Seeing Susan

I've said it before: one of the best things about blogging is the people I meet. Susan, for example.

I started reading Stony River blog by accident. Ever browse blogs by using the "next blog" button on top of the blog page? I was doing that one winter night and stumbled on Susan's blog. I was fascinated by a blog written by someone in Ireland who was a writer but kept goats and lived far out in the country. And who wrote well and was so funny. I kept returning to read the next adventure in her life, usually some droll story of an ordinary life event made memorable by the words she chose to describe it.

Then one day I saw a photo posted that looked surprisingly like...West Virginia? How could that be when she was in Ireland? As it turned out, she was in West Virginia for a visit and bought a house here for a summer place. Last summer Susan and her family stayed all summer in their new/old house and came to my house for a visit. That was fun, and I looked forward to seeing them all again this year.

In May, Susan and her children moved permanently to their West Virginia home. I thought surely we'd get together soon after, but as my weekend lined up I realized that there was no open weekend from late April until now. It's been a busy summer! But yesterday we made the trip to visit, and boy did we have fun--from shrimp kabobs for lunch to a trip to Grafton...

Downtown Grafton on a quiet Saturday afternoon

A neat gargoyle high up on the old bank building

to visit the 1-2-3 Coffee House (run by yet another WV blogger friend).

The new addition is almost complete. There's an outside patio at the upper level and...

inside is pretty cool too.

We wanted to see the B&O train station museum but sadly it was closed; from the sign on the door it sounds like they need volunteers to help keep it open.

Back at Susan's house we had s'mores before we said a sad good-bye. But we had lots of conversation and laughter and enjoyed the little ones' antics and had another chance to meet and talk with her oldest daughter who will leave soon for college. F is a grandson-of-my-heart, and A is always unexpected and so funny.

It was a good day. And proof that friends we make online can be as close as those we make in other ways.