Last year my daughter, Heather, and I started our 1st Annual Girls Trip but this year Heather’s trip was a week before mine and that was good so Dad wouldn’t worry about both of us on different roads at the same time but it did spread the worry out a tad but we both made it just fine.

On September 23rd, I went on my very first long distance trip alone to visit Margaret who lives in Maryland. Margaret has been my best friend for more years than we can count and started sometime in the teenage years of my children.  We have so many like interests and have each other in tears catching up on our daily lives.  You have to know we “talk” almost daily by email but it’s just not the same as being in person.  I almost lost her last year and had to go to her to reassure myself that my friend is working really hard to stay in this mad world to keep me sane and out of trouble.  I love her to death!!

She lives in Stockton Maryland which is 408 miles from my home and about 7 1/2 hours including potty breaks along the way.  To get to her I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which was awesome, astounding, long, and surrounded by water!!!

This is as close as I wanted to get to the side of the bridge!! 🙂

I get seasick quite easily and there had been a week of storms prior to my going to see her and the water was very high and choppy and I could feel an uneasy feeling coming so I made myself have tunnel vision to make it across and back without throwing up my innards!!  That I must say was the only bad part of the trip.

Margaret’s home where we spent so much time laughing, eating and catching up.

While there she took me to a place called “Furnace Town”  and if you are ever over there you must go to this little town museum!  Margaret used to make costumes for their annual events.  It was set up as a self walking tour or you could get someone to go with you to explain what you were seeing.

Margaret entering the Blacksmith Shop

We met a very educated gentleman that was the tender of the gardens and he told us so much about the heirloom garden he tended himself and then took us into the school-house which was awesome.  After that we took the tour on our own and it was definitely like walking back into another era.  The Furnace Town church on the property was absolutely gorgeous. What a spot for a wedding and they were setting up for an evening wedding at the site the day we were there.

Map of Furnace Town

While there I bought a wonderful book called “The Weaver’s Girl” by Gracie Ayers which is based on this town.  Great read!!

While in Stockton, we also went shopping at all (some) of her favorites spots which are now mine!!   We ate out, drove to the waterways that are close to her home.

George Island Landing

drove the area she lives in and

saw some beautiful old mansions,

One of the mansions close to where she lives

ate in (wonderful cook), told stories, ate some more,  met her great grand-daughter, Maddie.  Maddie is a beautiful little princess!

Princess Maddie

We got caught up on most everything in four days, laughed, cried, watched “chick flicks”,  considered the problems of the world and what we think needs to be done to fix it (HA) and had a most awesome visit.  Then I had to come home but we promised to get together again next year either at her place or someplace in between with Heather and Ashley!