My favorite things from A-Z

Maggie Ann did her favorite things a little while back so I thought I would play along. Here it is:

A - Authors - Rosamunde Pilcher; Anne McCaffrey; Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels; Maud Hart Lovelace; Gladys Tabor

B - Books - The Bible; Max Lucado books; The Shell Seekers; Coming Home; Betsy-Tacy books; Linnets & Valerians; Mrs. Mike

C - Coffee - I like coffee but I'm not a big drinker. I like French Vanilla Cappuccino

D - Dessert - Anything chocolate(cake, ice cream, candy); right now Strawberries (but get this, I don't like my strawberries dipped in chocolate - go figure?)

E - Elegant object you own - my two antique candy dishes from my Mom's home and my Dad's home.

F - Flowers - Pansies; Morning Glories; Sunflowers; Violets; daises

G - Guests for Tea - My daughter's Sara & Lori; My Sister Reta; My mother-in-law Marian; my friends Jeanette & Debbie; and oldest friend Ann! (Yes, we are we are both Ann and we have known each other since we were about 4 years old and we email each other everyday!)

H - Home - Where ever my family is. The place I love to be.

I - Inspirational Authors - Max Lucado

J - Jane Austin book - I've never read her books.

K - Kitchen Gadget - My Medium sized Pampered chef rectangle stone.

L - Laundry helps - My husband and my daugthers. Other then that I just throw them in add detergent and that's it!

M - Music - Josh Groban, 40's & 70's music(weird?), Praise & Worship; John Tesh, Martina McBride; Keith Urban; Brad Paisley; Alan Jackson; right now my favorite song is Downtown by Petula Clark.

N - Naptime - Sunday afternoons

O - Organizing Tips - if you haven't used it lately get rid of it but I never listen to my own advice.

P - Pride & Prejudice Character - Sorry don't know it either.

Q - Quote - God's faithfulness does not mean we will not face trouble. God's faithfulness means we will not face trouble alone.

R - Recipe - Go to a Pampered Chef party. You'll love their stuff and recipes.

S - Scent - Moonlight Path from Bath & Body

T - Tea - Decaf Sugar Sweetened Ice Tea

U - Underwater creature - Goldfish; Porpoise

V - Voyage you've taken - I flew to Anaheim CA for a business trip in April 95. My first flight and first time really on my own.

W - Water Feature - I love swimming pools. I'm not a beach person. I don't like sand.

Xtra-Special Treat - Reading a good book or getting time to Collage, which I love. (this is Maggie Ann's but it is my too so I borrowed it)

Y - Something about You - I work full time as an office manager for a company located in Scotland and I am their only US employee. I love British Comedies. I'm shy and timid and I've always been known in my family as Reta's little sister (but that is okay! I love my big sister) Paul & I said our vows again on our 25th wedding annivesary. We walked down the aisle together to the song "Remember When" by Alan Jackson. We wrote a letter to Alan thanking him for writing such a beautiful song and he wrote us back and sent an autographed picture of himself!

Z - Zoo Animal - Elephants & Prairie dogs I'm not sure if they would be considered a zoo animal but I saw a documentary on tv about them and they are the cutest things. More like a prairie beaver then a dog.

Our most recent bike ride

Following the next several posts you will find pictures and information on our most recent bike ride on the Allehgeny Highlands Trail. If you want to read the post in order you will need to scroll down several post to start at the beginning. The first post on the bike ride is titled "How many miles did you say?" Enjoy yourself and leave me a comment. I love comments! For Paul's view of the ride and his pictures check out his site Camera Totin Idiot. He likes commments too!

We made it!

Loading up to go across town and home.



The trail ends at the Western Maryland Train Station. The C&O Canal starts here. There are offices, The C&O Canal Museum, Allegany County Vistors Center located in the station.


Ready to go again????????????????

Ann

Frostburg, Maryland

Taking a much deserved rest at the Frostburg, MD rest area. We have about 16 miles to Cumberland & home.




Don't let the smile on my face fool you! I'm smiling but my bum hurts, my legs hurt, I'm cold, and ready to go home!

Home is getting closer!

Ann

Big Savage Tunnel

There are 3 tunnels to go through on the trail. Here are some pictures of Big Savage tunnel the longest one at 3,294' long.



Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?


Me entering the West Portal heading east.


Paul exiting the East Portal heading east.


View from Big Savage Moutain. Elevation 2,392'. Spring hasn't come here yet.

Deal, PA - Eastern Continental Divide

Made it to Deal! 7 miles down & 24 to go!

On the way up hill!

Here are a few photos on the way to Deal, PA.

