Sampling Christmas at Waterford Winterfest

On a gloriously warm Saturday I met a friend at Waterford for their first ever Winterfest. The village always has a fall fair but for the first time in 71 years it was cancelled due to storm warnings. The cancellation was a financial blow for the Waterford Foundation, so to try and raise funds the Winterfest was born. There were going to be craft vendors and a house tour around some of the village's historic homes.

The inside of the old school where we picked up our house tour map. It was freezing in there we were glad to get back outside to balmy climes again!

This sweet little cat was soaking up the warm sun through the shop window and posed prettily for her photo before curling up again to resume her nap. She reminded me of my own little Rosie Lee, who I really need to stop referring to as 'little', because she has actually now matured into a chunky, well-muscled cat whose forearms resemble those of a weightlifter.

One artist had opened up her house for the first time to sell her beautiful knitted and other handmade crafts.It felt a little odd walking through the front door and standing in her lounge but it made me feel nostalgic as her home resembled many old English houses.

The art galleries were also open and I spotted these bunnies on the ground outside one of them. I kept mentioning to Belinda that there didn't seem to be many visitors today, which was a shame since the funds were so badly needed, but as the day wore on we did see more folks walking around.

The vibrancy of these bird houses caught my eye, strong solid colors with their copper embellishments. There were also miniature versions of them to hang indoors or on the Christmas tree.

 I was particularly drawn to one vendor, Kathy, who had on display shawls, scarves and various freeform art yarns,, all from her own farm animals, which could be used to knit into an item or worn as an infinity scarf. The colors were wonderful and I knew I wanted one but had an extremely difficult time trying to select a color combination, they were all so pretty. I finally chose a 'summery' palette which reminded me of Meadow House and took a photo when I got home of my new scarf draped over the green shutter screen on the patio.
Her website is here.

Santa Claus welcomed us at the old barn which was filled with more craft vendors.

The cats painted on to gourds made me smile with their whimsical expressions, and I loved the Christmas apron. I picked up one of the tiny velvet carrots embellished with embroidery threads and tiny beads, but at $18 each I had to put it back down again. Yet the detail was exquisite.

We started on our house tour and it really does feel strange walking inside peoples' homes with the intention of being very nosy, but we were put immediately at ease as soon as we entered, so I soon relaxed and enjoyed the experience. The owner of the Pink House did let me take a photo of her incredible Gingerbread House. She makes them annually and this year it was a replica of her childhood home in honor of her parents. She explained that it took about 10 days to build, on and off, chuckling that sometimes they would collapse under the weight. I'd never considered that but on closer observation, this was understandable, there was so much detail and ornamentation on the structure. I'd never want to eat it, it was far too beautiful to consume!
At all of the homes we visited we were greeted warmly by docents or the owners and treated to homemade refreshments after our tour. We nibbled on homemade cookies and cakes while sipping mulled or sparkling cider, the warm intoxicationg fragrances of their baking enveloping us as we walked through rooms listening to historical artifacts or family tales.

Although I would have loved nothing more than to take photos of the houses inside, obviously this wasn't allowed but I did take a couple of shots of their beautiful scenic views that they enjoyed from their patios or decks.

The last home on our tour was that of Brian Whelan, an artist who's work is definitely unforgettable. I wasn't too impressed initially, at first glance they seemed busy and almost aggressive  but then I leaned in and studied more closely. After listening to the stories relating to some of the pieces, most of which have a religious theme, I was captivated. And the colors used are glorious. I was very tempted to touch the paintings with their shiny textured areas but knew better than to ask. He uses mainly acrylics, embellishing each piece with foil candy wrappers that lend a metallic sheen to the colorful canvases. These are saved by chocolate munching fans who forward them on to him, there was even a bag sitting on the bench as we chatted. and with him being a fellow Brit we were soon laughing together like old friends over tales of his artist tours. I liked this article on his website, written in 2011 when he lived in England.
 I don't know if the foundation succeeded in recouping its losses from the fall fair cancellation but I hope that the Winterfest will now become an annual event as well. The village, vendors and homeowners had really gone out of their way to welcome strangers into the village. I'd left feeling like I'd made family friends, and it most surely was a lovely way to begin the Christmas season.

