A Birthday and a Battleground

For the weekend we headed back up to Centreville as Rob was going to meet the Sterling crew and help celebrate Scott's birthday.

 Scott, quite deservedly, had a massive chocolate cake from the Cheesecake Factory. Debbie counted the layers and I think it was 8. Yummy! We played a practical joke on the others saying we were going to get stuck in, just the two of us, and we both had large spoons with which to start the attack. Jim actually believed us and tried to make us feel guilty by not sharing with the others. Like that would work. Not.

Scott and I are the Bestest Chocklit Buddies in the Whole Wide Weld, and nothing will come between us and chocolate.

Note Rob's face as he monitors our progress. He was a very dark horse and unbeknown to Scott and I had decided to scarf his down faster than us both. I was feeling quite green and not managing to complete my slice, Scott was struggling bravely with his, but Robert sucked and vaccuumed his plate and proudly showed off his gleamingly clean dish with a triumphant grin. Scott and I weren't quite sure how to deal with that so we didn't.
After cups of tea to soak up the cake and lots of chatting, Rob and I departed for some horizontal relaxation on my sofa and so he could undo his belt no doubt after that copious chocolate consumption.
Sunday was a lazy hot day and not wanting to do much in the heat, we decided to go to Manassas Battlefields. It was a first for Rob so it was fun to show him some of the sights. We went for more of a stroll than a hike, but in the blazing sun I really didn't mind.

The house above was caught in the middle of the battle crossfire and Judith Carter Henry, an old 85 year old bedridden widow became the only civilian to lose her life in the battle as she lay in her bed, unable to move.

Stone House which served as a refreshment stop for travelers, a tavern, a residence, a post office and also a refuge for battle casualties during the Civil War.

Rob's customary 'thumbs up'!
He came up with the idea of a couple of trick photos so as usual he did the easy stuff, posing for the shots, and I got to go home and come up with the results. C'est La Vie!

We used the Stonewall Jackson Memorial as the prop. Please forgive me for knocking him off of his horse! I'd done some research previously on the internet and found that the way a horse stands has a particular meaning. One leg raised means the rider died LATER of wounds caused in battle, both legs raised mean that the rider was KILLED IN BATTLE, and all four legs on the ground means the rider died of NATURAL CAUSES. I checked Stonewall's cause of death and he died of pneumonia after being accidentally shot at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.