September 19 - Great day in Beckley!

Monday morning we rested a little after the long drives to get to Pipestem. Then we decided to take a drive to Beckley to see the Coal Mine Exhibition there. We particularly wanted to try the tour of an old coal mine. We arrived at the perfect time - a tour was starting in 5 minutes - just in time for me to get my sweatshirt from the car. We sat in old cars with seats on both sides - my feet were squished - not enough room to move my legs. There was an engine car pulling 2 cars - we were lucky the other car had no passengers. The guide was a retired coal miner with 40+ years of experience working in mines.  He took us down 1500 feet underground. There wasn't much light, it was cold, damp with water dripping from the ceiling. We were told not to put our hands or feet out of the car because of outcroppings in the mountain. We couldn't put our hands up or stand up because of some metal plates sticking out of the ceiling.

The miner stopped to show us a one ton car filled with bituminous coal - I think he said the miner was paid $2/ton - sometimes they brought their young sons into the mine to help them fill the car - but the son did not get paid. He showed us a piece of wood that would have the miner's name on it - he put this into the bottom of the car - when the car was emptied of coal, the wood would be there to prove who had filled it - without the wood, another miner could steal a miner's car full of coal and get paid for it.

The miner had to buy all his equipment at the company store. The only thing the company paid for was the timber used to hold up the walls and ceilings of the mine - the miner had to even buy his own blasting powder and equipment to open up a section of the mine. There was not enough room for the miner to stand up straight. The miner was paid in script made by the company - he had only the company store to do his shopping - other stores outside the coal town might accept the script but at a fraction of its value.  The company did provide housing, but if the miner was disabled or killed, his wife and children only had 3 days to move out. And where would they go! "The miner was in bondage to the company."

Here is a link to us descending the 1500 feet into the mountain: 

https://youtube.com/shorts/Nw57L19Tms4?feature=share

Here is a link to some of his talk: https://youtube.com/shorts/nQm-nAhL0Ok?feature=share

The miner also talked about the importance of safety. He showed us how the miners used to wear caps with flames on them for light - he showed us some improvements for lighting - he talked about the dangers of methane gas and how to test for it. Then he extinguished all the light so we were sitting there in the pitch black! That was scary! Here is a link to see us in blackness:

https://youtu.be/DLGx1haspvo

The miner talked about how the miners had tin buckets for their meals - some kept water in the bottom compartment - some times other miners stole a miner's water. He also talked about the importance of rats - he said the miners fed them!! If they saw rats leaving, they knew something bad was about to happen - a cave in or methane gas buildup - he said many miners had been saved by rats. Makes me think more highly of rats but I still don't want to see one!!

He also showed us how mining went from pick and shovel to miner controlled machines like the scoopers below.

When we came out of the tunnel, we explored the museum that had all kinds of miner equipment, information about unions. 

The retired miner had shown us one of these scooters.

Mine Workers Union flags - the coal companies fought hard to prevent miners from unionizing - like big companies today the coal company was making big profits but didn't want to pay the workers a living wage or benefits - the coal company provided and directed coal town schools, churches, any kind of health care.

We then walked over to a miner's 3 bedroom house - the house didn't seem half bad - like something my grandmother might have had in the 20s or 30s - until we learned that the miner might have 8-12 kids and might rent 1 of the 3 bedrooms!! He told us that in his grandparents' time there was subsistence farming, logging or coal mining - no other job options. One of his grandfathers was disabled on the job - the company gave him a $2000 settlement which was a lot at the time but would never last his lifetime.

We visited the company church - interesting to see benches dedicated to Mannings! I wouldn't expect that they would be related to us.

You can just make out the engine and 2 cars coming down the track from the left - it exits the mine and drives back to the boarding area. The coal mining company's executives would live in these large homes.

The company store above is the visitors center - we bought tickets in here and boarded the coal cars out back. The museum is upstairs and the gift shop is downstairs.

