The Mountaineer Military Museum

The Mountaineer Military Museum is another favorite museum of mine, and it is also in Weston, West Virginia. There are three great places to visit in Weston: The Museum of American Glass, the Transallegheny Lunatic Asylum, and this one.

 This Vietnam War memorial is especially touching.

The creator of the museum, Ron McVaney, is a Vietnam vet, and started the museum to honor the memories of friends who died in Vietnam. He and his wife Barbara have created an incredible resource for vets of all wars. I am sure many changes have been made since we last visited--it was pretty amazing even then. You can see my photos from that visit here.

Unfortunately the museum were closed when Larry went over the same day as I was visiting the glass museum, but he took photos from the outside.

The museum is housed in what was once the "colored school" back in the days of segregation.

We will have to try again. Currently the museum is open only on Saturdays, but they will try to accommodate visitors who call ahead to schedule a visit.

This is a work of love, and it really shows. Well worth taking the time to visit.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The West Virginia Museum of American Glass

A couple weeks back I had a chance to visit one of my favorite museums: The West Virginia Museum of American Glass in Weston, WV. It's been several years since I've been able to stop by, even though we pass the museum at least three times a year. We are always on our way somewhere else, or in a hurry to get home.

This time, however, we took the time to stop, and I was able to get my eyes filled up again with beautiful glass. I don't know what it is about well-madeglass, but it just takes my breath away sometimes.

Jesse Corlis of Corlis Creative was hard at work once again on the huge mural on the side of the building. He's come a long way since I stopped to talk to him a couple months back.

Blenko Man is on display again in the front window--an amazing artwork made entirely from Blenko glass.

Inside, oh my!

Row after row of cabinets and shelves, filled with glass. All of it is identified by maker and year.

There is antique glass to modern glass, intricate Early American Pattern Glass to smooth contemporary Blenko and Viking to Fire-King and Hazel Atlas kitchen glass, industrial glass, marbles...you name it, they probably have it.

Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG), so dear to my heart. This glass was madde between 1870-1914 or so. There are thousands of patterns, and each has a name and/or number. There were hundreds of makers of this table glassware, many of them in West Virginia and the Ohio River Valley.

H.C. Fry Glass, a company I am only just beginning to learn about.

This, if I remember correctly, is glass by Akro Agate. The jade green pieces surprised me.

A display of gobles from early colonial times to the present is an interesting perspective on glass history and glassmaking techniques.

And paperweights! Cases full of them, most donated by one collector.

More goblets. I have a fair collection of EAPG goblets, but nothing like this.

Glass canes on the left, stretch or swung glass vases in the center.

Children's glassware

 A  stained glass mansion--what a piece of artwork! I sold a stained glass steamboat last year, and I thought that was something. This is really a showpiece.

A crew of volunteers keep this place operating, and continually change up the displays to there is always something new to see.  Memberships are available as well, and members get a magazine that is always informative and full of photos. I have been a member for several years, and am happy to support the mission of this very cool museum. To join, visit http://www.magwv.com/

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Night on the Lake

Yesterday we took a day off.

We've not had a vacation this summer; just too many expenses and things to do to take the time and money to get away. So we've decided that we need to take day here and there and do something special. Yesterday's trip took us to Stonewall Resort and State Park in central West Virginia for their "Taco Tuesday" special.

"Taco Tuesday" offers a cruise on Stonewall Lake and tacos. But not just ordinary tacos!

This was a real spread of choices--pulled pork, beef brisket, and tilapia instead of the usual ground beef filling.

There was a plethora of toppings too, and a choice of delicious desserts...and the meal also included a margarita. Happy me!

Since the lake is almost three hours from our home, we chose to get a room in the lodge for the night and just really relax. My phone battery was dead so we were truly away from all concerns for a few hours.

The cruise was a leisurely trip up the lake and back.

There were all sorts of little inlets along the way

and we saw several blue herons on the banks as we passed.

I had hoped to see a bear or an eagle but no such luck. But who cared? It was cool and breezy on the upper deck, the food was awesome, and wonder of all wonders, we ran into friends on board, so we also enjoyed good company.

The sun was setting as we made our way off the boat.

Back at the lodge, we could have picked up supplies to make s'mores at the bonfire that is lit every evening out back of the lodge. Quite a few people were already around the fire, but we decided it was too hot for a fire and made our way into the lounge (TJ Muskie's). We had stopped in earlier for a drink before the cruise--wine for me, ale for him. You know how many places only fill your glass a quarter to a third full when you order a GLASS of wine? Not here! The glass was at least 3/4 full. When we returned for a nightcap, I ordered brandy and again, my serving was generous. It's a small thing, but I appreciated it because I get so annoyed at those restaurants that are so skimpy with their pouring.

In the morning, we debated whether to just check out and go elsewhere for breakfast, or stay and eat in the Stillwaters Restaurant. They offered a buffet so we thought we'd try it out. Oh. My. Again, there was a wide range of choices, from a yogurt bar stocked with all kinds of fruits, granolas and other items, to the standard biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, etc. and frittata, cheesy home fried potatoes, pancakes, waffles, muffins and other pastries, toast, bagels...and on and on. I was a good girl and stayed with healthy choices and not too much of any of them, but it sure was tempting to stuff ourselves.

The food was all wonderful but even better than that was the staff. Everyone we met was polite and friendly, making sure that we had everything we needed, staying to chat, and just being the kind of people West Virginia is famous for.

The only hitch was when we learned that we should have had reservations for the cruise. It was fully booked! I had learned about Taco Tuesday from a Facebook posting and never thought about having to get a reservation. But when the staff realized how far we'd come and that we were staying overnight, they promised, "We'll get you on that boat, no worries." And indeed they did. There were several cancellations and they made sure to hold two tickets open for us. Now that's service.

