Where's Willow? - West Virginia (Day 2)

It rained all day today, but that didn't stop us.

 

Corrine, Emily and Cathleen's mom allowed them to stay home from school to go sightseeing with me. The first picture is of us loaded into the car and we titled it, "It's raining, it's pouring, but we're goin' exploring!"


First I will tell you that Falling Waters is located in Berkeley County which is in the Eastern Panhandle of WV. The Eastern Panhandle is sandwiched between Maryland to the north and Virginia to the south.

We started our day with a visit to the Ellis Orchard to purchase some Golden Delicious apples, one of two varieties native to WV.

My host mom is going to bake a pie for us to share later.  

 
See me sitting with the orchard cat who sleeps by the cash register all day long.

Then we visited the James Rumsey Monument in Shepherdstown which is in Jefferson County, WV. James Rumsey invented the steamboat, but died before he could patent it.  Robert Fulton later developed a commercially successful version.
 

The monument is so tall that I got dizzy looking up.  

The last picture is the view of the Potomac river from the monument.

My host family's grandson comes to their house after school for a few hours on Wednesdays.  We had chocolate chip pancakes for dinner and then he asked me to play computer games with him.  We just got back from taking him home.  

I got to meet his dog, Izzy.  She doesn't like to sit still so it was hard to get a good picture.

Anyway, something I forgot to tell you is that Shepherdstown is the oldest incorporated town in WV.  It is 252 years old!

Shepherds Mill is the oldest privately owned grist mill in WV but it is not opened to the public so we had to sneak a picture from the road.

On the way back home we stopped at the National Conservation Training Center.  A pair of nesting eagles successfully raised two chicks there this summer.  Would you believe that an eagle nest is so large, it can weigh up to a ton!  

We got a group picture at the visitor's center,

 also at a favorite local mom and pop restaurant where we had a late lunch.

West Virginians are very nice.  I have been welcomed with smiles everywhere I went today.  It's been a big day and I'm really tired so even though it is only a little after 8, I'm going to bed.  

Host Mom is going to read to me before bed.  Don't worry, I'll say my prayers.

Hugs to you and Dad,

Willow