pretend empty nesters (OR the day we ran away from the kids)

me and mister, mister jones mister jones....we got alotta kids runnin' round.



ok, technically we just have 3 boys at home, but as all parents know, every kid has multiple personalities. some of them are disturbing. i'm just saying....



so 2 of the 3 are teenagers. nuff said, right? and the youngest is now officially 9. and officially in the running to be dennis the menace's apprentice.



gone are days of diaper duty and baby bottle re-fills. we don't have to lug car seats, strollers, or 13 changes of clothing. nope. we've worked our way up to raging hormones, inconsistent attitudes, BIG appetites, vatz of Clearasil, and suspicious tennis shoe odor.



family outings are rarely fun for all. when you have kids of varying ages and stages you sort of have to have a "divide & conquer" master plan. you can guide, lead, and use various forms of parental trickery with the little tykes....but the older & wiser they get, the smarter & faster you have to be.



people with toddlers - consider yourself warned. start upping your game now, get ahead of the curve. thank me later.



yesterday was a nice day, the kind of day that makes you want to be outside enjoying all Gods creations (except ones in the form of offspring). neither the hubs nor i felt particularly parental. we wanted a day off. so we put the 17 year old in charge of the 14 year old in charge of the 9 year old and lickety split.



we dropped into our favorite hole in the wall in downtown Phoebus for cheeseburgers and shared a giggle over the snubs we got when we were served before a few other customers. hey, we didn't ask for special treatment, the guy just likes us ok? after that we cruised up the street to Fort Monroe to wander around the Casemate.



thats the thing about this neck of the woods, you don't have to go far to find cool stuff to do.



Fort Monroe is still an active Army base but its getting ready for closure and likely destined to be a touristy attraction. the history of this place is amazing, i can't possibly do it justice here, but the short & sweet is that it's one of the oldest, if not the oldest, fortresses in America. its where Jefferson Davis was held prisoner during the Civil War, where Abe Lincoln came to stay & strategize - get his game face on, where Edgar Allen Poe served part of his Army enlistment...and some say found his inspiration for the location of Annabell Lee. General Lee hung his hat here as well.



and like any really old joint, there are tales of hauntings.....they say there is a lady in white who has been spotted by many wandering a particular area of oak tree's searching for her lover. it seems she was foolin' around behind her general hubby's back & he didn't take kindly to it. he ran her boy toy off and shot her to death. another is of a little child who can be heard laughing & playing. toys go missing then reappear. battery operated toys operating sans batteries. creepy. and atop the old fort walls some say they can hear soldiers of yore hollering commands, still fighting an unseen battle.



i'm not a fantasy believer, but i am sufficiently spooked. fo' sho. i didn't see any ghosts, i didn't get those "vibes", no "Paranormal State" of mind for me...lol...but i won't argue with those who have claimed to.

um honey? where'd your face go? those darn "ghost orbs!"...lol

part of the casemate not restored....spoooooky

not too shabby for base housing huh? and thats the backside! you aren't supposed to take pictures of the homes that serve as private residences for active generals and such powers that be...oh but i wanted to! they are so elegant and grande.

these are the ones ok to show...

Star of the Sea Catholic Church....confessions every Saturday from 4 to 6, you know, in case you have something you need to get off your chest. ;)

the famed "Ghost Alley" where the "Light Lady" or "Lady in White" has been spotted....

the house that Jack built. no wait. i mean, the house that Abe slept at...its locked down, must be getting restored....

Lee's house below...what awesome forsight they had back in the day to include a parking lot for them thar steel horses....hardy har har. of all the ghostly sightings, General Lee has never been identified as one of them even though he lived here...right up there in that house...which is now divided into a duplex.

i don't guess i oughta share the shots i took of the displays inside the Casemate museum, those might be subject to getting me court marshalled!

next visit we'll pay a visit to the Chamberlain.