When we were talking about going back to West Virginia, a friend suggested that we visit Wheeling up in the northwest corner of West Va, but unfortunately we couldn't synch our available times. But Charlene mentioned Tamarak in Beckley - it carries products made by almost 3000 artists and artisans from fifty-five countries. There were gorgeous products there! There was also a dining area so we had lunch after taking a look around.

Tamarack 

I love the recycling in these pieces!

The dining area

On the way home from Tamarack we stopped and bought something for supper back at Pipestem where we just relaxed and then watched another episode of Ken Burns' Holocaust. I've read a lot about the Holocaust and follow the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Facebook, but it was still difficult watching the documentary. The similarities to today's events are harrowing. 

We are heading to Camden, South Carolina to visit Vickie's cousin - it is a 4-5 hour drive so it will be a long day.

September 18, 2022

So Sunday morning we got up and had a bit of breakfast at the hotel before starting off for the day. Johnny wanted to see what Petersburg looked like so we took a drive downtown. Johnny knew that Petersburg had played an important tole in the Civil War, but I didn't know anything about it. I have since learned that it played a role in the Revolutionary War as well. It grew so much as a transportation and industrial hub that it was the second most important city in Virginia after Richmond before the Civil War. This caused its importance in the Civil War - the Unionists wanted to gain control of Petersburg to disrupt supply lines to the Confederate capital in Richmond. There was a 292 day siege of Petersburg by the Union Army that was finally able to force the Confederates to retreat. General Robert E Lee's forces were eventually surrounded, and he was forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House.

Petersburg had an up and down history like so many of the places we have visited. It faced loss of industries; Jim Crow laws were instituted; white flight took place - just to name a few causes. The city had about a 73% majority of African-Americans in the 2020 census. It is trying to build on its historic past by renovating its many historic buildings. We loved the architecture - the run down and renovated - we would definitely return to spend more time here.

One of the new businesses

Coffee shop customer!

We loved these old buildings being converted into businesses, apartments, condos - some kept the original exteriors. I think this one says Robinson & Purdy Corp. - "Cotton & Tobacco" "Peanuts."

The old Coca-Cola Bottling Works now houses the Buttermilk Bake Shop. We decided to stop in. My sisters had been texting about buying or baking scones for the Queen's funeral so I was on the lookout for scones.

Vegan cookies - we bought one because my son Dan is vegan - Johnny ate it and said it was okay - he didn't remember it was vegan!

This was the closest I came to a scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream - fresh strawberries and whipped cream in a sugar donut.

Our purchase from the bakery - I believe they were my scone, turtle cupcake, strawberry short cake, chess pie, and a cherry cupcake. My scone was fabulous. Vickie said the turtle cup cake and chess pie were just as good. The others are still in the fridge.

Vickie has Barnhart relatives so she is taking a picture of the old Virginia Branch Barnhart Mercantile Co.

We headed on toward Appomattox Court House saying that we would definitely come again to Petersburg to see its progress.

J&V wanted to get some kind of frozen food to keep the desserts from the Butter Milk Bake Shop cool. We were looking for a good while for a grocery store or a supermarket - we were on back roads and never found out where people bought their groceries. We finally reached Crewe where there was a small market that included a butcher. It wasn't very big and some of the vegetables like cauliflower had dark spots on them. But Johnny and Vickie found a frozen package of Hush Puppies - they are a southern specialty I think - deep fried little cornmeal balls. They did the trick for the other goodies in the refrigerated bag. 

The market had gorgeous mums - and so many of them! They also had all types of pumpkins.

We arrived at the Appomattox Courthouse National Park. The temperature was in the high 80s by this time but not humid. Below is the Court House which houses the visitors center - the entrance is behind the staircase - you don't have to climb the stairs! It has lots of interesting information on the Civil War and a diorama of the park.

We walked over to the McLean House - Union General Ulysses S Grant was using it as his headquarters. We saw the room where Robert E Lee surrendered to Grant. We also saw Grant's bedroom and 2 dining rooms - one upstairs and a more formal one downstairs - the tables had china ware and scones!

The McLean House - the white small building is the well house where they obtained water. 

