A Stop in Dayton, VA

Yesterday was an errand day, starting with an appointment at the podiatrist's office in Harrisonburg and progressing through various stops at stores and the bank, etc. Frank needed a haircut and he asked a waiter to recommend a place. "The Hair Corral in Dayton is the only place I go," was the answer. So we went there.

When we left Dayton, I saw an arrow to a Civil War Trails marker and decided to follow it. We crossed the railroad and found markers for the spot where Union Lieutenant John Meigs was killed, sparking a retaliation against local civilians.
There are two Civil War Trails markers next to Meigs Lane. Here's how the story begins:

Here on the old Swift Run Gap Road on the evening of October 3, 1864, Union Lt. John Rodgers Meigs was killed in a fight with three Confederate scouts guided by local resident Pvt. Benjamin F. “Frank” Shaver, 1st Virginia Cavalry. Meigs, of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s staff, and two orderlies encountered the Confederates, who had entered Union lines that morning to observe the dispositions of Sheridan’s army camped around Harrisonburg. A firefight ensued and Meigs wounded a scout, but the others returned fire and killed Meigs. His body was recovered the next morning. One of the orderlies reported to Sheridan that civilian “bushwhackers” had murdered Meigs. (Because of a drizzling rain, the scouts had worn “rubber raincoats” over their uniforms.) Sheridan retaliated, ordering that buildings over a large area, including the town of Dayton, be burned to the ground. He soon rescinded the order concerning Dayton, but thirty other dwellings were destroyed in what came to be known as the “Burnt District.” Sheridan justified his actions by asserting, “Since I came into the Valley, from Harpers Ferry up to Harrisonburg, every train, every small party, and every straggler has been bushwhacked by people.” In this case he was wrong, and innocent people paid the price.

See the rest of the marker on HMDB.org.

I followed the trace of the old road for a short distance and found the stone marker that was placed on the approximate spot of Meig's death.

Returning to the two "trails" markers, the right-hand one continues the story quoted above. This excerpt tells why people in the valley still feel bitter toward Custer (pictured on the right).

On October 4-5, the 5th New York Cavalry of Gen. George A. Custer’s division began displacing local families and burning their homes to the ground. Some residents went to live with more fortunate family members and friends. Others joined a 400-wagon-long train of refugees that left Harrisonburg on October 5 for the North...
Ironically, most of the refugees were pacifist and antislavery Mennonites and Brethren, commonly called Dunkards or Tunkers.

January at Bear Wallow Springs

Orkney Springs, VA

Yesterday was the warmest day we've had in a while. Temperatures around 50 degrees (F) melted most of the remaining snow.

We took advantage of the nice weather by driving up to Orkney Springs. After a stop at the recycling center, we took the dogs to the tennis court where they could run around safely. Once they got bored with that, we went for a walk around the pond.

There was still a thin coat of ice on most of the surface.

• See this pond on a more icy day.
• See even more pictures of this site.

Group Pictures

On Friday we drove to Front Royal to meet Allison and Kate and her boys for lunch. Kate and her mother had driven up to Woodbridge from South Carolina for a few days.

Above: Allison, Justin, Frank, Kate

Below: Justin, Austin, Alice

Above: Kate, Austin, Justin, and (2d row) Frank, Allison, Linda

Wow! It's 2011 Already.

Twenty Eleven

The years are passing so quickly now. Somehow as we get older and time seems more precious, it goes by even faster than before. Wait, there are things I want to do!

Guess I'd better make a list and post it on the fridge. Last year I posted a list of places I wanted to go, mostly just a couple of hours away. This did help motivate me to go to more of those places so it worked out well except for the accident on the way back from Romney.

This year I want to think of some fun things to do in the winter and include those on my list. Waiting for good weather is a waste of perfectly good time. And winter has a way of getting dull after Christmas so I need to guard against tedium. Suggestions are welcome.

Pirate in the Casino

Here Frank posed with a "pirate" in the ship's casino. We were on our way to the theater.

To reach the theater, you could either walk through the casino or you could use a different route on the floor above it and enter the balcony.

Lunch in Key West

After our walking tour, we had lunch at a place called Caroline's Cafe. Here's Frank enjoying a slice of key lime pie (of course).

Then we walked quickly up to Starbuck's so that I could purchase a coffee press before rushing back to catch the last shuttle bus to the ship.

Around the Hemingway's Pool

Hemingway was not pleased when his wife had the pool put in. I got the feeling that he was a hard person to live with. And eventually he left his wife for another woman.

The urn and trough was intended as a water supply for his cats, but they shunned it. The trough was formerly a urinal at Ernest's favorite bar, and after he brought it home, his wife cleverly decorated it with tiles and a nice setting. The cats were not fooled though.

Hemingway's Writing Studio

In Key West, FL

Frank wanted to see the Hemingway house because he read and enjoyed some of Ernest Hemingway's books. I was interested because of a distant link between my family and Ernest's which I had found once while searching for my name on the internet.

