Three Day Weekend

I had three days off in a row this weekend so I decided to a little more touring of the area. Saturday morning on my way home from work I had a bunch of errands from my New York nursing license. A passport photo, Notary Public (as a kid I thought it was Note a Republic), a trip to UPS and the realization that Veterans Day had slipped my mind (for SHAME Noelle!) and my PO Box license address wouldn't be going out for awhile (smack on the forehead). The addresses I had were the longest known to man though. The one to send for verification of licensure from Illinois was like this:

Illlinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
Division of Professional Regulation
320 West Washington Street 3rd floor.....

and so on. Sheesh. The tiny square I was expected to fit that on for UPS. pleebbb. Please.

Anyway I had big plans to see the last few things in Baltimore....but the Wisconsin Iowa game was on ESPN. What are the chances of that in Maryland? So I watched that instead (Badgers won) and made Dad jealous that it was 72 in Baltimore and 30 somethin' in WI. HA HA

Sunday was Sharpsburg and Antietam National Battlefield. I attended "Battlefield Bible Church" and went on to see where the Battle of Antietam was faught. Now if you are a Southerner you would call it Battle of Sharpsburg but I am a Yankee. It was the bloodiest battle (23,000 casualties) in the war and had the fiercist fighting. Beautiful area miserable weather. Rainy, windy and about 45 degrees (whose laughing now Dad?) It was missing the element of my brother though. It seemed to me that he belonged there with me and sadly there was this absence. He can't be everywhere though, can he? Anyway nothing else exciting happened. Hanging out till Thanksgiving. The most exciting holiday so far this year!!!! I can't wait. If my plane is delayed so help me I will flap my arms and FLY to Wausau.

Some old black guy***

On Monday I finally had some time off and I was thrilled. After sleeping for a little while I decided to run some errands in good ole' Pikesville, Maryland suburbia. I went to two places in about 30 minuted and managed to see one older gentleman four times in that span.
When I was walking to the library I ran into the man coming toward me right after he got off the city bus. He looked a little messy but not to the point of being homeless, he said hello (I think) and I said hi back.
On my way back up the street from the library I cut over to stop at the Grocery store. I was taking the back way in and saw the man again. He had his plastic bag sitting on a taxi cab hood and I could see him possible being a cab driver. This is when the meetings got to be strange. As I walked by at a decent distance he called out to me: "Want to buy _____ its brand new $35.00" It was some sort of DVD in what appeared to be a very blackmarket looking case. Now I have seen illegal DVDs sold on the streets of Chicago and New York I have seen tons in foreign countries, but never in suburbia USA. The funny thing is I would never pay $35 for a blackmarket DVD. I mean come on. They are way cheaper than that. He must have really thought I was some kind of dumb white girl who wouldn't know any better (which is understandable) . I told him "No thanks!" and walked toward Giant supermarket. (Of course in my head I am seeing the commercial on rental DVD's: "You wouldn't steal a car...You wouldn't steal a purse...Copying DVDs is Illegal.....PIRACY IS A CRIME" with that catchy music in the background.)
After purchasing afew groceries I am heading back to my apartment (still on foot) by another short cut when I see the guy again. He is standing next to a Nissan car now in a small parking lot. He looks up and sees me (oh brother) and says: This car was towed and look!!! No one came to claim it. They towed it and no one came to claim it!" Sheesh guy this isn't lost and found where if no one comes to claim the item you automatically get dibs on it. I merely made an exagerrated shrug and kept walking.
Once I hit the main street and crossed he popped out of another side of a building still on the other side of the street. "Hey do you have sixty cents?" I told him no. Like I am going to cross back over a very busy street to give him sixty cents when he couldn't have asked for it the first three times I saw him?

***Please note: I have been given permission from my African American friends to refer to this man as "black" to be sure it would not offend anyone.

Yes Virginia, those are tourists

I had a wonderful long weekend to finish off my October. My mother and I went on our annual mother daughter trip. Last year Montreal the year before Savannah and this year Virginia!
After picking the ole mom up at the airport we sat in traffic from Baltimore to Fredericksburg. It was awful and I was tired we made it to Willamsburg in one piece though!
Day one was chilly and gray very appropriate for a visit to Jamestown settlement, it helped you realize how cold and miserable they were 400 years ago when they attempted to settle on the land. We also saw a interpretation of the Jamestown settlement with costumed "interpreters" and all. My favorite was getting on full working ships of the Susan Constant and the Godspeed.
Day two was spent in Colonial Williamsburgh taking bunches of tours and walking A LOT! I dragged moms butt everywhere and we had a great time. The buildings were wonderful and so much history of so many great people (Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry). We were tired by the end of the day thank goodness for daylight savings time we got an extra hour of sleep that night.
Day three was tying up some things we missed in Williamsburg. After a few visits and an old video we headed to Yorktown to see where the Revolutionary War ended. We took a car tour and had a lovely time there. I had a chicken sandwich with way undercooked meat and I got grossed out. They gave me a free piece of yummy carrot cake and did not charge me for anything. Lovely little town!
Day four was seeing Monticello, Ashlawn Highland and Michie tavern in Charlottesville, Va. It was lovely but Michie tavern was one more tour too many and mom and I were tired at the beginning of that tour. It didn't help that Virginia was experiencing their Asian Beetle swarm. Gross.
Day five Baltimore, more accuratly Lexington Market.
We were ready for a vacation after I drug mom around everywhere but I was glad we got as much done as we did. Lots of planning!! The only problem? Mom and I hated to make decisions so I made plenty of them and she made some.
In summary: I thought Virginia in post peak fall foilage was beatuiful. I saw the Blue Ridge mountains, the valleys and the coast and was very impressed.