Orange County

Sundays are made for piling in to a car and seeing things as a family. Richard, Melissa, Alice, Liam and I stuck to this time honoured tradition by visiting local Civil War Battlefields.

The sun was shining and with history buffs aboard, we were all keen to follow the trail for the Battle of Wilderness. I'm assuming Liam, who is three, was keen too. There were various numbered stop off points that we decided on either 'drive-by reading' or actually getting out of the car. Remember, Liam required unstrapping each time we got out from his secure seat in the back with Alice and I. He was actually brilliantly behaved throughout and happily ran around as we strolled, read and pondered the events that occurred here. This battle we soon learnt occurred at a critical juncture in the war as the Union Army took the war to the Confederate Army. Walking to a ridge above Saunders Field and looking out to the open field and surrounding thick woodland, the imagination ran wild at the devastating loss of life. The trail had a few attractions closed due to the season, however, what we saw today added to yesterday's trip to Monticello, reinforced the rich history of this region.

We headed home and had some lunch. Once the food had settled, we went for a walk and came across a lake in the woods. There was a house right next to the lake and it turned out that the couple who lived there, who are also neighbours of Melissa and Richard's, had the lake dug out themselves. There was a flock of geese busying themselves in the middle, whilst right next to us a heron came walking out of the surrounding woodland and just stopped by the water's edge. It was incredibly serene and made us think how amazing it would be to have a lake in our own back garden. We had a group photo and then strolled back home. Richard and I then had a walk around the woods in his garden. They might not have a lake in their back garden but it is pretty impressive to have a large area of woodland to stroll through and collect your thoughts. There is also a mighty fine pond that Richard made himself. I can definitely see the appeal of living here with so much nature and space to enjoy.

For dinner we went to Culpeper which was not too far away. Culpeper was just as pretty as Fredericksburg and we all decided on a Thai meal. The food was great and none of us could finish the extremely large portions of drunken noodles and pad thai. And not only was the food good, but it was the little touches that made the difference. After we had all eaten one of the waiters gave a plate with whipped cream in the shape of a smiley face with ice cream and biscuits to Liam. It hadn't been ordered and the beaming smile on Liam's face and shock at the treat was such a nice way to end the meal. We left the restaurant in high spirits and a pleasant evening of discussion ensued.

Song of the Day:
Hank Marvin Jr. - A Country Boy Can Survive (Richard's selection)Read more