It was my maiden name that I found, along with my siblings, listed as descendants of Ralph Hemenway, who settled in Massachusetts around 1633. I can't find that page now but there are plenty of lists of Ralph's descendants that include my great-grandmother Grata Leora Hemingway, and a few that include my dad (see link).

In any case, our kinship with Ernest is very distant. Hemingway genealogy has been published and is available online, and I see that my distant cousin Richard M. Nixon was closer to me in kinship than Ernest was! (Incidentally, I've also read that anyone who has ancestors who were in this country back in the very early years of English colonies is likely to be related to anyone else who has an ancestor here at that time. I don't recall the cut-off date but I'm pretty sure 1633 qualifies. So "Hi" to all my distant cousins out there, whoever you are!)

My 2009 Post about one of my Hemingway ancestors

On Amazon: Descendants of Ralph Hemenway of Roxbury, Mass, 1634

Ernest Hemingway Slept Here

The writer Ernest Hemingway lived here in the 1930's. Today the house and grounds are a museum, but they are also home to the descendants of his pet cats.

Link: Hemingway Home and Museum

Hemingway's Saloon

After our tour guide took us through the Key West residence of Ernest Hemingway, he walked with us to Greene Street and took us inside Captain Tony's Saloon which was favored by Hemingway. (For those unfamiliar with the famous writer, he was a frequent drinker, meeting his friends at the bar every afternoon at 3:30.) At that time the establishment was called Sloppy Joe's.

Between Hemingway's home and the bar we passed this fence.

Route 1 Ends Here

Key West, FL

Intersection of US 1 and Fleming Street

Since I grew up near U.S. Route 1, I was amused to find myself at it's southern terminus. Over the years I've traveled on it many times and in many states. And in most places it looks much like it did back when I rode the school bus on it to get to high school: busy with traffic, surrounded by a decaying sort of sprawl choked with gas stations and strip malls. Not a pretty road but a familiar one.

Link: Route 1 on Wikipedia.

Scenes from a Walk in Key West

The only port-of-call activity we reserved before our cruise began was a walking tour of Key West which focused on Ernest Hemingway's years there. It was advertised as a one and a half hour tour, which sounded ideal. This turned out to be a printing error, the actual time was two and a half hours. That left us a little rushed and a little tired, but it was worth it.

Harbor at Key West, Florida

We had wanted to visit Key West for some time so we were glad that the cruise went there. After a delay in the ship being cleared to disembark, we got to spend part of an afternoon there.

Since we did not stray far from the harbor, many of the tourists we saw were from cruise ships. It certainly seemed like the town was packed with visitors.

Back to the Cruise Pictures

Christmas is over so I'm returning to the cruise photos. I hope to get them posted before the end of the year... but wait! That's tomorrow! Well, I only have one port of call left to post, so I should be able to do it.

Water Tower at Sunset

Strasburg, Virginia
in the Shenandoah Valley

I saw this a week ago as I left the Food Lion in Strasburg.

See also my post: Strasburg Skyline

Marie and Me 12/27/2010

When we get together with family members, I try to remember to take some pictures. After all, we don't see each other all that often and the photos make the moments seem to last longer.

Frank took these pictures in the driveway as Marie prepared to start her journey home. It turned out to be a slow trip because of heavy snow in New Jersey and New York. She took the train from DC to NYC and it had delays, but at least she got there the same day. Some folks who tried to go by plane were less fortunate because flights were canceled.

Holiday Lunch with My Daughters

Marie and I drove down to Rockbridge County on Sunday and took Lynn to lunch. Marie and I had both purchased at least one gag gift for Lynn.

Rock, Lynn, and Roxie

Walking in the Snow

Christmas Morning at Our House

I always enjoy family visits. We don't get to see Marie very often because it's pretty much an all-day journey between our homes.

The Kindle was on her wish list and I was glad to find one for her. She plans to take it on a world tour.

Visit Marie's blog.

This Gift Made Me Laugh

Generals Grant and Lee
as Finger Puppets

Marie gave me these little "Magnetic Personalities." They are both finger puppets and refrigerator magnets.

I posed them in a potted petunia with Grant behind Lee because he spent so much time pursuing him.

Snapshots, Christmas Morning

Above: Marie

Below: Frank and Linda

On the Day Before Christmas

Allison and Dave Visited

Have a Delightful Christmas

‎"Christmas is wonder and a magic, meant to cheer the heart. … Christmas makes us add a touch of color to our everyday rooms and everyday life and puts a bright green sprig on our front door as if we would say to all the world that there live in this house warm people who delight in beauty and believe in joy and want to share a little of it with you—you would be welcome if you should come in."

~ James Dillet Freeman

In the Centrum, Dec. 5

The big lobby in the center of the ship is called the centrum. It was decorated for the holidays.

A balloon sculpture session was taking place here.

A Holiday Village

Christmas Decorations on the Ship