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Since the day we found out we were going to have Adam, I have been looking forward to the day when we could introduce him to one of the most wonderful places on earth, Virginia Tech.
Since the day we bought our camper I have been looking forward to the day when we could bring the camper to a football weekend at Virginia Tech.
Our first visit for Adam, the camper (and Liddy too!) was as wonderful as I had hoped it would be. There was something so special about introducing Adam to the place that brought Andy and I together. As I stood in line at Starbucks (still hard to get used to the fact that there are multiple Starbucks in Blacksburg now) waiting to pay for a chocolate milk for our son, I was overcome by this amazing feeling of gratitude for this place we called home for four year, and most importantly, gratitude for the place where Andy and I started this journey.
I knew immediately that this was going to be a memorable weekend!
We missed Oktoberfest at Wintergreen this year, but were happy to find out that Reston Town Center was hosting one the weekend we were camping at Bull Run. We had beautiful weather for it (though I wouldn't have minded a bit more of a chill in the air) and it was a great family outing.
Adam loved the live music and we found ourselves dancing to some great German songs. We enjoyed some German beers and sampled some food from various RTC restaurants. Adam was a fan of the chicken schnitzel on a stick from Clydes, ha!
The highlight of the day was Adam getting to sit in the driver's seat of a big fire truck! He was so excited and had fun chit chatting with the very nice fireman. He was even able to tell the fireman that the day before he had brought a fire truck to school for show and tell! It was a great moment for sure.
Love fun family activities like this!
Well, the nine year homework hiatus has come to an end (and goodness, has it really been nine years since I've been out of school!?) Adam has had a few assignments since starting Pre-School in September. Last week they worked on the letter "F" and he had his first show-and-tell experience bringing in his favorite fire truck to show his class.
This week they have been working on the letter "K" and on Tuesday he was sent home with his first real homework assignment. We had to work together to find five pictures that had things that started with the letter "K." I'm not going to lie, it was tough!
It was definitely a team effort and while Adam was a little distracted he did a great job taping the pictures to the paper and was able to tell us about all of the items we found.
It was due on Thursday, but let's be honest, he is my son, so we had it completed on Tuesday. ;)
The homework hiatus was nice while it lasted, but I'll admit, the school nerd in me was kind of loving it.
Our home base for all our fun apple picking, wine tasting, train riding weekend was the newly opened, Shenandoah River State Park. We really are lucky to live in a state that has been voted (multiple times) as having the best state run parks. They really are well done, clean, friendly, and offer great spaces to enjoy all the beauty that Virginia offers.
We were a few weeks ahead of full on fall colors, but we still saw some leaves that had started to change. The evenings were cool and made campfires (and sweatshirts!) necessary. It was a quick walk to the river and again, the views were spectacular.
The night sky was amazing with very little light pollution which made for beautiful starry nights. In the mornings we were greeted with views of the mountains and valley. Best part, it was a short 90 minutes away from home!
Score another one for the camper!
On our way back to the campground, we made a quick stop at Skyline Caverns where they have a miniature train. Adam was so excited to take a train ride and I'll admit it was the perfect ending to a great morning and afternoon!
After apple picking we decided to move on to another fruit...grapes! We stumbled upon an adorable winery that we hadn't been to before, nor had we heard of it. Aspen Dale Winery is probably one of the best winery experiences we've had to date, the perfect combination of excellent wine, beautiful scenery, and lots of charm.
Located in a Civil War era barn this vineyard takes its wine very seriously, but in a warm and welcoming way. They believe in offering food pairings with their tastings so that you can really get a feel for the depth of all of their wines. A sip of their Rockawalkin' Cabernet paired with a pheasant sausage seemed the more typical pairing and yet they then offered up a piece of chocolate with a smear of goat cheese. Now you find yourself feeling as though you just ate a chocolate covered cherry.
After going through the tastings we decided to enjoy some wine and a picnic in their garden area overlooking their farm. Adam loved running around and even fed one of the miniature horses some grass.
A lovely afternoon picnic on a gorgeous fall afternoon.
We finally picked the perfect weekend to go apple picking. I think I tend to want to wait until the cool air has set in but that usually means the apples have fallen and well, there's not a whole lot of picking to be done. This year, with a camping trip planned for the newly opened VA State Park at the Shenandoah River, I knew that even if we were in shorts, we were going to be hunting for apples!
Our visit to Stribling Orchard was spot on with apples galore! Adam had so much fun climbing up on Daddy' shoulders to pull apples off the branches. He was so proud of himself with each score and we came home with a nice big bag of some of the best apples I've ever tasted.
Nothing says fall (even in shorts!) like apple picking, cinnamon sugar doughnuts, and the smell of apple cider.
Considering we ate all the apples before I had a chance to bake with them, I think we just might have to head back out for another round of picking before the season ends!
