Country Roads

Yesterday we took advantage of our open schedules and headed out to the countryside that John Denver pined for (pines -- get it?). We didn't quite make it to West Virginia, but we did make it to western Virginia. We had no real plan, so when we saw a hand painted sign advertising apples and apple cider we couldn't resist.


It turned out that they didn't really have cider, which was a disappointment. I was all ready to apply Flanders' rule "If it's sweet and yella: you've got juice there fella; If it's tangy and brown: you're in cider town." They did have plenty of apples.



This one's a little blurry, but since Megan is smiling I included it for Crystal to see.


This is the typical face that Megan puts on when I say "Megan, smile and I'll take your picture." (She's kind of a smart aleck.)



Next stop was Shenandoah National Park. The entrance fee was $15, and if you're going to spend $15 to go in once, you might as well spend $30 for a year pass. And if you're going to spend $30 on a year pass, you might as well spend $80 for a year pass that gets you into any national park in the United States. Or so the slick talking ranger said. We were convinced.


We went for a short hike on a spur of the Appalachian Trail. Megan wanted to walk.



I'm not sure what the haze is that covers the valleys in this region, but it is the Great Smokey Mountain's namesake.



Only a few of the trees had started changing color. We'll have to bring our $80 pass back here in a couple of weeks for more pictures. I apologize in advance, you're going to be seeing lots of leaf pictures over the next month.


We rounded out our trip by stopping at a restaurant in the park. There we paid $25 bucks for a half a package of Kraft macaroni and cheese, a piece of reheated garlic bread that was too hard to bite through, some cold school cafeteria zig-zag fries, a chicken sandwich and some chicken salad out of a can. It was very satisfying.


And Megan's favorite thing on the whole trip was this drinking fountain. I think I'll have one installed in our back yard to save us some time and money.


Our first East coast adventure was a lot of fun, and very scenic, but it didn't quite compare to the Austin eating scene. We're taking suggestions for good restaurants in the area, so if you know of any please fill us in.

Autumnal Equinox

I bet you thought today was the first day of Fall. Well, it's not. Fall officially begins when the sun is directly over the equator, an event known as the autumnal equinox, making the day and night equal lengths. That day is generally around the 21st of September, but this year it falls on September 23rd at 9:51.

It's alright though, we've decided to start our Fall celebrations a little early this year, and the leaves in D.C. are supporting that decision.



Every time she goes in the back yard, Megan harvests our last raspberries of the season like a little squirrel enjoying dessert.


Speaking of dessert, we had our first pumpkin pie last night. It was fantastic.


And since it's started to cool down ever so slightly, Megan can be found in her feety pajamas inside...


and out.


On a totally unrelated note, compare that picture of Megan to this one of Baileigh. I had never noticed that family resemblance before.



And as long as I've strayed from the topic, here is a short video of Megan and Anderson rockin out. It doesn't have much to do with Fall, but it's pretty cute. In case you can't place it, the instrument that Megan is playing so melodiously is the pitch pipe. It's very versatile, at times matching the tone and timbre of a duck call.

Megan is Adjusting

In order to get Megan prepared for the big move, Grandma McFadden got her the Bernstein Bear's book about moving and we talked to her about our "new house" for weeks. Apparently it worked, because she hasn't had any trouble at all with the move (unless you count the fact that she inexplicably wakes up earlier now than ever).

Here she is excited to go to her "notes" class, a music class put on by a woman in our ward. She was so excited to go to "school" that she sat around our living room with her backpack on for about an hour (at what seemed like 4 in the morning).


She quickly discovered the raspberry bush in our backyard, and set about eating every one that she could reach.



She made fast friends with Milan (who she calls "Bilong"), the two year old that lives across the street. They went to the zoo together...


and they play at the park down the street from us almost every day.



Megan was a little nervous to walk on top of this wall, so she Mowgli'd it.



Milan thought it looked like fun, and she joined in.

Hello, Washington D.C. (Part 1 of Many to Come)

After 26 hours of driving a 26 foot moving truck (with a trailer towing the Volkswagen), we finally made it to D.C. Here are some pictures of our new place.










We're very excited to be here, and we love our new place. Some of our favorite things about it are: having a front and back yard, having a driveway, a gas grill of our very own, hardwood floors, a great porch and patio, the location (about 10 minutes to downtown D.C.), and last but not least...

the attic.


All our neighbors have been so friendly and helpful, and it has really been an easy move, as far as moves go.

Now, if you hear of any jobs that I may be good for in the D.C. metro area, let me know so that I can afford to pay the rent on this wonderful new place.