6th Day of Christmas

On the sixth day of Christmas, Mama gave to us . . . a trip to Hanover, PA!  We met up with my dad and headed north to the hometown of our favorite Utz Potato Chips.  We ate a nice lunch at Dutch Country Restaurant, shopped a bit at Big Lots, and then headed a tad south of town for a quick visit to the Hanover Shoe Farms.  Anyone can visit the barns as they are open to the public during all daylight hours.  One of the handlers told us to come back in two weeks when the mamas we saw would start having their foals.  Since they have over three hundred mares, they start early!

On the way home, we were treated to some beautiful skies ~

glowing Harpers Ferry

The Yellow Season

over yonder in WV

yup, Harpers Ferry from MD

Stacy and Marlin's house in Antietam proper

blooms on the turn in Antietam

our own yellow beauties

And guess what Miss SG found ~ the first mountain morel of the season ~ up by the wood pile ~ it seems too early for them, but it is the yellow season (forsythia then daffodils - now the pink tree blossoms are out and a few white ones too -- soon the tulips and redbuds will bloom - that's the good time for mushrooms) ~ The last two seasons have been horrible - very few and far between -- maybe this is a sign of a fun fungi harvest to be!

First the Flood, Then the Flowers

This will be a photo post:
These flood pix are from Sunday, March 14, 2010 - Antietam Creek at the Ironworks Bridge


This pic is at Molly's Hole on Antietam Creek (Burnside Bridge Road) -- it did open the next day so that we could take a reasonable ride to school. Harpers Ferry Road was still closed on Monday.
This pic is from across the river in WV - directly across from around Dargan Bend.
This photo is from the railroad station in Harpers Ferry -- you're looking at the confluence.This pic was taken Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from the Antietam Ironworks Bridge -- that's one disgusting mess and it's still there. Yuck.These post-flood pix were taken Wednesday, March 17, 2010, along Canal Road --

Thank God the yellow flowers are here! Winter, you've been too long in the Hollow!!

Icicles

Nothing much to write about today, but just want to show off these magnificent icicles, which can be found across the rivers (right at the confluence) from Harpers Ferry on our road at the railroad bridge. They are a result of the spring waters from Maryland Heights. Awesome. And the girls are fascinated by them.