Margie"s Christmas Brunch Party

Sunday was a lovely, bright and sunny day for Margie's annual Christmas Brunch Party. Bill accompanied me and once again I lucked out on parking as I drove around the streets close to her house, I found a parking space about to be vacated. Parking is always difficult around here but Stuart seems to always turn up trumps.
The party was in full swing when we arrived, music playing with folks drinking, munching and chatting.

Our gang hung outside for a while making the most of this unseasonally good weather, while chattering sparrows perched in the trees above us and a puffed up dove snoozed on a balcony in the next yard.

All of Margie's stuffed critters were decorated for Christmas and appeared to be as happy as the guests. Margie's parties are always fun. The house is always so gaily colored and packed with decorations that even Scrooge would have had a hard time muttering, "Bah Humbug" here.

We went outside to help Emily find another parking space since she was in a 2 hour spot, and discovered a cardboard box on the wall that Margie must have placed outside, with a 'FREE' sign leaning against it. There were strings of plastic pearls inside and a Santa hat so we set about stringing them onto the little tree outside Margie's house which we felt looked a little bare with just some pink lights strung across it. The Santa hat went on her plastic deer.

This was hanging on a neighbor of Margie's door, it seriously has to be the most horrendously tacky wreath I've ever seen and had to be regarded in awe at managing to be so ghastly that all we could do was stand and stare in horror.

Back indoors we discovered that unfortunately the alcoholic punch had been sucked down quickly and people were looking longingly at the bottom of the empty bowl, so Margie set to work on replenishing it. She pulled a huge frozen chunk of banana, pineapple, mango and other fruits from the freezer and to our immense amusement started sawing it into pieces with a kitchen knife. We placed a sign by the bowl and continued to watch as rum, brandy, Sunny D orange, and I've forgotten what else, was poured into the bowl so that the chunks of frozen fruit floated like icebergs in what now resembled a sea of vomit.

A few cranberries were tossed in as a garnish and immediately we had a volunteer to try out the concoction. It was a success!

With the emergency situation turned about Margie could now settle down to make a notable attempt at demolishing a loaf of bread stuffed with cheese, onion and other things that looked a bit like what went into the punch bowl but which also tasted equally awesome. I managed to snatch a few bites.

Margie's cute little courtyard at dusk...

...and her little tree out front, looking resplendent with its pink lights and pearls. As the afternoon ebbed into the evening, folks started disappearing, to other events or like me, to mentally prepare for the work week ahead, which takes an awful lot of preparation. I wish every day was a weekend!

Work Lunch and Climbing Loudoun Heights

On Friday afternoon we had our work Christmas lunch, with most folks sporting awesome Christmas sweaters.

I was really impressed with the sweaters that showed up, I'd not seen any of them before, but I was particularly fond of my own Star Wars version. Love, love, love this sweater and was extremely chuffed when as I was leaving the restaurant, a waiter rushed over and told me that mine was the best Christmas sweater he'd seen so far.
And so on Saturday morning I met up with a group in Harper's Ferry to hike off the calories of the day before.  There was an early morning frost on the ground and even thin ice on the puddles. I passed a couple of guys in a car as we approached Harper's Ferry and shivered as I looked up at their whitewater kayaks on the roof. We were going to hike Loudoun Heights,a pretty challenging climb, but one that would definitely keep us warm.
We met at the Appalachian Trail Headquarters where they were hosting a Holiday House with hot cider and plenty of homemade cookies. I had a small cup of cider and looked longingly at all the plates of goodies before finally succumbing and selecting a tiny almond cookie that was barely an inch across. It was delicious, and I had to walk outside and wait for the others before my hands started grabbing more. A chunky squirrel was scampering among the leaves across the road and looking so well fed that if his coat had had buttons, they would've popped off. He was certainly well prepared for the winter.

