"Horsin' Around" on a Halterman Evening

Summer evenings bring a bit more flexibility to our house, and we spent one outside admiring the horses at the annual Roanoke Valley Horse Show. The show, an annual event supporting charities like the Bradley Free Clinic and held at the Salem Civic Center, was once known in the Halterman family (they lived "behind" the center) as a source of horseflies. In more recent years, we've also come to appreciate it as a glimpse of some beautiful animals and of a different life. You can park free of charge on the lot and wander aimlessly among the tents of animals, many decorated fancily with stable logos, free of charge as well. Don't expect lots of overt friendliness--our experience is that trainers and folks seem very focused and not very conversational. However, they don't seem to view visitors as intruders. Worth a 60 minute stop!

Time for Trains!

Kim received a nifty Mother's Day gift: tickets to Gettysburg's Lincoln Train Museum! The museum became our last stop prior to heading out of town. Elijah was fascinated with the model train "in the air" on bridges across the gift shop ceiling. Kim and Justin enjoyed the expansive collection of model trains, including unusual antiques harkening to holidays, advertisements, and "real" railroads. There's also a collection of train Christmas ornaments and a Polar Express display.

For those who like to watch models move (like us!), there is a large layout with three trains and a "circle only" display that is approximately four feet tall. There's also a train you ride: yep, a model train car with a movie about Lincoln's train trip to Gettysburg! It moves gently and put Elijah to sleep. The museum's history is interesting on its own, as when the museum initially opened, the train ride was a major technological innovation.

We judge this homey museum, with its delightful, well-kept collection, to be a good stop. In the area and looking for another cool place? Try Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum--it's free and in Weird Pennsylvania!

Climbing Monuments

What to do on the Gettysburg battlefield? Go climb monuments! No trip would be complete without climbing the Pennsylvania or New York--or the rocks of Devil's Den. And if you are travelling with a baby, pose on the cannons. The monuments truly give the field additional character and fun, but visitors can't forget the tremendous sacrifices there. The Peace Light gives a sense of that, as does a look at the wheatfield. If you are driving the field, we recommend playing the Gettysburg movie soundtrack or one of the CDs of ghost stories to provide an additional element.

Following some battlefield photo ops, we went to the center of town for some shopping. Abe's Antiques has closed--really too bad. If you weren't familiar, Abe's was owned by a Lincoln impersonator who was quite talented and had a nifty collection of civil war items. By asking around at shops, we were able to determine he is fine--just out of business. The Gettysburg Antique Center is still going full speed and is a nice place for locally-oriented ephemera, toy soldiers, and military items. We tried to shop the Farnsworth House bookstore, but their hours were quite unpredictable. A new art gallery features contemporary images of Lincoln and a saleswoman who's won on Jeopardy--Lincoln Into Art is worth a stop.

And some more Gettysburg travel advice: Going out for breakfast? Try the reasonably-priced Avenue Diner, a fixture in town and an easy walk from most centrally-located motels. Hungry for a snack? You can share Hunt's cheese fries with lots of friends and still feel full. Want a relaxing dinner? Head downstairs at the Dobbins House to the Springhouse Tavern for an atmosphere as casual and welcoming as a basement can get!

The Things You Find at Battlefields!

Justin teaches Kim to appreciate the US Civil War more each day. More than that, he opens her eyes to the fabulous culture that springs up around battlefields. Battlefields are a good place to reflect on the way Americans remember--and to enjoy some roadside Americana! Of all Civil War locations, we like Gettysburg for its diversity and development--and its proximity to other visiting spots, including Harper's Ferry and Hershey. Here's the story of a day in Gettysburg--a day during which we didn't visit much of the "official" battlefield!

We started our day at the Hall of Presidents, a wax museum featuring a replica of each US President and an audio track about their histories. It's a low tech museum that survives--nicely, per the staffer we engaged in conversation. They've recently upgraded the seating, added Obama, and renovated the First Ladies gallery to make it accessible. Right now, Eisenhower items that were previously on display are in storage, but there are plans to expand exhibit space and bring these items back. If you go, think like Justin, and enjoy spotting the asyncronies in display backgrounds and figures that reveal its history as a museum and test your knowledge of history.

Boyd's Bear Country is a nifty sight as well, but they have (sadly) removed their mini-museum. They've also decreased their stuffed animal displays significantly over the years, opting for more Yankee Candles, Thomas Kincade artwork, and Longaberger Baskets. We're not Boyd's collectors, but we've visited the three-story barn to see the displays from time to time. Hansa toys are new there--stunning replicas of wild animals if you are not familiar. It's an interesting, family-friendly site that has space for entertainment and a casual meal. It's a cool place to say we've been on a quick trip and is beautifully situated in a wonderful green space.

Our day also included a lunch at the Visitor's Center, where some period foods like yummy peanut soup are served. Kim also enjoyed the outlets, with Gettysburg's mall being appropriately-sized for a few hours of shopping adventure. To its credit, there are few empty storefronts. Dinner brought some time at O'Rourke's, a place we'd oft-admired and finally headed to upon the guidance of friends. It's a well-attended pub with delicious food in large portions. Elijah recommends the cream of crab soup.

