals could cling to above the glaciers. As these ice sheets receded, the spruce-fir forest were left behind and survived at these high altitudes. This makes for some stunning scenery and awesome hiking.

If you look Closely, you can see Thomas Knob Shelter in the center of the photo

My favorite feature of the Highlands is, of course - The Ponies! These herds were originally wild horses that escapes the mine shafts in the late 19th century. These rugged 'mini-draught horses' were once used to haul ore and coal out of the mines that pock the hills of southwest Virginia. Because of their toughness and the harsh terrain they lived in relative peace up on the windswept alpine slopes. Now the herds are managed by State and Federal wildlife officials. These little guys make the horses of Chincoteague look like pikers! The males of the herd are rounded up and auctioned off each fall in order to maintain a healthy herd population. Perhaps I'll buy one when we return from Luxembourg and sell veggie-dogs from a horse drawn cart in Old Town Alexandria. I do need to think about the future!

After a 40 mile hike and two nights in the backcountry, my poor legs are going to get a much needed rest!

Brian with a very pregnant mare - that's last years colt behind. Hot Dogs anyone?

One of Virginia's newest designated Wilderness areas is within MRNRA