Cloudy With a Chance of Beignets

September 5, 2015

We awoke at an ungodly hour. 5:20 a.m. No one starting a vacation wishes to wake up any time before sunrise. Alas, the first part of the day was not vacation. I was scheduled to go to work this Saturday morning for two hours. Luckily, Jason was given permission to come to work with me so we could leave immediately after closing. Him being there made it much more fun. I vote every workday be "bring your spouse to work" day.

After work was over, Jason and I headed off to Quick Trip for brunch. That's right--brunch bitches! Jason "ordered" an egg roll and a corn dog; perfectly acceptable items for a Quick Trip brunch at 9:30 in the morning. I "ordered" a cup of grapes (I had eaten breakfast earlier that morning and was not very hungry). We also purchased two ham and swiss lunchables, from their finest selection (year 2015), which we planned to eat at lunch.... hence lunchable. To drink, we had the extra large fountain drinks (unsweet tea and diet Dr. Pepper).

Jason and I ate our brunch in the car before leaving. Shortly after we were headed toward Savannah, Ga. It is Labor Day weekend and most of Georgia is currently headed in the opposite direction to attend DragonCon. Yay for almost no traffic! While Jason drove, I read Jane Eyre aloud. We began reading this book last year on our anniversary trip--sadly, we never finished it. We eventually took a break from reading and listened to "Of Monsters and Men" while singing with them.

After stopping at a gas station to pay the debt of our extra large drinks, we were soon only an hour away from the hotel. Unfortunately, it was at this point that we realized we booked the wrong hotel. We thought we reserved a room at the hotel we stayed at last year, but it turned out to be a different one. It's a little farther than we preferred but it will do. At first we were nervous because the area appeared very.... Alabama-like. Broken down trailers, trash-lined homes, and "adult" entertainment, uh, centers.... not the best scenery for vacation. As luck would have it, we turned onto a different road about one minute before reaching our hotel destination.... amazing what one road can do for scenery.

We checked in, met a lovely woman with a Frozen-like hairdo who gave us our room keys, and unloaded our belongings in our room. We changed into more fitting clothes, as it was 95 degrees with a heat index of 100 degrees outside. Before leaving, I noticed two beautifully wrapped Andes' Mints--originally I spelled this "Andy's Mints" and now Jason is making fun of me--sitting on the bedside table. I immediately ate mine because I have no willpower and Jason, being of complete absurdity and ignorance, left his. We might disagree on the extent to which Andes Mints are refreshing, granted he did spell it properly and I did not. But if a guy named Andy did make these mints, thank you and you are my lifelong friend. Jason is no friend of yours. Fyi. Where was I? Right...

We left the hotel and made our way to the Streets of Savannah where I promptly lost my mind. Jason concurs. If memory serves me correctly, I immediately forgot how to drive and fully remembered how to swear. We were trying to find parking places to no avail, making me a woman on the verge of being arrested for parking on the grass instead of a paved spot. Jason, being of sound mind, googled parking garages in Savannah and was able to direct me to the nearest one. Just for the record, we made it safely and I was never arrested.

Once parked, we walked down ten flights of stairs and out onto the Savannah streets. We headed, of course, to Riverstreet where I again promptly lost my mind. Turns out everyone goes to Savannah for Labor Day weekend, even the Hulk...

Jason and I tried to walk down Riverstreet but quickly became frazzled by the mass amount of people, particularly drunk people. We ended up going toward the very end of the street where less crowds had formed. We sat quietly on a bench and regrouped. Jason sweetly put his arm around me and we watched boats go by. After checking my fitbit to see my heart rate jump from a resting 69 to a startling 134, I realized I do not play well with others--at least not in large groups. After relaxing, we braved the streets once more. Underneath the large oak trees adorned with spanish moss, Jason and I walked.

