Anna Jarvis Elementary Park

The post where you get to hear my daughter speak. :)

Mobile post sent by ResPres using Utterz. Replies. mp3

My Favorite Place On Earth

Allow me to introduce you to my favorite place on the planet, Flat Rocks. Everyone in our family, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters and kids, have been taking hikes to for more than a half century.

Higher quality video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/respres/2655122403/

Mobile post sent by ResPres using Utterz. Replies.

The Blacksmith At Prickett's Fort State Park

The blacksmith is our favorite part of Prickett's Fort. He's also a part of the management team at Prickett's Fort, so he's a wealth of knowledge and an extremely talented man.

The boys were balking at going at first. I know this is not as exciting for them as Six Flags Magic Mountain. :) But once we arrived and got into it, they enjoyed it quite a bit. There were a number of additions to the Fort since our visit last year, including the new blacksmith's shop, sheep, chicken, a garden, a native hut... and a cat.

Left Over Photos 2: Coopers Rock

The majority of the trails we hike at Coopers Rock are rugged and rock filled. This portion is not and it screams "West Virginia" to me. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Left Over Photos 1: Fairmont, WV

July 4, 2007: Fairmont, West Virginia.

We didn't have a great weather night on July 4th, so my post for that day was truncated. Many of the photos I took earlier in the day stayed "in the can." The photo above was taken at a street fair in Fairmont. This is a view of downtown Fairmont from across the Monongahela River. We had a great time at the street fair. We saw some great old cars and realized, like others do, that everyone seems friendly in West Virginia.

Small town celebrations just feel good. Click on photos to view larger.

Beginning The Journey West - Charleston, WV

We arrived in Charleston today, the State Capitol of West Virginia.

I had hoped to get you a great picture of the State Capitol Building, which has a beautiful 293 foot high gold dome. But it was pouring down rain when we got to town and we decided it was best just to head to my Uncle's house. The photo below was the best I could do at 70 mph. The capital buidling, believe it or not, is still the tallest building in West Virginia.
My Uncle Wendel and Aunt Jane are my favorite Aunt and Uncle. I'm not afraid to say that here. I've said it everywhere else I can say it, so it won't come as a surprise to very many people. My Aunt Jane is as calm a human being as your ever going to meet and my Uncle Wendel is as smart a man as I've ever known. I have such respect for both of them. You can check out my Uncle Wendel at the Turner & Johns website.

I didn't get a good picture of the West Virginia State Capitol Building, but I did get a good photo of the button collection hanging on the wall in my Aunt and Uncle's game room. It's not quite as impressive, but close. :)

Two Of Rocky's Favorites

Between Grafton and Bridgeport, West Virginia is Rocky's favorite property. In my opinion, she's got really good taste.

Then, just a bit further up the road, is her favorite store. It's called Mustard Seed Primitives. My guess is that if we owned the property, she spend the rest of her time at Mustard Seed Primitives decorating the place. :)

See You Next Year, Grafton

We love Grafton, West Virginia.

We hate to leave. The house here doesn't begin to compare to our house in California, but this is one special place. Given the choice, this is where the kids would rather live. I can certainly understand why.

View of our WV house from the driveway. Click photo to view larger.

Portraits Of A Dying City #7

The B&O Railroad Station.

Photo made from 1 iPhone photo and two basic Picnik.com filters.

One Last Trip To Jerry's Restaurant And Lounge

Our last breakfast in Grafton is always at Jerry's.
There aren't a lot of restaurant choices in Grafton. But if you're looking for an amazing breakfast, there really only needs to be one if it's really good. And Jerry's is really good for breakfast.

As you can see... it can get packed.


Their portions are huge. Come hungry or don't come at all. And if you're afraid of grease, well, you better stay away as well. This is not a California breakfast place. They're not going to make you a grilled chicken breast and a side of fruit for your South Beach Diet. This is for real eaters.


Now, I wish I could be as positive about their lunch and dinner menu. I've yet to have a good experience there that didn't involve egss, bacon or sausage, or sausage gravy. For some reason, they just can't get the other meals right. They've do have good hamburgers and a great BLT, but that's because they know how to make bacon!

But if you're in Grafton, West Virginia and you need breakfast, this is the place.

Portraits Of A Dying City #6

This is the elementary school my Mother attended and where my Grandmother was a cook. I can still remember going and watching my Grandmother prepare the food for the day. Properly renovated, this would be an amazing building today.

Photo made from 3 iPhone photos, Calico and two basic Picnik.com filters.

Dairy Queen Panorama

I think The Dairy Queen deserves a panoramic shot.

Since this is the place we visit most often during our stay in Grafton, it only make sense that we get a panoramic shot. We used the drive through on our last night, so I hopped out of the car and walked across Route 50 to get the shot. Click on the photo to view larger. That's our truck at the window.

Route 50 East of Grafton is one of the prettiest drives you'll find anywhere, by the way. It's a favorite of motorcycle riders.

Monongahela River At Sunset

Taken at 50 mph out the passenger window. This is the Monongahela River near the junction of I-79 ad I-68 in Morgantown, West Virginia. Click on photo to view larger.

One Last Trip Up The Creek

We took our "farewell" hike to Flat Rocks today.

It's our last adventure for our trip here in West Virginia. We'll be heading to my Uncle's house in Charleston tomorrow and then on to Nashville, TN for the weekend. It's always a happy/sad day. We know it's our last time to go for a year. The kids don't understand what "last time this year" means, so they view this trip more happily than I do. I do understand time. So I get a little sad.


The boys waded through every pool and had a great time. The two youngest were not always the most eager to wade into the "unknown" depths of these pools, but they eventually got into it. Here are a few more panoramas for your enjoyment. Click on the photos to view larger.
View of Flat Rocks. The big flat rock on the left is "the" flat rocks destination.

More From The Creek

West Virginia State Food - The Pepperoni Roll

I am eating one for lunch right now.

If you spend any time at all in West Virginia, you're going to run into pepperoni rolls. They're everywhere. Why? Because they were invented in Fairmont, WV by Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro at the Country Club Bakery in 1927.


I just pulled mine from the oven, but they are best fresh from the local bakeries. I love things fresh from the original source, like the original Stromboli I got at Romano's Stromboli. But I gotta tell you... this one right now... it's pretty darn good!

Portraits Of A Dying City #5

Photo made from 6 iPhone photos, Calico and two basic Picnik.com filters.

Portraits Of A Dying City #4

Photo made from 5 iPhone photos, Calico and two basic Picnik.com filters.

I'm About Done With Ice Cream

Too much of a good thing is still too much.

Back in California, we only have ice cream on Sundays and we never to go out for ice cream. The kids know this practice as "Ice Cream Sundays." It works for us. But here in West Virginia, we splurge and go to "THE" Dairy Queen every night. We all join in the fun. That means I've had large Blizzards or Peanut Butter Chocolate Milshakes or Peanut Buster Parfaits every night for the last two weeks. That's a lot of ice cream. And a lot of calories. There are 730 calories in a Peanut Buster Parfait, 1140 in a large Chocolate Shake and 1360 in a large Blizzard!

I'm feeling it. I know I've gained at least 10 pounds on this trip. I'm not exaggerating. And I'm just about over it for the year. I think last night was my last night of ice cream for a while. Time to let my body recover. :)

The DQ was packed with customers last night.

Another Amazing West Virginia Sunset

We have been treated to some beautiful sunsets this year.

Click on the photo to view larger.