oopsie

What do you know?  It's been a month since we've posted :)  In our defense, Curt has been traveling for 3 of the weeks since we wrote.  In fact, Curt is traveling now.  He left 2 weeks ago and Susan Ada and Ruby miss him more everyday.  All that said, there's not a whole lot happening here, but we thought we'd give you a snapshot of fall around here.

Curt received the necessary supplies to make pancake letters for his birthday.  Here is his first effort:

Ruby has developed an affinity for burying her bones. . .in the front yard :/

Susan Ada went to meet her best friend's sweet new baby girl, Gracie:

Curt's brother came to visit.  We took Ruby on an 8-mile bike ride.  She pulled us the whole way:

Curt was really sick and had to work from home for a few days.  Ruby was a big help:

We went to ASU homecoming to celebrate Susan Ada's birthday:







 
Susan Ada had her first sale on Etsy!

We celebrated one year of home ownership!  Here is Curt signing our life away. . .

Susan Ada completed a large project (inc 5 Roman shades) for her interior designer.  Ruby pitched in some moral support after Curt left:

Susan Ada's dad took her to a Panthers game!!



























Susan Ada went camping with a girlfriend in Shenandoah. . .






























And she came home to this. . .so that's what she'll be doing for the next month.

labor day

It's been a while, but we had some trouble getting all the pictures into one place :)

Labor Day was fabulous. . .as always.  It is truly Susan Ada's favorite holiday.  We have a standing commitment to Evergreen and look forward to escaping some of those last few sultry hot days in the level lands by heading up the mountain for a breath of cool air.  This year we were able to go from Thursday night until Tuesday night. . .an unexpected treat!

Friday morning we slept in and then took Ruby on a hike in Cumberland Knob.  She enjoyed running all through the woods as there was nary another soul to be seen.  And, of course, a wonderful cool creek treat in the middle.  That afternoon we headed down the mountain so Curt could help Steve with his walnut logging project and Susan Ada could join her mom in visiting some relatives and getting provisions for the weekend.

Saturday morning the boys headed back down the mountain to continue playing with their trees.  Then, Susan Ada picked Curt up and we headed to Lewisville to see Curt's parents.  They were ready with a birthday celebration for Curt. . .yes, that made his third party.  He received lots of fun presents and we ate yummy brownies!  That evening the Cornfields had invited us to the Liberty v. Wake Forest opening football game so we donned our red and headed to the stadium.  Tailgating was including in the extravaganza and we enjoyed some yummy bar-b-que.  It rained for the first quarter of the game, but we persevered and had a great time.  Liberty couldn't quite pull out a victory, but it was a strong start to the season nonetheless.

Liberty had some fancy tailgating tents:

Sunday we cooked stew over the open fire. . .a Labor Day tradition.  It was yummy.  Always is.  It pretty much rained the rest of the weekend so we spent lots of time on the porch shelling beans and canning in the kitchen.

Ruby might have made a new snuggle buddy:

birthday

Curt just turned 25 yesterday. An entire quarter century -- practically a fossil in fact. To celebrate this Susan took him on a surprise trip out to Virginia's eastern shore a bit ahead of the actual date.

We went to a lot of places. Here's a map.

View Larger Map

A: You've got to start out at home.

B: You also have to go buy nail polish at Ulta if you're going to through the big city. We also purchased delicious picnic lunch supplies at The Fresh Market. Life's hard when Kroger is the best you've got at home. 

C: Our first night we stayed at the Hope and Glory Inn in Irvington, VA. 

It was wonderful. Susan made sure we got there in plenty of time to bike over to their associated winery just up the street. The wine tasting was actually quite good, and you can't miss it. 

Apparently the sign ordanances are a bit tough down there so the winery owner had a local boat company make some gigantic corkscrews. In case you can't tell from the photo on the right one of us has a bit higher arches than the other. We had dinner at Merrior, the oyster restaurant run by the Rappahannock Oyster company. We sat overlooking the river at sunset and enjoyed a variety of raw and roasted oysters as well as scallops over cheese grits and a crabcake. It might be the best seafood we've ever eaten.

D: We just happened to be passing through Yorktown on our way out to the coast and thought we'd drop in. Who knew that we had a giant monument to beating back those jerk brits? You'll notice Susan modeling victory down at the bottom.

E: Then we got to cross the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel -- arguably the entire point of the trip. Curt, as predicted, thought it was awesome. Susan felt a bit crabby about things though.

F: That night we stayed out on Tangier Island, VA. It's a small island in the middle of the chesapeake accessible only by air or water. We took the passenger ferry from Onancock, VA (G) There were about two beat up cars on the island -- most people knocked around on scooters or golf carts. We stayed at the Bay View Inn down there. It wasn't exactly nice but it fit in with the rest of the island as part of a working fishing village. We both had fried whole softshell crabs for the first time and quite enjoyed them.

There were birds on the island.

Lots of them.

We walked down the entire 1.5 mile beach to the southern tip of the island and saw nary another person other than right at the beginning and close to the end of our walk.