We walked and gave our backs the chance to stretch after the long car ride. As we neared the end of the street, Jason noticed my energy waning. I didn't want to spend any money on food since our funds were low from the recent house/car repairs that occurred over the past two weeks. Jason steered me toward a nearby Peanut shop. Immediately I began to feel better because the peanut shop was filled with cool air. Jason also pointed out nearby peanut samples. He tried some and then I did. Then I realized there were peanut samples all over the store! Free samples! We essentially ate every single sample we could find and got ourselves a free protein snack! We are frugal bitches! Fyi, chocolate peanut butter coated peanuts are the best peanut in peanut land! Immediate energy restored!

After leaving the shop, Jason and I went in and out of stores for cool air. We then sat down in front of the riverside. We looked up and noticed the darkening sky and felt two raindrops. Since we forgot our umbrella in the car, we decided to go for an early dinner at Huey's on the River. We were very glad we did. We were seated immediately near a window facing the street. Almost instantly rain fell at great speed. Here is a picture:

As you can see, large groups of people ran for shelter. We watched as a nearby fountain became more like a fire hose from the rushing wind. A man soon greeted us and took our drink orders. Jason and I looked over the menu and settled on these meals:

 Jason's Roast Beef Po'boy with Parmesan grits.

 My Chicken Gumbo with andouille sausage over rice.

 Hot corn bread.

 And for dessert, beignets!

Also, here are pictures of us:

Not long after eating our beignets the rain stopped. We decided to go antique shopping. We began in a small shop above riverstreet only to realize they were closing. We quickly left and made our way to the shop below that was still open. They had a great deal of kitchen plates and cups, but the back room had old books. It also had this:

 We were particularly taken with the blue cat painting. If anyone is wondering, the cat's name is Pete.

 Throughout the shop were giant giraffes with many different names. These two were my favorite. To the right is Humphrey G Raff-el and to the left Kami G Raff-el. Very cute store! Once leaving the shop, we went for a stroll through Savannah and enjoyed the scenery (it had stopped raining at this point). While walking we passed a woman who let out a rather large belch. She turned to the man holding her hand and said "That was from all that drinking." We laughed to ourselves and continued to watch other funny drunk people.

A while later, Jason and I headed back toward the parking garage for the car. We walked up 12 flights of stairs (earning me my first high climber badge for my fitbit charge hr). We drove back to the hotel and turned in for the night.

Before going to sleep, we did blog this. While blogging Jason got us two cups of water from the hotel sink. He handed me my cup, made a face, and said "Why does this water smell like butthole?" I smelled it and immediately placed it back down. It did smell like a butt. We both couldn't stop laughing. Jason said it explains why this place is called Hinesville. Hahaha! Turns out all water in Savannah smells like this--it's the beach water. We smelled it every time we drove over rivers or creeks. Very funny smell. We opted to avoid drinking any water from the hotel, unless in a bottle.

Also while blogging I told Jason I needed the tweezers. I continued typing anyway because I didn't want to get up. At some point I took a break from blogging to regain my thoughts. Jason happened to at the computer when I began this break and wasn't typing. So, while staring into Jason's eyes the entire time, I typed this:

I need tweezers bad. (Jason got up to go get the tweezers at this point.) Don't do it. I got it. You don't have to but thanks anyway. I love you so much, you mother futcher futchface. Kisses!!!!! Please and Tanks. You okay? I heard you make a weird noise like you got hurt? Now you're taking a while... you pulling your hair while in the bathroom? That why it's taking a second? Maybe that's why you made that weird noise, except you did that before you took a while. Maybe you are silently signing in front of the mirror and pretending you're a rock star. Except you never will be one. So stop. You're back. Thanks. You look great.

When he returned he read what I wrote and laughed very loudly. I should probably explain the word "futcher" and "futchface." There is a golf cart repair shop in Hinesville with a sign that reads "If no one is here call Futch." For some reason Jason and I had a lot of fun with that and have replaced one of our favorite words with Futch in it's place. Ah, good times. End of day one.