The upstairs table with blue china 

Pictures of the downstairs dining room - more formal - nicer china - and more scones!! We thought the scones were hysterical because of the text messages with my sisters about baking or buying them to watch the Queen's funeral the next day!

We also walked over to the outside kitchen on the left and slave quarters on the right below.

I was surprised - shocked really at a display in the slave quarters - that explained that 8.5 million Africans were sold into slavery and sent to the Americas!

Court Day was the first Thursday after the first Monday every month - it was during Court Day that Africans were auctioned off with cattle. That is so sickening.

Leaving Appomattox, we headed for Boone's Mill where Vickie's parents and relatives are buried. Vickie has been working on her genealogy so she was checking all the gravestones for names and dates  of Peters and Barnharts. I had taken pictures of some of them the last time we were down - I took even more this time. Such as:

As we left Boone's Mill, we passed a Trump Store selling ice cream!! I kid you not!

Would you buy ice cream from this guy? I only got the pictures because we were stopped at a red light!

As we headed for Pipestem, we passed several miles of traffic backed up on the north bound side - there had been an accident - the Emergency Response Unit was there. We were thanking our lucky stars it was on the other side. We finally reached Pipestem State Park, checked in and brought in our belongings about 9 pm. 

 

Appotomax

Crewe market - butcher, veg - some moldy or with black spots - loads of mums and pumpkins

Farmville 

Lots of farms today with bales of hay 

Lynchburg fort early - riverfront being modernized

Several miles of traffic on north side of 81 from an accident. Emergency Response unit was there too.  

September 16 and 17, 2022 On our way to Pipestem!

We had made plans to go back to Pipestem Campground in West Virginia earlier this year in April, but my brother hurt his knee so wasn't up to the long drive. He's the type that likes to do all the driving himself so we canceled the reservations. We decided to try again this September so we loaded up the car on Friday the 16th and headed out at 8:44 am. We had no reservations for Friday night as Johnny was going to see how far along the road we could make it. He wanted to drive down the Delmarva peninsula and go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I didn't know what the Delmarva was! I had to look it up! Apparently it is a peninsula made up of most of Delaware as well as parts of Maryland and Virginia.

Anyway we left Cape Cod and headed west onto I 195 towards Providence. The last time I had been on this road going to or coming from Philadelphia, there had been no rain so everything was dry and brown at that time. After the recent rain and downpours, this time the trees and grass were green and more lush looking. There was even an occasional change in color of the leaves. 

We hit a little moderate traffic near Warwick - my brother doesn't do traffic well. There were a lot of covered bales of hay near Clark Falls/Stonington which was our first stop to fill up the car and stretch our legs. There is a lot of moaning and groaning from Johnny and myself after sitting in the car for longer lengths of time - even shorter periods to be honest. 

By 11:38 am we were taking the exit for the Merritt Parkway - again everything was green and the roadside so clean - no trash - the smell of fresh mown hay was quite nice. 

We took the George Washington Bridge this trip instead of our usual drive over the Tappan Zee Bridge. There was traffic but it wasn't horrific. I have always been afraid of the George Washington Bridge, but not this time - although I was just sitting in the back seat. The worst part seemed to be merging into the traffic and then trying to get over to the right to take the lower level which does not allow trucks I believe. We headed for Rte 95/the New Jersey Turnpike and then continued more or less on the Turnpike or on parallel less trafficked roads. I hadn't remembered all the marshes in New Jersey near the Meadowlands. There was water on both sides of this six lane highway with bridges off to the left. I was wondering if there is a port opposite the Newark airport because of all the containers there. There were also a large number of fuel storage tanks.

We drove through the Borough of Middlesex - is this the area that advertises on Boston TV? At some point it dawned on me that huge power lines were lining the highway. We took the exit for Trenton but there was a flashing sign that there was an accident ahead so Johnny took the exit to Bordentown to get back onto 95. We eventually got off 95 and crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge then headed toward the Dover beaches - we ran into traffic here - we were stopped at one light, and I noticed an Acupuncture & Chinese herbs clinic, a sign for psychics, a Hooters, and a Gun Shop at one traffic light intersection. Gas was running $3.59-$3.38.

