Our Long Weeked at Lydia Mountain

We decided to take a mini-vacation once Brandon got home. We really wanted to go back to one of the log cabins like we went to after the wedding but it was a little two far for a long weekend. I had found a place called Lydia Mountain in northern VA. They had a few small cabins and looked nice, so we decided to try that one. Here is there website if you want to check it out http://www.lydiamountainlodge.com/ It was about 3 1/2 hours away from here and definately worth the drive. The cabin was beautiful. The pics didn't do it justice. We loved it. It was out in the country, yet close enough to all kinds of things to do. It was just want we needed. Here are some pics of the cabin. It was rustic but with all the modern day conveniences.

While we were there we hit some of the antique shops in town. We found some things for Brandon's parents, and then I found some of the same cookie cutters that my mom has had for years. I had to buy them to have my own set. They are the ones that she let us use to make cookies when we were little. I couldn't leave those behind. We hit 3 different wineries while we were there, and there are some pics from the Barboursville one. The people there were awesome and we had a great time doing a tasting and walking the grounds. And who knew they
had a sign just for Brandon at the vineyard!!!

We also went to James Madison's house Montpelier and walked those grounds. It has recently undergone a renovation to restore the house to the way it was before it was sold in the 1800's. The renovation is pretty incredible. We had a great tour guide, and we did the self guided tour of the kitchen below. After we left there we drove Skyline Drive which is part of the Shenandoah National Park. The drive is along the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We were there late afternoon and so a bunch of deer that came out to feed. The views are amazing. We didn't have time to hike any trails and we didn't see any bears. Maybe next time. And the kitties are the

strays that live on the mountain. They make their rounds to the cabins and there about 9

in total. We saw five. The pics are blurry, it was dark out and we were grilling when they came around.

The last night we were there we passed on the hot tub and built a fire in the fireplace. We toasted up some marshmallows on it too. On our last day after we checked out, begrudginly I might add, we went on to see Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and his gardens. That house is fully furnished and there is so much to see. We did the tour there as well. Then it was off to head home. It was a wonderful weekend with the most beautiful weather. We are eager to make another trip to Lydia Mt for another visit. It was great. Sorry for the delay in the posting. It was a bit of catch up when I got back to work on Wednesday. Now I just need to figure out how to get a 3 day work week every week!!