In Like a Creeper

August 29, 2015

There are some moments where you have to go on a random trip. This weekend was definitely one of them. Finally Jason and I were off of work and in a well-working air conditioned home. At the early morning hour of midnight on Jason's birthday, our air conditioner had a dangerous rendezvous with a bolt of lightening. After a week and a half of waiting for the insurance company to decide they were not going to cover the damage, Jason and I were at last able to have it repaired. Our air conditioner is grounded for all eternity with no time off for good behavior.

Finally Saturday arrived. Jason and I planned to escape stress by revisiting Stone Mountain. It has been roughly two years since we last walked to the top. At the time Jason and I had been extremely out of shape, having fully adjusted to our 8 hour desk jobs. This time, however, we are in much better health. We have lost weight, have gained muscle, and do fitness challenges on a regular basis (when our air conditioner allows it). This trip should be much easier.

Once dressed and ready for the journey, we decided to stop by Kroger for two deli sandwiches. Nothing better than a picnic atop Stone Mountain on a fall-ish day. Slightly worried by the overcast sky, Jason and I began to wonder if it would be raining before reaching the park. Small droplets of water began to splash on the windshield as we drove north. We began to brainstorm a plan B.  Jason brought up driving to Chattanooga, TN to visit Ruby Falls. I immediately became excited because I've always wanted to see Ruby Falls but have never been able to. Either because he was certain it was going to rain or because he knew how excited I was, Jason said we should scrap Stone Mountain and just keep driving to TN. So we did! We picnicked in the car as we drove over the Tennessee border.

The sky became blue with beautiful fluffy, white clouds as we entered Chattanooga. We traveled up the winding road to settle at Look Out Mountain. We purchased two tickets and immediately waited in line for the next tour. In no time we were ushered into an elevator which took us toward the center of the mountain. We watched through the clear glass door as massive layers of rock zoomed past. The doors opened to a dimly lit cave where we met our tour guide--oddly enough she was from Georgia. She gave us the spiel about following closely and watching your head. The cute couple in front of us began to laugh, as he was very tall and already crouching. Throughout the tour numerous people commented on the poor guy's height. He handled it well and surprisingly never hit his head.

The tour guide walked us through the cavern, pointing out small rock formations as we passed. We saw some that appeared like steak and potatoes, a slice of bacon, a donkey's ass, a dragon's foot, and a potato chip--apparently they were hungry when naming the rock formations. The farther down we went, the cooler the air became, and the more cramped the walkway seemed. Numerous times during our tour we were asked to squeeze to the left side of the wall to allow for another tour to pass. Once when asked to step aside for another group, a woman behind me said "That's not going to happen!" At first you might think she was simply being stubborn, but should you turn around like I did you would have noticed the lack of space between her and the wall. Somehow, everyone was able to pass. Once Jason found a small hole in the wall and was able to get into a squatting position to clear up some room. Jason laughed and said "This is why all those squats were important."

Finally we reached Ruby Falls. It's a 145 foot waterfall in the cave. To this day they are still uncertain where the waterfall is coming from. It's beautiful. It was also very cold. Jason and I tried to get pictures of us in front of the waterfall but it was a little too dark--after all, we were 1,120 feet below the mountain's surface. These are the pictures we were able to get.

Jason and our tour guide behind him:

Ruby Falls!

After leaving the waterfall we made our way back to the elevator. I really enjoyed the trip back because we had some super cute encounters with some kids. We soon came upon another group, who had very kindly squeezed to one side of the cave for us to pass. In the middle of this group were two small girls who were holding their arms out as we passed. Jason saw them first and said "Oh!" once he had figured out what they were trying to do. Lucky for me I heard him and was able to realize it before going to far. I high-fived them as did the girl behind me. It was super sweet! Immediately after passing this group we came across another one, also wedged into the side of the cave for us to pass. I looked to my left just in time to see a very small kid, probably 4 or 5, who had climbed in-between two rocks. He was in the spider-man pose as he crouched down to fit himself in the small space. As I passed I heard him say "Mom, look! I'm in here like a creeper!" He smiled and tried to push himself father into the rock. "Like a creepy-crawler..." corrected his mom. "Yeah, like a creeper!" he said. I laughed pretty hard.

