Belle Grove
Riverside

This weekend was the start for our week long vacation. We decided to start it off by spending Saturday and Sunday at the plantation. After a restful night’s sleep, I rose for a walk around the plantation. This time I ventured farther into the farm fields. The farmer that leases the fields planted corn and soybean this year. He has harvested the corn and I am sure will be harvesting the soy bean soon. I walked along the road way that once lead to the barns. The barns are long gone and all we have left are three silos. From what I understand, those will be coming down some time this winter to improve the view of the farm. After passing the silos, I walked along the wooded area between the farm field and the river. I could hear several birds calling to each other. I am not really good at identifying birds at the plantation with the exception of the osprey, eagles and buzzards that we see so often flying overhead. But I am sure as I spend more time there, I will be able to identify them better.

Just a little ways into the fields, I made a turn onto a farm road that headed towards the middle of the field. From what I understand, these dirt road ways are as old as the plantation and were used by the slaves and later the field hands as they worked the fields. I was told that there was a slave quarters that use to be located in the middle of the fields for the slaves that worked the fields. I haven’t been able to confirm it yet.

As I reached the road way that lead to the front gate, I could see the manor house and caretaker’s house in the distance. Suddenly above me I could hear the screaming of eagles. I looked up to see two bald eagles flying over at a very high distance. I wasn’t able to get a good picture of them, but you could see them riding the wind currents. It was just amazing.

Front Entry Gate

I made my way back to the front gate and stood in the shade of one of the trees located there. As I looked at it, I tried to image who may have sat under this very shade and what they may have been thinking. I looked towards the manor house and at the trees around the bowling green. One thing about this plantation is the beauty of its trees. I image that when John Moore, step-grandfather of James Madison named it Belle Grove, he must have had the same feeling.

Our trees haven’t really started to turn yet for fall, with the exception of one. But I am sure they will soon. I thought about that change and about when they would be green again. I could feel my heart jump as I realized the next time they were green again, we would be open for business. What a great way to start!

I made my way around through the house and stopped at the dining room window to see we had a “visitor” on the riverside of the house. A small groundhog was enjoying his morning salad of dandelions. Our yard is filled with them. Too bad our little “gardener” couldn’t eat more. One day, we will have a beautiful yard of green grass and our guest will have to find another location for breakfast. But for the time being, we are glad to see that we can provide him a hearty meal.

View from the Riverside Porch

Rappahannock River

After he scampered off, I walked out on to the riverside porch and sat down on the craved stone steps. The sun was bright and warm and it danced off the Rappahannock River as it passed by the plantation. The sun’s light was like thousands of little diamonds sparkling on the surface. The warmth of the light was just so relaxing. I tilled my head back and just sat there absorbing the light and feeling the rush of my busy life just melting away.

School House Bed and Breakfast
Fredericksburg

After spending another wonderful night at the plantation, we headed out on Sunday morning to Fredericksburg. We wanted to spend a night at our favorite Fredericksburg bed and breakfast, Schooler House in the Historic Downtown. Andi, the innkeeper and her trusted side kick, Enzo makes staying there great joy. Enzo has been to “puppy boot camp” and had just returned over the last week so we wanted to welcome him home.

Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Fredericksburg

After we arrived, Brett crashed in the room to watch some football and nap while I head to a book sale I saw as we drove in. This sale had been going on over the weekend, so I was sure I missed some of the good books, but I was delighted to see that there were still some very nice selections still to be had. We have a library at Belle Grove that I will need to fill so book sales are always good. I was able to find fourteen books that covered literature and one autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Most were printed in the 1940s and were in wonderful shape.

Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg Virginia

After my purchase, I made a stop at a local bakery called Eileen’s Bakery. Andi had told me that it was one of the places we needed to stop at when we returned last time. I was so glad I did! The bakery is in an old church and has such a wonderful atmosphere. It serves both bakery items and has a small deli counter. I wanted to get a little something for Brett and me to have after our dinner, but when I arrived at the bakery case, I found it impossible to select just two. So I just ordered one of everything they had! When I got them back, I showed Brett the selections. He said we should just skip dinner and eat dessert.

Apricot Jam Bars
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

Maple and Vanilla Shortbread
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

Lemon Crinkle
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

Coconut Macaroon
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

Citrus Shortbread
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

Raspberry Shortbread Swirl
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

Vanilla Cupcake with Butter Cream Frosting
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

Molasses Soy Glazed Pumpkin Cake
Eileen’s Bakery
Fredericksburg

But we didn’t. We headed over to the Capital Ale House on Caroline Street and enjoyed a wonderful meal. You may remember us talking about this place in two past postings.

