WayfaringStrangers

Today Behn and I discovered the Rockbridge Farmer's Market. There is one on Wednesdays that we cannot go to because we are at work, but there is also one on Saturdays. It's at the Horse Center, and I am so glad to have found it! We bought fresh eggs, kale, and strawberry preserves and next time I think we will purchase some meat. Everything was cheaper and fresher than what you get in the store! A few weeks ago Behn and I climbed Wildcat Mountain in Natural Bridge. It was a great hike. We came upon several fallen trees and as Behn was climbing over one of them, a huge owl flew up from under the tree. It made both of us jump, but upon further inspection, we discovered that it was a mama owl who had been sitting on her nest of eggs. It was amazing to see up close, although of course we did not touch or disturb anything. She did not choose the best spot, since it's right on the trail, but hopefully it will be peaceful enough for her to raise her babies. On another note, Behn a...

Yesterday around 1:30 pm a young lad stumbled into the Buena Vista Public Library. He had a hiking pack and sleeping back on his shoulders, carried a walking stick, wore a bucket hat, and, interestingly enough, was also wearing a Scottish kilt. He was sweaty and tired, and asked about local movie times in the area. I inquired about his journey and he mentioned that he started his hike in Georgia and was working his way up to Maine. This would make him a Through-hiker (one who hikes the AT from end to end, south-north or vice-versa). I've heard rumors of hikers stopping in and even met a woman last year who was on her way south. This guy is the first hiker we've had stop in and I look forward to meeting more. He signed our guest book, used the internet to check movie times (he said it's been a while since he's seen a movie, and you don't find many theaters up in the mountains). I bade the bearded hiker farewell and checked what he wrote in the guestbook: h...

It is so lovely here in Virginia right now. The air just smells like flower blossoms. I am in love with the countryside. Behn and I went mountain biking on Sunday afternoon. It was intense! (Even though it was labeled an "easy trail." I guess we need to brush up on our biking.) Behn at the Lexington Resevior. It was beautiful there!

Hello there! Have you forgotten about us? If you have, it's our fault for not updating. We have been bust traveling here and there and spending lots of time in the fresh spring air. At the end of March, we drove up to Gettysburg, PA, to meet up with Seth and Emily. Oh man, we all had such a great time. Those two are so special to us. It was fabulous trekking around the battlefields, eating delicious food and catching up and laughing. We miss them so much! Then, a couple of weeks ago, we flew out to San Diego to visit James, Lydia and Ruby. What an amazing week! We did a lot of fun things (drove out to the Desert, had dinner downtown, and went to the beach of course) but especially enjoyed just talking, laughing and cooking together. We also spent a lot of time with our niece Ruby. She is such a joy! While we were out west, I got to visit my good friend Amber. We were suitemates at Cottey College and she is still one of my closest friends. We had a great day together and I am so gl...

It was supposed to rain today. Behn and I had a tiring work week and we decided to take it easy and stay in all day. We were going to sleep, watch movies, maybe do some spring cleaning. But when we woke up (at 7:30! so much for sleeping in), it wasn't raining. We made breakfast. Still no rain. We went on the front porch to check out the birds on our birdfeeder- it was actually getting sunny! So we decided to DO something instead of sit around all day, as planned. We grabbed our trusty "Washington and Lee Outings Club" manual and picked a hike. We packed some sandwiches and set off! We drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and pulled over next to the trailhead of Bluff Mountain. The entire trail up to Bluff's peak is the Appalachian Trail (AT), and was really well marked. It began very steep and eventually leveled off some, until just before the summit. It was an amazing hike-not too long- and with quite a reward at the top. Absolutely amazing views: the Appalachians to t...

Behn and I just went on an after-dinner walk to get some decaf coffee. We failed to remember that nothing in Lexington is open past 7 p.m. Oops! Gotta love small town life. So now we're brewing some java at our very own Trader's Coffee Shop :)

Hey all, this is Behn. It's been a while since I've posted on here. The month of February has been a very busy one. Work in the Rockbridge Regional Library System has been busy of late. A book club for boys 8-12 has started in the Buena Vista Branch, which I now manage, and the headquarters in Lexington. The book group has been formed in order to encourage reading among boys, who statistically are behind girls when it comes to literacy and reading levels. The name of the group is Guys Read!, and was inspired by John Scieszka (author of The Stinky Cheese Man et all). The group has met twice so far, with three boys attending each time. I'm confident that it'll continue to grow. We also upgraded our system database yesterday, which has gone more smoothly than expected. Overall I enjoy working with my coworkers and serving the patrons. It has been a great experience so far, a new and exciting challenge. A couple weeks ago Megan and I were able to drive up to De...