Author: Jenn

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Remembering Our Backyard in Colonial Beach VA

Jenn

1 min read

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1 min read

As a family on the road we see so many wonderful places but you know what? It’s the small things I really want to remember. I want to remember… Each…

As a family on the road we see so many wonderful places but you know what? It’s the small things I really want to remember.

I want to remember…

Each campsite we call home for a few days or weeks.

Reading around a morning campfire before we go to George Washington Birthplace National Monument.

The sweet faces of these five (and Meow Cow whose not allowed out.)

The smell of campfire and the sound of young voices in harmony which is not often enough.

Our little neighbors.

My backyard gyms.

I even want to remember the mundane like laundry.

And amazing soft serve from random ice cream stands in small towns.

I especially want to remember Brent bustin’ a move at the Saturday campground shindig.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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3 min read

Family on the Road National Parks

First President and Fortune Teller? – George Washington Birthplace National Monument

Jenn

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3 min read

Brent has been working a lot lately. This is good. Very good. Unfortunately, it means he misses out on a lot of places and I’m left to wrangle these guys…

Brent has been working a lot lately. This is good. Very good.

Unfortunately, it means he misses out on a lot of places and I’m left to wrangle these guys myself.

On our way to our new campsite at Colonial Beach, we passed George Washington Birthplace National Monument. This isn’t the first time we have stumbled upon a National Park.

George Washington Birthplace National Monument was only a few miles from our campsite and a perfect place to spend an afternoon learning about the first president’s early years. George Washington spent the first three years of his life here at the plantation at Popes Creek before his family moved to Ferry Farm near Fredericksburg, Virginia. During his lifetime Washington made many trips back to Popes Creek to visit family and friends. The farm stayed in the Washington family until it passed to the government for preservation.

Thing One was disappointed to find out that this wasn’t the real house where George Washington was born.

However, he was thrilled that the ranger let him play the harpsichord and the ranger was quite impressed with his playing.

The foundation of the actual house where George Washington was born sits a few feet away from the restored brick house.

As a teenager George Washington studied the trade of land surveying. One of the activities in the Jr. Ranger book was to “survey” the foundation of his birth home.

Most of the afternoon we just walked the grounds and took in the beauty.

The Washington family burial ground is also on the property. Although, Washington isn’t buried there. He is buried at Mount Vernon.

At the end of the day the boys took their Jr. Ranger pledge.

Lastly with all the mudslinging going back and forth between parties, which only promises to get worse as we close in on election, I found this quote from George Washington’s Farewell Address quite timely.

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” – George Washington, Farewell Address September 17th, 1796.

Perhaps he should have gone into fortune telling instead of politics.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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3 min read

Family on the Road

Hard Tack and Ticks at Yorktown National Battlefield and Victory Center

Jenn

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3 min read

It was a perfect spring day when I took the boys to Yorktown, the last stop of the historic triangle. Like Historic Jamestown and Jamestown Settlement there are two sites…

It was a perfect spring day when I took the boys to Yorktown, the last stop of the historic triangle. Like Historic Jamestown and Jamestown Settlement there are two sites to visit, Yorktown National Battlefield and Yorktown Victory Center. Unlike Jamestown Settlement you don’t need a full day to visit Yorktown Victory Center and admission doesn’t cost you your right arm like Colonial Williamsburg.

The Yorktown Victory Center is hands-on. There is a museum, a Continental Army encampment and a 1780’s farm where historical interpreters describe and depict life of the soldiers and civilians of that time.

The boys, of course, liked the war camp.

The equivalent to a light bulb.

The equivalent to a smart phone.

Yeah, I prefer my maps app. I won’t even talk about what we learned in the medical tent.

Thankfully there was era appropriate wear to try on in the officer’s tent. Lord only knows how much Thing Two loves to be historically accurate.

The battle at Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War and Yorktown National Battlefield is a place to ponder the events that sealed America’s victory.

We stopped along the 7 Mile Battlefield Tour Road to explore the earthworks.

And look at the artillery.

Heading back to the truck after one of our stops we discovered something terrible.

A tick on Thing Two.