Finally we reached the elevator and made our way back up the mountain. We were shown some stairs where we could get on top of the mountain and look out over Chattanooga. Of course, we did. Here are pictures:

We enjoyed the pretty scenery for a moment and then made our way through the gift shop. We were shown a copy of a photo they took of us when we first entered the cavern and quickly declined. We found our car and decided to head back home. As we drove home I was reminded of our trip to Tennessee in 2009, we had gone there for a milkshake at cheeburger-cheeburger right after graduation, so good, totally worth the trip! In no time we were stuck in Atlanta traffic--home sweet home. We decided to have dinner at Nick's. We used to eat here a lot in college, they have the best gyros, tzatziki sauce, and fried potatoes you'll ever have! Here are pictures:

After dinner we made our way home. We decided it was time for a good, scary movie. Jason and I have found a middle ground with scary movies. Jason likes the really really scary movies and mostly B horror, and I . . . hate those. I like happy movies about puppies and love. So, our middle ground is old black and white scary movies that have no gore and are just intense. For example, we watched the Haunting from 1963 the night before... creepy!!! This time we picked a good Hitchcock movie called "Spellbound." We ended up getting pretty tired and just went to bed halfway through. No worries though... we finished it this morning (Sunday the 30th) while eating Jason's amazing homemade Carbonara. So good. We also made pear tarts with homemade whipped cream. Here are pictures:

Then tonight we go see my side of the family and celebrate my dad's birthday. He asked to celebrate at "Jason's birthday dinner spot." haha! Earlier this month was Jason's birthday and he picked a Mexican restaurant where they brought him a sombrero and sang to him. They also gave him sopapillas . . . which they promptly smeared all over his face. I wasn't smart and began laughing at him... he then smashed his face into the side of mine so he could laugh at me. Hahaha! Love that man! Here are pictures:

Also, for Jason's birthday we also went with his side of the family to the number 1 Irish Pub in the world (oddly enough in Atlanta)! It was amazing! It was called Olde Blind Dog. Here are pictures of that, too:

Although I don't have pictures of this, Jason and I also bought Ohio Hog Company BBQ one night for his birthday. He was on call that week, so we just brought it home and watched the tv show Bloodline. I also gave him my birthday present. He, of course, had already figured out what I got him cause he's him. I got him a fitbit charge hr. He said he thought he knew what it was so I started guessing what I thought he was thinking... I then yelled "This is not how birthdays go! You are supposed to guess what I got YOU! Not me guessing what I think you think I got you!!" We laughed and then I told him next year I'm getting him something he could never guess--like a box of snakes! Somehow by the end of that whole conversation, I started telling him I love him more than a box of snakes :^) He's fun. Anyways...

Happy birthday Jason and Dad!!! I love you both :^)

Fare Thee Well, Great Staunton!

March 30, 2015

Monday Morning. Our last morning in Staunton. Immediately after lunch we will leave for Atlanta. We woke up early, dressed, packed, and made our way to the lobby for check out. A man took our keys and gave us our receipt upon checking out. He then told us what to do about parking. We were curious how that was supposed to work. When we originally arrived at the hotel we were told to take a ticket and would pay when we left. However, when we checked into the hotel they told us to ignore the ticket and use our key card to enter and exit the parking garage. . . we would be charged for parking upon check out. But what happens when we check out and no longer have that key card to leave the garage? Apparently we just show our receipt to a lady at the gate. We said thanks and asked if we could leave our car there and grab something to eat before we left. He said that was fine and that the garage lady (for lack of a better term) would be there until 5:00 p.m.

Once we left for lunch, Jason said he never remembered seeing a lady at the parking gate before. Come to think of it, I hadn't either. Not once. Wonder what we were supposed to do if she wasn't there. Maybe she is supposed to be there but has been skipping out of work all weekend. Oh well, we'd figure it out. First food.

