We went on vacation recently and if I weren't such a slacker you would have known about it long before now. So, to make up for it, I'm not going to keep in you suspense over our vacation destination like I did on our death-defying trip to the Grand Canyon. I'll just come right out and spill it: we went on vacation in Virginia; specifically, to my parents' farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
I recognize that this is not your typical beach or theme park summer vacation, but there was a very good reason that we were visiting my parents' farm as a summer vacation. You might guess that we were in there to see the gorgeous Shenandoah Valley, renowned for it's Blue Ridge Mountains, pastoral vistas and scenic farms.
My parents farm does have all that:
But that's not actually the reason that we were there. Ok, you are saying, you went to visit your parents and so that the kids could have some time with their grandparents?
Oh, yes, it's true that the farm has grandparents. Here is my mom who did wonderfully grandparenty things like taking the kids to pick veggies in her lush garden.
My Mom can grow anything, and her garden is beautiful. And she can whip up a meal with random stuff that she gets out of the garden and pantry, without a recipe or anything. That is like magic to me, since I have no creative cooking skills whatsoever. Now, if only I liked vegetables . . . but that's a story for another day. In the meantime, they make wonderful photographic background.
And here is my stepdad -- most people these days know him by his "grown-up" name, Jim, but he will be forever known to us "kids" as JJ. JJ is one of those guys who acts all tough-guy on the outside (he was a Marine back in the day, after all), but is really a marshmallow on the inside when it comes to grandkids. I know it's hard to hear, Grandpa JJ, but you have to face the truth sometime. Here he is with his leg all wet from having waded into a pond to save his granddaughter's tangled fishing line.
And here he is showing Daniel the basement of one of the farm buildings that Daniel wanted to see. It was dark and there is always the possibility of snakes (not that Daniel, who is very brave, would be afraid of a snake). So, Grandpa took Daniel's hand and led him down, clearing a path for the little guy.
But, the cold, hard truth is that we were not there to visit the grandparents either, although that was a nice side benefit.
Speaking of the basement exploration, my parents' farm is also steeped in history. It was built before the Civil War and the building with the basement was actually, sadly, used as slave quarters in its early history. Now it is home to several families of barn swallows.
But teaching the kids about the Civil War and some of the more deplorable moments in the history of our country was not the reason for our visit either.
So, by now I can hear you gritting your teeth and hissing "alright, already, what WAS the reason that you chose Virginia as your vacation destination???!!!!" Keep your shirts on, people, we're getting to it. The reason we went there, was quite simply this:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you: it is a dog. You see my daughter, Julie, is allergic to dogs, which is the great cosmic tragedy of her life because dogs are her favorite thing in the whole universe. We sometimes have to borrow our neighbor's dog just to give Julie a dog fix and keep her from climbing the walls or obsessively Googling dog pictures. So, this year for her birthday, Julie declared that all she wanted was to go visit Luke, my parents' Chesapeake Bay Retriever -- which is how we ended up at the farm on vacation.
And I think this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, even if one of them had to wear gloves to pat the other one of them, and one of them kept stealing and slobbering on the other one's Webkins.
Your parents farm is just GORGEOUS Dawn, think they'd like to adopt me?? LOL How sweet that your daughter wanted to see the dog for her birthday, I am sure they both had a blast!
Posted by: Eve | July 10, 2008 at 10:23 PM
what a great farm - really awesome. the photos make me want to go there!
have a fab weekend,
gabs
Posted by: evitangel | July 11, 2008 at 01:05 AM
Wow... this place is a dream !!!
And your photos are so eyecatching... you have an amazing talent !!!
Thanks for sharing...
Posted by: Dnadryad | July 11, 2008 at 02:50 AM
Great farm and such lovely pics ; thanks for sharing :)
Posted by: Paulana | July 11, 2008 at 03:01 AM
I think visiting Luke is a great idea. Heck, I want to go visit Luke too, after seeing your lovely photos, Dawn! Great job!
Posted by: Barb | July 11, 2008 at 03:34 AM
Fabulous photos and wonderful history on the farm. So this is a vacation that really went to the dogs! LOL
Posted by: Susan | July 11, 2008 at 03:37 AM
Another great blog entry! Lovely pictures. Too bad your daughter has an allergy to dogs, I know what it's like to want one so badly, but not be able to have one.
Posted by: shana a.k.a scrapshana | July 11, 2008 at 03:53 AM
Oh wow, what gorgeous photos! It must be like living in paradise. And I love your build up. You are such a natural storyteller. Hope you have a great weekend and have another new post soon. I enjoy your humor.
Posted by: Carjazi | July 11, 2008 at 06:11 AM
Wow what fantastic photos, thanks for telling us about your trip both with your words and the photos.
Posted by: Elaine | July 11, 2008 at 06:13 AM
beautiful photos! that dog is as big as a horse! so funny that your parents live in VA - i live just outside Charlottesville!
Posted by: Roxanna | July 11, 2008 at 06:14 AM
Wow can I just say how stunning your photos are - they are gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing them and your family with us :)
Posted by: katg1006 | July 11, 2008 at 09:22 AM
Wow can I just say how stunning your photos are - they are gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing them and your family with us :)
Posted by: katg1006 | July 11, 2008 at 09:22 AM
I am constantly impressed with your photography! Love it!
Posted by: Kelsey | July 17, 2008 at 09:25 PM