Then as we buckled up, I saw one crawling up my thigh. You would have thought I had found a stowaway cobra.

After sweaters were shaken out and bodies checked, we headed to our last stop on the 7 Mile Battlefield Road, Surrender Field, where British troops laid down their arms. I don’t know if it was the ticks, the setting sun, or PMS but, I’ll admit, I got teary-eyed looking across the field and then annoyed when all the boys could do was talk about ticks falling from the trees like paratroopers.

Maybe I should have listened to them because on the way home we found no less than 8 more stowaway ticks looking for a free meal. I think my skin may have thickened (no pun intended) at the medical tent talk because I ordered, “flick those intruders out the window” and I focused on one thing, getting this beast of a truck safely back to our campsite where I could collapse in Brent’s arms and cry about the ticks.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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3 min read

Family on the Road

Tragedy and the Tricorne at Colonial Williamsburng

Jenn

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3 min read

Thing Two was mad at me. This is not unusual. Everyday, it seems one of my kids is mad at me for some reason or other. Mad because I “make”…

Thing Two was mad at me.

This is not unusual. Everyday, it seems one of my kids is mad at me for some reason or other. Mad because I “make” them do school. Mad because I ask them to wash four dishes. Mad because I won’t let them play on their devices all day. Mad because I make them wear sunscreen and try vegetables. I’m a terrible mother, I tell you.

Today, Thing Two was mad at me because I wouldn’t let him spent the rest of his money on an overpriced tricorne hat, the triangle shaped hats associated with American Revolution, we saw in a shop the other day. Now he was going to “have” to wear his blue Civil War kepi to Colonial Williamsburg.

In 1699, the capital of colonial Virginia moved from Jamestown to Williamsburg and remained the capital until 1780. Today, you can visit Colonial Williamsburg and experience for yourself what life as a colonist during the Revolution might have been like and if you are unlucky enough to have a mother like me you will “have” to wear your Civil War kepi while everyone else wears tricornes. Homeschooler problems.

Once we got there and sorted out the tickets—They offer two different homeschooling rates one for the kids through the group sales and one for the educator through the main ticket booth.—we had a fun time learning about life in Colonial Williamsburg. We toured the governor’s mansion, talked to various “tradesmen”, pet horses, admired sheep, and visited the art gallery.

We were having a great time. Thing Two even forgot he was wearing a kepi.

That was until a colonist taught them to bow and said to Thing Two, “You’re about a hundred years too late with your hat.”

Thanks Mr. Colonist.

It was over. I was the terrible mother. With tears in his eyes, Thing Two asked if he could spend the rest of the day without his hat. For the record, I never made him wear his kepi. I only require them to wear hats, any hat, when we are going to be in the sun all day and he wanted to wear something “old fashioned”. It just wasn’t old fashioned enough.

I packed the hat in the backpack and we enjoyed the rest of our day at Colonial Williamsburg where Thing Two watched wistfully as soldier boys walked by in their tricornes.

A few days later, I found a reasonable priced tricorne and bought it for Thing Two.

But the next time there is back-talking about dishes, school, or hats I thinking this may do. Maybe one of these will fit on the back of the RV.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

Like food and fitness? Follow along as I film a workout in every state and explore finding a healthy balance on the road at Girl Heroes!

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1 min read

Family on the Road

I Mustache You a Question.

Jenn

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1 min read

How long can someone be entertained by a fake mustache? Much too long, my friends, much too long. Love and Laughter, Jenn If you enjoyed this post you can…

How long can someone be entertained by a fake mustache?

Much too long, my friends, much too long.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

Like food and fitness? Follow along as I film a workout in every state and explore finding a healthy balance on the road at Girl Heroes!

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2 min read

Family on the Road National Parks

Historic Jamestown

Jenn

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2 min read

Historic Jamestown, located a few miles from Jamestown Settlement, is the location of the original Jamestown colony. There isn’t as much to do at the Historic Jamestown as there is…

Historic Jamestown, located a few miles from Jamestown Settlement, is the location of the original Jamestown colony.