We decided to eat at our beloved Baja Bean before leaving. We walked out the front of the hotel and took a left down the brick sidewalk. A large gust of wind wrapped itself around the building's corner and washed over us. All weekend this strong wind has done this. Each and every morning it would cause us to shiver and pull our tickets closer inward. Every. Single. Morning. Today, however, something was different. The same wind visited us once more, but seemed to without it's frosty friend. The sun was shining just as brightly but the warmth was felt even when the wind came. Jason and I both stood there for a second, looked at each other, and said "Really?!" We would be here for maybe two hours to enjoy this beautiful day... why hadn't the frosty friend left days earlier? Oh well, it was still a very lovely trip and we could still enjoy the last two hours in Staunton.

We found Baja Bean but soon realized we must be a little early. The doors were locked. Opening times here are merely a suggestion here. Either that or someone has gone to every shop in Staunton and changed the times to slightly before they truly open. We decided to waste some time in an antique shop we love just down the street. We walked in and a woman greeted us. She told us to come on in and that she had just opened and it may take her about 10 minutes to get her register going, but we were more than welcome to look around. We thanked her and began to browse the isles. We love this place. Tons of old things. A massive grandfather clock. Old razors. Antique china. Creepy dolls missing a few eyes from the early 1900s. We were sometimes afraid to breathe for fear of knocking something over (each inch of the store was packed with items). Jason purchased an old 1930s razor (he collects old razors) and I two beautiful hair pins. We also found a small white dish with lions on the side. We checked out and then made our way to Baja Bean again. Horray!! They were open.

A woman we had never seen before came to our table and took our order. Soon we had a basket of chips and salsa. Our food arrived shortly after. Below are pictures:

Above is one normal taco and a side of veggies (mine) and above that are two fish tacos with a side of veggies (Jason's). Delicious! We then ordered Sopapillas! I had never had this before and Jason said they were amazing. As usual, he was right. Below is a picture:

Once full, we walked back to the hotel parking garage and got in my cute, orange fit for the drive home. Jason put in a new audio book from the same author as Stiff and Spook. We love her. This one was called Gulp. It was about digestion. I know, I know, it sounds boring but it really wasn't. She's so good. We put the book on hold, however, until making our way out of the parking garage. Turns out the garage lady did in fact exist! She was there today... out of nowhere!

Jason said he'd drive back home, but asked if I would drive to get us to a gas station first. I did. Luckily we had just filled up the tank when we went to Monticello. I drove not far before we decided we wanted something to drink. We pulled over at a nearby gas station and headed inside for a soda. We glanced in the windows only to find a store filled with electronic equipment... no snacks or food. Really strange gas station. We decided to get back in the car and head toward the nearest quick trip. Four hours later, a quick trip showed up. Jason grabbed two corn dogs and a tea. I grabbed a bag of popcorn and CheerWine. Delicious. We ate in the parking lot and then made our way to the interstate.

Jason and I listened more to Gulp on the way home. Sadly, each time we turned the car off the audio book would go back a chapter... we had to relisten to quite a bit of the book. We kept ourselves entertained and then picked up where we left off. Finally, Atlanta hit. Below is the best picture I could get of Atlanta . . . for some reason it was really hard to get a good picture.

We decided to stop by World of Beverage on the way back for some beer. I had never had a full beer and Jason and I thought it was time to fix that. We grabbed some genuineness along with a Smirnoff Green Apple and made our way home. Our cats lovingly called to us from inside as we grabbed our luggage out of the car. We missed them. We put everything down and played with the cats for a while. We then unpacked, grabbed a beer, and watched some tv. All in all a pretty great day :^) Side note: yes, we did finish our fitbit steps that day. We rock at that lately.

