WV Trip 2026, Spencer

 Recently, Ward and I took a trip to West Virginia to visit family and friends. I am sharing parts of that trip here. 

When I last left you, we had just arrived in Spencer, my hometown. Spencer is a town of around 2,000 people and typifies WV, which is made up of mostly small towns and rural areas. In fact, the two largest cities, Charleston (the state capital) and Huntington, are small by many standards, with populations under 50,000.

Aerial view of Spencer when I lived there. There have been some major changes in businesses, but basically, the town is the same.

The goal of this outing was to visit a couple of friends. But first, we did a little touring around town. Spencer had two new things that I had read about and wanted to see. 

First was a new little league field, and next was a giant flag erected for the 250th anniversary of the US. Both of these were projects of the Freshwater Foundation. Freshwater Foundation was founded by a local man who started with manual labor in oil and gas fields in the area and gradually formed the large company he has today. Besides providing scholarships for trade schools, he is building things in the community that they wouldn't have been able to provide otherwise.

Sign at new little league field: "Please Remember...These are kids. This is a game. Coaches are volunteers. Umpires are human. Your child does not play for MLB."

The field is new and state-of-the-art. The previous field often flooded, and Mr. Freshwater wanted a place where the kids didn't have to play in the mud. (BTW, the field was fenced, blocking the view, and we had to peer between the cracks to see. Pictures were not easy.)

Next up was the largest flag in WV in honor of the US's 250th anniversary.  It was erected on Flag Day, June 14, 2026, and hopes to bring some tourism to the area. Of course, we saw it from far away, but decided to hike to the hill it was located on.

And that's where things went a bit off the rails. It was hot and buggy, but we hiked up the hill anyway. Then at the top, there was some confusion, and we ended up back at the car, irritated without having seen everything we had set out to see. 

The flag sits on top of State Hospital Hill, where Spencer State Hospital was. The hospital opened in 1893 and operated for almost 100 years. Then, it sat empty for 15 years until Walmart tore it down and opened a store. These were the ruins of the hospital farm superintendent's house we saw.

And that was when Ward and I lost track of each other; I headed for the hill with the Civil War cemetery because from afar I saw a flag there.

And Ward, who has a better sense of direction, headed for the big flag.
By the time we found each other, we decided to move on. There are all kinds of interesting things around the flag to see, but I will have to see them the next time. Fun fact. The pole is 140' tall.

However, we did accomplish the main goal of the trip and spent time visiting with old friends. 

We visited with Donna and her husband. Her yard was filled with beautiful flowers, and I liked her sign, "Donna's Garden".

Next was Lois and her husband. Lois and I were cheerleaders together in high school and write old-fashioned snail mail letters to each other.

We took a different route home and went through Ripley,  Granny Sue's territory.

We made it back to Williamstown in time to have a s'mores party with more of my cousins. A fun end to a busy day.

Next time, I'll finish with a few odds and ends.

Until then...

WV Visit 2026, Ohio River and Back Roads

 Recently, Ward and I took a trip to West Virginia to visit family and friends. I am sharing parts of that trip here. 

We stayed with my cousins in Williamstown, WV. Williamstown is a small town on the Ohio River directly across from Marietta, Ohio. We went frequently between the two towns. The river was the backdrop to much of what we did in the area. 

The bridge from Williamstown to Marietta.

Williamstown side looking across to Marietta.
If you squint, you can see a big boat on the Ohio bank.

On the Marietta side, we saw the American Melody up close. It is a riverboat that started in New Orleans and was headed to Pittsburgh. They spent the night in Marietta and toured the area the next day. Marietta was the first settlement of the Northwest Territory and has a lot of interesting history associated with it.

One day, we took a river cruise on the sternwheeler Valley Gem.

While Williamstown and the land close to the river are flat, that is unusual for West Virginia. WV is a state made up of steep hills and hollers (narrow valleys), with the hills turning into mountain ranges in the east. Ward and I went to visit Spencer, my hometown, one day over the hills and down the curvy roads. BTW, it's not a fun thing to grow up on curvy roads when you were prone to car sickness. But this time I got to sit in the front seat and fared much better than in my earlier years.

Buffalo Church was built in 1878.