We noticed green plants growing in NJ and Delaware - Vickie looked it up and found out they were soybeans. We also passed recently harvested fields, corn fields, several large farms, horses but no cows. We passed a large stadium near Dover. 

We saw lots of these irrigation systems - I'm always impressed by how big they are! Not sure if these are the soybeans.

We drove over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and went under the tunnel. 

I think I had driven this years ago when my sister Patty and I drove down to Norfolk, Virginia where Steve Erickson was stationed - he had joined the Navy. As we were driving this time, I was wondering how we had ever managed to get there the first time - no GPS, no Google maps. We must have used paper maps - maybe the drive was simpler in the early 1970s. And how had my mother ever let Patty come with me! I was probably about 21 so Patty was about 17!! I was driving Steve's old car. But we made it down anyway - I don't remember staying over night - maybe we just picked up Steve and headed home. I DO remember that his car broke down in Bridgeport, Connecticut. We had no money to get it fixed so we sat in an all night diner or the car until Western Union would be open. We had called my mother from the diner - of course no cell phones in those days - to ask her to wire us money to fix the car - which I am sure we never repayed.

On our current trip, we were making good time - it was about 4 pm - so we decided to keep driving. We were commenting how flat the southern end of Delaware and upper Maryland were.  We eventually landed at a Comfort Inn in Seaford, Virgina. Every place was sold out - there was one room with 2 queen sized beds so Johnny took that. We went across the street to the Stargate Diner - we got 10% off when Johnny showed his hotel key. There was quite a choice on the menu. I ordered a quesadilla and only ate less than half of it. It was delicious! I took the rest back to the hotel.

Stargate Diner 

After dragging our bags in, I changed and went down to the pool for 30-45 minutes - I had it to myself. I was tired when I got back to the room - I took a shower - we watched Midsummer Murders - J&V went to bed about 10 when I was watching some of Queen Elizabeth's services. I had been glued to the TV all week watching all the happening in Balmoral, Scotland, Northern Ireland, London. Friday King Charles had been going to Wales so I missed that and the vigil by her 4 children - I did see the miles long line of people waiting to pay their respects. It was so historic but so much pageantry! Anyway since we were all in the same room, I shut off the TV and went to bed way before 11 - I usually am up until at least midnight so this was a change!

Saturday, we tried the breakfast at the hotel - certainly not diner quality! I met a couple at the elevator when I went out to the car to get clothes from my suitcase. They said they were headed to Suicide Gulch for a paddle boat crab fest. When I was going down to check out, I met a couple that were headed to the same crab fest - they said they had 100 people going! I just tried looking it up, but I couldn't find any information on it. They all said it was a great time!

We hit the road before 9:30 am. We were stopped at a red light when a truck full of white chickens pulled up beside us. The poor chickens were in cages piled on top of each other. One was looking out the cage at us. I became attached to chickens when Johnny Murphy and I had them in East Falmouth. I was so horrified that they were probably heading to be butchered that I forgot to take a picture. But the sight certainly turned me off chicken - at least temporarily. 

We took some back roads to see what the area was like - there were lots of large chicken farms - quite fowl smelling! They were in long short buildings up off the ground with 2 huge fans at the end I could see - the windows were all closed. How inhumane. We took back roads towards Virginia Beach - we passed more chicken farms as well as recently harvested corn, watermelon, and pumpkin fields - we could tell by the left over watermelons and pumpkins in the fields. 

Talk about a stack of hay - how many bales are here?

We passed through Princess Anne - a community of Virginia Beach. Vickie found out that the last lynching in Maryland happened there - not a great occasion to be remembered for!

