Things to do near Colonial Beach, Virginia

http://www.stratfordhall.org/ - This is the home of the Lees of Virginia and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee

http://www.nps.gov/gewa/ - Visit Pope's Creek Plantation the birthplace of George Washington and visit his forefathers' farmland.

http://www.westmorelandberryfarm.com/ - A beautiful setting where you can pick your own food, have lunch and visit the farmer's market.

http://www.inglesidevineyards.com/ - Visit the vineyards and sample the wine.

http://foodlion.mywebgrocer.com/InteractiveMap.aspx?s=46725956&g=4ed7c394-43b9-400d-8eef-645029c04d50&uc=7B35461&state=VA&zip=22443&store=1EC52882 - Map to Colonial Beach Food Lion

http://www.northernneck.org/Visitor_Information.html - Learn more about the Northern Neck of Virginia. Our home is between Colonial Beach and Montross, Virginia in an area called "Oak Grove"; which is in Westmoreland County. The house is built on a point where a colonial-era wharf was located, called Wirt's Wharf. The Wirts were part of the family for which Wirt County, WVa was named.

i heart faces - Hats - Adults

I'm very involved in a local children's theater and we LOVE costumes that involve hats! This photo is actually of an older teen (17) who was playing the role of a grumpy old lady. Thus, my decision to post it under adults, rather than kids. The play was Oliver Twist and the role was that of an aristocrat. My hat's off (pun intended) to the costumer who actually created this terrific chapeau for the show...and the actor who pulled it off with great humor and aplomb.

i heart faces - Hats - Kids

Here's my kid entry for this week. This beautiful child is the daughter of a teacher at my son's school...and she's my good friend as well. Sadly, they'll be moving to the other coast soon and I won't have the honor of photographing her nearly as often. The photo was taken on Earth Day at the school's annual celebration. I particularly love the sparkle in her eye and the drool on her lip. She's got her beautiful mother's eyes!

Self Portrait

This exercise was more difficult than I'd expected. I played around all over the house and with different lenses. I ended up choosing one that I'd taken in my closet....well, not really a closet; but the dressing room that houses my closet. It has a skylight and I find myself drawn to that little patch of sunshine on a regular basis. In the winter I'll go sit in it, sort of like a cat!

I wanted to be sure and show my red hair because it represents a big part of my own self-identity. There's also a hint of my apple green shirt showing in the photo and that makes me happy since it's my absolute favorite color and I wear it all the time. I thought about trying to smooth out my forehead wrinkles in photoshop but decided that showing my forty-two year old face "as-is" didn't really bother me. However, I am committing to a more focused skin care regime after looking at a ton of frightening facial photos!

Easter Sunday Smiles

Having read thru my LAST post.....

....I'm very proud that it HASN'T been 6 months between postings! 5 1/2 months! Woo Hoo! I'm making progress.

Maybe I'll be better this time.

Ok. So I'm trying to blog again. My guess is that I'll forget about this until the new year...but it's worth a try! I enjoy so much reading other peoples blogs that I almost feel guility for not having one myself to return the favor. And I should definitely do something with all the photos I take. Hazen keeps posting MY photos on his facebook page and taking credit! The rat. Maybe if I put a bookmark on my homepage I'll actually remember to do this more often.

I'm sure 6 months from now when I post again, these musings will seem hilarious.