Fall Days in Virginia

It has been quite the Virginia week!!! We have gone from unseasonably warm weather and tornadoes....no kidding....to beautiful fall colors and chilly days where you need hot apple cider to help warm the soul.

The first part of the week started with WARM weather. It was humid and in the mid 80's and this kind of weather is just not right for the last week of October in Virginia. Ugh! If it hadn't been for the humidity, I would have felt like I was back in Phoenix. Dave and I were preparing for choir rehearsal at the University of Richmond on Wednesday night when we noticed that we were under a Tornado Warning. We got "Warning" confused with "Watch" and thought things were okay. We have since learned that "Warning" is the worse of the two. {nervous laugh} We drove the 5 minutes from our house to the University campus and while en-route....Dave is getting multiple emergency texts from the University and the radio alerts are going off like crazy....and I'm seeing the clouds actually rotating above us! Once on the campus....the sirens were blaring and saying there was tornadic activity in the area....and it turns out the funnel went right over the campus before touching down elsewhere in Richmond. Richmond had 4-5 tornadoes touch down that afternoon. Good grief!!!!! I kept having to remind myself that we were in the last part of October and not early spring!!!

My mom called that evening to check on us as she'd heard that we were having some crazy weather and left a voicemail with her singing one of the songs from "The Wizard of Oz". Hahahahaha!!!! We didn't see any flying monkeys but the 3 girls who were absent from choir that night have now become the newest members of the Lollipop Guild. :)

Two days later....Dave was itching to get out and stretch his legs....and he just about went back to the Eastern Shore. But...he opted to go back to White Oak Canyon where we hiked last year for my Birthday and after Thanksgiving. And he said that the fall colors were beautiful!

Fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

This was Dave's 6th trip to White Oak Canyon in a year.....he loves hiking here! And he has added on to the hike by doing the loop of White Oak Canyon to the Cedar Falls Trail which ends up being about 8-9 miles.

He said that the leaves on the ground on the Cedar Falls Trail were so thick....he couldn't see the trail for most of that portion of the hike. But he had a grand time and now has that good sore feeling!

On Saturday, we decided to go visit a place we've seen the sign for several times but have always bypassed up until now. We decided to visit Ash Lawn - Highland....the home of President James Monroe! His home was only 2.5 miles away from Monticello....Thomas Jefferson's home....and while we've been to Monticello numerous times, we'd yet to go to Monroe's house. He bought the land to be close to Jefferson, with whom he was very close friends, and their land shared the same fence. President Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth, lived in this house from 1799-1824 along with their two daughters. However, during those 24 years...they only occupied the house for about a 1/3 of that time. Monroe was a consummate Statesman and served as Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State and Secretary of War under President James Madison (James and Dolly Madison were the best friends of the Monroes), US Senator, Minister to both France (twice) and Great Britain, and President. He was ALWAYS traveling and Elizabeth was always with him....very uncommon in those days.

And here is the front of the home. Modest, isn't it? Look back at my posts where I include pictures of Montpelier (the Madison's home) or Monticello (Jefferson's home) or Mount Vernon (Washington's home).....and then look at this quaint farm house. Quite the difference!! We have now been to 6 of the 8 Virginia Presidents' homes: Washington, Tyler, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, and Madison. Though Taylor was born here, he lived most of his life in Kentucky and there isn't a "family home" here in VA. And neither of us are Wilson fans so I doubt a trip to Staunton to see his home is in our future anytime soon. :)
Monroe, our 5th President, has always been a favorite of mine since Miss Shinn's AP History course my junior year in high school. His Monroe Doctrine (actually written by John Quincy Adams) of 1823/1824 -- you stay in your hemisphere, we'll stay in ours -- is genius but is sadly forgotten today. Monroe, Jefferson, and John Adams all died on July 4th (a little eerie if you ask me). And Monroe was basically responsible for the Louisiana Purchase. Quick story: his oldest daughter was in a boarding school in France right after the French Revolution -- a boarding school run by the 1st Lady in Waiting of Queen Marie Antoinette (how she ever survived is still a mystery). In this school, Monroe's daughter becomes best friends with Napoleon's step-children. President Jefferson's Minister to France was getting nowhere with Napoleon when it concerned the purchase of the Louisiana Territory but Jefferson remembered Monroe's CLOSE connection to Napoleon so he makes Monroe the 2nd Minister to France....sends Monroe over to meet with Napoleon....and lo! the US doubles in size. :)

At this point, our stomachs were starting to rumble and food became a priority....but where to go?! We started back towards Charlottesville, passed Monticello, and then came upon this sign. When there is something advertising "Apple Cider Donuts"....you go!!

We had NO idea what we were in for but were encouraged by the throngs of people milling around once we got on top of Carter Mountain. It is a working farm/orchard and it was a fantastic Virginia find for us!!! Lunch consisted of delicious BBQ sandwiches, hot apple cider, and a couple apple cider donuts. We then visited the pumpkin patch where we were treated to a great view of Charlottesville and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains.

Attack of the pumpkins!!!

The pumpkins were HUGE....Ginormous even!!!!

But Dave finally found the lucky one that got to come home with us! Weighing in at 22 lbs......meet the Pedersen's Pumpkin! :)

We had our pumpkin. We had a bag full of Pink Lady Apples. Our stomachs were happy and full. And we had two left over Donuts for Sunday morning. What more could we need??? A hayride around the orchard!!!!!

Here is Dave....getting into the spirit of the Halloween weekend. Peek-a-boo!!!

The gorgeous view looking in the opposite direction of Charlottesville.

Everyone we talk to knows about Carter Mountain. How is that we've been in the dark for 4 years?!!! We're so thankful we just happened upon the place and we plan to return next year!!

Happy November from the Pedersens!!!