About 45 minutes into our drive, I spotted a sign for the Historic Buffalo Log Church. I never met a historical road sign that I didn't want to investigate, so off we went. We drove quite a ways down a gravel road before we spotted the church. I was disappointed that the logs had been covered with white clapboard. And it was fenced, so we couldn't look in the windows. We continued on and traveled a while longer before we met back up with the main road. 

We traveled along a ridge for several miles until we reached the main road, Rt. 14.

One of the few signs of life we saw on our detour. The notice on the tree reads, "No trespassing. I have a gun and a backhoe."

After another 25 miles or so, we were in downtown Spencer. The flowers were done by local blacksmith artist Jeff Fetty. His work has been shown not only locally, but around the world. But I knew him back before he was famous. He used to be our paper boy. 😊

I think this is enough for today. Next time, I'll show you more of our visit to Spencer.

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday

 I am thankful to live in the US.

The scouts getting ready for the flag ceremony.

Yesterday, Ward, Wally, Theo, and I ran/walked in a charity race. The race is sponsored by the Rotary Club, and the proceeds go to families with unexpected medical expenses. It is a fun family event that has a real sense of community to it. Before the race started, the Boy Scouts did a flag ceremony during which we said the Pledge of Allegiance, and then we sang the National Anthem. I found them all quite moving, as they reminded me how lucky and thankful I am to live in America. 

Of course, there are problems and disagreements here, but the passion that comes with those is because people care. So, for the privilege of being an American, I am thankful.

WV Trip, Travel Day

Ward and I just returned from a five-day trip to West Virginia. As most of you know, that is where I grew up and where many of my relatives still live. Returning to West Virginia and places from my childhood gives me a special feeling of familiarity and belonging. I haven't lived in WV since I finished college, but it is still home. I think that happens with most people, but West Virginians may have an even deeper connection to their roots. It's like we find the hills and the backroads and all is right with the world. 

I don't go back as often since my parents passed away, but we usually make it there once a year or so for a family reunion, or unfortunately, a funeral. Those trips are hurried and exhausting. So, I decided that I wanted to visit with no particular agenda and for more than a day or two. I made that happen this week.

The drive to our destination takes about 5-6 hours, and we were in no hurry, unlike some other times. The halfway point is around Morgantown, WV, home of my alma mater, West Virginia University. Most of the time our stop here is a quick one for gas and a bathroom. This time, I wanted to see the trail that has been developed along the Monongahela River in the middle of town. 

It had been raining most of the trip, but cleared up just as we reached Morgantown, so we took our chances and left our rain jackets in the car. The first part of the trail is a park, and the later part is a rail trail. Here are a few things we saw on our walk.

The trail starts out with a bridge over Deckers Creek, which joins the Monongahela at this point. 

Along the bridge, we saw a new-to-us Princess tree. Apparently, it is invasive and host to the dreaded spotted lantern fly. But it was impressive to see.

There is a 1,500-seat amphitheater facing the river where they have a free concert every Friday night during the summer.

Some of the old buildings along the river have been repurposed, and some have not.

However, the WVU women's rowing team has a new building.

Inspiring words for the day: "Those who keep trying cannot be defeated."

The "Singing Tree of Diversity" art.

Over three hundred people made leaves for the tree, and they are supposed to represent that the strength of a community is derived from its diversity.

More inspirational signage.

and there were gardens along the way.

After our walk, we headed for our next destination--the Don Knotts statue. Don is from Morgantown. I love the nod to his character, Barney, with the hat.

On our way to see Barney, we spotted another fun mural.

Then it was back to the highway for some serious driving, reaching our destination by late afternoon, just when we planned.

This post is already longer than I had intended, so I'll pick back up on the next post.

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday

 I am thankful for a quiet morning.

Surprise lilies blooming among mums.

In a short while, Ward and I are leaving on a trip for a few days to visit family and friends. Soon, we will be hustling to finish up the last-minute preparations. But before that, I woke up to see the last of the sunrise and take a walk around the yard. The bees and bugs were already at work, but the birds were unusually quiet. Maybe they were preparing for the rain that is coming soon. 

White spider on allium

Getting ready for a trip is always busy, so for the few quiet moments I had this morning, I am thankful.