Coffee Roasting and Other Adventures

We left Virginia Beach on Tuesday morning - about 7 - after saying a sad goodbye to Mark and Lynnette and our friends Belle and Charlie. :(

We should have known, when it took us over an hour to get out of the city {because of rush hour} that it wasn't going to be QUITE the smooth driving day we had coming out for vacation. Our first destination of the day was in Westminster, Maryland, which was about a five hour drive. In those five hours, we were delayed for rush hour, an accident, and a wrong turn in Washington DC {of all places}.

It was our first time to be in Maryland together, and this is the best I could do for a welcome sign, as the ACTUAL welcome sign was around a curve, behind some trees, and I caught it out of my peripheral vision as I was sailing past.

But we made it to Westminster, a small college town, and the purpose of our visit was to stop by Furnace Hills Coffee to see how roasting is done. I learned about Furnace Hills Coffee when I was working at WBCL. I interviewed the owner, Dave Baldwin, about the story of the place, which employs people with disabilities, including Dave's daughter, Erin. I was so intrigued by the story and by the whole idea of coffee roasting {because of course!} that I wanted to see it for myself when I realized we were going to be in the area!

{Can we pause to talk about WHY Ryan thought this was a good day to wear a Colts shirt? In Maryland? We did receive some icy treatment for that. Not from the nice coffee folks though.}

So we'd never seen coffee roasting in action before, and we were fascinated. Furnace Hills has three roasters, and they were all going while we were there. 

 It's a tiny roasting company, but they keep busy, and Dave was kind to explain the process to us - from the time the beans arrive in their burlap sacks until they're roasted and ready to go!

We learned a little about the blends, from the soldier's blend that is a big seller because Gettysburg is nearby to Erin's breakfast blend...we learned how they work and why they're so good! {And we sampled some!}

And then we had a photo taken with the whole gang working that day!

They recommended a little cafe in town for lunch, so we went there. It was delicious, but Ryan's Colts shirt didn't go over well. LOL!!

We had to get back on the road after lunch, because we still had five more hours to go!! We drove on up through Pennsylvania into New York, and man, were the trees ever pretty as we went!

{PS - Pennsylvania, could you spring for larger signs? I almost missed it!!!}

Sunsets in the mountains sure are pretty!

We arrived at our destination after dark - a hotel in Mt. Morris, New York. We were pooped from driving and ready to rest - because the next day was going to be a very big day!

The Shafferland Shuffle

In case you missed it yesterday...SURPRISE! We went on vacation this past week! In fact, we sneaked out a couple days early at the end of last week, making my picture sharing tricky for last Friday and Saturday! While everything I told you was absolutely true, here are a couple of montages that show a little bit more fully the events of a week ago Friday and Saturday:

* Friday was really filled with an all day road trip that began at 7 a.m. {and the trip to Starbucks you saw} and ended when we arrived at my best friend Lynnette and her husband Mark's house in Virginia Beach, Virginia. {They own the cute dog you saw in last week's Shuffle.} We had THE most perfect day ever for driving. Not one single construction zone. Not one single wreck. Not one single slow down. Nothing. And stunning blue skies, sunshine, and changing leaves made for such a pretty drive. We had a blast in the car, but we were happy to arrive and stretch!

* Saturday, we really did sleep in and eat BBQ and cuddle up to watch TV at night, but there were a few more exciting things throughout the day. We lounged around Mark and Lynnette's house all morning and then we headed TO THE BEACH! Lynnette took us to two different beaches and we had a great time walking through sand, walking down the boardwalk, crashing a wedding, playing with photo props, and so much more. We ended the day eating at a darling little BBQ place and then watching TV.

* Sunday, we went to church with Mark and Lynnette, and then they took us to Colonial Williamsburg. We'd never been before, and again, we had such a pretty day and LOVED being able to run around, having fun, seeing history, and spending great time with my half of our wedding party. {And I won't lie - I kind of wanted to move into some of the houses in Williamsburg! They are adorable! But I would not have wanted to live back in those colonial days!}

* Monday was our last day in Virginia, and Mark and Lynnette took us to the lighthouse at Cape Henry. {Again, in case you have forgotten, I am petrified of heights and enclosed spaces, so climbing lighthouses is a feat for me. But I did it!!} We had another GORGEOUS day - much nicer than was predicted, actually. We had a seafood dinner on the water and ended our day at Mark and Lynnette's favorite coffee shop. A great end to our time in Virginia Beach!

* We left Mark and Lynnette's house early Tuesday morning and drove almost the entire day, headed to our NEXT adventure! The morning's drive was kind of maddening - rush hour and delays and wrong turns and such, but midday, we stopped and visited Furnace Hills coffee roasting company! We'd never seen roasting in action before, and it was exciting! More about this later. We drove all afternoon, up from Virginia, through Maryland, all the way through Pennsylvania, and into New York, and we got a hotel for the night - and it had complimentary coffee and cookies. YUM!!!

* Wednesday, we were THRILLED when the weather report was wrong and our day at Letchworth State Park in New York went splendidly! I can't wait to show you more of the pictures, but we hit a stunning leaf season to drive and hike through this beautiful park that is voted the number one state park in the nation for a very good reason. We spent the entire day in the park, ate dinner before 5:00 {LOL!!!!} and then spent the evening resting our aching feet. Hiking uphill is a change of pace for these flat-land midwesterners!!

* Thursday morning we had our shortest drive of the whole trip: an hour and a half to the great sight of Niagara Falls! It was Ryan's first ever trip to the Falls, and my third. {Second that I remember. I was two months old the first time.} Though the day had been slated for cold and rain, it was warm and sunny and STUNNING. There weren't a ton of people there, so we had plenty of room to move around, take pictures, see beautiful fall leaves, and take our first trek into CANADA! Though our legs almost fell off at the end of the day from all the walking, it was a lovely day in every way.

* Friday morning, we took our time getting ready and packed up, walked back down to the Falls one more time for a goodbye look, and left New York shortly before lunch. The drive home was every bit as annoying as our drive TO vacation had been NOT annoying. We had construction delays, rush hour, and didn't get home until 10 p.m. But we enjoyed our day on the road together and decided it was the best end to our vacation! {Plus I got to stop at Sonic, so I was VERY happy for that!!}  Thankful to be home with our girlie again! 

* And because we hadn't spent enough time in a car, yesterday morning we picked up my parents and drove a couple hours south of home to have lunch with my sister at the Mayberry Cafe in Danville, Indiana. The food was so good, and it was a fun day, even if it was a long drive. And it's never a bad day when you get to watch Andy Griffith the whole time you get to eat lunch!!