Civil War Tour, Monday

      During Labor Day week our family went on the Civil War Tour part 2 hosted by the Horn Family. Here are some pictures from our first day!Our first stop was Chancellorsville, Virginia.

   The group talking.

Catherine's Orr

Shea posing for the camera.

Dad under the tree.

One of the battlefields at Chancellorsville.

One of the many things used as a seat for our exhausted group.

Joshua Horn giving a talk.

Riding in the tour bus.

Working on the treasure hunt!

After the battlefields of Chancellorsville we stopped at the place were Stonewall Jackson died. It is called Jackson's Shrine.

The blanket at the end of the bed was the real ones Jackson used.

Dad and Patience.

Jonathan the intern taking notes at Jackson's Shrine.

We then left Jackson's Shrine and had an opening dinner at Ryan's Steak House.

Hello All!!!

     I am sorry that we have not posted in a long time. Our summer has been filled with vacations, Civil War tours, and conferences. We will try to keep you up to date by posting some pictures from some of the vacations, etc. We will keep you posted on the events that have come of late. Thank You!
       Olivia Vestal

Observing

      The art of observing. To some, it is a hobby. To others, it is their job. For me, it is a way to learn about people and how they behave. It cultivates your senses and makes you more aware of details. Ask yourself, what is really going on in this scenario? Is there something deeper that I don’t know about? I have always loved sitting quietly and watching my surroundings, but I don’t do it very often. Yes, I am often quiet so that I can hear, but more often than not I don’t see. I don’t see that look of concern in a woman’s face or the sadness in a teenage boy’s eye.

 I like to write, and as a writer I need inspiration for characters. Many books have phrases such as, “Her eyes were as cold as ice,” or, “A smirk was tugging at his lips.” What do these expressions actually look like? Seriously, have you ever noticed when someone had eyes like ice? I haven’t but I would like to. I am going to make a conscious effort to notice more and speak less.
      Another pro to observing is that you notice the emotions of those around you. You can see when a friend has her feelings hurt and can comfort her. But you will only notice that glimpse of pain on her face if you are paying attention.  So, what about you? Do you like to observe people? I am going to write down in a journal my observations including a made up back ground story for some of the people I observe. Try it, you may be surprised at what you discover. Let me know what you think!

~Lenyer

Our Mountains Trip

Hello everyone! This past weekend we went up to the mountains to visit our grandparents. We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect. We have pretty much done every hiking trail in the area, but this time we were able to drive to Pond Mountain, owned by the NC Wildlife Resource Commission. It was actually given the name Pond Mountain by Thomas Jeffersons father, Peter Jefferson, while he was surveying what would become the North Caroline/Virginia border. And as you might guess, there are many ponds. Many of them are actually bogs (A natural swamp in the mountains). Bogs are rare and far between these days. This makes Pond Mountain an important part of the ecosystem and is one of the main reasons why the NCWRC wants to protect it. It was so pretty! The views were phenomenal! It is an almost 360 degree view. Enjoy the pictures!

The mountain in the background is White Top.

~Lenyer

Sketches

  Hi Everybody!
I wanted to share a few horrible sketches I drew of Paili and see which one you liked best.
Description of sketch #1: Paili is laying down inside the cage when I drew this. Her feet were underneath her body so that is why you can not see them. I drew this through the wire bars so I had to guess on a couple of things. In the picture, she has a lot more whiskers, but she only has four prominent ones.
Description of Sketch #2: As I was finishing sketch one I look up and Paili has laid her feet on the bottom of her bow door and rested her head on her feet. She was there only a split second before She jumped out of her box so this one looks more like a Guinea pig to me.
Please tell me your thought and how I should improve on my sketching. Thank you!

                                                           I like the first the most.

~Olivia

Paili, My Birthday Present I Forgot to Post About , So You get it Now!!

  Dear Friends,
You may be thinking that this is the weirdest title ever, but it is all true! My biggest birthday gift (which is December 29 for an aside) was a Holland Lop Rabbit. ( The one with floppy ears, sometimes called floppy eared rabbits.) Her ( yes, it is a girl) name is Paili Faith Vestal. (PAY-lee). She is speckled, with Brownish-grayish spots. Here is a picture of her. ( P.S. She lives in our garage.) In these pictures, I am walking her with her Harness and Leash. So there is my birthday gift that TOOK me a LONG time to blog about!!! I hope you are having a great day,
~Olivia


P.S. Just as an extra side note her birthday is December 9, the same day as my Uncle!!

Memorial Day Picnic, 2012

Hello everyone! This past Monday was Memorial Day, meaning that our church hosted it's annual Memorial Day Picnic! We had a blast! This was by far the best year ever, and there were also the most people. Over 2,000 people showed up! The goal for the picnic is, "To bring the community together to honor veterans who have served our country and to give glory to God for His providential acts in our history."Here are some pictures from the event. 

Luke posing for me.

Sam and Pip in "The Deuce" 

The MacIntire Brothers from Soldering Through History

The first ever Children's Parade!

Olivia and Laura in the Children's Parade.

WWII Veteran Bill Brown in the parade. 

Brooke and Brianna watching the Children's Parade

~Lenyer