We took the long way home, winding through some places we'd not traveled before. And that will be my next post.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The End

Today is the last of the Summer Reading programs I've been presenting at libraries this past month. I will be sad to see the end, but I've enjoyed some really good times telling stories and singing with audiences at libraries both large and small.

Putting feathers on poor buzzard, who moulted so many he was bald. It's the story of how Buzzard got his bald red head.
We used lots of little bird toys, and it was a good way to teach parents and children alike the various birds.
Many of them knew the robin, parrot, hummingbird and cardinal, but not the Eastern Towhee,Black-capped Chickadee, Killdeer, Goldfinch or Belted Kingfisher.

This week I've been to three libraries so far, with one to go. Each of the places I've been is unique--from the Louis Bennett Library in Weston, housed in an elegant Victorian-era home to the sleek, modern and bright Buckhannon-Upshur library to the Shady Spring library, tucked along the highway in a very rural area. What they had in common was great staff, happy audiences, and a warm welcome for me. Can you tell I love what I do?

A few photos from Weston:

View from the meeting room of the Louis Bennett Library in Weston

Explaining the mbira, or thumb piano, before tell the story of How Anansi Stole Wisdom

Weston's firehouse dog

Empty house in Weston behind the library. Don't you love it? Those windows! If it wasn't on such a steep hill,
I'd be asking about it!

When we got home I had ebay packing to do, some of it on the challenging side, and Larry had beans to pick. The green beans will be my chore when I get home from today's performance, getting them snapped and into the canner. Now that the bulk of the summer programs are done, the garden can come on--I'm ready! I've been worried that everything would come in when I was in the midst of travel, but we lost only some of the peas. Whew. Gardens can't be put on a schedule; they have a timetable all their own, even though we do try to plan our plantings to avoid the busy storytelling weeks.

We have had lots of rain lately, a blessing really as it was so dry the last couple weeks of June and beginning of July. It's been humid right along with the rain, not so great but after all, it is July!

Next storytelling will be for the Inland Waterways Festival in Marietta, Ohio, the first weekend of July. This fun, free, educational festival is one of my favorites as it offers so much variety, and so much information about the Ohio River. Demonstrations, history presentations, boat rides, music, storytellers, hands-on activities, a big tank holding live fish species found in the river, and so much more--and all for free. What's not to love?

For a few days, though, I will be concentrating on home things, I think, unless something else happens along to draw me away. Cleaning needs to be done, especially dusting, and I still have to finish sorting all the things we brought back from the flea market. The beat goes on.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Traveling West Virginia: The Mountaineer Military Museum

I saw a sign one day, pointing the way to the military museum in Weston, WV. That day I was traveling with my sisters, exploring the Museum of American Glass in Weston, but I made a mental note to seek out the museum sometime when Larry was with me. Last month I was telling stories at the library in Weston and we decided this was the day to find the museum.

Originally built as the Weston Colored School, a school for black children built in 1882 during segregation and in use until 1954 in ,the Lewis County School Board donated use of the building for the Mountaineer Military Museum.

The building looks deceptively small from the outside but it houses a fascinating and sobering collection.

The museum is a work of remembrance for founder Ron McVaney and his wife Barbara. McVaney and several of his friends went into the military together during the Vietnam war. McVaney was sent to Germany, while his friends were sent to Vietnam. McVaney was the only one to come home alive, and he made a vow then that his friends would never be forgotten. The museum, begun after his retirement, is his way of keeping that promise.

The museum was not actually open the day we visited but Mrs. McVaney was there doing some work and graciously allowed us to enter. Inside the door, a visitor is immediately met but a corridor lined with portraits.

Mrs. McVaney explained that this is their Hall of Fame, and that any family in West Virginia can send in pictures of military family members to be displayed in the museum. The number of portraits quickly filled the hall and the display has spread to other places in the building as more arrive almost daily.

We were amazed at how professionally and creatively the museum was arranged. Many of the items were the Mcvaneys personal collection, but as word got out donations poured in from West Virginians around the state, and even from out of state.

She must have been a very special teacher; many soldiers wrote to Miss Darnall
during their time of service in WWII

The school board built on a new room as the collection grew, and the new space allowed the McVaneys to bring in an old Army Jeep,

and to build a little hut (they call it the "hooch") where veterans and others can spend quiet time in meditation.

A beaded curtain covers the entrance to the hooch. The beads were recommended by vets
who remembered the hooches in Vietnam--a place to relax and maybe party.

A video runs in the room, a moving tribute to veterans of all wars.

The displays are organized by time periods and wars/conflicts, from the Civil War to the present. The Civil War display is no larger than any of the others; in fact it might be smaller but that seemed all right to me, since that war is well covered by other museums, while later conflicts like Korea get little attention.

I was pleased to see that women vets were not overlooked. Almost every war display included something about the females who were part of the armed forces.

Uniformed mannequins stood with each display.

I was surprised to see that even Desert Storm and the Iraq War were included, and are continuing to be developed.

The museum continues to grow as donations continue to be made for the various displays. I know we're already looking around our house and thinking about what we have that might be better used by the museum.

I highly recommend the Mountaineer Military Museum as a place to visit: it reminds us of the toll of war, the sacrifice made by many, and of the responsibility we all have to remember those who defend our country. It's a humbling experience, and I left thankful that there are people like the McVaneys who give so much that we might all benefit.

The museum has limited hours as it is staff by volunteers. Call ahead if you would like to visit when the museum is closed and a tour might be possible. Located at 345 Center Avenue, Weston WV 26452, the museums hours are Friday and Saturday from 10am-4pm in the summer, and in winter on Saturdays only from 10am-4pm.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.