Capital Ale House
Fredericksburg

Stratford Hall
Montross, Virginia

Robert E. Lee
Stratford Hall

This morning, Brett and I got up and headed to the first of several meetings we have set up on our vacation. I know, it’s a vacation, but it these meetings are important too and it helps being able to do them during the week while we are off. The first meeting was at Stratford Hall with Jim. Stratford Hall is the home of the Lee Family and Robert E. Lee. It is located just 29 miles from Belle Grove. We talked with Jim about how we could work together with Stratford Hall and how we could be of benefit to each other. After our meeting Jim was gracious in showing us the gardens of Stratford Hall. I have been viewing gardens at different locations to get ideas for our landscaping and walking gardens at Belle Grove. We viewed three gardens today at Stratford. The first was the east gardens which were the formal boxwood walking garden and the cutting garden. Then we walked over to the west garden which is more of the working garden for the kitchen. I got a lot of really good ideas for our kitchen garden there.

View of the Boxwood Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Boxwood Garden Gate
Stratford Hall

View of the Slave Quarters just inside the Cutting Garden
Stratford Hall

Stratford Hall

Stratford Hall

Stratford Hall

Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

View of the Working Kitchen Garden
Stratford Hall

Stratford Hall

After our meeting at Stratford Hall, we headed over to Westmoreland Berry Farm to get more details on their vendor service for the local fruits, vegetables, jams, preserves and sauces they have. It is our goal at Belle Grove to use as much locally grown produce in our dishes as possible. We want our guest to be able to experience all that Virginia has to offer. We tried one of their samples they had on display, Apple Salsa. It was very spicy, but yet had a sweet under tone to it. It was very good.

Westmoreland Berry Farm

Westmoreland Berry Farm

From here, we headed back to Chesapeake to regroup and get ready for our trip and meetings in Richmond and Charlottesville on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Thursday we will celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary as well. Then it will be back to Belle Grove for the end of our glorious vacation on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It may be something of a working vacation for us this year, but what a wonderful “job” it will become!

Breakfast at Schooler House Bed and Breakfast
Fredericksburg, Virginia
www.theschoolerhouse.com

After a really good night sleep at Schooler House Bed and Breakfast, Brett and I decided to enjoy part of our day in Fredericksburg. We woke around 8:00am when the air kicked on and brought with its cool air the wonderful smell of French Toast. It didn’t take us long to get ready knowing we were about to enjoy another delicious breakfast.

After breakfast, I spent a few minutes talking Bed and Breakfast with the innkeeper, Andi, while Brett enjoyed playing with Enzo, her Inn puppy. It is hard to believe we were just there two weekends ago when you see how much Enzo has grown.

Enzo
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

After we packed and said our good-byes, Brett and I headed over to Kenmore Plantation, located right in the middle of Old Towne Fredericksburg. Kenmore was the home of Fielding Lewis and his wife, Betty Washington Lewis. Betty was George Washington’s sister. You may remember the last name “Lewis” from our visit to the Inn at Warner Hall. Fielding was the younger son of John Lewis and Francis Fielding. Fielding was born at Warner Hall. Fielding was a successful merchant in Fredericksburg and was appointed Commissary General of Munitions during the American Revolutionary War.

Kenmore Plantation
Fredericksburg, Virginia

This Georgian Mansion was completed in 1776 on their 1,300 acre plantation. This plantation produced a combination of tobacco, corn and wheat and had more than 80 slaves. One of the most impressive features is the remarkable decorative plaster work on the ceilings and walls in many of the rooms on the first floor. This plaster work was done by the same artist that did the plaster work at Mount Vernon.

During the Civil War, this mansion was used as a Union hospital after the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. It would be used later by Union troops on their way to Richmond at the close of the war. Today, you can still see scars from the Civil War on the mansion. Lodged in one of the outside walls is a cannon ball.

Cannon Ball from the Civil War
Kenmore Plantation

At Kenmore, the tour guide kept referring to the different sides of the exterior as the Carriage Entry and the Riverfront Entry. Just like Belle Grove, Kenmore was built with its main entry facing the Rappahannock River. It doesn’t sit as close to the river as Belle Grove. It is about five or six blocks back from the river. But I like the name of the side that carriages would have entered. So instead of calling the side of Belle Grove facing the Plantation, the Plantation Side, we are going to call it the Carriage Entry. It just sounds more appropriate. So when you arrive at Belle Grove, you will come in on the Carriage Entry and will have to drive around the Bowling Green to reach the door.

