The Bavarian Inn

Robby and I enjoyed ourselves at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. There wasn't a whole lot to do around town, especially so with it being Christmas and all, and that suited us just fine.

We ate some great German food. Sauerbraten, red cabbage, potato dumplings and black forest cake. Robby barely complained.

It was a great time of relaxation and reflection upon what God has for us in the coming year. I can't wait to see if what we've planned comes anywhere close to what He has waiting.

Sharpsburg/Antietam

While traveling through Maryland, we took a few hours to tour the battlegrounds of the "bloodiest day of the Civil War". More men were killed or wounded here on September 17, 1882 than on any other single day of the Civil War.

Clara Barton, eventual founder of the Red Cross, tended to the wounded during and after the battle.

During the battle, the Texas brigade bridged a threatening gap in the Confederate line and suffered a casualty rate of 82.3 percent. This was the largest percentage of loss by an infantry regiment, north or south, during the war.

The Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) was the sight of much of the mid-day phase of the battle. Over 5,000 casualties occurred during nearly 4 hours of fighting.

The Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) was a key factor in McClellan's failure at Antietam. A few hundred Georgia riflemen, and a few from South Carolina, held off the Union troops for most of the day.

Almost Christmas!

My mom's trip to DC went well. With reports of possible severe "wintry mix" storms, we were a little worried that things would be a mess, but other than the freezing temperatures and some very strong winds, things were pretty good. :D

We did have to make sure to bundle up before heading out to take in some of the Christmas sights. The picture above was taken in front of the US Botanic Gardens. They have a great holiday train display. We were impressed.

We walked over to see the Capital Christmas tree and then to Union Station for their display.... a Norwegian Christmas tree (?).

I'm pretty sure Mom got her fill of cold weather for the season.

It's hard to believe that this year will be the first year I've spent a Christmas outside of Texas! There have been some Christmases where it has been 80 degrees outside. Not this year.

This year, Robby and I will be going to Shepherdstown, WV to spend a few days at the Bavarian Inn. We're hoping for some snow. I'm excited about eating some authentic German cuisine and getting my sweet husband to join me. It's not his favorite. Every time I mention it, he mumbles something about it smelling like an old wet foot. Mmmmm... yummy. He says he's going to give it a shot this time-- his willingness to try is good enough for me. :D

I pray you and your families enjoy a wonder Christmas this year and create many great memories to recount in the years to come.

... I wonder if Robby will fondly recall this Christmas every time he catches a whiff of an old gym shoe? Oh well....

Merry Christmas everybody!!!

PSA

Fat Dog continues to be a web search favorite. About the only people, outside of my friends and family, that see this blog are folks from across the country that are looking for the fattest dog in the world. Now that my sweet dog Baxter has passed on, his memory is kept alive through the the net.

I thought I would put up a picture of sweet Baxter from his younger, more slim, puppy days. It gives a little insight into just how he ended up weighing as much as did. Unfortunately, like so many others these days, Bax was a computer junkie. It started as an occasional dabble on the purebred sites, but soon led to an all-out gaming and facebook addiction. It was all so easy. Let this serve as a warning to those of you who are spending too much time in front of a computer screen. You can learn a lot from a beagle.

I'm just sayin....

(the beginning)

The More You Know

Christmas Tree Time Again

It's the Holiday Season! This past week we were blessed with a visit from Robby's mom, Iris. My mom arrives in town on Friday. This year, instead of making the cross country drive to Texas and back via South Carolina, we decided to have the mommas come to DC instead. :D

There was a beautiful blanket of snow on Friday. It quickly melted away and we were able to enjoy a nice visit. We went to the Living Christmas Tree at our church (Robby and I didn't sing in the program this year), and then we went to the National Christmas Tree with our friends Leslie and Blake to get in our obligatory "tourist" stop. It was a beautiful night.

(Iris, Blake, and Leslie)