Wild. Wonderful. West Virginia.

West Virginia is a beautiful, rugged state. We stayed in a cabin in the geographic center (in other words, in the middle of nowhere) of West Virginia. A few things we learned:

• Anything that looks close on the map, isn't. One day we decided to go swimming. We found a state park that appeared to be about a half hour away. Many roads in that area are very narrow, and you can only go about 20 mph. It definitely took an hour to get there. The good news is that, when we got there, the pool was open! (Another such excursion did not have the same results...)
• Charlestown, WV is a fun town. Charlestown was about an hour from where we stayed, and we drove down there twice. The first time we went to the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences. It had all sorts of interactive exhibits and hands on stuff for kids. Isaiah had a blast. The other day we drove down to the Kanawha State Park which is only seven miles south of the city. That last seven miles took forever, and when we got there, the pool was closed! After an hour and a half of driving, this was a big disappointment. We got directions to another community pool in Kanawha City which was a gorgeous pool. By the way, I'm not too big on swimming. Now that I have kids, I have learned to really appreciate and love kiddie pools!
• Things that may seem odd to us are a part of normal life in WV such as (but not limited to): 1) a donkey and dog chasing each other around a front yard 2) suspended foot bridges that seem like something from a foreign country 3) cows sometimes stand on the edge of the road 4) atv's and cars apparently have the same rights on the roads 5) someone drove an atv to church 6) You can live in a trailer and still afford to have six or seven horses in the yard 7) people are very resourceful (on the picture below, the awning says "Grill" on the one side and "Salad Bar" on the other... so many questions)

Enjoying french toast for brunch.

Who's having more fun??

I can play, too!

Spending a week without tv, internet, or cell phones left me with so much spare time! I read two books which will be the subject of other posts. We played games, kicked the soccer ball, and sat by the fire. Only once did I resort to twiddling my thumbs, because I had left my book in the room where Sam was sleeping. =)

Our trip home will also be the subject of another post. The good news is that, eventually, we got home. =)

Overall, it was a great week. Dan's right. Vacations really are necessary to slow down, refresh, and relax.