Harpers Ferry Hoedown

Okay, I realize I'm not Doodle Today everyday. I was in Harpers Ferry this weekend at the Harpers Ferry Hoedown, a square dance weekend in a sleepy town. The drive up was in cloudy weather, but the drive back home was full of glorious fall color. The leaves have lots of red and orange this year that fills me with an excitement and wonder. I love this time of year, when the fall looks like this one. We've had a very late season because of the warm temperatures and the drought. I've heard that the stress on the trees (which must be considerable because of the drought) makes the fall colors more brilliant. This is a very colorful autumn.

The callers were fabulous. Billy Harrison, Sandie Bryant, and Tom Miller moved us across the floor with grace, speed, and not a little mental effort. The level of the dancers was higher than at some fly-ins, too. I was in many excellent squares.

Tim and I had a wonderful time together. I greatly appreciate his friendship. He had booked us a stunning room in Hilltop House, one of the "Tower" rooms, a seven-sided room with a sitting area and a decent bathroom. We immediately booked the room for next year. After six years at the fly-in, we've found "our" room. It was worth the effort.

Each year at the fly-in, Tim and I usually go out for dinner on Saturday night. This year we went to the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown. If you ever want some northern European food in a luxe setting, this is the place to go. I had three sausages (bratwurst, knockwurst, and weisswurst) and two hams with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Tim had goose with a potato dumpling. The servings are way too much food, but the service and atmosphere are terrific.

Hilltop House was recently purchased by a new owner, and the owner is planning to renovate the hotel this winter into a four-star lodging (that's what one of the employees said). Hilltop calls itself "quaint," which is considerable understatement. I'll be interested to see what the renovation does. I hope it preserves the quaintness while improving the comfort level, like more hot water, and not-quite-so-lumpy beds.

Ron was glad to see us when we got in early yesterday afternoon. He and I took a snooze, then he went off to the gym. We ended the day with Perry and dinner at Bombay Indian Restaurant in White Oak. We ate too much, but the company was good, and I love the boys and the food.