The tour started in the visitor center where we had a chance to see portraits of the family and furniture from the Lewis time period. There was also a model of what Fredericksburg looked like during the Lewis time period. How things have changed.

These chairs are from the family of Mildred Gregory, first cousin to Betty Washington Lewis. They were given as a gift to Kenmore in 1928 by the Daughters of 1812. The Daughters of 1812 just recently toured Belle Grove in June 2012.

These earring of topaz, silver and gold (1770-England) belonged to Betty Washington Lewis and were passed down through the female line of the family. You can buy a copy of these at Kenmore.

We then went to the house and toured the main floor. As you enter through the double doors on the Carriage side, you enter the Receiving Hall. It isn’t as large as our Main Hall at Belle Grove, but was very impressive with its winding staircase and architectural details. We then viewed Betty’s room on the main floor. The plaster work was just beautiful!

Kenmore Plantation
Fredericksburg, Virginia

From there we moved to the main formal parlor where they would have entertained guest and would have had wonderful meals.

Then into the ladies parlor which was called the Season’s Room. In the plaster work in this room, you can see each of the seasons. We also viewed a lesser room Fielding would have used as an office to conduct business.

At the end of the tour, Brett and I walked around to the Riverfront Entry to view the walking garden. It was a well laid out garden with wildflowers throughout. There was also a small sitting garden that was separated by a small wall.

Riverfront Entry and Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Riverfront Entry and Gardens
Kenmore Plantation

Kenmore
Riverside

From here, we headed by down Route 3 (Kings Highway) towards Port Conway and our favorite plantation, Belle Grove. We drove in and were again greeted by the family of wild turkeys. They were standing on the edge of the tree line that separates the church and Belle Grove.  We pulled up to the entry gate just to view the house. We decided not to go any farther, but enjoyed the view that many guest will see as they come in.

We headed over to Port Royal and stopped just across the River at one of our favorite restaurants, River Haven. We took our favorite seat by the back window with a view of the river and Belle Grove. As we ate a quick lunch, we were able to watch a pair of Osprey, (maybe James and Dolley) flying over the river looking for fish. I had never seen them dive for a fish, but had the wonderful treat of seeing it happen three times! It was a wonder to see.

After just one more look across the river at Belle Grove, we headed home. It was a great celebration weekend filled with wonderful sights. Now we have a new chapter to write. We are looking forward to filling this chapter with the excitement of bringing Belle Grove Plantation back to life.

View through the main hallway to the Riverside side door
Belle Grove Plantation

Wow! What a weekend! By the time we got home late Sunday night, we just crashed! Monday found us both just dragging along so we hit the bed early again Monday night. But what a fun time we had over the weekend!

We were greeted by a family of wild turkeys

We arrived at the plantation on Saturday to see the caretaker working on the grounds after a storm had moved through earlier in the week. We had not heard about it, but apparently there had been a storm with high winds that swept up the Rappahannock River. We ended up losing another part of a tree that was damaged earlier this summer. Now this pretty old tree is lopsided and Brett and I both know one more good wind and it will be all down. We talked with the caretaker and he is going to get with the owner about going ahead and removing it. How sad it is to see it go! It is located along what would have been the road from the fields to Emmanuel Church before nature took over the road. You have to wonder how many people walked by this tree over the years.

Plantation side porch

We also lost a branch for two more trees along the field side of the circular drive way. One wasn’t too bad, just a small branch. But the other was from a Red Oak that had lost a small branch earlier in the summer. This tree, we have been told, was there before the Civil War. The branch we lost this time wasn’t too bad and the tree still looks strong so we hope it will continue to be that way.

Belle Grove Plantation

After assessing the damage and walking around in the house a bit, we sat outside on the front steps for awhile and chatted with the caretaker and his friend that had stopped by. His friend gave us more insight into the area. He currently lives just across the highway at the Walsingham plantation. He had worked on the Woodlawn plantation for a while, but as his family grew, he had to move to a larger place. We also took note that the “Babies” were gone. Dolley and James, our osprey are still around, but they are now “empty nesters”.

