Oct 25-30 Dumfries: Relax & Refresh

Favorite times: One of my favorite times in Dumfries are a time of shared morning devotions from Our Daily Bread and Jesus Calling…each one is personal, challenging and a good focus for the day. Today was on “life not being fair. And when we are mistreated we should look at it as an opportunity to grow in grace. See how quickly you can forgive the one who has wounded you. …instead of obsessing about others opinions of you, we are challenged to keep our focus on Christ.” ( Have attached the full devotion for today below.)

10/25 (W) I am fully embracing the retirement life! What did I do today? Filled my car with gas, went to the post office, dropped donations off at ACTS (like a  local small Salvation Army), walked the dog 4 times, enjoyed 2 hours on the enclosed front porch with Damos while I read, listened to a podcast hosted by college classmate Stephen Macchia, The Discerning Leader (founder and president of Leadership Transformation) and evening phone calls. Good connections and conversations.  Deleted 3,000 emails, helped troubleshoot an email issue, which hopefully has been solved! Yep! That sums up up this retirement day! It was a GREAT DAY! 

10/26 (TH) Retirement is good! Today was spent with 3 special ladies from First Baptist Woodbridge shopping and having lunch together at Panera. I continue to enjoy reconnecting with people I have met on previous trips (Katie) and meeting new friends (Betty)! Can it really be the end of October and have days that are 77-81 degrees? YES! 4 dog walks and 2 porch sitting/reading times. Score! Another perfect day!

10/27 (F)  Quiet day with 4 dog walks, finished the quilting portion of my wall panel, looking at it multiple times to discover places I had missed doing the quilting stitch. Next is the challenge of attaching the binding! I’ve watch the short video of Auntie Mavis numerous times! Might try to tackle that tomorrow! Warm day at 79 degrees! Not used to this at the end of October!

10/28 (S) Today is going to be an even warmer day up to 81! Capris and light weight shirt for morning walk at 9:30. Always look forward to the special treat of Saturday breakfast with Chef Kris cooking breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and sometimes a special treat of Kris Kringle Almond pastry! Oh so good!

I think today I will work on cutting all my 26 yards of netting, with 8 strips to a sandwich ziploc bag so they will be ready to make whenever the urge and time allows. Mission accomplished! Cut strips for 6 red, 6 Christmas green, 10 turquoise, 4 bright green, 8 yellow, 8 royal blue, 7 lavender, 8 teal! Now to start crocheting but will need to finish the binding on my quilt panel first. Attaching picture of quilt panel without the binding.

10/30 (M) Day of paperwork, errands, writing notes, a few phone calls, wonderful conversation…and yes, of course dog walks! It has been a GOOD DAY! 

Fall colors I get to enjoy multiple times a day on my dog walks!

Full mooon and the Four Seasons fountain!

“Jesus Calling” always good!

More of my daily walk sights!

Quilting portion of my wall hanging panel is complete! Now the real test! To figure out how to put the binding on correctly and to be able to see what I am actually doing since the binding is black and the thread is black! HELP Auntie Mavis!

Oct 23-24 Travel Day followed by a Day of Errands and Relaxing

 Glad today wasn’t a goodbye but rather see you soon! 10/23 (Mon) As Sara and Micah headed to school at 8:15, I headed out on the road for another driving adventure! New roads, new sights! Another beautiful drive on a cool refreshing Fall morning heading north to Elkton Maryland and turning south to Chesapeake City, Galena, cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which connects the states rural eastern shore with the urban western shore between Stevensville and the capital city of Annapolis. It is the worlds largest continuous over water steel structure that opened in 1952. (Thank you Google!)  (that was an exciting crossing as I was a little more focused on driving, at the same time I wanted to look out the side windows!) My drive continued south on 4 lane roads until I finally gave in to taking I-95. What could have been 2 hours on I-95 ended up being over 4 hours (3 hours scenic 4 lane, 1 hour busy interstate). I do love my country roads! Good to return to my East Coast home and family. 

10/24 (Tues) - Quiet day of morning errands, 3 dog walks, lunch adventure at McDonalds (it did provide very good entertainment and laughs!) followed by couple of hours sitting on the deck reading, listening to a sermon and a couple of podcasts while continuing to work on hand quilting my wall hanging. I’m getting very close to finishing the quilting and then starts the new adventure of hand stitching the binding. Now remember I do not craft and I do not sew! But I have been taught by the best my Auntie Mavis! I might be asking for special prayer when I start the task of binding! All the while on the screened in porch (temp 70) I was kept company by my shadow Damos! When I came into the house I heard Laurie exclaim! “What happened to Damos’ face!” I’m like, ahh I don’t know???  When I got a look at him his face and under his chin were all BLUE! Mind you Damos is fluffy WHITE!  Well apparently the blue pillow on the porch couch where he was curled up and probably slobbered on it transferred to his fur! See pictures below!

