AWESOME Autumn!

I confess, I've been pretty horrible about keeping the blog current this season.  Seems like the older Simone gets, the more busy we are with all kinds of stuff -- school, chorus, theater, friends -- and the less down time I have to post.  But the temperatures have changed, the leaves have turned, and fall is in full swing.  We've been making the most of this glorious time of year right here in northern Virginia.

We made a visit to Cox Farm Festival with some friends. It's been a few years since we went to this event, but it was awesome to see Simone enjoying it nearly as much as she did when she was younger.

The long slide-- just like when she was a toddler.

We also had a great day at the annual Waterford Fair.  It was our first time at this event and we were impressed. We'll definitely be back next year.

 Simone tried her hand at making a painted silk scarf at the fair.

Wonderful autumn day!

We spent one Sunday afternoon in October at home throwing a fancy fall tea party.  So yummy and relaxing.

Another Sunday we went to check out the Loudoun International Festival.  Sad to say this event was a disappointment.  The crowd was robust but the vendors just didn't make a strong showing. So...

... we left quickly and made our own festival at the Delirium Cafe in Leesburg.  Poutine and a tasting flight of their season beers.  Much better!

We also spent a day at some Virginia wineries in October.  Perfect day out without the kids!

Even though we prefer wine, Bear Chase Brewery was a very pleasant surprise.  Great atmosphere!


Such amazing colors this time of year.  VA foliage never disappoints.

Visited Middleburg last Saturday and had a great brunch at Side Saddle Cafe.  So fresh and yummy! Also picked up some wonderful fresh meats from their butchery.

And every road leads us right back home when we're finished having fun.  It's such a great time of year to explore and enjoy everything our area has to offer.

Let's Catch Up!!

It's been quite a while since I posted, but it's not for lack of exciting things to share.  We had a wonderful finish to our summer and the school year has been off to a racing start. Pretty much every weekend of August and September has brought us some sort of memorable event. It's hard to believe that Simone is already half way through her first quarter of SEVENTH GRADE.

So here's a quick summary...

After a little recuperation from our Irish adventures, Simone had a fabulous trip to Disney with her cousins in August.  We visited all four Disney parks, and Simone and Seleste were inseparable all week long!

 It was melting hot, but all of the parks were great fun.  We hit all of our favorite rides, and  we also finally got to see the new Avatar land and rides.

And the fun didn't stop there.  Seleste flew back to VA with us and spent the rest of the week as Simone's cousin-sister.  Here they are at the pool one evening.

We also had our annual Watermine day in August, but shockingly, I didn't get a single photo.

And then just like that -- summer was over.  7th Grade was upon us.  Here's a shot of Simone on her first day.

Next, we had a terrific visit from some college friends in late August and took a hike down to the river.  

 We marched steadily through September with Labor Day weekend, a play at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in DC, and ... are you ready for this!?!

SIMONE TURNED TWELVE YEARS OLD!!!

Today we celebrated her 12th birthday.  She had one of her friends sleep over last night and woke up to red velvet pancakes for breakfast in the gazebo (per her request).  By lunch time the rest of the gang arrived for pizza, wings and cake.  And then off to Exit Plan for an escape room game.

The party theme was matched to the title of the escape room -- A Matter of Time.

 Finally, the girls made a stop at local store for a sweet treat.  As I type, Simone is slipping back into a regular Sunday night routine, studying for her French test with a bowl of mac and cheese.  LOL!

And there you have it, all caught up.  

Vacay on the Emerald Isle

 We are just back from the Dotson family feature summer attraction-- drumroll, please ....

10 days traveling around Ireland -- tasting the tastes, seeing the sights, and feeling all the feels.  It was simply fabulous.  But best of all, the WEATHER WAS PERFECT!  The temps were in the 60s and 70s just about every day, and even though some mornings started off hazy or misty, we had loads of sunshine and little to no rain during the entire trip.

We'll get to all that.  But first up, our opening act -- 3 amazing days in LONDON enroute to Ireland.

