This was our first stop on our girls' trip this past week. The highlight of this city was getting to tour the Biltmore--the beautiful estate of George Washington Vanderbilt. It was magnificent. It was not your typical tour either. Most home tours allow you to see a handful of rooms with the majority of them being closed to the public. The Vanderbilt family did just the opposite. The home consists of four acres of floor space within 250 rooms, and I think we saw at least 200 of them! We even saw the basement which houses a gymnasium, changing rooms, servants' quarters, bowling alley, kitchens, and more.

Mr. Vanderbilt moved into his "country" home around 1895 as a bachelor. He later married and raised his daughter there. His home originally sat surrounded on 125, 000 beautiful acres. After his death, it became necessary for his wife to sell most of the land to the government. The family descendants still own the home and 8,000 acres. They travel there every Christmas to meet and celebrate with the staff and their families.  What a great tradition!

Har-Ber Village

Rick and I finally got to go to Har-Ber Village. It is apparently one of the largest antique museums in the U.S. The village, located in Grove, Oklahoma, was created by Harvey and Bernice Jones on lakeside property they bought for a summer home. It has 112 buildings that house thousands of collections of antiques and memorabilia. The village includes a schoolhouse, stagecoach station, courthouse, gallows, bank, dentist office, doctor office, homes, and so much more. Most structures were dismantled at their original sites in numerous surrounding states and brought to their property.

There were collections of almost everything you could think of. They had pottery, dishes, uniforms, hats, guns, maps, newspapers, furniture, knives, farm machinery...too much to list.

Rick's parents went there many times. They loved to go and just stroll through the place at least once a year. I definitely want to go back. Perhaps another month other than August would be good! (The heat thing was going on there, too.)

Joplin Destruction

Earlier in the week Rick and I drove to Joplin, Missouri to get a firsthand look at the city after it was hit by the tornado back in May.  It was eerie, to say the least, driving down streets and streets of destruction. There were so many homes, businesses, and churches affected.

As I looked at the ruins of those homes, my thoughts were with each family. I wondered where they were living now. Or had they not even survived? (At least 134 didn't.) Would they be able to come back to the place they had once called "home?"

Would the business owners be able to eventually rebuild? Did the employees of all those businesses have the opportunity to find jobs elsewhere? So many out of work......

Where were each of the congregations having their services?

I wanted to find the hospital I had seen on television. It wasn't hard to locate. The structure/shell was still standing with steel everywhere. Across the street were white tents and some trailers being used as temporary medical facilities.

Please keep reading now about Mission Joplin.

"Mission Joplin is a new movement of action and life birthed out of the devastation and destruction caused by the May 22nd, 2011 tornado which ravaged Joplin, MO. We exist to connect and coordinate the volunteer efforts of eager organizations who want to give to and serve the immense needs of the city of Joplin and its residents during this time of severe loss." (Go here for more information.)


Keelie shared this with me; she is getting to go with some friends. 

As other weather-related victims from the past, these people need many prayers and so much assistance!

We can each do something---pray, give, or go.

Let's do it.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

On a mountaintop outside Charlottesville, Virginia, you will find Thomas Jefferson's beloved Monticello. It is a 5000-acre plantation that was home to the author of the Declaration of Independence and our third president of the United States. He was also the founder of the University of Virginia.

We had a terrific guide the day we took our tour. Now just in case you are wondering, kids, we didn't tour the whole 5000 acres!

Chincoteague Wild Ponies

While in Virginia, we went to Chincoteague in search of wild ponies (of all things!). The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns a herd of them. Each year the department purchases a grazing permit which allows them to maintain a herd of approximately 150 adult ponies on Assateague Island. They control the herd size with a pony auction every year in July. Each year thousands of spectators like us go to watch the cowboys round them up and/or swim the pony herd from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island. Although we missed the "swim" by one day, we did time it right to get to see the ponies already penned. That meant we got to see all of them up close and personal. Because we arrived fairly early in the morning, it wasn't crowded; this allowed us the privilege of visiting with some of the locals in charge. It was a great experience!

If you are interested, you can find several You Tube videos of past "swims."

Hex Barns

As we traveled through the farmland of Pennsylvania, we had the opportunity to go on a driving tour known as the Kutztown Hex Barn Tour. On this tour, we saw barns decorated with Folk Art designs known as hex signs. With a map in hand and packing several cameras, we traveled through the beautiful countryside to find 20 of these old barns.

Barn paintings, usually in the form of stars in circles, would include birds, tulips, hearts and geometric figures. Stories handed down through the years say they were done to either ward off evil or the other said, "They're just for nice." To learn more about the Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, go here.

I have linked to..................

Trip Time and The Amish

I am leaving early in the morning for the airport to head out on a girls' trip. We will be hitting several states I have not been to before. I am guessing the highlight of the trip for me though will be touring Pennsylvania and some of the Amish areas.

On a side note....I am so thrilled to be able to leave with a major project checked off my list as of last night. You know that feeling, don't you? Well, it deserves a big "Woohoo!"

Have a great week everyone.

Natchez and "The Tomato Place"

This past week we took a girls' trip to Natchez. Thanks to Trip Advisor, we stumbled onto a little gem outside of town! 

From the road, "The Tomato Place" appears to just be this way-too-cute little produce stand with a hot dog stand beside it. It is so much more! Packed into two small buildings from days gone by, this family owned and operated business is so cool. 

The hot dog stand building is actually the kitchen where fresh entrees, sandwiches, and desserts are prepared daily. As you browse both inside and outside the main little building, you will find in this tiny area the best fresh produce, jellies, honey, cookbooks, crafts, and trinkets. There are a few tables crammed inside so you can sit after you have placed your order from the chalkboard. There are also tables outside as well.

We enjoyed the best BLTS ever. The sweet potato fries and okra were to die for. The bread pudding was a treat, too. If I had not been stuffed, I would have loved to try one of their fresh strawberry banana smoothies!

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and the chance to just relax in such a quaint place. Thumbs up and up and up..........

You can check out their website here.

Camping in Rusk

Rick and I took the trailer to Rusk Thursday afternoon. When we arrived, we discovered we didn't have to battle many for that perfect campsite at the Texas Railroad Campground. We were the only ones there that night. Friday evening Justin, Keelie, Jonah and Glory joined us.

Everyone seemed to be tired so we bedded down pretty early. Didn't make it far into "Thomas and the Magical Railroad.'

Saturday morning we were so excited. Excited that Glory had slept 7 hrs. That's great--strange bed, strange surroundings, etc. Excited that we got to ride the train.

About 10:30 we boarded the Texas State Railroad train. (We had taken Jonah two or three years ago on this same one.) It took us from Rusk to Palestine where we had boxed lunches Rick had ordered. Good deal, Rick! The weather was a bonus, too.

On Saturday evening, Justin and Keelie cooked us an amazing meal of grilled chicken and loads of veggies.

That second night in Keelie's words...."Glory decided to have a slumber party." She woke up around 2:30 a.m. and was up for quite awhile.

I think everyone proved to be true campers---rolling with the flow and taking it as it came. Papa and I enjoyed our camping time with them!

Broadway, Bakeries, and Bridges

Two very different Broadway shows that we saw proved to be nothing less than entertaining!

We had at least three trips to two different bakeries, hit two different pizzerias that Justin and Keelie had recommended, and indulged in two different kinds of ice cream.

One of the ice cream places was the fabulous Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory near the bridge.

Hope NYC is on your list of places to visit some day if you haven't been there yet!