Holiday Cheer in Staunton, Virginia

Let me begin by saying "Merry Christmas!"  I meant to write a blog earlier, but got side-tracked by an unexpected virus that sent my temperature soaring and my energy level tumbling.

But I am back on track, and after a brief delay in plans, Marty and I are on the road, eager to continue our holiday celebrating.

When the weather cooperates, this is a fabulous time of year to travel, with so many places decorated to celebrate the season.

Even the Virginia Welcome Center was in the spirit.

So far, the only snow we've seen is the fake stuff you see in that photo.  And, let's hope it stays that way, at least until we get home.

We've made this particular trip, many times over these past 3 years, but this time, we decided to try a different place to stay to break up the drive.  We are in Staunton, Virginia, the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, and thereby, the holder of his Presidential Museum. We've been to this quaint town before, many years ago, when we actually toured the museum.  It's well worth the visit if you are ever in this area.

But tonight, we're staying at the Olde Staunton Inn B&B, where we could park the car and easily walk into the town.

The living room is decorated with a metal ornament tree:

With a cute little piggy waiting for its new owner.

and a simple mantle piece on the opposite wall.

Simple, yet lovely.

Since the weather is quite balmy, we opted to take a stroll along the main street which looks like Home Town America From the Past, with the beautifully decorated Christmas Windows.

Let me share some photos:

There was an elephant on a drum

A HUGE tree in the Cigar Store

 Santa in a Canoe

A Very Cute Snowman

And a music store decorated on one side with beautiful wooden basses and a lovely old fashioned Christmas tree

And the other featuring an Aluminum Bass from the 1930's next to a shiny aluminum tree.

Quite a clever arrangement, don't you think?

 But the best part of this arrangement for Marty is the view from our very comfy King Size Bed.

Quite a comfortable way to enjoy the game.

What can I say?

GO STEELERS!!

Almost Five!

Can you believe it?  Do you remember the day this little guy entered the world?

It was nearly five years ago,  and soon I would be known as Gramma G

 and my hubby as Pap Pap G.

Of course it's obvious how this little guy couldn't help but bring so much joy into our lives.

And every visit would be filled with fun.

Year after year.

And with time flying by, of course we had to be a part of this special day today.

It  began with someone going bananas.

winning at Cha Cha Chicken

while little sister was a bit dismayed.

There was the mustache photo with Pap PapG

And some quality time with the Great Grandpaps

Who were very entertained by the birthday boy's silly knock-knock jokes.

Then it was time to celebrate 

And the singing Happy Birthday to You!

And finally, the blowing out of the candles.

Another fun and fabulous day!

Happy Birthday, little guy!   Don't grow up to fast....Please!

A Military Tribute

The family had waited since February to fulfill the last wishes of this special woman:  Col. Teresa Geisler Goldner.  And we could not have asked for a more glorious day.

As the sun shone bright early in the morning, with a slight crispness in the air, the family congregated at Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to this much beloved woman who accomplished so many things in her life.

But although her good deeds were certainly admirable, it was her special love for everyone who knew her that drew this close knit family together, to witness her finally being put to rest, next to her beloved husband, James, who had been buried here so many years ago.

We watched as the horse drawn caisson brought the flag draped casket to the point of departure for the funeral procession.

Teresa's ashes were ceremonially placed into a special place in the casket.

And as the air force band played "God of Our Fathers", 

 the procession to the grave began with the family members walking behind.

At this point, we walked to the grave where we waited for the religious blessing.

Father delivered a beautiful and inspiration homily, reminding us of how special Teresa was to nearly everyone who knew her.

We could finally find peace in knowing that she was with God, looking down up on us.

We stood while the ceremonial 21 gun salute echoed through the air.

And we listened to the lone bugle playing Taps.

We watched as the honor guard so meticulously folded the flag

and tenderly presented it to Regis, her younger brother.

At this point, we were treated to the sound of a bagpipe, resonating through the air a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace.  When it was finished, Father explained to us that the bagpipes are reserved only for servicemen and women of high rank.  It was played because Teresa had the rank of Colonel.

Then the air force musicians marched in unison off into the distance.

And her younger brother sat alone, still clutching the flag that had been so tenderly placed into his hands.

One could feel the emotion in the crisp, fall air.  But we knew that Teresa would not want us to mourn, but to rejoice in the fact that she was finally home.

The comment was made several times that we were an exceptionally large crowd.  It was unprecedented to have so many in attendance at a ceremony.  Our presence certainly showed just how special this woman was to all of us.

I am honored to have been able to be a witness to this special event.

Eternal rest grant unto Teresa, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.  May she rest in peace.  Amen.

A Beautiful Day in Arlington

Believe it or not, we are once again on another adventure.  This, however, was planned far earlier than the Scotland Trip, as we are in Arlington for the Full Military Ceremonial Burial of Marty's very dear Aunt Teresa.  She will be buried alongside her husband who's grave lies in Arlington Cemetery.

However,  her epitaph will not say "wife of", as she, herself, achieved the rank of Colonel in the Airforce, being one of the first females in the air force to manage such an accomplishment.  She was truly an amazing woman.