Church and cemetery in Princess Anne

I just happened to look up Princess Anne tonight to see who she was. I am sitting here now  flabbergasted that the town was named after Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway whose sister Mary married Protestant William of Orange - he beat Catholic King James (who was Mary and Anne's father) at the Battle of the Boyne. William and Mary had no heirs so Anne succeeded as Queen when William died. This seemed so appropriate after all the Royal watching I had been doing this week on BBC following Queen Elizabeth's death.  Plus when I was in England with my sisters Patty and Joanne, we visited Kensington Palace which had a room dedicated to William and Mary and another one dedicated to Queen Anne. 

Anyway, we drove on to Virgina Beach and continued down past the hotels and came to the more touristy area - fried food places, souvenir shops with Playboy costumes and Hooters shorts. Across the street the beach was huge! I commented on the Dairy Queen right on the beach - next thing Johnny was driving around a couple of blocks until he found a parking space. We walked back to Dairy Queen but before indulging, we checked out the beach - it was a large beach compared to the beaches in Falmouth now. It had soft sand - Vicky made her way down to the water and said it was warm. Someone told us that there was a giant turtle down on the beach but then said some fishing gear was likely what had cut off its head - so we decided to skip the turtle. Lifeguards were patrolling on quads/ATVs because the beach was so expansive.

We walked back to Dairy Queen and ordered 3 mini heath bar blizzards. Then we sat on a beach watching people on the beach and passers by. It was up in the 80s by now but not too humid. 

We headed for Norfolk where Vickie had lived until she graduated high school. We drove by a couple of houses and schools that she remembered. One house was a couple of blocks from Ocean View beach. We parked near the entrance she used to take to the beach and walked down to the sand. It was much more private than Virginia Beach and you could find parking on the street. Vickie said that she and her friends would walk there every day after school - they loved it there. Being in the area again naturally brought back many memories. It was also Vickie's birthday which I thought made it more special. 

Picture of elementary school through the car window.

J&V on beach where vickie used to go with her friends after school.

We took a drive along Ocean View beach - it was a long stretch - there were several areas with parking and picnic tables but no souvenir shops, restaurants, etc. We were discussing that this would be a nicer place to vacation especially after they saw a retro motel that they liked. 

It was getting late and we had only had a very light breakfast and DQ. We ended up eating at a restaurant on the pier. There were quite a few people fishing off the pier both before you get to the restaurant and behind it. I guess J&V had eaten here with their kids in the past.

We hit the road after eating but had trouble finding a hotel - everything was booked up! We were shocked - away from the beach, it seemed so rural that we never expected it. We finally managed to get the last two rooms at a Comfort Inn in Petersburg - the desk clerk told me all the hotels in Petersburg were booked up - there was a wedding reception going on at this hotel when we checked in about 8 pm. I was tired and just watched a bit about Queen Elizabeth - there was nothing on the TV about it, and it was so late there was nothing much on BBC or CNN. So I watched another episode of Midsummer Murders and hit the hay. 

Tomorrow we are heading for Appomattox Court House, Boonesville cemetery where Vickie's family are buried, and finally on to Pipestem.

Saturday, May 7, 2022 Happy Anniversary to J & V

Johnny had made an appointment at 11 am to preview Rago's auction items in Lambertville, New Jersey. It was about a half hour drive from our hotel. He had said last night that we would leave about 9. I stayed up until midnight watching a PBS special on Pope Francis. I forgot to set my alarm and woke up at 8 :15! I figured I had plenty of time then Johnny called and said "no rush but we are heading downstairs!" So I threw everything into my carry on bag and headed down. I didn't want anything from the hotel breakfast because we were going to eat breakfast before the auction preview. 

I asked  J & V if they had seen the terrible political commercials on TV - Republicans showcasing their  guns in their political ads. One guy - Mike McCormick? - even had his mother in his ad saying she was the best shot in the family - vote for her son! I believe in the right to have a gun - but certainly not assault weapons and certainly not numerous guns. I have cousins who hunt - they need guns for that. That's no problem but making political ads showcasing your prowess at shooting and showcasing your assault weapon! That's a problem. I went to a firing range once - my friend was going out with a federal police officer, and he took us to the range down near Greenough Boulevard. I don't know what kind of gun I held, but it was heavy and cold - and I was surprised at the power in it when I fired at the target. I have been afraid of guns ever since. These political ads scared me too.