Straight from the airport, we took the first day to finish up showing Simone the tourist sights of London-- Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Westminster Abby.  We were all a little travel weary, but managed to squeeze in quite a bit of touring before an afternoon nap.

The next day was perhaps our most special.  During the day, the gang split up to do various things -- shopping, touring, museums.  And that evening we had the GREAT GREAT pleasure of seeing Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre.  The cast was superb -- an electric performance!  

Tea sampling at Fortnum & Mason.

Shopping on Carnaby St.  

Finally scored my Mary Poppins umbrella! 

My Burberry baby.

Pre-theatre dinner at The Goring Dining Room -- a royal favorite and the hotel where Kate Middleton stayed to dress for the royal wedding.

On our final day in London, we had tea in Harrod's tea room, did a little more shopping, and took a long stroll in Hyde Park all before dinner at The Thomas Cubbitt gastropub.  

Tony blended his own tea in Harrod's tea department....

and named it Bubblehead Blend.  His creation is now in the  official book and ready for re-order on demand.

Perfect, blue, sunny day in London.

A lovely pub with an outstanding menu in it's upstairs restaurant.

Rabbit loin pie.  Mmmmmmmm...

Pan fried hake with fennel and dill.

And the most heavenly strawberry dessert we've ever had.


We were a bit sad to leave London, but off  to Gatwick we went for our flight to ....

From here recounting day by day would be too tedious and far too many photos.  We rented a car, set off to Limerick, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, Galway, Connemara, and back to Dublin.  We hiked, we ate, we shopped, we walked, we relaxed, and....

WE DROVE ON THE LEFT!!  (and by we, I mean Tony)  Big kudos to both of the husbands for getting us through all the driving with no car damage-- which, for the record, is statistically rare in Ireland.  

Here's a big photo dump to give you a sense of some of the highlights in no particular order:

Simone enjoying seafood chowder in Dingle.  It became a favorite throughout the trip.

Town of Dingle.

Hiking on the Dingle Peninsula.

Perfectly preserved ancient church -- Gallarus Oratory.

Stop along the Connor Pass.

View of the Skelling Islands from the Cliffs of Kerry.

A carriage ride through Killarney National Park on the way to Muckross House.

Killarney National Park

Muckross Abbey ruins.

Muckross House.

Torc Waterfall.

Bunratty Castle

The view from our vacation home in Kinvara.

Simone making breakfast at the house -- one of her FAVORITE parts of the trip.

Hiking from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher.

Cliffs of Moher.

Kylemore Abby in Connemara.

Gothic Cathedral at Kylemore Abby.

Simone throwing pebbles at the Giant's Wishing Stone.  Legend  has it that if you can get three pebbles over the stone while facing backwards, your wish will be granted.  None of us were able to get all three pebbles over.

A lake in Connemara  on our most overcast day -- but no rain.

Connemara.

Along Connor Pass.

Cliffs of Kerry

Merchant's Arch Pub in Dublin.

Hiking the Cliffs of Moher.

Cliffs of Moher.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

King John's Castle in Limerick

Not far from our house in Kinvara was a chocolate factory we couldn't resist.

Creamy, rich, and not too sweet.

Their award winning bakery is on the list of 100 best places to eat in Ireland and  in the top 10 cafes in Ireland.

Worth the hype.

Galway Cathedral.

Galway

Tea at Kylemore Abbey

Dublin

Temple Bar in Dublin

Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin

The Long Room at Trinity College 

Brian Boru harp--the oldest and most elaborately carved Irish harp in existence.  Between 600-700 years old.

Trinity College.

Bubble cones in Dublin.

Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral Dublin

Needs no explanation.

Skipping stones in Kinvara.

After some afternoon drizzle in Galway.

Hiking near Doolin.

King John's Castle in Limerick.

And natural beauty all around.  You lose the scale and grandeur in photos that really can't come close to doing it justice, but you'll get the picture...

Fuchsia in bloom everywhere.

Bye Ireland!

I could go on, but I think you have the idea.  We got back a few days ago to some of the hottest DC weather on record, which makes us miss London and Ireland all the more.  But we have lots more summer to soak in and more fun times ahead.