Here is Micah (5th grade) patiently waiting for mom…jacket is on, backpack is on, waiting on the steps for mom to be ready to go to school! What a responsible young man!

Damos feeling a little blue!

Oct 22 - Sunday Havre de Grace

Sunday (22) - Listened to First Baptist Woodbridge service, enjoyed biscuits, gravy and scrambled eggs thanks to Chef Gerald! Mid morning we headed out for a lovely drive on back country roads of  Maryland to Milburn Orchards and Farm to enjoy some fresh air and fun (corn maze, farm animals, kettle korn, the market  and seeing the delight on the faces of little children). It was sunny, windy and a bit cool in the low 60s, a perfect Fall Sunday!  

Supper at Mission BBQ! Followed by a game of Battle ship Star Wars with Micah! “That was stressful for Auntie Karol but also so much fun!”

Oct 20-21 Havre de Grace

Lovely 2 hour drive north from Dumfries Virginia to Harve de Grace to spend the weekend with Sara, Gerald and Micah Braden. Yes a little traffic through DC/ Baltimore but at the same time the sun was out and the colors abound! And I had 2 hours of prayer time!  Friday afternoon/evening spent hours in conversation talking, catching up! What a blessing this family is!

Saturday morning was cool and sunny and included a lovely walk on the ‘red’ trail which led into the ‘yellow’ trail which lead me back into cul de sac and GPS said it would take me an hour to walk back to the house, so instead I retreated the same way I came in half the time! Saturday afternoon Sara allowed me to come alongside her as we cleaned out a closet. Not everyone would be willing to have someone help with such a project, thank you Sara. She knows how I thrive in that environment love helping “others” downsize or declutter just don’t like to do it to my own house! In the evening Sara and Gerald went on a date night while Micah and I went to his favorite place for supper Peruvian style chicken charcoal broiled (Peru’s Chicken). Let me tell you, it was delicious! Then home to watch Micah’s movie pick for the night, Pixar’s Lightyear! Great choice!

Oct 19 Shenandoah National Park’s Scenic Roadway,

Happy Anniversary Kris and Laurie! It was special to be included in celebrating their 49th! The day began with breakfast at Bob Evans, a day outing along Skyline Drive which is known to be a feast for the eyes (it was!) and special ice cream treat!

Skyline Drive twists and winds following the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains climbing to elevations over 4,000 feet. We had a beautiful day of blue skies and sunshine and yes! wonderful changing colors! There was about a 20 car line up as we entered the park about 10am but it quickly thinned out after the first few scenic overlooks. We found turnouts on the west side to be much more colorful, while turnouts on the east side showed incredible views of the valley below and the  trees were a little more green. We drove 60 miles of the 105, stopping at multiple turnout/overlooks for photos and to bask and breathe the sights and sounds! Though we did have to be careful breathing and/or smiling as there were A LOT of  little black gnat like flying bugs!

We enjoyed a picnic lunch of apple slices, cashews and KIND bar while sitting at an overlook breathing in the colors.  And then there was DESSERT a couple hours later after we had exited the park! A stop at Moo Thru in Remington for some homemade ice cream…mint chocolate chip and caramel. The ice cream competition across the states continues and I have now taste tested in 10 states! It’s a close race!

A highlight for the day: Hiking a part of the Appalachian Trail at 3,400 feet. The total footpath is 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia. I hiked 1/8 of a mile! 🤣

Oct 17-18 Special Lunches

17th (T) Day started with getting my Covid booster and flu vaccines (and thankfully no side effects!) followed by a special lunch at Panera with a friend I’ve gotten to know over the years, Carol Arthur. Carol and I were in cancer treatments at the same time (different cancers) and are both currently in remission. After lunch there were stops at Hobby Lobby, Joanne Fabrics, Walmart, Sam's Club. My purchases included 8 colors of netting, 4 yards of each which will allow me to make  64-70 more scrubbies! That should be enough to last the rest of my trip until next March. I continue to leave them wherever I stay and to many I don’t stay with but have an opportunity to connect, and some who I meet for the first time!