There isn’t as much to do at the Historic Jamestown as there is at Jamestown Settlement. There aren’t any boats to climb on. There aren’t any Indian huts to explore. The fort is a little more than an outline on the ground.

But…

You can look out at river, the former lifeline to England, and imagine what it would have been like to be John Smith waiting for supplies to arrive.

You can see the spot where Pocahontas and John Rolfe where most likely married.

You can see graves of the early settlers who braved the New World for better or for worse.

You can imagine the defeat felt by the Powhatan indians as they were pushed out of their lands.

You can walk where the first Africans arrived as slaves in 1619 and think of the devastation that would follow.

You can sit and take in the significance of the spot where the United States, the great melting pot, began.

Historic Jamestown is a beautiful and moving place.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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2 min read

Family on the Road

Jamestown Settlement

Jenn

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2 min read

After visiting St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States and Roanoke, the first unsuccessful English colony where the settlers mysteriously disappeared, we surely couldn’t miss Jamestown, the first succesful English settlement…

After visiting St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States and Roanoke, the first unsuccessful English colony where the settlers mysteriously disappeared, we surely couldn’t miss Jamestown, the first succesful English settlement in the United States.

In 1607, 13 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, The Virginia Company sent 104 men across the ocean in search of fortune. On the banks of the James River in Virginia, they settled Jamestown.

Despite the struggles with disease and strained relationships with the local Powhatan Indian tribe, Jamestown prospered and served as the capital of the colony until 1699.

Today in Virginia, there are two ways to experience Jamestown, Historic Jamestown or Jamestown Settlement. We started with a day at Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum that tells the story of the settlers and the indians. The museum is divided into four parts: a recreated Powhatan Village, a recreated Fort James, replicas of English ships, and a museum gallery filled with artifacts, films, and exhibits.

It’s a homeschooling mom’s dream and well worth the price of admission.

Our exploration of Jamestown Settlement began with the guided tour.

Powhatan Village

The tour started at at the Powhatan Village, where we learned about the tribe that had been living on the land long before the settlers came and pushed them out.

The detail put into everything was amazing.

Sitting on real animal skins.

Fort James

Inside the fort we learned about how the settlers carved out their existence despite tremendous struggles with disease, strained relationships, and limited supplies.

Musket firing is always a favorite.

Trying on armor.

Learning about early medical practices.

Jamestown Settlement Ships

There are recreations of the three ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, that landed at Jamestown.

We learned about their route and the living condition aboard the ships.

The best part was exploring the ships….

and some getting hands on the cannons.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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1 min read

Family on the Road Our Backyard

Our Backyard in the Eastern Shore of Virginia

Jenn

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1 min read

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is seperated from mainland Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay and for four days it was our home. We saw the wild horse of Assateague Island…

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is seperated from mainland Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay and for four days it was our home.

We saw the wild horse of Assateague Island but mostly we just lived and explored our backyard.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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4 min read

Family on the Road National Parks

The Wild Horses of Assateague Island

Jenn

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4 min read

You didn’t think I’d give up on seeing the wild horses of Assateague Island that easy did you? After squinting to see the “fenced” wild horses on the Virginia side…

You didn’t think I’d give up on seeing the wild horses of Assateague Island that easy did you?

After squinting to see the “fenced” wild horses on the Virginia side of Assateague Island, we hoped in our truck and decided to make the hour and a half drive to the Maryland entrance.

Really, what’s an hour and a half after driving from California? We didn’t drive all the way across the country to have my childhood dream of seeing “Misty” (the horse in one of my favorite childhood books, Misty of Chincoteague) roam free on the beach be contained by a stupid fence.

This drive was filled with more anxiety than before. I know it was silly and certainly childish but I really really REALLY wanted to see the wild horses. It was as if I’d have a life of regret if I didn’t get to see these legendary creatures roaming free on the beach.

I’m not obsessive or dramatic or idealistic, not at all.

It was late afternoon when we arrived at the Maryland side of Assateague.

I held my breath as we drove through the entrance gate. I secretly prayed we would see some horses. (Yeah, sometimes I pray for trite things like that.)

Then I squealed and I’m pretty sure there were some tears.

A wild horse!