A slight detour......


until this bridge to nowhere gets put in place.





Keystone Viaduct.


View from the viaduct.


Deal, PA is at the end of this long stretch of trail.

Maps of the Alleheny Highlands Trail!

I included the elevation Chart so you can see what I'm talking about with the 7 miles up hill and down hill the rest of way!



Here is a map of the trail. Meyersdale is just over the PA state line and isn't on this map. Click on the map for a larger pic.



Maps from the Allegheny Highlands Trail website & The Great Allegheny Passage website.

The Pathway to History

The Allegheny Highlands Trail, which is now completed, links the Washington DC to Cumberland C&O Canal Trail with a series of hiking and biking trails in Western Maryland that connect into Pennsylvania, creating a continuous trail of 380 miles from Washington to Pittsburgh.

How many miles did you say?????

On Saturday, April 28th Paul & I biked the Allegheny Highlands Trail from Meyersdale, PA to our home town, Cumberland, MD. The day was overcast with some drizzle and mist along the way. We had a great time!



At Meyersdale, PA ready to start! Sara & Aaron took us to Meyersdale and dropped us off and then took our truck back to Cumberland and parked it at the end of the trail for us. Thanks Sara & Aaron!



How many miles did you say? Meyersdale is about 31 1/2 miles from Cumberland. Seven miles uphill to Deal, PA and then the rest of the way is downhill to Cumberland.

Tulips & Dandelions

More Beautiful Flowers this time Tulips!






I know some people who have lawns hate dandelions but I think they are pretty. I love the yellow flower against the green of the grass with the sunshine looking down from above. Beautiful!

What year is this?????

What year is it? We followed this car up Centre Street yesterday. I couldn't resist taking a picture. If I didn't know better I'd think I was back in the 40's!

Sunday biking!

Sunday we biked on the C&O Canal. It was a beautiful day.



This is a photo of Cumberland. I've lived here for 30 years this year! The V shape is called the Narrows. This was at one time called the "Gateway to the West". For more photos of this area look at the label for Photos. The other trail we bike, The Allegheny Higland Trail, goes through the Narrows and into Pennsylvania.

Weekend bike ride!

Here are a few pictures from our bike ride on Saturday on the Allegheny Highlands hike and bike trail. It doesn't look like it but you are going up hill. But is it a fun place to ride.







This cave is located along the trail. Here is info from Wikipedia: In 1912 workers excavating a cut for the Western Maryland Railway broke into a partly filled cave along the western slope of Wills Mountain on the outskirts of Cumberland, Maryland near Corriganville in Allegany County, Maryland. The cave became known as the Cumberland Bone Cave. Forty-one genera of mammals were found, about 16 per cent of which are extinct. numerous excellent skulls and enough bones to reconstruct skeletons for a number of the species were present. Skeletons of the Pleistocene Cave Bear and an extinct Saber-toothed cat from the Bone Cave are on permanent exhibit in the Ice Age Mammal exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Many of the fossilized bones date from 200,000 years ago. The Cumberland Bone cave represents one of the finest one Pleistocene-era faunas known from eastern North America.

Finally Spring!

Finally seems like spring may be here to stay! It is to be a nice weekend. Here are a few pictures of the flowers in my neighbor's front yard. I've been watching them grow and wishing the sun would come out so I could take a picture of them and today it did! I'm off to work and I think I'll take my camera with me just in case some catches my eye on my walk there. Have a great Friday! Ann

Anyone want to watch a scary movie??????

Lori & I watched a scary movie the other day. Well, maybe watched isn't the correct word! Paul just had to grab the camera. I'm okay with a little bit of a scare but not the gross stuff! I think I'll stick to my old black and white favorites!

My Husband has started a blog!

The man I love and married 28 years ago has started his own blog. Go over and tell him hello! He has a great sense of humor and is a great writer. You might get a laugh at the antics of our family that he writes about! He goes by the name Silly Old Bear. http://cameratotinidiot.blogspot.com/

What I'm listening too!

Lori & I are on a 70's kick. She is such a 70's child and she wasn't born until 1990. But she loves it and I love sharing it with her!



I love Josh Groban. Paul bought me this CD at a yard sale for $1. Great buy! His song You raise me up moves me so much. I life my arms to the Lord because that is what I hear in this song!



I just got this cassette collection and haven't listened to the whole thing yet. It moves me to hear what went on during the war years.



I borrowed this cd from a friend and put it on my computer at work. I would love to have the cd to listen to at home. There is not a bad song on this cd. My favorite songs are I can Only Imagine, God of Wonders, & My Praise Goes on. Just beautiful!