I told you we’d be back! Another three day weekend and another 4 hour drive to Hot Springs, Virginia. The weather reports for the Presidents Day holiday weekend are suggesting it will be warmer than it was last month, but it should still be cold enough to ski. It will be nice to get together with the Baurs again and do some more skiing. This trip we decided to hire a private ski instructor for Dylan and Ethan to try and build their confidence with going up the lift and skiing alone. By the end of the day, the instructor complemented Dylan and said that skill wise he was ready to go to the top.
I was so excited for the long weekend to finally get here. We’ve been looking forward to getting out of town now for months and Dylan and I were ready to do some skiing. Over the past couple of years, we have been somewhat indoctrinated in to a family tradition of joining the Baur family for three days of fun, food and skiing. Over the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend, we all make the long 4 hour drive down to the Homestead Omni Resort in Hot Springs, VA.
This has turned into an annual event that Dylan and I really look forward to for both the skiing and the company of great friends. What a perfect weekend and the weather was awesome! Maybe a little cold for some people, but when you’re skiing, who cares. We enjoyed the weekend so much, I think we might try to head back down next month.
Julie’s parents invited the entire family up to St. Michaels, Maryland to getaway for the long weekend and while there, Julies dad arranged a half day fishing charter on the F/V Class Act out of Tilghman Island. It started out somewhat overcast, but as the day went on, the sun came out and the wind died down to make for a very nice day on the water. We were fishing primarily for Stripped Bass, but ended up catching a verity of keepers and had enough for a nice fish dinner for the whole family.
‘Dylan the Cub Scout – Let’s Go Camping!’ – Arlington, VA
I have to admit, ever since my son joined the ranks of Cub Scouting last month, I have been looking forward to getting back into the woods myself to help out on some of his camping trips There’s nothing better than pitching a tent in the middle of the woods and falling a sleep under the stars listening to the sounds of nature. However, it turns out that Dylan’s first camping trip with Pack 1229 would wind up being a little different than what we first expected… they call it “Cabin Camping”. Okay, so it didn’t turn out exactly as I had envisioned, but the event was a lot of fun and seeing how we were in bear country (and there had been several sightings), it was probably a better idea to start the ‘first timer’ out in a cabin sleeping on a somewhat comfortable raised cot. Next trip will be tent camping for sure!!
‘The cabin Dylan & I slept in for his first camping trip’ – Prince William Forest, Prince William, VA
‘Dylan and yours truly waiting for the train ride to start’ – Burke Lake Park, Fairfax, VA
Part two of our crazy weekend ended up being an outing to Burke Lake Park with the Grandparents. Dylan, like most boys, has always had an obsession with trains, and it just so happens that one of the main features of this park is their miniature gas powered passenger train, which takes riders for a tour around Burke Lake. As you can see from the pictures, Dylan could not be satisfied with just one ride. The good news is that the waiting line to ride does get shorter the later it gets in the day.
‘Dylan showing us where all the hidden dinosaurs are located’ – US Botanical Garden, Washington, DC
This past weekend Dylan asked if we could do the tourist thing and go downtown to one of his favorite places… the United States Botanical Garden which is located on the grounds of the US Capital in Washington, DC. It’s odd that this is one of my sons favorite places in DC… maybe it’s because they have dinosaurs mixed in with the plant life. Regardless of the reason, he truly enjoys exploring this beautiful exhibit and exploring the hidden spaces around the garden.
Being that we were already downtown, it made perfect since to extend our sightseeing adventure a bit by taking the short walk over to the National Museum of the American Indian just two blocks away. It’s one of my favorite museums in DC and the exhibits do a superb job of showing what Native American life was like both before and after the Europeans invaded. There are also exhibits that do great job of reminding visitors of how the original indigenous inhabitants of this great land were so badly treated over the years. My Great Grandmother was a full blooded native American Indian, so I get kind of emotional when I watch the videos and read some of the displays they have up on the top floor .
If you find yourself in Washington, DC and have some free time, I highly suggest checking out any of the wonderful museums the Nations Capital has to offer… they are all outstanding and well worth the price of admission! You can see more of my photos from this weekends excursion by clicking the view more link below. Enjoy!
There is one thing about my wife that is a constant… she is always searching for and finding new and adventurous things for Dylan to try. This started out as a way to find engaging camps and activities to keep Dylan busy during the summers while he’s out of school. In many cases, Julie and I have found that jumping in and engaging with Dylan in these extra curricular outdoor activity is not only a great bonding experience, but it’s also just a whole lot of fun!
Dylan on the tree top ropes course at ‘Go Ape Adventures’ – Springfield, VA.
This weekend we ventured out to a tree top ropes course in Springfield, VA that Julie found called ‘Go Ape Adventure’. It was the first time Dylan had tried anything like and turns out he was a natural. He flew through the junior course in record time and was advanced to the intermediate course before our time slot ended. He says the next time he comes back, he wants to try the advanced course, which is all the way at the top!
The Grim Reaper sporting a broken down hearse limo in a neighbors front yard – Arlington, VA.
Here is a mixed collection of photos from some of our Halloween outings and excursions for this year. I think the highlight of this year would have to be the Zombie Paintball Hayride event at Scream Land Farms…. it was not quite what I expected, but it was still a lot of fun! We hope you enjoy the photos. (View Photos, Slideshows, Videos & More»)
“M/V ‘Our Pleasure’ anchored close to the shoreline” – Wades Bay, Nanjemoy, MD.
All summer we’ve been talking about making a run down river to an area where the water is a little cleaner and the ‘Hydrilla’ doesn’t grow as thick as it does in Belmont Bay. Our boating friends Charlie and Nichole made a day trip down river a couple of weeks ago and they said that Wades Bay was totally Hydrilla free and the deep water would allow for a near shore line anchorage. So this weekend we decided to make the hour long boat ride down river for some different scenery and shark tooth hunting at Wades Bay. We asked Mike and Melissa to join us for the day and they excepted making it an even more enjoyable outing. The water was a little bit on the cool side, but the weather held and it turned out to be a great day. Can’t wait to do it again next summer! (View Photos, Slideshows, Videos & More»)
“Enjoying Amtrak’s Business Class on the Northeastern line to New York City” – New York, NY.
For this years spring trip to New York City, Julie and I decided to take the train instead of flying. Just the lowered stress level alone of traveling by train rather than fighting lines in the airport made this trip so much nicer. I thing we will take the train from now on when traveling to New York. One sad note… Penn Station is still a shit hole! Why can’t the city officials get their act’s together and remodel or at least try to clean that place up?! Washington, DC did a fantastic job remodeling and modernizing Union Station! (View Photos, Slideshows, Videos & More»)