Roanoke "Counterculture"

In honor of Elijah's last swimming lesson, another simple weekend in Roanoke was in store. We headed out to lunch in Grandin Village at The Isaacs, a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant. It's one of those places where the atmosphere is elegant but not stuffy--you can go in wearing jeans and feel like you must be wearing something nicer. Kim had a beautiful meze of smoked Gouda and eggplant, Justin and Don had gyros, and Elijah became a fan of the minestrone. If you go, don't miss the pita fries--they are healthy and delicious! The Isaacs is food you can feel good about: often organic, often local, healthful, reasonably priced, colorfully presented. Excellent! Also worth a stop in Grandin Village? The Grandin Theatre, a not-for-profit movie house often showing independent films; Too Many Books, an excellent used book store; the "Co-op", a locally-owned grocer; and Black Dog Salvage, a place for unique furniture finds. If you aren't familiar with Roanoke, you'll want to know that Grandin Village is a lively, diverse community.

By night, we headed to the Salem Civic Center for the Roanoke Symphony's now-annual rock symphony night, part of their Pops series and a fundraiser for the group. We've attended all three to date, and this year's A Night at Woodstock may be the best yet! (That's saying something for Kim, who has enjoyed the Cirque element of previous shows--absent this year--particularly.) Jeans 'n Classics, a tremendous band, played 60s genre hits with the symphony, and the RSO volunteers dressed as hippies to set the mood. Elijah loved it so much that the 2011 show may provide a venue for his second birthday party! Much to his parents' happiness, he can "rock," scooting about and clapping to Joe Cocker and Jefferson Airplane in particular. The annual fundraiser is a casual and lighthearted way to experience the symphony--highly recommended.

Elijah Meets TJ

Beautiful weather, beautiful house, beautiful friends. This weekend, we drove up to Charlottesville to take in Monticello with the Mejias. As always, Monticello is a little mountain with stunning views, making it easy for a novice like me to take some stunning photos. The house kitchen has been renovated recently and lots of folks were taking garden tours to enjoy the spring blooms. The new visitor's center there is spiffy and features an expanded museum shop, so Kim came home with two new Christmas ornaments. Justin also picked up at Thomas Jefferson doll for Elijah. They could have done a better job with accessibility, but the center "fits in" with the landscape and is a nice home to some amenities like a cafe, theater, and gallery.

Following our visit to Monticello, we drove to the University of Virginia's campus to walk the lawn. Folks were busy prepping for next weekend's graduation, and the "capitals" of the columns on the Rotunda were draped in black, presumably in memory of the recently murdered lacrosse player. Otherwise, the grounds were alive with a wedding and college kids entertaining their visiting parents. We ate lunch at an excellent deli in "the Corner," Little John's. The sandwiches were unique enough to be interesting and huge enough to be quite filling.

Justin and Kim usually find Charlottesville's atmosphere a bit pretentious, but today, that was eased by good company. If you go, we also recommend eating at The Virginian, also on the Corner, for a lighter lunch, but we do not recommend Bodo's Bagels, a UVa institution, for anything other than breakfast. The Charlottesville Downtown Pedestrian Mall is a fun stop for leisure shopping and has a Caspari store, something you can find only three places in the world, along with numerous unusual gift shops. You can take the trolley there from the campus area. The farmer's market is also worthwhile and sells some non-perishables routinely. At last check, UVa's bookstore still allows the browsing of the stacks--a shopping treat for academic book nerds like ourselves. You can also make a longer trip with historic homes, visiting Monroe's Ash Lawn as well.

On our drive back to Roanoke, we stopped by The Factory Antique Mall just outside Staunton in our second visit this year. The mall is big and full of non-pushy, interesting vendors on the weekends. It's a great place to find vintage toys, beads, postcards, documents, and books with a particularly good book stash near the back and two finely-organized, reasonable postcard outlets near the front. Highly recommended.

'Round Town

Elijah's swimming lessons are wonderful--and they have encouraged us to enjoy half-Saturday trips in our own backyard. Today, Kim headed to the Salem Postcard Show. If you've never been to a postcard show, it's a great place to start an inexpensive and addictive collection. The clientele is largely serious, older collectors--and it's a lot quieter and cleaner smelling than a comic book show. This year's show "graduated" to a spiffier location at the Quality Inn. Kim spent over an hour looking at just two tables, coming away with a few nifty treats, including some rare Busch Gardens the Old Country cards from when Loch Ness was one of the world's most modern coasters (at 31, it's still a goodie). Also found: a folio from Michigan's Wooden Shoe Factory, old shots of "motor inns" in Gettysburg and Williamsburg, and a night view from atop the NYC Twin Towers (only $0.25!).

After that, it was time for a little shopping at Salem's Nancy's Candy Co., a store branch of the Meadows of Dan factory with Lakeside memorabilia on the walls. We must visit that factory sometime. There was also a quick trip to Buy the Season, an antique/secondhand collectible/consignment store, where some additional Americana was found, includng a tiny Myrtle Beach Pavillion tin plate.

Our day was not complete without a meal out. Kim picked Red Jasmine, a Thai place hidden in Vinton. It's a restaurant full of fresh, flavorful, and healthy food. Kim recommends red curry with tofu and anything containing duck. Justin enjoyed his second Thai experience ever--particularly the mango and sticky rice dessert--but for Father's Day, we will probably go somewhere that sells cheeseburgers.