He was grazing freely on the side of the road completely indifferent to the crazy girl telling him how beautiful he was and taking pictures as if she had never seen a horse in her life.

Satisfied that there were indeed wild horses on Assateague Island, we went to the visitor center just minutes before it closed so the boys could turn in their Jr. Ranger stuff we had picked up on the Virginia side and we could learn a little more about the horses.

The horses have been living on Assateague Island since the 1600’s. No one knows exactly how the the wild horses of Assateague came to be. Legend is they swam to shore after a Spanish shipwreck. However, the more probable story is they were put on the island by their owners who wanted to avoid paying livestock taxes on the mainland.

Spanish galleon or tax evasion? Hmmmm…..

We drove further into the island and it wasn’t long before I was screetching again.

A mama and a baby or “Phantom and Misty” for us once (still?) horse obsessed little girls!!!

Someone has an itch.

I think I took 200 pictures of these guys and Thing Two loves animals as much as I do.

The horses were every bit as beautiful as I had imagined and so were the beaches.

As we drove around the island, we soon saw there were horses everywhere.

In the campsites.

Hanging around the bathrooms.

This guy just stood by the water spicket for the longest time.

People were petting the horses but I had seen pictures of the horse bites in the Visitor’s Center and having been bite by a horse before I know horse bites are no joke.

But more than that they were almost too wild and too beautiful to touch as if petting them like they were dogs would a sign of disrespect.

As the sun set we found a quiet spot near the beach.

Brent grilled.

And I read Misty of Chincoteague to my two favorite little boys.

Yes I actually brought the book all the way from California. Over the top, I know.

Then we watched the sunset from our little spot of horse heaven on Assateague Island.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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3 min read

Family on the Road National Parks

Chincoteague Island and Assateague National Seashore (the Virginia Side)

Jenn

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3 min read

My heart was bouncing with anticipation as I packed our stuff for a day at Chincoteague Island and Assateague National Seashore. Assateague National Seashore is most well known for wild…

My heart was bouncing with anticipation as I packed our stuff for a day at Chincoteague Island and Assateague National Seashore.

Assateague National Seashore is most well known for wild horses. Very few things make me as excited as horses!

Especially wild horses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have wanted to visit Assateague National Seashore, since I read Misty of Chincoteague as a child about 25 years ago. Since we hit the road full time in our RV last October, seeing the wild ponies of Assateague Island had been at the top of my list of things to see.

Assateague Island is divided into two sides, the Virginia side and the Maryland side. We decided to go to the Virginia side because the entrance was closest to our campground and you pass over Chincoteague Island, where they have the yearly pony round up, to get there.

I was antsy with anticipation the entire drive babbling on and on about finally getting to see the wild horses. Like a kid on Christmas Eve….

I. Could. Not. Wait.

We drove onto the island, our eyes peeled for wild horses. Finally we spotted them faaaar across a marsh in a fence.

In. A. Fence.

Not only were they behind a fence, they where were so far you could hardly tell them from a deer even with my zoom lens.

This was not what I had imagined nor seen on the internet. I had seen pictures spotted horses roaming freely in campgrounds and on white sand beaches. Thanks Google for getting my hopes up.

We went to the visitor’s center and I asked about the wild horses. I was told they keep them in corrals, albeit very large corrals, on the Virginia side. They only roam free on the Maryland side.

I stood there staring at the park ranger my eyes full of tears.

It wasn’t awkward in the least.

I stammered out a thank you and left, my childhood dreams crushed.

We may not have gotten up close to the horses but we did get up close and personal with some horseshoe crabs.

We also came across some pony tracks ice cream at Island Creamery on Chincoteague.

But no free roaming wild horses.

The highlight of the morning was the Assateague Lighthouse.

For a small fee you can go up to the top of the Assateague Lighthouse.

If you squint hard enough you may be able to see the wild horses roaming in a fence. Or not.

Or you can beg your husband to drive an extra hour and a half to the Maryland side of Assateague National Seashore and hope you see some wild horses there.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

Like food and fitness? Follow along as I film a workout in every state and explore finding a healthy balance on the road at Girl Heroes!

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