Although this did not happen on this date but on March 31st, I will say... we also had a great time celebrating my mom's birthday as well. When we returned Jason and I made a homemake Barbie Cake like the ones my mom made us when we were little. We found buttercream frosting for the top, too. Here is a picture:

  We then met my mom and the rest of my side of the family for dinner. We had mom celebrate her birthday at home so we could surprise her with a special gift. We got a ton of home videos from when we were little and transferred them to DVD for her. We then spent the whole night watching home movies and eating cake. It was great! Not a bad way to come back from vacation :^)

On a Cold and Frosty Morning

March 29, 2015


Sunday. Jason and I hurried to get ready this morning, fearing that church goers would created a long wait for a table at any possible restaurant in town. We assumed this because we are from Georgia and every Sunday morning we must wait roughly 30 minutes for table at home. However, Virginia is a magical land where there is no wait time on a Sunday morning, at least not at the Mill Street Grill. It was glorious. We were seated immediately and our orders taken right upon arrival. Since we arrived on a Sunday we had the option of brunch, which we gladly accepted. As we waited for our food, the waitress brought their homemade bread (much more fresh than the last time we were here). The bread also came with maple butter, which I thought was the best butter they had ever served. Shortly after finishing the bread, our food arrived. Jason ordered Eggs Benedict with a side of oranges (since he was allergic to all other fruit offered) and broccoli. I ordered an egg and bacon sandwich with a side of fruit and home fries. Below is a picture:

 Below is a picture of Jason about to receive his food.

After eating our food and rapidly devouring our peppermint ice cream, we walked over to the hotel. Shortly after returning, we left for Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home). This was our favorite place to visit the last time we went to Virginia. The whole week it had been cold and windy, but this morning gave a glimmer of sunshine and a hint of warmth. It was the best day for us to visit Monticello--still cold and crisp but not freezing. We drove roughly 40 minutes, stopping once for gas and diet Cheerwine. Upon arrival, we made our way to the ticket kiosk. It was about 2:00p.m. and the next tour would leave at 3:45. Sadly, this one was all booked up. We settled for the tour at 4:25, which actually turned out to be better.

We stopped in the gift shop and purchased strawberry butter, Monticello Reserve Ale, and White Hall Soliterre. We then went back to the car to store our purchases and then made the walk back to the welcome center. Jason and I talked about how much easier to make that walk this year than it was a few years ago. We both were so out of shape during that last trip, but this year we were different. Since receiving fitbits, losing weight, and exercising the past couple of years, Jason and I are in better health than ever.

As Jason and I made the walk back to the welcome center we came across a strange and rare bunny. This bunny was Japanese. We know this because it was a Japanese person in a school girl bunny suit. The man with her must have twice her age and had a fetish for bunnies, or at least was okay with hers. It was kind of nice having them around... kind of like where's waldo but in bunny form.

After passing the pink bunny, we made our way to the bus which would take us up the mountain to Jefferson's actual home and gardens. As the bus arrived, I heard a woman say "Well, they didn't apologize for the renovations yet." I wasn't sure what she meant, but when we got off the bus we noticed a large white curtain on the front of Monticello. Jason and I both were fine with this for two reasons A) we have seen it before; B) It makes it so it's still pretty when we come back. Which we will come back.

Since we had a great deal of time to wander, we made our way to the vegetable garden first. Although just the beginning of spring, some vegetation had begun to sprout. Below are pictures:

 Jason and I tried to see what exactly they were growing in the gardens when I stumbled upon the "Marshmallow" section. I gasped being amazed that they could grow that. Jason said "no" with a chuckle and then I immediately remembered that those don't grow on anything. Wouldn't it be great though to have a marshmallow bush or a tree that rains tiny little mini mallows for the tasting. It would be glorious.

The picture below is of the vineyard which is directly below the vegetable garden.

After viewing the veggies, we made our way to the house gardens. Sadly, spring is only faintly here, small reds and pinks are peeping through the ground but not fully in bloom.  Below are pictures of us at the house.

 *Please ignore the massive wind that overtook our hair in the picture below*

The picture below is of Mulberry Row from the house's porch. 

 At the end of Mulberry Row were the remains of the joiners house. During our last visit we were unable to really see this part of the grounds because it was being excavated during the time. Apparently they have recently found a thimble on the grounds from long ago. Who knew. 

