Fall Family Fun Weekend! #Staunton #VA #MD #Travel

Selfie with my brother

I'm back from a whirlwind trip that included seeing a bunch of different family members, celebrating joyous occasions, and reminiscing about the past.  My journey was filled with train and car rides, loads of laughter, and two family events.  Oh, and because it's me, there was also one trip to a haunted building.

I started off making my way from Massachusetts to Maryland via a long but peaceful train ride.  I love the train, actually--I always choose the "Quiet Car", where talking and cell phones are prohibited, and I get to read uninterrupted (with the exception of naps) for hours on end.  It's a mini-vacation in and of itself.

One of the pics I took exploring
Glenn Dale Hospital

From Baltimore, I needed to hook up with my brother and sister, so I took a car to my sister's office.  Like me, she loves all things spooky, so we had to take a quick side trip to the Glenn Dale Hospital,  an enormous, 216-acre campus of abandoned buildings that once served as a tuberculosis sanatorium and isolation hospital.  Built in 1934, it hasn't been used since 1981.  I went into a few rooms (not exactly legal) to snap photos, and while I don't think I encountered any ghosts, it was certainly eerie.  It reminded me a bit of the tour I received of an abandoned prison here on Cape Cod.  In fact, as we get into the Halloween season, I'll probably do an entire post of the history of Glenn Dale hospital and the legends surrounding the facility and include the rest of my pictures...who knows, maybe it will even serve as inspiration for a new book--seems like a perfect setting for one of my stories!  

From Maryland, we hooked up with our brother and continued on to Staunton, Virginia, located in the Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains (both parts of the Appalachian Mountains).  We know it best as the hometown of both our cousins on our mother's side and The Statler Brothers, a country music group we used to see in concert every year when we'd visit for the Fourth of July.  Since it was just a sibling road-trip--we left the spouses and kids behind--it felt like we were time traveling, back to the past.    

Staunton, Virginia

My cousin's wedding was lovely, an all-day event that brought us together with family and friends we hadn't seen in years.  We had a great time reminiscing and the two days we spent there went by too fast.  

We took some of the wedding flowers
to use at the Baptism - love these

Then it was back in the car to my sister's house, for the Baptism of my youngest niece.  I got to see more members of the family and play with my nephew and nieces, whom I adore.  

I was back on the train on Monday, exhausted but thrilled to have been a part of the family celebrations.  It may not have been the easiest trip to make, in terms of timing, logistics, and convenience, but I know it was important too.  Now I'm slowly trying to get back into my usual routine, and it's not easy after five hectic days away!  So, time to get off my computer, and get back to the laundry.  Thanks for stopping by!