Iron Paffles

We checked out the newest breakfast place in town, called Iron. Their "concept" is a paffle (puff pastry waffle) sandwiches. The results were ...interesting:

Abby and Kevin had the "Iron Cannoli" with marscapone and chocolate chips

Benji had blueberries and hickory whipped cream (he didn't like it)

Brie and caramelized onion

Not sure we would go back again

Rocket Launches

Benji was gifted a rocket from a neighbor a few months ago, and we finally got around to launching it last weekend:

Benji was very excited

He really liked the launch remote we got him

Blast off!

And landing

Abby trying (futilely) to shake it down while Kevin went home for the ladder

Launch #2

Better aimed this time

He catches it!

Launch #3

Parachute separated this time, and we were done for the day

Swim Team Spoils

Finally swung by the pool to pick up Benji's end-of-year swim swag:

Cool trophy this year (City came in second in the division)

Team picture. Benji jumped in the pool right before the pic, but we ruffled his hair artfully

Cville Love

After the rally/counterprotests in Charlottesville, the kids wanted to go back to the Downtown Mall to support the businesses and to see that everything still looked the same once the news crews moved on. We took Abby down by herself while Benji was in camp just a couple of days after the violence, and we took Benji down the following weekend when things had mostly been cleared up:

Laying flowers in Heather Heyer's memorial

First Day of School 2017

First day was Wednesday:

Eighth Grade

Fourth Grade

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

Last of our Vacation: Shenandoah hiking

We set out Tuesday morning for one last day of hiking. We started at the Byrd Visitor Center to (wait for it) ... get passports stamped and ask the rangers about hikes. We settled on Dark Hollow Falls as our destination:

After the hike, we drove around Shenandoah a little, but headed home by late afternoon for a barbeque. We ended off the night (and trip) with s'mores by the fire pit:

And that's the end of vacation season summer 2017.

Travelling Back through Virginia: Roanoke, Natural Bridge and Safari Park

We left Tennessee on Saturday morning, snapping one last picture of our cabin in the mountains as we left:

Onward to Virginia! Our goal was Roanoke to have a dinner visit with cousin Danny and his wife Heavenor. After a yummy dinner at the Mellow Mushroom, they took us up to see the star, Roanoke's most famous landmark:

We spent the night in Roanoke and then started wending our way slowly back to Charlottesville.  Our first stop was the Blue Ridge Parkway visitor's center outside of Roanoke, where passport stamps were acquired, along with more advice from rangers. The staff shared the best section of the parkway to drive and also suggested a cool hanging bridge in Buchanon, VA, just off the parkway:

The sign said only three people could be on the bridge at a time

It swayed as we walked over it

From here, out next stop was Natural Bridge, a Virginia state park:

 

After hiking the whole length of the Natural Bridge trail to Lace Falls and back, we headed to the Virginia Safari Park:

Caught in the act of bucket nabbing

I love this sequence of photos

 

Feeding the goats was Benji and Patrick's favorite

Actually, feeding the budgies was their FAVORITE favorite

baby Giraffe!

We finished at the safari park late, but decided to limp the last little bit home to Cville before supper and bed. It turned out to be rainy on Monday, so we had a quiet day at home before one last blast at Shenandoah.