Late in the afternoon, we pulled ourselves away from the plantation and headed to Historic Fredericksburg. We have never been there, so we thought it would be good to go for the weekend to get to know the place. It only took us 25 minutes to get there! I didn’t realize how close it really was! As we drove into town, my mouth dropped open! Historic homes and buildings everywhere! We drove to Caroline Street which is kind of like the main street downtown. As we drove down Caroline Street, I was making notes of where the antique stores were. I had to stop counting because there are so many of them!

Schooler House Bed and Breakfast
Fredericksburg Virginia

www.theschoolerhouse.com

As we pulled up to the Schooler House Bed and Breakfast, I knew I had picked the right one! What curb appeal this house has! It is a Victorian home with a wrought iron fence and small garden in front. Directly across the street is the Rising Sun Tavern that was built by George Washington’s younger brother, Charles Washington. It was built in 1760 and became a tavern in 1792. During the American Revolutionary War, this was a popular stop. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison stopped many times here.

The Rising Sun Tavern
Built by Charles Washington, brother of George Washington

We were warmly greeted at the door by the innkeeper, Andi. She invited us in and gave us a quick tour of the house. What a place she has! You can tell that she has given thought to each item there and how it brings this Victorian gem alive! When we shared with her that we were getting ready to start our own bed and breakfast, she expressed excitement and wanted to make time later that evening to sit down and talk. That is one thing I have to say about most innkeepers. They are so helpful to other innkeepers and aspiring innkeepers. It’s almost like becoming part of the club. I just love that part of about being in this industry.

Parlor
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Dining Room
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Dining Room
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Front Hall
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Front Hall
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

She walked us into the kitchen, the true heart of this house and introduced us to the new Inn dog, Enzo. At just nine weeks old, he would melt your heart with just one look! He was in the back yard and walked along with us as we toured her back porch area and garden sitting room.

Back Yard
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Back Yard
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Back Yard
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Side Yard
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

As we headed back to the staircase, I turned and looked at a pile of historic books sitting in the hallway for visitors to use. I almost fainted! There on top of all these books on the Civil War and history of Fredericksburg was a book about the diaries and letter of Helen Bernard Stuan and her sisters! Yes, the daughters of John Hipkins Bernard of Rose Hill Plantation (also known as Gaymont)! I knew then that we were supposed to be there! When I expressed my surprise and excitement, I explained to Andi that I had just posted a picture of Helen on our blog the night before. It was the first time I had seen her picture. And then to see her again was just magic! Andi also was excited for me and gave me the book to keep! I knew then that Andi and I would become fast friends.

Staircase and Front Hallway
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

War at Our Doors
The Civil War Diaries and Letters of the Bernard Sisters of Virginia
Rebecca Campbell Light

Andi walked us up the staircase and pointed out the artifacts that she and her late husband found when they had worked on the garden and in the house. She had them mounted in shadow boxes and frames just like what we want to do with Belle Grove! There was also art work everywhere! I didn’t get a chance to ask who they were by, but the style remained me of a Monet. They were bright colors and just gave the room a warm feeling.

Top of Staircase
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Then she showed us our room. Schooler house has just two rooms. Ours was Willie’s Room at the front of the house. I have to say, I think we got the best room! It has a white cast iron queen bed with wonder pillows! The room was filled with antiques and pictures of times past. There was a nice bathroom and just off the bathroom was a small sitting room. The room was warm and comfortable and I was so glad I had found it!

Willie’s Room
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Annie’s Room
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

After we got our things settled, we asked Andi where she would recommend us to go for dinner. She quickly told us of a place called “Foode”. So after we got directions, off we went back downtown. We were going to walk, but decided to drive back, even though it was just about four or five blocks away. I am so glad we did! We got to drive back up Princess Anne Street that runs parell to Caroline Street. What beautiful homes we saw! But because Princess Anne Street is a little busier, we decide to come back later to take pictures.

Historic Fredericksburg

We parked close to the place where we came in on Caroline Street when we first drove in. As we started down the street, I started looking for an antique store to pop into. It was late in the day, around 5:30 so I was afraid we had stayed too long at the plantation and I had missed the antique stories in Fredericksburg. And I had so wanted to take home just one antique from here! We did find about three of them that were open. I quickly walked through them, mostly looking for teapots and plates and stopping to ask each one if they had anything “James Madison”. I struck out on all accounts.

Historic Fredericksburg

Historic Fredericksburg

Just before we got to our place to eat, we came across a wine store that sold Virginia Wines. Of course we had to stop there. I wanted to see if they carried Ingleside Wine, which they did. We found one of our favorites, “Sweet Virginia Rose”, which is kind of a sweeter red dessert wine. So I asked what time they closed and told Brett we would stop on the way back to the car. I thought it would be nice to share a bottle of “Sweet Virginia Rose” with Andi as we shared our experiences.