G: We left for Tangier from Onancock and then stayed there the next night. We apparently decided to stop taking photos at this point in the trip as about the only one is of the Inn at Onancock where we stayed that night. It was quite nice as well. Susan was particularly impressed with the quality of the bed linens. 

On our last day to ride home we swang up to see Chincateague Island, VA. After her recent beach experiences with Curt (read: he's been a bit grumpy near lots of other people and out in the sun) Susan's been looking into some beach locations we both might like. The island is interesting in that it's a beach town but the beach is actually out in a wildlife refuge/national park. Bikes quickly get you away from the people and out to your own spot of beach. Curt also really enjoyed riding by the NASA Wallops flight facility and seeing all the radio dishes and antennas on the way there. 

We then skedaddled back through some rain and traffic back home, picked up our puppy from the dog sitter and resumed our normal life. It was quite a nice trip and a great time to relax with each other before a busy fall.

For Curt's actual birthday day Susan made Curt one of his favorite dinners: Country fried steak (venison of course) with potatoes and green beans. She topped this off with a spectacular homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Ruby might have wanted some. Notice the catfish like drools.

we're just here for the food

There is a food magazine called edible that we really enjoy reading.  They cover many different regions all across the country.  For example, in Raleigh we read edible Piedmont and here we have edible Blue Ridge.  Each edition focuses on local foods and the folks that produce them.  On Saturday they held the first annual edible Food Fest in Orange, VA.  We had never visited that part of the state so, of course, we were up to the adventure.  It was about a 2-hour drive, much of it through beautiful rolling pastures with white fences and the Blue Ridge Mountains for a backdrop.  The actual town was extremely small, but charming nonetheless.  There were lots of booths selling a range of wares, including:  hickory syrup (the "other" maple syrup), chicken hoop houses, natural soaps, Southern Exposure Seeds (!!!), and a variety of foods and crafts.  We had a "progressive" lunch so that we could sample foods from multiple vendors.  It was all very tasty.  Then, we made our way to the speaker tent so we could get a good seat for. . . .drum roll please. . . .Joel Salatin!!!  That's probably the real reason we went.  We are big fans, and just finished reading his book Folks, This Ain't Normal out loud to each other so we were pretty excited to hear him speak.  He certainly did not disappoint.  His speaking style was very engaging, informed, and passionate but not pretentious in the least.  Definitely worth the drive.

So maybe they were a little goofy. . .they literally guarded the trash cans/recycling bins to make sure you disposed of everything properly:

Joel Salatin and his goofy self!

Susan Ada being a real good tourist

On our way home, we passed Castle Hill Cider.  We decided to stop in for a tasting.  Hate to admit it, but the ciders were merely mediocre and the server was anything but informative.  So to cheer ourselves up, we decided to stop at Albemarle Ciderworks  on the way home.  We have tried their cider before, so we knew it was tasty, but had never been to their tasting room and orchard.  They already had many varieties of apples ready to purchase so we quickly filled a bag and went inside to begin tasting.  No sooner did we walk in than we saw Tom Burford.  You probably don't know him, but he's pretty much THE heirloom apple expert in the world today.  He holds a wealth of knowledge of countless varieties and works tirelessly to preserve them for future generations.  His projects have included restoring the orchard at Monticello as well as traveling the world to help preserve heirloom apple orchards.  We met him last Spring when we went to his tree grafting seminar (yes, the one where Susan Ada almost cut off her finger) and have run into him regularly since.  He ordered a glass of cider so we could chat for a while.  We always enjoy our time with him.

There was one more place we've always been curious about on Hwy 29.  It's just a little roadside stand with a huge ice cream cone sign.  We've never stopped so we decided to pull over and have some cheese fries and soft serve.  It seemed a bit sacrilegious after all the wholesome, nutritious food we'd been exploring all day. . .but we just couldn't resist.  Hey, everything in moderation, right? 

2nd anniversary :)

One of our close friends in Lynchburg grew up going to Ocean City, NJ every summer and now returns every year for a week and takes his family.  This year he invited us to join them.  We accepted with pleasure and embarked on a new beach adventure.  The drive was only about 7 hours, but we were honestly surprised at just how many tolls there were.  Ocean City is quite different from the beaches we are used to.  There is a boardwalk that is 2.5 miles long and it is lined with family fun and food establishments.  We rode the ferris wheel, played putt-putt and ate pizza, frozen custard, and fresh cake doughnuts.  The actual beach is quite large, but it was FULL of people. . .like you had to hunt for a spot big enough to put your stuff down.  Then when you wanted to go to the water you had to weave through the maze of sunbathers.  It was definitely a different experience but we had a great time with our friends and really enjoyed trying something new.

All the people on the boardwalk in the evenings:

Playing putt putt by the beach:

Susan Ada scored the lowest of the seven of us who played. . .but she won a free game at the end to redeem herself :)

On our way home, we stopped in Philadelphia for a night to celebrate our second anniversary.  It was Curt's first visit and we had a great time!  We went to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, shopped in fun stores, ate a fancy dinner in Rittenhouse Square, and went to the Reading Terminal Market.  It was a quick trip so we hope to return again someday.