18th (W) Joined JOY Fellowship (senior luncheon) at First Baptist Woodbridge which happens the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Had a wonderful lunch of fried chicken, green beans, Mac ‘n cheese, salad, biscuits and delicious pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. The speaker for the day was David Brickly, a delegate in the Virginia House of Representatives for over 20 years. He founded the 9/11  National Memorial Trail  (1300 mile route that links the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 Memorial.) He shared about the history of Dale City and neighboring community, very informative especially if you were a local which many attending were. After lunch another trip to Hobby Lobby, a frequent stop on my visits as it is conveniently  located near church. 😊

Almost forgot to mention…I was one of 7 to win the table centerpiece! Not sure if it will make it back to Seattle. But am very much enjoying it here!

A few preview pictures of Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive, follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles, we did about 60 miles of it.

Oct 15-16 First Baptist and Prince William Forest Park

Sunday morning it was “good” to be in worship at my home church on the East Coast, First Baptist Church Woodbridge! Greeted by folks that have become friends over the past 15 years and even making a new friend. The morning included attending the 8:30 traditional worship service followed by Sunday School where they are studying the book of Mark. Then a few hours at home before heading back to church for pizza and fellowship (it was here I met a new friend Deborah and heard a little of her story as she has a son 26 and is raising her nephew who is 12, yes all have been added to my prayer list…what a privilege to pray for others!), followed by a “family meeting” (business meeting as we heard an update on finances and various areas of ministry and reading their 52 page semi annual report), this was followed by a short hymn sing (shortened because the business meeting went so long). I did enjoy the meeting as it was a good summary of their ministries.

Monday started with a pick-up breakfast at McDonalds, then to Walgreens to get my flu and Covid booster! 

Then I googled a “place near me for a short walk”, which led me to Prince William Forest Park, a National Park. As I entered the Park Ranger suggested a couple of easy hikes. First I drove the scenic loop through the park, beautiful with the sunshine coming through the trees, a few leaves changing color but think I may have seen the best of changing colors already up in Michigan, across Canada and in Maine…but none the less it was beautiful. After my drive, I started on my 1.5 mile hike…it was Laurel Loop and really a beautiful park. 

Lesson learned for future hikes! Bring a day pack with extra jacket, whistle, KIND bar, water, extra charger for my phone. All of that just to “be prepared”! You see at one point on the trail it didn’t seem that well marked, I stayed on what I thought was the main trail but all the trails looked like main trails! And on a Monday there were very few people out on the trails, I’m sure on weekends it is very busy! I didn’t see anyone on the trail until I was climbing up the trail for about 15 minutes and asked the guy coming my direction with his dog if I was headed in the direction of the Visitor Center-yes I was, only about 10 more minutes to go! Pictures are from today’s hike. I did stop at the gate to thank the park ranger assuring him I would be back for his next recommendation!

Scenic drive: slight delay as I watched them fall this tree across the road! I thought I would be waiting awhile so started my stop watch. What a surprise that with in 5 minutes it was clear and I was on my way!

Oct 10 and beyond

Tuesday- Settling into my East Coast home…it feels good! A couple of appointments first up with my East Coast chiropractor Dr. Nick, vacuum and wipe down the inside of the car, organize for 2 months stay AND what I might take home at Christmas that I overpacked for my road trip! 

Watched my first Hallmark movie in a year! Just need a “feel good” movie with all that is happening in the world.

Wednesday - Morning dog walk followed by an appointment to get my oil changed, tires rotated and car washed! So a good time for me to update my blog! 

Last night started making a list of the contacts and things I want to do in the next two months! I expect the time to fly by!

Just enjoying living life in Virginia! Probably won’t be posting daily but instead hit day trips etc.

Thursday morning I was able to meet up with cousin Naomi and Phil at The Omelet Cafe in Manassas. What a special time to connect with Naomi and to get to know her husband Phil. Phil recently retired after 34 years at the same church in Ft Meyers Florida. As I asked questions, if you know me at all you know I can ask a lot of questions! I learned there were many similarities of retiring after serving one congregation for so many years. It was an extra unexpected blessing!

Ok…this post concludes and another will begin!

Cousin Naomi and her husband Phil.

Yes you will recognize the place but not a picture I took! What I am missing in West Seattle!

My Buddy Damos hanging out with me on the screened in porch. My favorite quiet spot looking out to trees behind the house.

