October 25 to November 7
We flew to Richmond by way of Dallas/Fort Worth on the 25th, actually arriving in the wee hours of the morning on the 26th. It was a long day but we finally arrived in Williamsburg about seven hours late.
Click here to go directly to Baltimore photos
I packed my Phillies shirt so I would have appropriate attire to watch them in the World Series but, alas, they were eliminated in the NLCS by the Diamondbacks, of all teams.
So I left it home.
We got the exit row on the SAN to DFW flight which was delayed by an hour causing us to miss our connection in Dallas and endure a 4-1/2 hour layover. At least we had plenty of legroom!
And we had easy access to the bathrooms!
Here I am, enjoying the flight, sort of.
Anyway, we made it to the Burg and were raring to go on Thursday morning. Or maybe it was the afternoon. This is in the Cheese Shop on Merchant Square where Lorri and brother Bob are enjoying a glass of wine.
And me too!
Before stopping for wine we went for a stroll around the Historic Area. This is the Capital which sits at the opposite end of DOG Street from Merchant Square.
This was taken on Bob's back porch in honor of Thursday Happy Hour, otherwise known as martini night.
We had great weather in Williamsburg - shorts weather - and this is the only pair I brought. I wore them for four days straight! Here we are at Williamsburg Winery.
We were enjoying our wine on the upper deck of the Wine Pavilion until a couple guys started playing loud and bad covers of good songs.
Bob's house happens to be close to and in the takeoff/landing pattern from the Williamsburg Jamestown airport which thankfully caters to only small planes during daylight hours.
We have done a lot of walks around the neighborhoods near Bob's house but never actually walked to the airport until this day.
It was awesome! OK, it was sort of underwhelming but we decided we would return some day to have lunch at Charly's. It has to be better than anything offered at DFW!
This sign is on the exit road from the airport. I suppose it is meant to welcome the hoards of tourists who fly into the W-J Airport from all over the world!
Later, we watched the Penn State game and had a great dinner and hung out with Uncle Hobble. That's all the Williamsburg photos. It was a great visit and always fun to be with my brother Bob! On to Baltimore!
On Monday, October 30, we drove from Williamsburg, VA, to Lutherville-Timonium, MD, for a stay with daughter Debbie and the clan.
We got re-acquainted with Sammy the mutt dog and Kano the giant mastiff/great Dane dog whose butt you see on the lower right.
Sammy loves attention
Here Grandma Lorri is coloring with great-granddaughter Olivia.
The other g-granddaughter, Sloane, patiently awaits a snack!
Meanwhile, granddaughter Malarie works on the pumpkins. These days there are no pesky wax candles to contend with, just the battery powered ones. So instead of cutting the pumpkin's top off, you cut the bottom off and place the thing over top of the candle!
And this is what they look like!
GPG with the grandkids
Hard to believe we have great-grandkids too!
Liv with uncle Jakey while Sloany continues her coloring efforts
Tastykakes! A real Halloween treat!
And apple, peanut butter and marshmallow mouths! It doesn't get much better than this!
For Halloween evening, we went to Mal and Colin's house to trick-or-treat! This is Debbie with their dog Izzy.
Olivia was Barbie (of course!). Not sure about Sloane.
Little miss Barbie posing in the back yard.
Peace, love, and rock and roll!
Sloane finally decided to be a princess after the scary monkey costume was nixed.
Selfie with Sloany
...and with Liv
...and with Mal Mal and Izzy.
Colin's sister McKenzie joined the party
Here Olivia and her good friend Natalie from down the street are getting ready to attack the neighborhood!
Sloane enjoying the Halloween treats
Back at the ranch Kano and his best friend Jake rest up. I think Jake and Kano weigh about the same.
Had a little trouble getting Kano and Sam to pose. Actually Kano was OK. I suppose he thought my iPhone was edible.
On Friday, Lorri and I took Olivia out to a fancy lunch at McDonalds and then dessert at Baskin and Robbins. Nothing like a Big Mac, a Happy Meal and French fries topped off with plenty of ice cream!
It was a beautiful day. Here we are relaxing in the Filling's backyard
Sarah and Austin joined us for dinner and later, dancing.
Actually only Sarah and Lorri danced
Sarah and Lorri! Turn your sound up!
Saturday morning Lorri and I drove to the NCRT (AKA Torrey C Brown Rail Trail) trailhead near Parkton, a few miles north of Timonium.
Looking south
Looking north. There were still a few leaves hanging on, just enough for a little color.
Read all about it!
Parkton was a busy place 100 years ago! Now it's very quiet.
The trail is quiet too until you get anywhere near the I-83 undercrossing. Then it gets LOUD!
The rail trail roughly parallels the Little Gunpowder Falls River or Creek or whatever it is.
And here are some little falls on Gunpowder Creek but I don't think they are the actual famous Little Falls.
Not surprisingly, after our hike, we stumbled upon a winery just off the highway.
We stopped in for a flight of their reds which were interesting and drinkable but we didn't bring any home. The lady pouring the tasting was nice, though, and she recommended Casa Mia's for a lunch stop.
Here we are at the corner of the bar at Casa Mia's drinking Yuengling drafts and waiting for our world-famous colossal crab cake.
This is our colossal crab cake, half eaten with a little cocktail sauce decorating the top. It was a really good crab cake and the 8 ounce version with fries and coleslaw was plenty for both of us.
Casa Mia's used to be the Pioneer Pub. Also maybe the Colossal Crabcakes are only famous, not world famous.
Grandma Lorri sharing her iPad with Liv and Sloane. Liv was learning how to play solitaire!
The Food Truck was a big hit with the kids. Liv created a whole menu and took orders over the (play) phone, and delivered to her customers (us!). Of course Sloane imitates big sister as best she can!
Sloane Delivering Food from the Food Truck Video
It was a bright, sunny, fall afternoon and the kids thought it would be a good idea to take their shirts off and tear around the yard. Here are a couple videos.
Liv and Sloane in the backyard Video 1
Liv and Sloane in the backyard Video 2
The race car floor puzzle was a big hit too! Just not sure sitting on it is the best way to put it together!
More TastyKakes thanks to Jakey-Jake!
Thanks Jake, and I like the eYc, Encinitas Yacht Club shirt!
And thanks to Deb and Mike for a great Halloween Week getaway! We had a great time and it was great to see everyone and re-connect with the little ones. They grow and change so fast we need to come back soon!!!
It was an easy trip home. Smooth sailing the whole way with a stop in Las Vegas!
Las Vegas Airport looks like a casino - Video
Descending into San Diego is always exciting.
Mountains, Clouds, and Interstate 8, East County, San Diego - Video
Not a great photo but you get the idea. When you land in San Diego you get a great view of downtown, the Bay, Coronado and Point Loma!
Ahhh, Home sweet hone at Last!