Historic Fredericksburg

We arrived at “Foode” just a block later. When I first saw it, it reminded me of some of the restaurants in New Orleans that are tucked away in small alleys. Our favorite one, “Courtyard of Two Sisters” in New Orleans French Quarters is that way. Sadly though, “Foode” was quite busy, a good sign that it must be great. So instead of waiting for a table, we headed back towards the car to another place we had seen.

Capital Ale House
Historic Fredericksburg

We ended up at “Capital Ale House” on Caroline Street. When we walked into the door, my first thought was that it looked like an upscale Irish Pub. There is a long bar that extends down most of the front room with a refrigerator cases of almost every beer and ale you can think of. The store front has two open windows with high top tables for people to sit and watch the world go by. We were greeted and seated within minutes.

Captial Ale House
Historic Fredericksburg

Captial Ale House
Historic Fredericksburg

Our waiter warmly greeted us and explained that he was training someone as well. He took our drink order and allowed us time to read the menu. Brett decided to order one of the hard apple ciders and I stuck to iced tea. As we glanced over the menu, the first thing that caught our eye was an appetizer of deviled eggs. I don’t think I have even seen devil eggs on a restaurant menu before so we were intrigued. These deviled eggs offered not only the delicious taste we all have come to enjoy at Thanksgiving dinner and picnics, but included a topping of crab meat. We had to try them! When they arrived, I have to say that the presentation didn’t jump out at me, but the taste more than made up for it! They also had a sprinkling of Old Bay seasoning. It was a delight!

Captial Ale House
Historic Fredericksburg

Devil Eggs with Crab
Captial Ale House
Historic Fredericksburg

Brett ordered an entrée of Bratwurst and Knockwurst with white and purple sauerkraut and potatoes. I am not a fan of sauerkraut so I don’t make it often for Brett. He grew up enjoying it in Ohio so this was a treat for him. But I have say, the purple sauerkraut was surprising delicious. It lacked the sour pickled favor I have come to expect from the white sauerkraut. It had more of a sweet pickled favor and I think I could enjoy a plate of it.

Captial Ale House
Historic Fredericksburg

I ordered classic macaroni and cheese with Jamestown ham added. This macaroni and cheese was made with rigatoni and topped with bread crumbs. The sauce was a white cheese sauce that was hard to put down. It was a very enjoyable dish.

Captial Ale House
Historic Fredericksburg

As we finished, our “training” waiter came to take our dishes and offer us dessert. After he brought us the check, we got a chance to talk with him for a minute. Come to find out, he is a new assistant manager for “Capital Ale House”. Turns out when they hire a new manager, they train them in every aspect of the restaurant. So not only can he manage, but he can cook your meal! I was so impressed! We shared that we were working on “research” for our new bed and breakfast and that we wanted to find places that we could recommend nearby. After our visit here, this is going to be one of them!

We headed back to Schooler House to drop off the car and take an afternoon walk. As we walked, we saw historic houses as far as the eye could see! We walked down one side street and came upon the Rappahannock River that flows through Fredericksburg. It was so peaceful and beautiful, just as it is when it passes our plantation just down river from there. In the distance we could hear a call of a bird that wasn’t as familiar as the osprey at the plantation, so we were left guessing what it was.

The Rappahannock River
Fredericksburg

The Rappahannock River
Fredericksburg

We made our way back up to Princess Anne Street and started heading back downtown. The historic houses started out as small, simple Victorian homes. There wasn’t much in the way of architectural detail to them, but you could clearly see that they were from the late 1800s. As we started up a small hill, we suddenly were surrounded by larger historic homes. The front step on the first one caught our eye. Though it was white, it looks very similar to the Riverside step on Belle Grove. Each house we saw just took our breath away. Before long we found ourselves walking block after block looking forward to the next surprise.

Historic Fredericksburg

Historic Fredericksburg

Historic Fredericksburg

Historic Fredericksburg

When we arrived at Lewis Street, we got another wonderful surprise. It was the home of Mary Washington, mother of George Washington! This is the home that Mary Washington stayed in towards the end of her life. George Washington purchased this home for her in 1772 for $275. It was located close to her daughter’s home at Kenmore Plantation and her son’s tavern. It was here that George came to receive his mother’s blessings before he took the oath of office. She lived here until her death in 1789. We were not able to tour it or the Rising Sun Tavern because we got to Fredericksburg too late, but I am sure we will be returning soon.

