LongLando '09 - Off to Walt Disney World

Greetings,

OK, so our annual Long vacation was Orlando this year. We try to go to Orlando every other year and this was our year. We decided to take the Auto Train instead of driving. The cost was about the same as flying and we did not have to get a rental car on the other end. Check out the Auto Train at www.amtrak.com. It is the longest passenger train in the world and the only train in the US that hauls your car along at the same time. We got a first class sleeper and really had a great trip. We pulled out at 4:00PM and arrived the next morning at 8:00 in Orlando. Had a good nights sleep and some great meals.




We are just waiting on the platform for the conductors to open the doors. We get on early and get settled then head down to the lounge for a cheese and wine tasting. There are also snacks so we grab a pepsi and relax down there for a while. We were sampling a great Virginia wine from a winery only a few miles from our house.


Here are the car haulers, our car is in there somewhere.


Rhonda gets settled into our sleeper to watch the Virginia countryside go by.


Our first stop was Cocoa Beach, lots of shells and sand. Kayley did not know what to think of it.
It was a pretty day, but kind of cold. Kayley quickly found out what it felt like to be both cold and wet, a different thing for an Arizona girl.

I will add some Disney pictures over the next day or so, so stay tuned.

August Day Trip - Point Lookout Maryland

We decided since we live in one of the most historic areas in the world, we might as well get out and see it. This weekend we drove to Point Lookout Maryland, at the very southern tip of Maryland, a damp, swampy area where the Union built a Confederate POW camp. I urge you to Google Point Lookout and learn about a time and place where we did not treat our Confederate brothers very well. This should be a lesson learned for our country.


The descendants of Confederate soldiers did not feel like the Veteran's Administration did them justice (below) so they bought this piece or land (above) to build a memorial and be able to fly the Confederate flag at half staff all the time. Inside the rock structure is a big cauldron, the Bean Pot, which they cooked the daily meal.
Under this monument (above and below) is buried an uncounted and unaccounted number of Confederate soldiers. The plaque lists who is buried there, but a book in a box (full of wasps) includes many names not accounted for on the plaques. It is a quiet and peaceful place, but hardly worthy the many men who rest here.
OK, following that we got just a bit turned around and found this, the first road in Maryland, it was in better condition than most roads in Maryland.
We got a bit turned around again, which I am famous for, and found an Amish Farmers Market. The next couple pictures kind of show the place. We bought pickles, beets, and bread. Really fun and very interesting. It was a great stop along a road I should not have been on to start with. I was not lost, I was just exploring.

Time to start the countdown to the next Long Family Adventure. LongLando '09 is only 108 days away. Don't wait until the last minute, buy that sunscreen now!

Trip to Phoenix

Four random pictures from our trip. The Buckner family standing in the rain waiting for us to catch up. We walked down into the canyon to see some cliff dwellings. It was like 300 steps down and around a thousand back up. It was hot and a little higher altitude than we are used to. Kayley did just fine, but the rest of us needed a break at the top.




Both Birthday girls. We went to Chuck E. Cheese and had a blast. We had pizza and played many games. Kayley got a cake and and a song, but then Steph got her own cake and a song as well. It was a special time.



Kayley was very glad to see her Gramma, Gramma was very glad to see Kayley.


Kayley helped PaPa pull his heavy suit case. Pretty soon she said it was too heavy and handed it back. We had a lot of fun, but were really glad to be out of the heat.

Happy Birthday James!

We wish you a happy Birthday,
We wish you a happy Birthday,
We wish you a happy Birthday,
and a happy New Year.


Hey, what can I say, it was easier than trying to come up with a totally new song.


Happy Day to our favorite Son-in-Law!

Goodbye to our Ben Franklin Store

So, been to a Ben Franklin store recently? Well Fredericksburg Virginia does, but only for one more week. For some 30 years this store has stood on the corner being the "dime store" for the area. To enter the store is to flashback many years to the crowded, high shelf variety stores. We are sad to see it go, but time rolls on and while we watch Wal-Mart fight to build a super store right beside to major Civil War battlefields we also watch another downtown icon fall.



Thought I would throw in Crismond's Shoe Store, open for around a hundred years.




Fredericksburg was in the middle of the Civil War, most buildings on main street are on the national register and were here well before the start of the war. We have four major battlefields as well as several cemetaries dedicated to the civil war dead. Fredericksburg is a beautyful town and well worth checking out should you be in the Washington DC area.

