Adios to August

The sky is sad today - perhaps the world is sad to be saying farewell to August? I don't know... this month has been fine but I've always been a strong fan of the "ber" months and they kick off tomorrow, so while this past month has been - I'll say again - fine... I don't mind seeing September arrive tomorrow.

Friday night was all about exploring some local spots! I found two new favorites and made a return to a spot that already has a place in my heart (and my stomach, ha-ha!) The Old Dominion Doggery has some of the best burgers I've ever eaten; I got the Taste of the South, made with pimento cheese and BBQ sauce - it was divine!  

The french fries are perfectly delicious and I sampled a bite of one of the hot dogs (they normally give me headaches) - it was also so very tasty! I popped into a shop across the street called Vintage Clementine that was filled with a combination of new and unique gift items alongside some antique and vintage finds - all at excellent prices! I rounded out the evening with two scoops from Snowy & Sweet... I couldn't resist my favorite Lemon Bliss and tried a scoop of Blueberry Cheesecake along with it!

The skies clouded up in a pretty spectacular fashion all the way home and shortly after settling in for a movie on my couch (The Lovebirds on Netflix) it started to pour. It rained on and off for the rest of the evening (with some pretty spectacular lightning thrown in) and into Saturday morning as some bands from Hurricane Laura made their way through out area. It slacked off on Saturday morning right as I hopped off the elliptical after completing 35 minutes... just in time for my Dad to ask if I wanted to walk 3.5 miles with him. Sure - why not?

I survived the 3.5 miles and afterwards took a much needed shower, had lunch and did some relaxing before heading off to the movies to see The Personal History of David Copperfield at The Alamo. It was a different experience since there were less people and it was a requirement to wear a face mask throughout the movie (unless eating or drinking) but I was just so thrilled to be at the theater again that I didn't mind! After dinner at Chili's and a stop at the store to grab some groceries, it was home once again to enjoy the evening with a couple episodes of Escape to the Country.

Sunday was sunny and only about 80 - an absolutely perfect day to be outside! After church it was a quick lunch and then I loaded up the pup and headed over to the State Arboretum to enjoy being outside in the gorgeous weather. Watson loved lounging in the grass, wagging his tail at everyone and just being outside!

 

  

After a quick stop at the Baskin-Robbins on the way home, I relaxed outside on the deck a little bit, read, got some things together for the work week and ran to Wal-Mart with my Mom. I closed out the weekend with a bubble bath, some TV and crawling into bed to read and drift off to sleep!

Five on Friday

One. Exploring Local - If there is one thing I'm always excited about, it's having good food and this evening I'm planning to explore some delicious local places for dinner and perhaps a little dessert!

Old Dominion Doggery is a local spot that has gourmet hot dogs and hamburgers - just take a look at that menu above and look at all the delicious options! My stomach is growling just thinking about it! I'm not a big hot dog person (nitrates + brain = headache) but some of those hamburgers sound pretty tasty!

Fortunately (perhaps unfortunately for my diet but hey - you have to live sometimes) right across the street from the Old Dominion Doggery is some of the best ice cream I've ever eaten at Sugar Creek Snowy & Sweet Co. Hopefully the hardest decision I have to make today is what flavor of ice cream to choose!

Two. Finally... the Movies - I am actually going to the movies this weekend and I have to say, I'm pretty excited! All the seats are socially distanced with "buffer seating" and I'll be remaining masked unless I'm taking a sip of my drink but I'm honestly just thrilled that I can go to the theater again and see a new run movie!

This will be the first time I've gone to the theater to see a new run movie since the first weekend of March - that's wild! While it will be a totally different experience, I'm just glad it's an experience I get to start having again!

Three. Planning - Another thing I'll be doing soon (next weekend) is a wee bit of traveling! I'm going to Pittsburgh for Labor Day weekend and I'm quite excited! I've never been to Pittsburgh and so I've been researching places to go and things to see! Some friends have chimed in with recommendations and so I'm ready to see the city!

The original Pittsburgh plan was to visit when the Nationals were playing the Pirates at PNC Park - but I think at this point everyone knows that this year's baseball season doesn't include fans in the stands. Another thing that will be different than I'd originally planned but a reminder that different doesn't always mean bad! 

Four. Autumn Vibes - I was walking my pup around the neighborhood last night and noticed the most perfect little splash of red in the midst of all the green... it's a leaf that's already fallen from a neighbor's tree! 

While a part of me thought "hey buddy - it's not even September yet..." I'd be lying if I didn't admit that a larger part of me was like "but hey - September is in just a couple days!" I do love Fall y'all - and I am not ashamed to say I can't wait for all the leaves!

Five. Blast from the Past - I leave you with this terrifying image that popped up in my Time Hop today and made me crack up. Most of the time my dog is absolutely the cutest and most snuggly but wow... apparently when I took this picture that was not the case!

