A fine Fall weekend, visiting in Virginia

Dan, Julie and Christine took a scenic drive to Virginia to visit with Marie, Brian and Xander in mid-October.

Dan writes: I took Friday off from work and we headed out through Pennsylvania and slivers of Maryland and West Virginia to Front Royal, Va. There we picked up Skyline Drive, which runs along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park.

The foliage wasn't at peak color yet, but the weather was beautiful and we took in the great views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the rolling hills to the east. We stopped at one of the west-facing overlooks to watch the sun set over Massanutten Mountain. Here's a handful of the photos I took.



We arrived at Marie, Brian and Xander's house Friday evening. On Saturday, we all went to the Fall Harvest Festival at Belvedere Plantation outside Fredericksburg. The attractions included some simple rides, a "maize maze," pig races and, of course, a hay ride to a pick-your-own pumpkin field. Here are some photos from our day at the farm, and back at the house.



We're not sure why the plants in the "maize maze" were only a couple of feet tall, but the pathways were so complex that it was still hard to find our way out!

We brought with us the costume Julie made for Andy in 2004, of Fluffy the three-headed dog from the Harry Potter stories. It still looks good!

On the way home on Sunday, we stopped in suburban Baltimore and enjoyed a visit with Julie's parents, Hugh and Dolores, at their Oak Crest residence.