FIRST ATTEMPT

while we were away this september as at bill and sandy's ---bill did some smoking of fish which got us to thinking about something we had talked about before and that was to buy a smoker....so we did...many many years ago lar made a smoker out of an old fridge which we used for a couple of years but it wasn't all that great..so away that went...we did some looking on line and went into a gander mountian and low and behold there was one just calling us to take it home...so we asked a whole bunch of questions but at the time we were in virginia and it would need to ride in the back of the truck for several hundred miles and who knew what the weather might be like so we knew that there was one outside williamsport , pa and we were going to go that way .so we waited till we got there...of course they had just the one we had been looking at and this one sure was calling take us to take it home

last night was a neighborhood bon-fire which we have often during the summer and that gave us a thought why not try out the smoker and take some smoked vension and wild turkey for  our snack to share..

of course it took a couple of days to pre-plan as the meat had to have a rub and had to sit for at least 24 hrs...so i made one up by dumping this and that in a jar then rubbing it all over the vension and for the wild turkey i marinated it in a secret sauce for 24 hrs....

we figured that it would take at least 2 hrs of smoke and we had planned 2/1/2 hrs and it was perfect...so our first attempt at smoking meat turned out just fine if you ask us...

we sure have  hade some perfect fall days..trees are beginning to turn and some leaves have already fallen...this is my favorite time of the year nice days and cool night for sleeping..all's well here in ithaca and life is still good ..god bless

HOME

arrive home yesterday mon sept 22 around 2 or so after being gone 3 weeks...it was good to get away for a wee bit...visiting frineds --eatingcarbs--fishing--visiting--going to more battlefields--checking lar bucket list  and visiting a battlefield that he has wanted to every time we have gone down I-81 on our way south in jamuary..so now he can say been ther done that when we pass this coming winter..

then we got to meet ot new great grand baby..jeyden who is 2 mths and is cute as a button...had a good visit with the grand kids ..they came to where we were camped and we had a picnic..it worked out fine as carl was off on sunday and john could get the day off...good visit..

so now to get caught up around here befoe the snow flies and the guns come out..

BEEN BUSY

we have been busy since my last blog...we have vsited some habitat friends in lousia, va for a few days and helped to do some catch up work for them as they have been gone for the last 4 mths and made a trip to alaska....had a  great visit with them and good seeing them ..

then we headed to harpers ferry another national park ..we had visited it several yrs ago but we both thought it might be a place we would like to visit again and  this time work on a ranger badge..it was one that was more challenging than some of the other one...we learnt more than before now to remember  it all...sat in on a rangeer presentation which was about the history of the forming of harpers ferry...of course the most famous thing that happened there was the capture of john brown..

trains run thru on a regular schedule ...

then on the pa to visit and meeet grandkids and the new great grand baby..

no pictures included as this is a very slow wi-fi..

NEWMARKET BATTLE FIELD

 this is a civil war battlefield along route I-81 that we go by heading south..it is one lar has said for many years i would like to stop at that but in january it is not the time to do so...so guess where we spent today at the battlefield....we were there probally 3 hrs or more..visited the museum and of course watched the movie " THE FIELD OF LOST SHOES"..it told about the battle and the cadets that went to VMI (virginia military academy)...it gave  a good story of what had happened during that time...but the union didn't happen to win this battle..of course they did go on the win the over all civil war..


lots to see ..lar read abut everything there was to read..so i just found a chair and took a nap hahahaha  not really but i did sit down once in awhile as i knew lar would be along soon..

tomorrow heading to lousia to visit some of our southern friends (habitat )...

weather is sure turning more fall like..much cooler at night and days maybe only 70 if we are lucky..

FIRST FIGHT

 manassas was the first battle of the civil war and everyone thought it was going to be the first and last...but as we know in history that isn't true..there were 2 battles here  in manassas and the union lost them both...as we know it continued for several more years....
it was kinda a rainy misty day so we didn;t do a lot of walking around besides not sure how much my knees could have taken...


much cooler temps the lst couple of days and haven't even need the a/c...


moving on today..

ANOTHER NATIONAL PARK

ok today we went of to another national park..one we had been to before as a matter in 1976 on our way to atlanta...lar needed to go to school in atlanta for 6 weeks when he worked for western union..we thought school was out so why not take the girls and head for atlanta and kinda have a family vacation out of it so we did...we remember the year and also the day cause it was july 4  1976 the 200th anniversary of our country...we had planned on doing the whole skyline drive but after getting on it we decided not to as it was slow and very windy...but all that  matters we were on it and remembered why..

we were not getting stamps at the time so we decided we needed to get one on this trip..so we did also a junior ranger  badge  and patch along with a sticker..can you believe that they have a book to sign first time for that..asking for name-date-age-city- state..so we just gave them all they wanted..it looked like i was the oldest that had signed the book on the page we signed.so it was a successful day ..lar has a few more day till he can signed/say he is 72..

aswe drove on some of it the scenery was not much to look at as it was socked in fog and i mean heavy fog dropped our miles down to maybe 20 if we were  lucky..

but a good day was had and we earned another badge and patch...

so go junior rangers whoever you are out there

SUNDAY'S ADVENTURE

today we got out of here around 10am and off the the marine base museum in quantico...we have a very good friend  back home who was and still is a marine and has mentioned about the museum so we thought why not we are in the area.....

very interesting museum some things we have seen before it started with the war with the"BRITS" back you know when and went on to the present war in iraq...

the wars we knew the most about was world war 2--korean --veit nam--and the present.....read lots more but will i remember it all probally not...but it is history and i am glad i can go and see this stuff..

life is still great...to,morrow off to the civil war battlefield in manassas..

EASTERN SHORE

this is what we've been doing since we left town..we headed to woolford, md on the eastern shore of the cheaspeake bay to visit some friends we hadn't seen in several years..bill and sandy sharpe ..bill and lar worked at xerox  for many years..

first thing we did ws eat blue crabs that bill caught out in front of their house,,,mmmmm..then off to go do some blue fish fishing..caught only 5 but had fun chasing the birds,,,now that is how you fish for them watch the sea gulls and when yu see a bunch of them diving you know they are after fish..so off you go in their directin with the hopes of catching some......

that was on wed afternoon  then on thurs we took off again in the boat to go to lunch..great lunch..then back out on the bay to do some more fishing...no luck but as sandy said it was like sitting on the back porch watching the world go by..it was a tad rolly polly and next thing you know lar looses his lunch over board...still no luck catching fish...

friday was spent just hanging  out waiting for some old friends that used to live in spencer or she did...and lar and bill went to black water refuge to put up a deer stand for bill..

norm and dorrie arrived and we ate crab cakes mmm then out on the boat to try some fishing again..no luck..

left sat morning and we are now in the city of haymarket and today we plan on visiting the marine museum at quantico..

so life is good and we are being a tourist again..