Cousins! I have the best cousins!!! Here I am with Naomi (her mom was dad’s sister Sylvia)

Oct 8 - 9 Harve de Grace to Dumfries

Sunday - Lovely day with the Braden family relaxing, worship at First Baptist Woodbridge, exciting longest ever played game of SORRY and scrumptious pork tenderloin dinner with blueberry pie ala mode for dessert! Wonderful tasty breakfasts by Chef Gerald.

Left Monday morning for Dumfries Virginia,! my home for the next two months. It has been a grand adventure the last 3 weeks traveling over 3,000 miles covering 13 states (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Canada.)

Micah doing a great job of cleaning the pancake batter off the beaters!

Nana and Micah enjoying quality time talking, reading comics and watching Disney’s “The Dinosaurier”.

My new friend “lap dog” Damos! Pretty relaxed…

Damos “posing for pictures”!

Oct 7 Saco Maine to Harve de Grace Maryland

7 states today! Started wherever Saco is?! I think Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland. 

No need to look for a place to stay tonight heading to Maryland and the Braden family! 12 hours on the road! With most, heavy rain and sunshine. During that time saw two different cars blow their tires and cross two lanes of traffic in front of me to safely pull off the road. After effects of one nasty crash. Several crazy drivers swerving in and out of traffic. One missed turn at night that had me facing the wrong way on the shoulder. Two on ramps that I thought I was going the wrong way. I wasn’t.

Tonight at the end of a long day of driving GPS was taking on small roads, full of twists and turns, sometimes with a house on one side of the road and the barn on the other side. Besides not knowing when the road was turning at one time there were 5 cars lined up behind me. I finally pulled over at a lighted intersection so I could follow someone else which worked for one mile and they all turned off. These were narrow roads through Amish country so you also had to watch out for horse and buggy in the dark! I would love to drive that same road in the daylight! Wouldn’t even know where to start to retrace my steps!

Arrived at our final destination about 8:30 to Sara, Gerald and Micah Braden’s. The guys were at scout camp weekend so it was girls night! Special to see their new home, I only got to drive by it last year. Sara always does such a nice job decorating!

Random pictures I haven’t been able to include:

Oct 6 Bangor, Bar Harbor, Saco

Drove to Acadia National Park but not into the park as I have seen the same sights for the last 3 days on a much bigger scale. Instead drove on to Bar Harbor (which was crazy busy with 3 cruise ships in the harbor!

Here there is a spit that on low tide you can walk across to an island. You do have to plan carefully to get off the island and walk back to the mainland or wait for the next low tide in 12 hours!

We watched and talked to someone who came to pick up a box of 30 lobster for family lobster feed they do annually. The plastic box with lobster was in the water attached to a dock, they came, pulled it out of the water, drug it up the ramp and loaded it into the back of their pick up truck . They had 30 lobsters for 10 people! Now that would have been fun to join their family for the evening!

We had lunch in Bar Harbor a place Laurie had been previously. We shared… a bowl of New England clam chowder, so smooth and good, lobster roll and slide of Maine blueberry pie.

After lunch we walked down to the docks watching the boats, talking to people, just enjoying the beauty of the harbor. After an hour Laurie started getting unsteady probably due to the movement of the water and it took a couple hours to dissipate. So we drove to see a couple more nearby coves filled with lobster boats and pleasure boats. Watched as semi trucks easily and quickly pulled the large lobster boats out of the water. If you know me at all you know I enjoy being by the water and boats!

And then there was finding a place to stay tonight…we pulled into a rest stop about 4:30 and person there said good luck at finding a place to stay for the night as it was the busiest weekend of the year due to Fall colors and it being 3 day weekend of Columbus Day. They were certainly  we wouldn’t find anything for under for $300. We went out to the.car and spent the next 45 minutes calling places, finally found one and it was under $200. Staying at Saco Ramada Inn…points if you have heard of Saco Maine before! 

Tonight LK spent time trying to map out drive for tomorrow, we hope to get to Sara’s but will be a very long day of driving and the potential for heavy rains. Update: it was being on the road for just over 12 hours, my longest day this trip and included driving much of the morning in a misty fog, 2 hours driving in very heavy rains, and then the sun finally came out!

Cove near Bar Harbor filled with lobster and pleasure boats.

Lunch at Geddy’s of which I highly recommend. Get there early or you will have a bit of a wait! New England. Lam chowder, lobster roll & fries. Not pictured: Maine blueberry pie ale mode! Not pictured because I ate most of it before remembering to take the picture!

30 lobster for a family lobster feed for 10!

A fishing boat being hauled out with a semi truck!