What a Secret

1. barn

For over a year my husband and I have been in search of an old barn.

Not just any old barn, but Walnut Hill (or what I thought was Pawling's Mill/Farm) in Valley Forge.

We really weren't sure what we'd see, but as Valley Forge is one of our favorite places to go we wanted to find this site, well off the beaten path. We searched online and on various trail maps through out the park, but no amount of driving around helped us to locate the barn. It was like a secret only the most knowledgeable of Valley Forger's knew.

Eventually we stopped looking.

And started biking.

We never bike the main 6 mile loop in the park because it is often quite busy. We opt instead to ride the rails to trails that run in and out of the park between our house and Philadelphia. One day my husband told me he saw a trail that ran up into the woods and he really wanted to take it just for something "fun " to do. I say "fun" because it was a bit more challenging that either of us realized at the time. (I almost flipped off my bike when my foot got caught between a large tree root and my pedal for instance)

Anyway, we were on this path, more like a deer trail, and cruising along (getting lost) when I saw a stone structure between the trees. I immediately started biking towards it because it seemed quite large. We found an even smaller trail (what really might have been a deer trail at this point) that came out of the woods, and oh my.

We found our barn.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was massive. The barn was built in 1826, with a large addition added in 1845. (so said the little sign posted on the side of the barn, with a firm warning not to jump the fence surrounding the barn itself) We both just rode around and around the barn in awe.

And then I noticed a second building.

It was the decaying ruins of the mansion, built in 1743 by Mr. Henry Pawling II. What remained of the once large estate, was crumbling columns, broken glass, and some stone. But it was beautiful. I've not been back, but when I do I will take a million pictures. For now I will share with you some that I found on Flickr:

1. ruined doors and column, 2. mansion ruins, 3. sentinel, 4. door 6

1. mansion ruins

And now it is time for me to head out on another bike ride.

I wonder if I'll make any discoveries this time? :)

Flickr Favorites - Picnic

1. Vintage Pink & Blue Dishes, 2. Granny A Day blanket, 3. metal picnic basket, 4. Retro Cupcake

Everyday feels a little bit more like spring. The sun is shining a little brighter. The grass is getting just a little greener, and the snow is all but gone.

It's not quite time yet, but I am gearing up for one of my favorite spring/summer activities:

Daily picnics in Valley Forge.

We have a favorite tree to eat under, and a favorite time of day to go. We use the same blanket, basket, and dishes. There is little change to our picnic routine other than what sandwiches I make for the outing. The dogs love it too because they can run around on extended leashes and chase the various bugs and sticks that they find.

I guess for now we'll have to be content with walking out there everyday :)

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Flickr Favorites - G r e e n

1. Blanket Progress 2, 2. Sugar (levels)...ah, honey, honey, 3. the penny rug bouquet, 4. Garden Dress

Not only is green my favorite color, it is also a sign of spring.

I realized spring must certainly be approaching when today we are receiving a ton of rain, as opposed to a ton of snow. Just as Mitsy said on her blog, the rain is a welcome site as it means warmer temperatures are here!

I'm seeing more and more green grass appear from under the snow everyday, another welcome sign of spring.

But the biggest sign that spring is approaching was our return to one of my favorite places:

1. Washington HQ1

Seems like months since we'd taken a walk in our favorite park with the dogs. Of course a record amount of snow, and my husband receiving a kidney transplant were obvious reasons why we couldn't spend all winter walking the park! Last Sunday I said it was high time we got out there, snow or not, and walked out towards Washington's Headquarters. It was a wonderful afternoon.

And it was certainly a sign that spring is right around the corner.

Want to make your own flickr favorites?

Head on over to Mitsy's blog and sign up!

This is where I live

Ahh...perhaps I should clarify. There is what I live NEXT to. (A girl can dream can't she?) This is what I like to refer to as the 'back half' of Valley Forge. For all I know it could actually be the front half, or the right half, etc but we discovered this section earlier this year and lovingly refer to it as the back half. The reason I've decided it to be the back half is because it seems that far fewer people are found in this area. Most people tend to flock to Washington's Headquarters as well as walk the main path up near Varnum's Headquarters. During the summer, and even now there are tour busses in the popular areas, so we went on a mission to find more secluded walking paths for our two dogs. The beautiful home I like to pretend is mine is actually the Knox Estate. Down the road from this home (and the beautiful but tragically left to fall apart green house) is a single lane covered bridge that leads to a beautiful walking path along a river. In the summer this is usually quite full of people, but come autumn it dies down to just a few walker/joggers. This is where we chose to spend most of our Sunday:

It is probably the last time we'll be down there until spring, so until then I think we'll walk around the old Farm house (which I must sadly report is not listed on their website). I suppose I will have to get back there a.s.a.p. so that I can post some pictures of it on here. It is sooo pretty, and you can easily get to the Mount Joy trail from it. Okay, enough of Valley Forge. I really need to find something else to obsess over, as I have blogged about the place at least half a dozen times now! Hope the rest of you had a fun weekend! :)