Traveling West Virginia: In the Eastern Mountains

We spent the past weekend in the mountains of Pocahontas county, West Virginia, where I was presenting a workshop on telling and writing ghost stories.

It is hard to put the beauty of this part of our state into words, so I am leaving it mostly to the photos to do the talking for me.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at our favorite roadside park just outside Richwood. We were surprised to find the park already closed for the season--couldn't drive in, and the restrooms were locked up, but we could still walk in and use the picnic tables. Some of the trees were showing color; this year fall has been a big disappointment so far, with leaves still green in many areas, or just turning brown and dropping.

On the road to our b&b for the night, we spotted the lovely waterfalls below, and the old truck hiding in the woods.

One doesn't expect to see longhorn cattle here! There were others in this field, one a massive brute, but camera shy.

In Hillsboro, WV. I think this might have once been a bank? Banks in older times often had corner entrances like this. In case of robbery, they had a quick view of the streets. It also allowed them to see who was coming easily.

This gorgeous building is for sale for a mere $67,500. I'm almost tempted!

My workshop was at the Pearl S. Buck Homeplace, and it went very well. I heard stories from the participants, and we talked and talked about stories and folklore, and then they began the process of writing their stories. No photos--I was so busy and absorbed that I didn't think to take any!

That evening in Hillsboro at the Pretty Penny Cafe (a restored general store now operating as a restaurant, the incredible musician Rachel Petty was performing. We had planned to go home after my workshop, but friends convinced us to stay for Rachel's concert. I am so glad we did! She plays fiddle, guitar, banjo, and who knows what else, also sings beautifully. She is based in D.C. now, but is from Fairmont, WV.

Three other inducements to stay: first and best, time with friends we don't get to see often enough. One offered a bed in her home and the opportunity to see her night-blooming cereus open. Who can resist that! So time to talk, sing, and enjoy being together, and the opening of this exquisite flower on top of all that? It was fascinating--sometimes you could actually see the petals move, other times we'd turn around to see it had unfolded more while we weren't looking.

Another reason to stay: the weather. Very high winds, cold and snow were in the forecast for the mountains, and we didn't feel like fighting all that to get home. So we stayed put, snug and warm for the evening. In the morning, it had indeed snowed a little, and the roads were icy in places. We started across the Highland Scenic Highway, but decided to take the safer route as this one is very curvy and gets more ice and snow than the main routes in the valleys below.

Back off the mountain and on US Route 219, we were out of winter and back into fall.

And then, home. Today, I leave again, this time for Mannington in the northern part of the state, for more ghost stories. We are planning to take a route we haven't traveled before, so I'll have my camera ready!


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

Snow Day, Fun Day: Things to Do

Many of us on the eastern side of the US are enjoying our first major snowfall of the winter, and for some it may be a record-breaker. The first day of a snow everyone is usually pretty excited, but by the second day house fever begins to set in.

There are lots of things to do with and in the snow, however. My very favorite thing is to take a black cloth and a magnifying glass outside and catch snowflakes to look at their amazing shapes. For my post on how I did this and some great snowflake links, check here.

snow ice cream and blackberry cobbler

Second is making snow ice cream. It's so easy! I gave one recipe in this blog post about things to do on a snowy day, but a friend told me another way--a little more expensive, but easier and pretty delicious: put sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl, add vanilla, stir well. Then mix in enough snow to make ice cream consistency. Amounts of each ingredient are up to your taste. And on the blog The Stir, there are SIX recipes using snow! Go check it out!

For little ones who would probably get buried up if they tried to go out and play in this snow, my blog on Winter Wiggle Breaks might be just the thing for some active inside fun.

You can always make paper snowflakes too--these are great for putting on windows in winter to discourage birds from flying into the glass. There are lots of ways to make them and I offered links to them in this blog. I also made paper stars for our Christmas tree one year--need to do this again. You can find the directions and my photos here.

Of course, should you be brave and venture out into the snow with your kids, why not try building a snow igloo? Grandson Jared built this one in 2009, and it was a pretty sturdy little place.

Have fun, enjoy the inside time and some outside time, do some cooking, make some crafts, read some good books, and most of all, appreciate the opportunity to take a break from routine!

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