Virginia is for lovers!

We enjoyed Asheville and would definitely make the Asheville area our home if it wasn’t for Brandon and Lindsey and the lure of little grandbabies waiting for us in Denver. But leave we must as we still have a long way to go and for the first time on this trip I was never so happy to pull up camp as I did Wilson’s RV Park. We were both exhausted from sleep deprivation and it was beginning to show. I swear the traffic on the 240 never slowed and went on until all hours of the night.

It’s bad enough I’ve gained over 10 pounds while on this trip but then Chad comes along. Our nephew was waiting for us when we arrived Brian’s sister's house in Charlotte. Joanne was still at work and it was up to Chad to entertain us until she returned home. It was good to be able to catch up as it had been way too long since we’d last seen him. In fact, I can’t even remember how many years it’s been as he’s been living in St. Thomas for the last 12 years and since St. Thomas isn’t a place we visit regularly, in fact not at all, it’s been quite a long time since we’ve seen him. Chad is the root of all evil or should I say, Chad is the cause of another few pounds. You see, Chad is a chef and with 4 years of training at Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh, he’s one heck of a chef. In fact, I haven’t had food as good as what Chad whips up at 5 star restaurants. The first night we arrived, Chad cooked Beef Bourguignon which would make Julia Childs cry with envy. Throughout our entire visit Chad was sautéing, reducing, pounding, whipping, squeezing and sprinkling along with all the other fancy terms he threw at us. I am proud to say, my nephew Chad, is the best cook/chef I’ve ever run across. And he’s also one heck of a teacher. He was patient enough to allow me to follow him around the kitchen as he was explaining what and why and teaching me chef tidbits here and there. I only wish I’d had more time to follow him around.

We stayed in Charlotte with Joanne and Chad a few days, watching movies, shopping and trying to help Chad locate a car. It was such a relaxing part of our trip I hated to move on but this party can’t last forever so move on we must. Off to Virginia to visit another cousin of mine in Christiansburg. My cousin Terry, is a hoot. He loves anything to do with the Civil War, genealogy and The Packers (Green Bay). As his sister says, “He’s a cornucopia of useless knowledge.” But he makes a great tour guide as his knowledge of Virginia and it’s history is endless.

Our first adventure was the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA. This was quite an interesting memorial and is one of the best war memorials I’ve ever seen and since Brian’s father served in the invasion of southern France in WWII, it made it all that more special. We paid a little extra and took the guided tour which we would highly suggest since it’s only $3 a person extra and you learn a bit of information you normally wouldn’t have if you were to venture out on your own. A lot of people ask why this memorial is situated in Bedford, VA, a community of only 6,312. During World War II, there were 30 soldiers from Bedford who were attached to Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment which was part of the first wave of soldiers to hit Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. By the end of the day, 19 of the company’s Bedford soldiers were dead. In 1944, Bedford’s population was about 3,200 so proportionally, this community suffered the greatest per capita loss of life, therefore, Congress warranted the establishment of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford which opened in 2001.


The planning that went in to this memorial is really staggering. Each element of the memorial signifies events preceding and post June 6th. Along the outside wall you will find the name of every soldier lost on D-Day along with the names of the allies also lost on that day. It really is a shame not to visit this memorial at least once in your lifetime.

Well, tomorrow we’re off to Mabry Mill. See you there!