Three Types of Train in Washington DC

Here in the Washington DC metro area it is almost impossible to drive. There is not enough parking, the roads are congested, and there are just too many people. When we want to get around in town or in northern Virginia we use mass transit. You often hear people talk about the "train", but in actuality there are three different types of train. Here is a quick post to help you tell the difference.



If you want to go from DC to Baltimore, Richmond or Fredericksburg you can take the AMTRAK. The ticket is just a few dollars and you ride in cozy comfort. Above is a local express AMTRAK train. It has very few stops, carpet and often a food car. Below is the inside view of the express train.

If you want to go from DC into Virginia no further than Fredericksburg you can ride the Virginia Railway Express. This is a commuter train, no carpet, plastic seats, like a bus on rails. They are double decked so a lot of people fit. It takes an hour to ride from Fredericksburg to DC. No food car and no cozy seats. Below is an interior view and below that is the train. Notice, a real engine pulls these cars.




Next is the Metro. This "train" is actually a subway. It runs on electricity and has a person in the lead car driving the thing. It is just what you would expect dirty, loud, and no fun at all. This is how we get around in DC. For a dollar and a half you can ride clear across town, much easier than driving.


Yup, that is the way we get around here in DC. Come visit, take a ride and see the sites.

Honoring our Fathers

With Father's Day being next Sunday we decided to post a couple pictures of our fathers. Rhonda's dad is up first followed by Steve's dad. We hope you enjoy the old pictures of the guys who shaped our lives and taught us some important lessons, like "always check the oil in your car" and "you got to get on the lake early to catch fish." Thanks Dad.

Clifford Childress in a very early photo. We dont know where he was or why he was dressed so fancy.



Clifford in his Army uniform



Yes, this is the Clifford we all know and love, reclined in his easy chair, watching television and sharing his opinion of the world with us.



---Now Steve's Dad.




William and Steve at Grandpa Steven's place June 1959.

William and Steve at the old house, Steve is ready for bed and both are laughing because Mom's camera did not work and she was all flustered.


William and Steve at the Washington Monument last year.

To all the Childress and Long family fathers, Have a Happy Fathers Day.

Branson and Silver Dollar City

I was trying to find some pictures Steph might not have or might not post. Here are a few. Papa and Uncle Steven going to ride the roller coaster with Kayley, nope, see that belly, I could not fit in the car, Steven had to take her. I am going on a diet as soon as I finish this bacon sandwich.

Check out those Crocs, this is one stylish girl making her way down the sidewalk at Branson Landing.

Sisters?

Who are these children and who do they belong to?

Who are these kids?

DC memorials you might have missed

I thought I would share some pictures of Washington DC monuments you might not have been aware of. While the Capitol is full of monuments and displays some just mean a little more than others. I hope you enjoy these pictures.This is the Pentagon Memorial to the 9-11 victims. There is a bench dedicated to each victim, the ones who were killed inside the building have the benches facing the Pentagon while those on the airplane face away from the building in the direction of the plane. They are arranged from oldest to youngest and is a very quiet and somber place, especially odd when it is right next to the worlds largest office building. It is the most respected place for anyone who works in the Pentagon, you will never see a bit of trash here, too many people walk here everyday.

I wanted to show this picture in particular, this is the monument of the youngest victim, Dana Falkenberg, just 3 years old. It is not possible to walk by this bench with dry eyes. Look out across the memorial grounds it is a long distance between the few kids and the rest of the adults.
This is the Air Force Memorial, not as quiet or understated as the rest, but pretty to look at. I was not impressed since it was designed by and for pilots. There are a lot more to the AF than pilots. Now one you all recognize. This is the USMC Iwo Jima memorial, look how big it is. See the little people on the right. It is really neat, quiet, and nicely surrounded by a park.

In Celebration of Alice Moody

As we remember Alice we thought it was fitting we share a few pictures. Alice was a happy person who was always proud of her children and grandchildren. She would have been equally proud of her great-grandchildren who will not know her quick wit and fast smile.

Mom, we miss you every day!


This is the oldest picture we have of Alice, she was one year old.
Here is Alice at 12 years old with her hair in a braid. You can see the mischief in those black eyes.

Alice at 13 Years old

16 Years Old sitting for a fancy portraitHere is Alice with our kids, notice the smiles. We always had fun.

Long's Grocery...Long Gone

At a loss for a posting this week we decided to put up a post of before and after photos of the grocery store. Early morning, arriving at the store. Mom and Sherry in the picture. Note the shadows of three people taking the picture.

This is what remains today. Many memories lost.