Curt's first time seeing the Liberty Bell:

Independence Hall:

Ok, this is actually a picture from our first anniversary, but we realized halfway through dinner that we were both wearing the same outfits we wore to dinner last year.  Oops.  We might be getting lazy in the wardrobe department, and the photo department seeing as though we forgot to take a picture of us this year.  Cheers!

real, live food

We have been to New Jersey and back and celebrated our second anniversary since the last post.  However, we left our camera behind and haven't gotten it back yet so things will just have to be out of order :)

There has been some real progress in the gardening department at the Hilliard and we couldn't be more thrilled!  In April, we planted Christmas Lima beans, Cranberry beans, beets, 4 kinds of tomatoes (7 total plants), zucchini, pumpkins, and melons.  The weather has been quite unusual with a super hot spring and intermittent dry/wet weather most of the summer.  Plus, Lynchburg was lucky enough to get hit by a derecho in July which brought 80 mph winds.  And, our neighbors removed a ginormous tree that was approximately 20 ft from our garden, so some casualties were inevitable.  Then, factor in the deer, groundhogs, moles, crows, and squirrels and to say odds were against us is quite the understatement.  However, we persevered and last night had our first harvest of tomatoes.  You would have thought we birthed a child.  The excitement was palpable, and we can hardly wait to eat our own food for dinner tonight!!

Meanwhile, Susan Ada went to Evergreen to help her mom can on Saturday.  They literally harvested tomatoes, green beans, and beets that morning then processed them on the same day.  Preserved food cannot get any better than that.  We can only dream of having a big enough harvest to get to preserve it someday, but we will definitely keep learning and trying.  Here are a few of their treasures:

back in the saddle

So, we could have made a whole baby in the time since we last posted.  Not that we're making babies around here, it just helped to put our slackness into perspective.  One thing is for certain, lack of posting does not infer lack of activity for these Hamiltons.  In fact, it was the over-activity / "don't even know where to start" feeling that prevented us from keeping up.  All that said, at this point, a month-by-month catch-up is probably the only chance we have at efficiency:

October 2011 (Yeah, we're going there). . .We bought a house!!!  It was one of the most wonderful experiences of our lives.  Stressful as all get out to get everything organized in time for closing, but wonderful nonetheless.  It's a one-story ranch, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and an unfinished basement on about 1/2 acre.  Fits us perfectly.  

November 2011 We immediately began raking leaves, cleaning, and painting. . .and were able to move in by Thanksgiving.  We literally shoved everything in our house and left town for a week :)

 

bye bye ugly mint green

December 2011  We wanted our families to see our new house so we had Christmas at home.  This gave us a great goal to work toward being unpacked and ready to host all the folks we love the most.  It was a wonderful time and we were so excited to have Curt's grandad come from south Georgia and his brother all the way from New Mexico!  Yes, this is the ONLY pic we have from Christmas.  What can we say?  A whole package of Sharpies is pretty big news. . .

January 2012  We continued to work on our house.  Nancy taught Susan Ada how to remove wallpaper, thus giving our hall bath an entirely new look.

February 2012  This month was pretty packed.  Susan Ada's parents came to help us work on the house.  The boys built pantry shelves in the basement and the ladies stripped the wallpaper in the dining room.  A few weeks later we had a huge snow.  We actually have a very steep hill in our backyard so the sledding was spectacular.  We finished off the month with going to get our new puppy!!  Ruby is a Vizsla (think petite, red Weimeraner) and was only 7 weeks old when we brought her home.  We were immediately in love.

  

 

March 2012  Cute as she may be, we spent most of March adjusting to life with a puppy.  We've been told it's not so far removed from having a baby.  We hope any future infant doesn't run faster than we do, pee all over our house, and bite with puppy razors. . .

April 2012  Curt is still traveling to SC every 6 months, so he was gone for a few weeks in April.  Susan Ada stayed in Lynchburg, and that proved harder than she anticipated.  She was very thankful for a few visitors.  Having Curt return and being able to plant our first garden certainly cheered her up.

May 2012  In May we joined some friends at their house on the Pamlico River in NC.  It was a wonderful chance to get away and it was fun introducing Ruby to the open water.  We also started a 6-week puppy class with Ruby in hopes of returning to some resemblance of calm in our home.

June 2012  Not much to say here.  We stayed in town to do some projects on our house and rest up for travels later this summer.  Curt is trying to get some additional insulation in our attic, but all the "little things" that need to get done before the insulation goes in are keeping us busy.  He is definitely making progress and we now have 2 bathroom vents, a microwave vent, recessed lighting in our mudroom and are in the process of getting recessed lighting in our living room.  Yay for handy husbands!!

July 2012  And that brings us back to this month.  Our week-long trip to Evergreen was definitely the highlight.  Some friends came for a few days, and Susan Ada's family came for the rest.  Over all it was a restful week.

You made it!  We certainly hope it isn't another 9 months before we check in.  If not, at least we've left you with one happy puppy :)