Norma, Daphne, and I drove out after volunteering at Savage Fest 2026. Traffic wasn't too bad. We met her family at an AirBnB house in Hedgesville, Berkeley County, West Virginia.

The house is in a golf community called The Woods. None of us are golfers but I can certainly see the draw of living in or near a golf community. Golfers tend to have money which equates to amenities like swimming pools for the kids.

It was pretty late when we arrived so not a whole lot got done except for the kids giving their Aunt Norma and Daphne a warm welcome, followed by a nice dinner that included a fine soup made by Hazel.

The kids enjoyed spending time in the hot tub out on the deck.

We spent the morning at the Dillon Farm Museum. I think Hazel really enjoyed all the old farm equipment. They brought back lots of memories for her.

Here's a really old tractor. The back half of the upper part of the body is made of wood.
Collection of oil cans.
Here's a few manual sheep shearing machines.

While I didn't ask, I'm guessing Hazel knew that this is a cattle dehorning tool since her late husband had polled Hereford cattle.
This is an antique cast iron hand-crank post drill.
Outside, we ran across a 1925 McCormick-Deering Model-M gas engine.
In a blacksmith shop, we saw a tire shrinker.
Here are the nieces and nephew ready for some serious work.
We saw an old tractor with a belt attached to power a large saw.

The others checked out the vendors at the farm museum while Daphne cooled off under a tree.

We returned to the house and ate lunch. Hazel, Laah, and I stayed at the house while Norma and Joyce took the kids to an indoor pool.

Later, I took Daphne to do some exploring. Our first stop was an Indian Burial Mound residing 2.5 miles from the house.

There was parking for two vehicles and a sign mounted on a big stone. Behind this was a hill covered in trees. If it wasn't for the marker, I wouldn't have known there was anything special about this place.
This pre-historic Indian burial mound was partially destroyed during the construction of a coal haul road in the 1940's. The mound was restored in 1998 by Potomac Valley Properties, Inc. developer of The Woods. It is cared for by The Woods Homeowners Association.
- from sign titled "Indian Burial Mound"

Driving around The Woods, I noticed there were paths but many were off-limits to non-golfers. I wanted to find a nice place to take Daphne for a walk. Eventually, I found Sylvan Lake.

We walked across a bridge that made a small waterfall. This was where a creek flowed into the lake.
Daphne and I walked on a wooded trail used by a lot of fishermen.

I saw some Canada geese.
I was thinking the trail would circle the lake but it did not so we walked back the way we came. The trail did go the other direction for awhile. I wanted to check it out but Daphne was very adamant about wanting to walk no further so we called it quits.

Driving around, I found a small convenience store where I purchased snacks. But Norma was wanting seltzer water, which this little place did not have. So I drove to a larger town, Martinsburg, where I found a regular grocery store that sold what I wanted.

I had a grand idea..."Boys' Night Out." Where Norma works, they sponsor "Girls' Night Out." I was thinking I could take Jimmy and my two nephews out to see the new movie Pressure. I really wanted them to see The Furious but it hadn't come out yet.

In Martinsburg, I stopped at Berkeley Theaters but they were not showing Pressure. Then Norma called and said dinner would be ready soon so I headed back.

While I was out, Jimmy arrived with his two oldest kids. They missed the first day with us so his eldest girl could participate in a sporting event. I felt much better having more testosterone in the house.

After a fine dinner, Norma organized a Pictionary-like game where we divide up into two teams and then drew things from a list that our team had to guess. The youngest kid did exceptionally well.

Out on the deck, Laah and I found a prionus beetle. I'd never seen or heard of these before.
I built a campfire. Kids love fire.

We all piled into Jimmy's pickup truck for a ride with Norma and the kids sitting in the back. This isn't legal in Maryland but in West Virginia it is, along with a lot of other stuff that Marylanders frown upon.

Hazel waited in the vehicle while the rest of us hiked at Devil's Nose in the Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area, West Virginia. This out-and-back hike took us from the Maverick Trail to the Tuscarora Trail. Norma, Daphne, and I did this hike a few years ago, but I don't recall exactly when.

Much of the trail was wide and rocky.
We crossed over Meadow Branch, a small creek. The photo at the top of the page shows us all on a bridge over this body of water.

Here, Daphne and the kids had a chance too cool off and explore.

Eventually we reached our turnaround point at the Devil's Nose overlook. It is a high, rocky outcrop but there really isn't much to see because everything below is so densely wooded.

The return trip was fairly easy. We walked a total of about 2.5 miles.

The smaller kids, Jimmy, and I went to the outdoor pool while the older kids, Norma, and Joyce stuck around the area but out of the water. Laah and Hazel stayed back at the house.

Some of of the kids are not good swimmers. But they wanted to go into the eight-foot deep area. I made sure to tread water in the middle, keeping a close eye on them, while one kid at a time let go of the side to test their skills in the deep.

After dinner, we played games. Norma introduced the kids to Rush Hour.
Next, we celebrated Jimmy and Joyce's oldest kid graduating from high school with an ice cream cake.

I built another campfire and the kids roasted hotdogs.
All the metal skewers were being used so the youngest boy asked me if I could sharpen a stick with my knife so he could roast his hotdog. He went and found a straight stick and then I handed him my Civivi Elementum Flipper with a wharncliffe Damascus steel blade, telling him he could do it himself. I kept a close eye on him to ensure he used my knife properly. I like to think of myself as the "cool" uncle that gives kids a chance to do things they may not normally get to do.

After checking out of the vacation house, we drove to Berkeley Springs State Park.
Berkeley Springs State Park does not have dedicated hiking or walking trails. It is a small, historic spa park designed for soaking in the natural mineral waters, enjoying the bathhouses, and relaxing in the park grounds.
The following reads awkwardly, but it is taken word-for-word from the sign:
One of the oldest spas in South, warm mineral spring waters first used by Native Americans for reputed healing powers. Frequently visited by George Washington. Land granted to Virginia by Lord Fairfax in 1776, but used as a health resort since 1750s. Now a state park, it ranks among nation's oldest resorts. Mineral waters, 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit, fed from numerous nearby springs at nearly 1,000 gallons per minute.
- from sign titled "Berkeley Springs Baths"

Here's my oldest niece and Daphne at Berkely Springs.
In the photo at the bottom of the page is my youngest nephew jumping over an area where the spring water flows.

The kids found one area where the water flows underground.
We checked out the local museum, went out for lunch, and stopped at the old train station.

Norma, Daphne, and I said farewell to the group and headed home...but with two additions, Jimmy and Joyce's youngest girls. They would stay with us for the next three days. They got to see how much our chickens had grown. The last time they saw them, they had recently hatched. But now they were 44 days old!