As we drove out of the hotel, it was raining and windy. We passed a car covered with pink dogwood blossoms - the ground was carpeted in pink blossoms - talk about yellow brick road - this road was pink! I was worrying about my tulips which had just bloomed before we left!

We drove through Titusville - a cute little village with houses sandwiched between the Delaware River and the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Some of the houses were built back in 1870-1890 - the gilded age. There was so much green - trees, shrubs, grasses - and the flowers were so colorful. We drove along the Delaware River and the canal - there seemed to be miles of walking paths. I was looking at the trees - their branches stretching upwards like arms - some trees were bent - perhaps from the effort of keeping their arms outstretched.

We saw a one lane wooden bridge so of course we had to cross it - it led to a small parking area and the entrance to someone's mansion! We turned around and headed on. We passed through Dilly's Corner then over a bridge to Stockton - another cute village. We drove through New Hope over the river to Lambertville - both have so many enchanting houses, shops, restaurants. There are row houses and single homes. We love this area - especially this time of year. We found the same parking space we had last night!! We walked around the corner to the luncheonette for breakfast - it was still raining and cold. We waited a few minutes for a table - only every other one was being used because of covid but no one wore masks. 

After breakfast we drove to Rago's auction house - we were able to go in early to preview the auction items. I know Rago's from PBS' Antique Road Show. I was able to recognize a mirror by Wharton Esherick by its uneven sides - none were the same length - we had just been to his museum yesterday. I saw a couple of pieces by George Nakashima - there were more but I am not familiar enough with him to pick them all out.  Suzanne Perrault, who is married to gallery owner David Rago, was there making coffee for a man also there to preview items. She was telling him that they are finally going to Italy next month if all goes well. 

We headed down to the other storeroom a few minutes away - it was really raining now. Johnny recognized a lot of the pieces and the artists. I am amazed at how much these pieces are worth - thousands of dollars! And some look like ordinary tables and chairs! As Johnny said you are buying pieces of art.

From Rago's we drove a short distance to George Nakashima's studio. He was a Japanese-American woodworker, architect, and a leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He was interned during WWII but was sponsored to move to New Hope, Pennsylvania where he set up his studio. Johnny and Vickie have been interested in his work for years. Johnny tried to book a tour with George Nakashima's daughter Mira who is also a woodworker and who runs his studio - she does tour on the first Saturday of the month. The tour was booked up, but Johnny persisted saying that he had several pieces of both George's and Mira's and that it was his 50th wedding anniversary and he wanted to stop by the shop. George's grandson told Johnny to arrive about 12:15 on Saturday when the gift shop would be open after the tour. Mira was just finishing up with the tour when we arrived. We kind of hung in the background until Mira had signed the tour group's books. Johnny then approached her  - she seemed surprised when she learned we had come from Cape Cod - she was also surprised when Johnny was describing the pieces he had bought of hers and her father's. Mira is a small little lady - it is hard to imagine her working with a huge slab of wood! She was very generous with her time - J & V bought a few small pieces - Mira signed one congratulating them on their 50th anniversary. J & V were delighted!

Above and below from George Nakashima's studio.

This was the end of our trip except to stop by Judy and John's further north in New Jersey - they own a house in Bourne beside J&V.  John and Judy had just bought a new house - it was fabulous - so much light! Judy had fixed a lunch for us which was so kind of her - what hospitality! We had a lovely visit but finally had to hit the road - it was a 5 hour drive home. 

The rain had stopped by the time we left - so it was easier driving for Johnny. We were on route 95 when it got dark. There is something about looking out at the lights in the dark that I enjoy. Sometimes in the rural or wooded areas where you can see a couple of lights in the distance - this reminds me of driving in Ireland in the dark - the lights away on the hillsides.

We made it home about 10:15 - I was home in bed shortly thereafter watching the local 11 pm news then Saturday Night Live with Benedict Cumberbatch! Another interesting jaunt completed!!