Our group was small today, just 6 people, and we soon started off at a brisk pace, heading towards the cemetery at the top of the town.

Harper Cemetery is named after an architect called Robert Harper from PA who founded Harper's Ferry in 1747. The Harper House is the oldest surviving structure in the town. The mountain in the background was our destination, an outcrop of rocks on the left side where we would stop for lunch.

We headed down a steep hill to a rocky ridge that looked over the Potomac. In 1773 Thomas Jefferson said while visiting here, "On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac [Potomac], in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the sea ... This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."
The top slab is now balanced upon 4 pillars, placed between 1955 - 1860 as erosion and constant clambering upon it had made it rickety. Ken even mentioned that Jefferson's opponents had pushed the slab off and it had been eventually replaced. We couldn't believe that it had been retrieved from the bottom of that hill if that tale was true.

We hiked down to the river, over the bridge, and then started our ascent. It was a long slog. We stopped for mini breaks just to catch our breath and I soon had my jacket off and my sleeves rolled up. By the time we got to the top, it felt like I'd climbed England Mountain in Marshall twice. There had been a lot of rocks and tree roots too, and slipping on the dry leaves had added to our work.

We had another rest at the top and then Ken told us that if we wanted to see the vistas we'd need to hike back down part of the mountain, which would mean climbing back up again to this point which would be our way out. So off we set at a brisk pace.

A tree had fallen across the trail and some park surveyors were cleaning up the debris, making it easier for folks to scramble under the fallen trunk.
And then we were at the first of our outlooks and the views were amazing.

A panorama of the view and the second photo up shows the tunnel through the mountain with the nose of a train emerging and its cargo trundling behind from the end of the tunnel.

We had to stop and marvel at how this huge chunk of rock stood alone among the trees.

The Potomac River and Maryland Heights. I've never seen Harper's Ferry from this perspective before and the views are definitely worth the hike. I'd like to climb Maryland Heights also, (the hill at the end of the bridge), and see the town from that stand point.

The old Hilltop Hotel was clearly visible and looking very much the worse for wear. What a shame this old building wasn't saved. I'm glad I have my old photos and memories of it. Apparently the rail bridge was rebuilt 9 times during the Civil War, there's an excellent article here.
We sat on the rocks to eat our lunch but it was chilly in the shade with the winds and our rears soon got too cold from our stone perches so after about 15 minutes we gave up and started the climb back up to the top of the mountain.There were lots of groans at the thought of climbing again and Ken mentioned that we had 2 choices. We could hike up or jump off. It would then all be over in a few seconds! We all laughed at that.

Climbing down was slippery in places and everyone had at least one trip over tree roots and hidden rocks or a slide on loose earth and slippery leaves. The water looked cold and angry below us so we took special care. Soon we were back down on level land and walked along the old canal to town.

We were stopped in town by Civil War soldiers who were putting on a re-enactment today. Apparently we didn't have correct paperwork and were bustled into an office to get a pass. My accent didn't go down well, even though I swore I was from Marshall, I was told the British were supporting the other side. But eventually I was released back on to the street and allowed to go on my way.

These delicious looking cakes were in a shop window and as we pushed on the door to enter, we were told that the public weren't fortunate enough to be able to indulge in these particular eats, they were strictly for the actors. Oh well, we couldn't begrudge them that, although I did lick my lips as we passed the window again. We consoled ourselves with a hot coffee in a little cafe but I didn't get any of their pastries to munch on, they didn't hold a candle to those we'd seen earlier...
A little later a very kind Ken drove us up the hill to our cars, all of us grateful to have avoided that last hill. We'd walked about 8.5 miles and I was a very happy bunny to finally take off my hiking boots and sink into Stuart's warm, soft car seat for the journey home.