Mary Washington’s Home
Historic Fredericksburg

As we walked over another block, we came up on the Fredericksburg Baptist Church. This church was used during the Battle of Fredericksburg as a Union Hospital. It was badly damaged, but through the efforts of the church congregation, it was repaired and saved.

Fredericksburg Baptist Church
Historic Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg Baptist Church
During the Civil War
Historic Fredericksburg

On this same street, we came across a colonial home built in 1817 called the “Dogget House”. As we were walking by the owner had just stepped out of the door. Being nosy as I am about historic homes, I peeked past him into the front hall. I introduced myself and told him about our love of historic homes and our plantation. He told us about the history of this wonderful home. One of the things he shared with us was that Doris Buffett had purchased this home in 1988. She is the sister of Warren Buffett. He also told us that the small dependency on the corner, which is currently being used as an office by a local judge, has Civil War graffiti on the side where soldiers scratched their names into the brick.

Doggett House
Historic Fredericksburg

Doggett House Door Knocker
Historic Fredericksburg

Doggett House Dependency
Historic Fredericksburg

Names Civil War Soldiers scratched into the wall
Doggett House
Historic Fredericksburg

We headed back to Schooler House and met up with Andi for the evening. Andi shared her experiences with running her bed and breakfast and knowledge of the area. I wasn’t aware of all the events that Historic Fredericksburg has! She told us a story about how during one of these events, she was on the phone with someone and there was lots of gunfire going on. The person on the line asked what was going on. Andi said she laughed and just said, “They are fighting the civil war…, again.”

I was also able to share some of our experiences as well as some of our food with her. I told her about our blog and about the fun we had sharing our experiences. She was so intrigued by the blog that she decided right then to start one for her house! So you will have to check out her house blog soon! I decided not to cover her history in this post so she has something to share with all of you!

After a wonderful night’s sleep, we woke to the smell of a delicious breakfast. Sorry, no night time visitors this time! We hurried to dress and came down to a beautiful table. We started with berries and yogurt. She also had a hot pot of tea waiting for me. I want to know how she knew I liked Earl Grey! It was so good! Then it was Spinach Quiche and a side of bacon. I am so sorry; it looked so good that I didn’t stop to take a picture! But believe me, it was to die for!

Breakfast
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

After some wonderful conversation with the other guests and with Andi, it was time for us to head back to the plantation. But we couldn’t leave until I had a chance to just a couple of photos of Enzo. What a ham! He seemed to really enjoy his “photo shoot”.

Enzo
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Enzo
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

Enzo
Schooler House Bed and Breakfast

If you find yourself in Fredericksburg, I would highly recommend a stay at Schooler House, if they aren’t booked! This bed and breakfast and its innkeeper will truly remind you what sets bed and breakfasts apart from staying in a hotel!

www.theschoolerhouse.com

Once we got back to the plantation, we walked around and enjoyed our time as we waited for our appointment to arrive. We had set up an appointment to meet with a local couple who will be getting married soon. I had received a request through our Facebook from her asking if they might be able to do their wedding photos there. What was even more special about this couple is that the young lady has a relative that once worked for the Turner Family during the 1800s on Belle Grove! What a wonderful surprise!

When Jenn and Nick arrived, it was so wonderful to see the excitement in their eyes! It was just like Brett and I when we first saw Belle Grove. They had also brought along her “Nana”. I think Nana was more thrilled than all of us.  We walked around the house and I talked about the history of Belle Grove Plantation. For me, it is just so much fun to share this history with people that really love this plantation. It makes all the historic research worth it.

Jenn, Nick and Nana
Belle Grove Plantation

Once our daughter and her boyfriend arrived, Brett took Hurley for a run around the plantation. We tried to get some video of him, but he was just too excited to be there. It is so funny how Hurley seems to get all worked up when he arrives. I took Alexa and her boyfriend on a short tour of the house and grounds. By the time we finished, I think Hurley was finally tuckered out.

Hurley
Plantation Dog
Belle Grove Plantation

We loaded up the cars with Hurley and Alexa in the backseat and we headed back to Chesapeake. It really was a great weekend. We met so many new people in Fredericksburg and had a chance to spend some time at the plantation we love so much. As we drove over the bridge, I looked back towards the banks of Belle Grove trying hard to see it through the trees. One day, I won’t have to look back for it. I will be there.