Summer Fun In the States: Begins in Virginia

Our first week (June 16) home was full of scheduled appointments for doctors, dentist and eye exams and spending time with family. It was a whirlwind of activity. 

The first weekend (June 23-26) in the states, I went to Virginia to stay with my best guy friends Bill and Scott. We had a grand time....letterboxing every day, all day long. They took me to all of the battlefields and historic parks and landmarks in Fredericksburg and beyond. 

They shared historic facts with me that I hadn't known about the Civil War.  They are a wealth of knowledge!

Had a great time hiking the trails here, towards the end of the hike, we ran into a snake!

I loved visiting the Stonewall Jackson Shrine and learning the history behind the house where he was brought to after being shot and then later died in.
There was a really beautiful stamp carved and hidden in a letterbox nearby. So happy to add it to my collection!

Dinner at the Melting Pot

We went out to eat at the Melting Pot and had a terrific time. Bill and I shared a lobster feast...Yummy!! I have never laughed so hard in a long time and at one point we were laughing so hard that we were all crying and I thought the owner would come and kick us out. It was so much fun.

One of the days we were together, we ventured to McLean, VA and letterboxed the park where the watershed event was held the previous weekend. Laura (the letterboxer who hosted the event) was so sweet to leave the boxes out for us since coming from Denmark, I was going to miss the event by a week. The trails were nice to hike and the park was beautiful, especially hiking beside the Potomac River.

Bill and Scott

A beautiful area along the river.

As we continued to drive around Virginia, the subject of the immense number of mattress stores in Virginia was brought up.  We started noticing that they were EVERYWHERE!! When we saw this funny mattress guy, we just had to have a picture moment :o)

Mr. Mattress and I

One of my favorite places that we visited was Government Island.  This island is the location where stone was quarried and used to build the U.S. Capitol and White House in Washington, D.C. It was cut and loaded on ships that carried it on the Potomac River to it's final destination. There is a fabulous letterbox series on this island that we had fun discovering.

  

As we continued our adventure, we drove to the miniature Iwo Jima statue just outside the gates of the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, in Virginia. I have been fortunate enough to see the large version and seeing this smaller one still makes quite and emotional impact. Thank you Bill and Scott for taking me there! 

Our next stop was the site of the first Roman Catholic settlement. The crucifix was beautiful and surrounded by fresh flowers that people regularly bring and place. 

 The next day was just as eventful. A full day of letterboxing and sight- seeing. One place we really enjoyed was the Belmont Estate. It is located in Falmouth, VA and was the home of painters Gari and Connie Melchers. The landscape and gardens were like beautiful paintings in themselves.

Found a letterbox in the gardens

We continued on to Historic Fredericksburg and visited a bookstore and an Irish Pub. Bill and I enjoyed a cold beer and stamped into an awesome letterbox that is housed at this particular bar.

The boys took me to a nearby ice cream shop, Carl's, famous for its soft serve ice cream. People form lines that reach across and down the street!! We each enjoyed a cup of delicious ice cream.

Then it was on to Fredericksburg Battlefield...again, I must say how wonderful it was to have Scott and Bill with me to fill me in on all of the history that they knew about. I found the grounds beautifully kept and it was a wonderful hike on the trails to find letterboxes. Bill was able to do some maintenance and to retire some that were in bad shape. We even found a stamp that had alluded some...

You can see the troop trenches and the cannon areas

Scott tells me the direction of the troops that came up over the hill.

Meade's Pyramid

Letterbox that we found!!

Around 1897, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society wanted to place markers along the railroad, marking Civil War sites. The rail road was not opposed to the idea but was not fond of the wooden signs that the Society proposed. The railroad claimed that they would look too much like advertising. A better marker was chosen, a granite pyramid. The society used a 90 foot pyramid located in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery as the model. 

In 1898 the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Rail Road hauled over 17 tons of Virginia Granite to construct the pyramid. Today the pyramid, (officially known as Meade's Pyramid after General George Meade) still stands as a monument to the Civil War and is the only one of it's kind. 

Monday morning it was time to say good-bye. It was very difficult to say good-bye but knowing that Bill and Scott will be visiting me in Denmark helps!! I love you guys and thank you for everything...you are the most awesome friends!!