Since the funeral is at 9:00 a.m., it made perfect sense to arrive a day early which afforded us some time to walk around the area on this absolutely magnificent day.

We walked past the US Marines Memorial.

Just for the record, I do not know those two people posing for a photo.  But they weren't making any attempt to move, so I shot the picture with them in it. 

The view from the memorial was pretty spectacular as well.

Nearby stands a Carillon which was donated by the people of Netherlands in appreciation for all that the American Military did to save their country during World War II.

Outside the walls of Arlington stands a huge memorial to the Women in the Military.  Unfortunately, the outside of the building bears no inscription.  We just happened to step inside because we thought that it was the Arlington Information center.

The inside is filled with displays involving the many roles of women in the military throughout the years.  We just so happened to stop at the desk and ask if there was a map of the cemetery, and we were told that we were actually inside the Woman's Meorial, which is outside of Arlington.  The woman was quite eager to help us, and  I told the her that we were in town to attend the burial of Marty'a aunt.  She became quite excited and wondered if her name was in the system.

She walked us down the hall and punched the name into the kiosk, and look what came up!

Not only her military history along with a photo , but a list of awards that she had received, all of which did not fit on the basic screen, so a second screen listed them.

As I said, she was quite an amazing woman!

We headed back to the hotel for a meet up with all of the Geisler family members who made the trip for this historic event.  Family flew in from Nebraska, Arizona, Texas and Florida, just to mention a few.

It was great seeing all of these family faces who have been so distant over the years.

Yep!  It was truly a Beautiful Day in Arlington.

A Perfect Day

Are you a wee bit curious about the above photo?  Considering that we are in Scotland, I can see where your curiosity might be piqued.  I'll explain later because it's all part of our Perfect Day.

We awoke to sunshine and it stayed with us all day!

I am happy to announce that we managed to make it through our stay at the Sinclair House without incurring any damages.  Whew!

Actually, the house was quite comfortable, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in staying in the area.  I did have to chuckle at Marty, when it became quite warm in the room, and we had no way to control the temperature.  Marty opened the window, and I heard him comment, "I hope we don't get charged for that."   Too funny!

After porridge and fruit for breakfast, we made our way out of Helensburgh to a place called Pollok House.  It is a National Trust for Scotland house and well worth visiting.

This estate is the ancestral home of the Maxwell family, having lived here from the 13th century until 1966 when the house and grounds were gifted to the Glasgow City Council.

The oldest property on the estate had been a castle built in the early 1200's, but this particular house was built in 1752.  Its present glory can be attributed to Sir John Stirling Maxwell, who just so happens to be a founding member of the National Trust for Scotland.   He realized the importance in preserving this baronial estates for future generations, and he hired an architect by the name of Robert Rowand Anderson in 1890 to design and build extra wings.

His father, William Stirling Maxell, had a fondness for Spain and he amassed an extensive collection of Spanish art which is on display inside this grand home.  Photos were not permitted, but the walls were adorned with paintings from El Greco, Murillo as well as Goya.  Quite a remarkable and extensive collection, all preserved for the enjoyment of visitors like us.

This house can truly be compared to Downton Abbey, although the building is not quite as large.  The interior is decorated in 1930 mode.  This house was used as a hospital recovery facility during World War I, for recovering soldiers, and there were many features that were similar to those of the above mentioned series.

Marty and I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the house, and the two women on staff were delightful and eager to share their knowledge of the house and its contents.

After a thorough tour of this gem, we set out to find some Highland Cattle, and as luck would have it, we found a couple of wee calfs

They weren't nearly as interested in me as I was in getting a decent photo of them!

Here was another set that we found a bit further down the road.  Apparently the shrubs on the other side of the fence were tastier for this youngster.

We made it back to take a better look at the gardens around the house. 

 Tell me that just doesn't look fabulous!

The views were spectacular, and the weather sure helped with that.

 the ground included an old Saw Mill

as well as stables which are still used.

And you will never guess what we found inside!

A Clydesdale named Henry. Actually, Arthur was in house as well, but I couldn't get a good shot of him in the stall.  I had never made the connection between the River Clyde and this area and Clydesdales.  But here they were!

and, as if that wasn't exciting enough, taking a walk down to the saw mill offered the perfect photo opportunity.

Sun shining down on a waterfall with two Clydedales grazing in the distance.

Now, I ask, just how often does an opportunity like that come up?  

And, so we did not waste the opportunity to get a photo with the house in its picturesque beauty behind us.

What a great way to spend our last day here in Scotland!

But wait!  It wasn't quite over yet.

We decided that we really needed to get together with Patrick and Isobel, the owners of the Roods in Inverkeithing, since Patrick had been away when Marty and I had arrived last week.  Marty had bought Patrick his own special Steelers shirt, and when we showed up this evening,  he was already wearing his new gift, and beaming with delight!  That explains the photo at the entry to my blog.

We all went to the Ferryview restaurant in Queensferry where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner and camaraderie, and we had the restaurant completely to ourselves.  That was probably a good thing as we were having a grand time and not exactly being quiet!

Really…..it was the perfect ending to a perfect day.  And what a fabulous way to finish off this special time for Marty and me in this truly welcoming and lovely country!

Once again, I hope you enjoyed my gallivanting!