After breakfast at Lynette & Jerri’s itty bitty diner the next morning, we left Winchester, Virginia (check out Wandering in Winchester if you haven’t yet!) and headed for Harpers Ferry. Located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, you can imagine the importance of Harpers Ferry, even if you can’t quite remember from your high school history class why that place sounds familiar.

     I won’t bore you with a history lesson (though you really should read up on the town, it has quite a past!). I will say come to town and be prepared to learn a little. Most of Harpers Ferry is a National Park and there are plenty of museums, exhibits and historical sights. You might even see someone in historical dress giving a talk or a demonstration on some long forgotten tradition.

     There are several B&Bs, cute little restaurants and adorable boutique shops. I had the best cinnamon roll I’ve eaten in years at one coffee shop and I’m actually quite glad I don’t live nearer, or I’d be eating them all the time. Definitely be sure to visit the old timey candy shop too! No wonder I don’t lose weight…

     Aside from the gorgeous little town, Harpers Ferry is also a perfect place for outdoor recreation, from strolls along the river and canals, to hikes across the old railroad bridge to Maryland Heights and the cliffs overlooking the town from that side of the river. The Appalachian Trail goes right through town and while it’s not exactly the midpoint on that journey, many see it as such. Biking, fishing, rafting, and other outdoor sports are popular activities in the area as well. And you can already see that it’s a great place for history nerds with a photography problem!

     Even though it was the first day that the weather REALLY decided to think about changing to its winter act (I was not prepared, lol), I had a great time and can’t wait to go back. I’d love to brave that climb on the other side and get a bird’s eye view of Harpers Ferry from up there. The town is so tiny, but reminds me a little of my adopted home town of Eureka Springs, AR. Lots of history, but also lots of heart and pride from the residents who choose to call Harpers Ferry home. Fingers crossed next time I will get to stay at a B&B in town!

PS: The 48th Annual Harpers Ferry Olde Tyme Christmas and Winterfest gets going on November 30th and continues on into December. Check out the details at Historic Harpers Ferry’s website!

     Back in October, just before the leaves made their grand change ( literally – like 3 days before), my dear husband whisked me out of town for a spontaneous weekend away from the DC metro area. Note to self: spontaneous weekends to the Shenandoah in the fall are nigh impossible to book last minute without large sums of cash and at least 2 nights/3 days to work with. But with some readjusting of our expectations we secured a hotel room in Winchester, VA and planned to spend the next day in Harpers Ferry, WV.

     I became a little fascinated with Winchester back in September. I was on my way to my first training center to learn the ins and outs of preschool photography and while driving through the gorgeous, historic downtown area, had to fight down the urge to ditch the preschool portraiture for a photography stroll through Winchester’s quaint streets.

The first thing that caught my eye driving into Winchester, VA.

     The first structure that really caught my eye was the ornately domed, Beaux-Arts style  Handley Library. It was a building worthy of any old world European city and I had to check it out. The library was funded by Judge John Handley from Scranton Pennsylvania, who, in his will,  left the city of Winchester $250,000 to build it. It was built to resemble and open book, with the dome representing its spine, and two wings stretching out to either side resembling the pages.

     The view of the dome from inside was equally impressive and I was not the only visitor that gasped a little at the unexpected view. Tours are given regularly, but if you happen to miss it, the librarians are friendly and welcoming and will invite you to wander the halls to admire the prized building.

     Our next stop was Winchester’s historic downtown. A three block section of Loudoun Street is now closed to vehicle traffic and makes up Winchester’s pedestrian mall, lined with restaurants, historical sites, and lots of interesting little shops selling various things. If you like to buy from small, local businesses, this is a great place to go.

     We did not by any means exhaust all the interesting and beautiful sites of Winchester, Virginia. More things are calling out to me to explore further, but they will have to wait for another weekend adventure – preferably during their annual Apple Blossom Festival in the Spring!

     The next morning, after having breakfast at what could possibly be the tiniest, popular diner in Winchester, we hit the road and headed for Harpers Ferry. More on that next!

The motto for my life this year.

The best outings are those I don’t plan to do. Usually they are cooked up by my amazing husband who often knows what I will love long before I’ve even paid any attention to where we are going (Grand Place in Brussels, the city of Ghent, the ruins of Villers Abbey, Boulogne-Sur-Mer; the list just goes on). July was the mother of all unplanned activities.

In the span of mere weeks we found out we were leaving Nassau and rushed to do all the things I would normally have six months to a year to accomplish. Add to that the uncertainty of going to a US posting where there is no housing assignment, no welcome kit, no car, and every little piece of information I usually cling to, to get me through the limbo phase of moving, was absent. Because we couldn’t fly the dog with the bigger airlines in the middle of summer, we opted to take a charter flight into Ft. Lauderdale and rent a car for the long drive up to DC. My only goal was to get to our final destination as quickly, safely, and inexpensively as possible.

Our first night on the road was spent in a dodgy little Motel 6 off of I-95 in Savannah (we were splurging the next night for better digs in Myrtle Beach so I didn’t feel too bad about the decision). I expected us to hit the road early for our next stop, but my husband had done his homework. He suggested we go into Savannah to check out Bonaventure Cemetery with it’s Spanish moss-filled trees and famous old headstones. Wait, what? You had me at old cemetery, and clinched it with Spanish moss. He gets me. He really gets me…

Bonaventure began as Bonaventure Plantation in the mid 1700’s, eventually housing the family burial plot, which still exists on the property today. In 1846 the plantation was sold and the northeastern portion, which included the site of the original plantation houses (long since destroyed by fire) was turned into a public burial ground.

Sirius is fine! Come through and see for yourself!

The economic success of the Savannah’s elite would see the cemetery transformed in the tradition of England’s garden cemeteries, with an infusion of lavish gravesites, artistic memorials and sculptures, and park-like landscaping. The cemetery was sold to the city of Savannah and the name was officially changed to Bonaventure Cemetery in the early 1900’s.

The Guardians of Bonaventure

This triangular plot points back towards Savannah.

Most of us became familiar with the cemetery through movies in the 1980’s (you know the one in particular!) and associate it with a sense of magic, voodoo, and an eeriness that plays on the imagination.

Even at noon on a sunny, hot, and humid day the cemetery is both beautiful and haunting. You could easily envision questionable things happening within it’s walls after dark, whether manmade or paranormal.

On this trip we barely scratched the surface of this massive cemetery. We tried our best to visit most of the highlights, but there is so much more to explore (as well as the rest of the city!) on our next trip to Savannah.

Moss, moss everywhere

Little Gracie