 Below is a beautiful picture of all the Mulberry trees on Mulberry Row.

 After touring the grounds and catching the end of the Slavery Tour (we had already done that once, so just a review), we made our way to the gift shop. The gift shop had recently been moved to inside part of the home (where the Slaves lived and worked). Jason bought Monticello Root Beer. We also bought American Heritage Historic Chocolate (authentic 18th century recipe and ingredients) and Monticello Virginia Peanuts. Below are pictures of us enjoying our snack in the gardens.

 Above is a picture of me showing the Virginia Peanuts. The woman in the gift shop told us that these were the best peanuts in the world. Jason said (later as we ate on this bench), "As Georgians we should not abide this northish aggression." Jason was extremely upset that a Virginian should claim to have better peanuts than Georgia :^) Oh the weird things he says. Side note: he is currently enjoying the crunchy goodness that is Virginia peanuts. Jason says that apparently what makes anything Virginian is that you salt the crap out of it. e.g. Virginia ham. I have to agree--except the peanuts are actually good.

 Above is a picture of kids playing in the yard of Monticello. There was a dad with maybe four or five kids playing tag in front of us. They were adorable. They ended up climbing the tree next to us for pictures. They also all longingly stared at our peanuts while doing so.

Below is a kickass picture of Monticello's most Tim Burtonish tree I have ever seen. It was beautiful and amazing!

 We waited at this very tree for our tour to begin. We were informed we were not allowed to take any picture of the inside in order to preserve the home and it's art/artifacts. A man named Justin greeted us and gave us a tour. Justin talked a lot more about how Jefferson was in debt than our last tour guide. Apparently he inherited a great deal of debt from relatives and lavishly spent his money on his home and the finest he could buy. When he died, he left his entire family with a great deal of debt to their name. In fact, they were required to sell Monticello to pay some of it off. Luckily, years down the road, the Levy Family decided to preserve it as it is now and be a place to provide tours and history to the world. Thank goodness for those people. Too bad for Jefferson's family. After the tour, we were led out on the porch where they showed us the view. Apparently Jefferson designed the building for the University of Virginia, which was built within eye shot. There was literally a small opening between numerous trees that reviewed the beautiful school's building. He was able to watch from his home the progress of the builders.

After the tour, we walked down the slave's quarters. Below are pictures of us in this section.

 Above is a bell that was used during this time period. Jason thought my mom would appreciate it, as it resembles Downton Abbey's bell on the show.

 A random example of a lock and key during this time period.

When we finished browsing, we headed back over to Mulberry Row. Here is a picture of Jason there.

 In the vegetable garden is a small lookout room. The glass must be original to the time because it was wavy and with numerous imperfections. Below are pictures of us in this room:

After this picture, Jason and I made the walk back down to the welcome Center. I love that they have a walking trail on his property. We then drove back to the hotel. We got back right in time for dinner. We saved Shenandoah Pizza for last because we knew they were open on Sunday when many other places aren't. Below is a picture of the street as we headed that way:

The picture below is of the coffee house we stopped at numerous times during this trip (the By&by).

Another picture of the street:

Below is a scary-ass screaming bust of a head for wigs... not sure what's going on there but we liked it. 

Finally, dinner. We were given a seat across from where we sat the last time we were here. Two men played music at the window. One with a guitar and the other a violin. They were pretty good. A man with an armful of tattoos took our order. Below are pictures. I ordered the picture on top (crustless pizza... meatball and feta); Jason the crustless pizza with chicken and feta. Both delicious. We also ordered an appetizer of Pepperoni Pizza Roles. Delicious!

After dinner, we made our way to the Split Banana for some more ice cream. Jason's is to the left (brownie bash and Guinness Extra Stout). Mine is to the right (Snickers and brownie bash).

Below is a picture of the outside of the shop. 

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel for blogging and then sleeping. Good night Staunton. We shall be leaving you tomorrow.