Holy crap - what a face! Right? I don't know that I've ever caught a shot like this again... thank goodness.

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That's all she wrote for this Five on Friday! Enjoy your weekend, wear your face mask and be kind to other people because being mean sucks! That's all! 

Watson Wednesday

My little pup thoroughly enjoyed his adventures in nature this past Saturday - he may be a little old man but when he gets out on a hiking trail, he is suddenly a puppy again! He's not a big fan of camping... the fire scares him... among other things. He does love campfire food though - especially a roasted weenie!

 

 

He boldly climbed and clambered along the Upper Hawksbill Trail and would have crawled right over and down the rock face if I'd let him - he certainly isn't lacking an adventurous spirit!

He slept in the front seat almost all the way home and then woke up as we were coming into town. He had to immediately stand up to check out what was going on in the middle of our sleepy Northern Virginia town on Saturday night.

Camping(ish)

I know the title is enjoyable - it was inspired by a friend who asked me on the phone this morning if I enjoyed my experience "camping... ish" this weekend. Cue me cracking up! I think I've made it known that I'm not really big on camping but I did get to take advantage of some of the perks of camping (hello s'mores) without sleeping on the ground. That's a win! 

Friday I got off work early (cheers!) and ended up spending most of Friday afternoon and evening being a huge bum - it was great! I painted my fingernails and toenails, sat out on the deck to read, watched a movie called Palm Springs, got interested in the show The Politician on Netflix and was generally just very lazy. It was such a delight and I haven't done that in a while.

 

Saturday morning I got myself up and put together a bit earlier than usual and attended the memorial service for a sweet friend's mother - the service was lovely and so very touching! Afterward, I made my way home, changed clothes and picked up my pup and headed up into the mountains! 

I joined my parents at their campsite at Big Meadows in the Shenandoah National Park and we made our way to the Upper Hawksbill Trail that is a 2 mile out and back trail to the highest point in the Shenandoah National Park at 4,050 feet of elevation! The trail is noted as moderate and while I'd 100% classify the first 0.7 of the mile in as moderate, the final 0.3 are pretty much a straight uphill hike - so make note of that if you plan to give this one a go! 

 

The weather was a mixed bag on Saturday with clouds rolling over the mountain peaks all day long. When Watson and I arrived at the summit, the whole area was wreathed in misty clouds and there wasn't much of a view... but we waited... and it was worth it! The clouds rolled on and soon the view to the valley cleared and the views were spectacular! Watson very much enjoyed the hike and I think he'd have cruised right to the edge of each rocky outcropping to peer over if I'd have let him!

 

 

  

The way back down the trail was much easier because it was pretty much a downhill roll, ha-ha! About halfway down the trail a Spike (a little male deer) stepped onto the trail and gradually made his way across the trail and into the forest again. I think he'd have hung around a bit longer but there were other people coming up the trail and they were quite noisy! *sigh* 

 

We popped over to the Big Meadows Lodge and my Dad and I made our way up a 0.1 of a mile "trail" to the Black Rock Overlook - talk about maximum views for minimal effort - it was stunning! Happily the clouds weren't too heavy when we reached the summit and I was able to take some great pictures. I certainly love living in the mountains - the views cannot be beat!

 

 

We made our way back to my parent's campsite, stopping along the way to snap a picture of two wee little fawn grazing along the edge of the road! Watson is; much like me, not a huge fan of camping and so while the fire was being built up for dinner, all that Watson really wanted to do was sit on the ground and shiver! He also wasn't a fan of the fire and did his best to avoid getting anywhere near it - unless there was a hot dog or marshmallow being roasted!  

 

 

Hands down the best part of camping (ish) is the food you get to make when you camp! We had hamburgers cooked over charcoal and I do think it was one of the best hamburgers I've had in a long time! We also roasted hot dogs and of course, there were s'mores! *sigh* We even mixed it up with the s'mores and instead of a bit of Hershey's chocolate, we inserted a Reese's Thin - and y'all, that was absolutely delicious! 

 

Around 7:30 Watson and I hopped back in the car and headed down the mountains to a shower and a warm bed. The drive home was filled with fog so thick I couldn't see but a couple feet past the front of my car and then... when the fog lifted, all the rain! It was all worth it though because the hikes were great, the food was divine and the company was first class! I was glad to get home, take a shower and climb into my bed, ha-ha!

Sunday morning I caught church online and sipped my coffee while I was watching the service online. I got myself all 60's - styled and heading to Regions 117 for brunch to celebrate my dear friend Cindy's graduation! The food was great as always and the company was all kinds of fun! It was a great way to spend a couple hours on Sunday!

I passed the rest of the afternoon with a phone call to my sister, watering some new plants in the backyard, reading, totally chowing down on some pizza (the first I've had in months...) and taking a bubble bath. It was a good weekend!