{"id":1154,"date":"2010-11-24T19:09:48","date_gmt":"2010-11-25T03:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2010-11-24T19:10:37","modified_gmt":"2010-11-25T03:10:37","slug":"visiting-lexington-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?p=1154","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Lexington, Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1157\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1157\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1157\" title=\"IMG_4599\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4599-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4599-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4599-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4599.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So after we left Dad and Sharon in West Virginia, we headed east towards Lexington, Virginia, where Tom&#8217;s parents have recently bought a new house.\u00a0 If you recall, Lexington was where Tom and I got married, so it&#8217;s always nice to visit and now we&#8217;ll be visiting there quite frequently!\u00a0 Tom&#8217;s parents are still in the process of doing a total remodel on the house, so they are still staying at the family farm in Goshen, which is about a half hour outside Lexington, when they are working on the house in Lexington.\u00a0 The new house is beautiful and I can&#8217;t wait to see it in its finished state.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1165\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1165\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1165\" title=\"IMG_4672\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4672-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4672-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4672-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4672.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We spent two days in the area.\u00a0 The first day, we went with Tom&#8217;s parents over to Wade&#8217;s Mill, a historical flour mill which still grinds the flour using a water wheel.\u00a0 Very cool.\u00a0 We got to meet the folks who run the place and they let us take a peek around the mill.\u00a0 I&#8217;d never really seen how flour was made, so it was an interesting process.\u00a0 One that I still don&#8217;t really understand, but that&#8217;s why <em>they<\/em> do it and not me.\u00a0 We spent the night at the farm, which is one of our favorite places in the world.\u00a0 We&#8217;ve been going there throughout our entire relationship and it holds a special place in our hearts.\u00a0 It&#8217;s also where we had our rehearsal dinner and we hadn&#8217;t been back since, so it was a nice place to spend a few days.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1155\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1155\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1155\" title=\"IMG_4570\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4570-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4570-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4570-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4570.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1156\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1156\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1156\" title=\"IMG_4577\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4577-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4577-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4577-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4577.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 <a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1159\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1159\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1159\" title=\"IMG_4617\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4617-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4617-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4617-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4617.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1162\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1162\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1162\" title=\"IMG_4639\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4639-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4639-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4639-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4639.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 <a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1158\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1158\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1158\" title=\"IMG_4616\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4616-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4616-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4616-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4616.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1161\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1161\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1161\" title=\"IMG_4625\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4625-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4625-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4625-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4625.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1161\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1161\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The next morning, Tom and I went for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway and did a hike up there as well.\u00a0 The leaves were all changing and it was literally a riot of color along the ridges.\u00a0 We hiked the Apple Orchard Falls Trail, which intersects the Appalachian Trail.\u00a0 It is what I call an &#8220;inside out&#8221; hike, meaning you hike downhill to your destination and then back UPHILL to get back to your car.\u00a0 This is not my favorite kind of hike.\u00a0 However, I was distracted by the pretty leaves, the rich smells of the forest that are so different from our forests here in the Pacific Northwest and by the amazingly beautiful waterfalls.\u00a0 So I didn&#8217;t mind the &#8220;inside out&#8221; characteristics of the hike.\u00a0 Too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1166\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1166\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1166\" title=\"IMG_4684\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4684-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4684-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4684-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4684.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1169\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1169\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1169\" title=\"IMG_4706\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4706-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4706-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4706-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4706.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1171\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1171\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1171\" title=\"IMG_4720\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4720-300x193.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"193\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4720-300x193.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4720-600x386.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4720.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 <a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1167\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1167\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1167\" title=\"IMG_4687\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4687-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"298\" height=\"194\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1168\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1168\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1168\" title=\"IMG_4696\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4696-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4696-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4696-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4696.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1172\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1172\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1172\" title=\"IMG_4723\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4723-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4723-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4723-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4723.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After our hike, we continued to drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Buchanan, where we HAD to check out a swinging bridge that Tom remembered from his childhood.\u00a0 Now, I should include that Tom&#8217;s memory of this bridge is not a pleasant one.\u00a0 In fact, it terrified him.\u00a0 Apparently there was much crying involved the last time he had to cross this swinging bridge.\u00a0 When we arrivied at the bridge, I could see how it could be scary for a child.\u00a0 The bridge does not meet the side of the road at a 90 degree angle as it should.\u00a0 Instead, it does this weird slanting thing before it levels out.\u00a0 Truly terrifying indeed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1173\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1173\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1173\" title=\"IMG_4738\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4738-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4738-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4738-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4738.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1175\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1175\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1175\" title=\"IMG_4745\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4745-600x395.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4745-600x395.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4745-300x197.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4745.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We stayed at the farm again that night, and in the morning we wandered around Lexington for a bit and paid a visit to my favorite bookshop of all time,\u00a0The Bookery.\u00a0\u00a0Now, I have a thing for book stores in general, but\u00a0this\u00a0one is truely unique.\u00a0 Jam\u00a0packed,\u00a0wall to wall, floor to ceiling BOOKS.\u00a0 I mean\u00a0<em>everywhere<\/em>.\u00a0 It&#8217;s kind of amazing.\u00a0 Its what I secretly wish my house looked like.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1177\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1177\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1177\" title=\"IMG_4748\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4748-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4748-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4748-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4748.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1178\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1178\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1178\" title=\"IMG_4751\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4751-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4751-600x400.jpg 600w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4751-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4751.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1179\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?attachment_id=1179\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1179\" title=\"IMG_4752\" src=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4752-400x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4752-400x600.jpg 400w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4752-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/IMG_4752.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Later that afternooon we headed down the road to visit Mom and Charles in Richmond&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So after we left Dad and Sharon in West Virginia, we headed east towards Lexington, Virginia, where Tom&#8217;s parents have recently bought a new house.\u00a0&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/?p=1154\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Visiting Lexington, Virginia<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,6,15,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family","category-hiking","category-life","category-travel","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1183,"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions\/1183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amyalphin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}