Virginia: Old Blandford Church & Cemetary

A view of the church from the outside...looks simple enough

Again while on my business trip I made some time after work to visit this place. I just heard that it was one of the nearby attractions, but didn't think it was going to be much to see. The first issue I had was that when I looked at the hours, it was only open until 5PM. I got off work and headed straight there thinking I would still have plenty of time to check everything out. I found out when I arrived that you're only allowed inside the church on one of their tours. Even though the tour had already started, they let me buy a ticket and join them in progress. The church itself isn't too large, so I was surprised there was an actual tour of the place.

I joined mid-tour and found out quickly it was pretty much all for the stained glass windows done by a fellow named Louis Comfort Tiffany. Check out a website about this guy here & his Wikipedia page here. I can now see why they only let folks inside with a tour guide. The stained glass windows are just plain amazing! The guide gives a lot of history about each window (every window in the church is a Tiffany stained glass masterpiece) and describes the detail that went into each piece of art. As you're looking at the window, you can see more and more detail that would probably be missed if there were no guide there. Another reason I can see for the tour guide is that these are basically priceless pieces of art now...they wouldn't want anyone doing anything stupid to them.

This window commemorates the state of Missouri.

I took this picture before they told me that no photos were allowed....oops

Unfortunately a picture just doesn't do it justice!

The church itself was built in 1735, but abandoned in 1806. After the civil war "The Ladies' Memorial Association" turned it into a memorial for the confederate soldiers that died. There is a stained glass Tiffany window for each of the confederate states. The Blandford Cemetery, one of the oldest and largest in America, is resting place of some 30,000 Confederate soldiers who lost their lives during the Siege of Petersburg.

Outside the church with the Virginia battle flag

Once the tour was over, I headed out and checked out the confederate cemetery on my own. The cemetery is very large, so I drove my rental car around and stopped at some of the more interesting sites. Check out the photos below:

Several tombstones in the cemetery 
ranging from very small to quite large

The Memorial Arch at Blandford Cemetery, constructed in 1913

Some of the different flags of confederate soldiers from different states

An angel headstone

The Bolling Family Mausoleum

The visit was a lot more interesting that I originally thought it was going to be. I was in awe of the stained glass inside the church and checking out the cemetery was a very solemn experience. In school of course we would be taught about the civil war, but I never gave it too much thought after that. In my child's mind at the time slavery was bad and the good guys from the North won the war and freed the slaves. Of course there was a lot more to that, and visiting places like this really help wrap your mind around all the sorrow and realities that go along with war. I would recommend anyone in the area to make this visit...just go before the last tour starts if possible :)

Hawaii: Hanauma Bay

The view of Hanauma Bay from the top near the parking lot & entrance

While vacationing in Hawaii we wanted to make sure we took the kiddos snorkeling. I've been snorkeling before in Hawaii, but I've never visited Hanauma Bay. I've heard that it has some great snorkeling, so I thought this would be the perfect place to take the family.

As always I did a little research before we just headed out there and I'm glad I did. I read many reviews that said get there early! The parking lot fills up and due to the conservation efforts, they do not allow anyone else in when the lot is full. So if you get there late you will have to wait until enough cars leave before you're allowed to get in.

We arrived early...right when the park opened at 6AM! The kiddos weren't too happy, but I wanted to make sure we were able to get in and have a great time. One of the benefits of getting there when the park opened is we didn't have to pay for parking or even admission!

**Normally when you arrive parking is cheap (only $1) and admission is $7.50**

There is a tram that can take you up and down the short hill from the parking lot to the beach for a small fee ($1 for a ride down & $1.25 for a ride up). The hill isn't that bad and the scenery is great, so we just walked it.

The view while walking down the hill isn't bad :)

You can bring your own food and drinks and you can rent all the snorkeling equipment there if you don't have your own. We rented masks and snorkels for about $15 each. I was surprised that the quality of the equipment was excellent. I'm used to getting sub-par equipment when it comes to rentals, so this was indeed a pleasant surprise.

The view of the beach and Hanauma Bay at the bottom of the hill

 

Some people get there early, claim their spot, and then nap!

 

When we actually started snorkeling it really felt like we were all swimming in a large aquarium. Another nice thing is that you don't even have to go out very far before you start seeing some of the fish. There were colorful fish everywhere! We heard if you're lucky you may even see a sea turtle, but unfortunately none were around while we were out. The whole family had a lot of fun. It may get a little crowded, but definitely worth checking out if you're vacationing in Oahu.

Just a couple of the photos we took with the GoPro underwater

Hawaii: Nuuanu Pali Lookout

A panoramic shot from the lookout showing the entire view

One of the quick trips we made during our visit to Hawaii was the Nuuanu Pali Lookout. I've heard it had some great views and I wasn't disappointed. There is also a bit of interesting history tied to this spot as well.

To start with we had a rental car, so I just plugged in "Nuuanu Pali Lookout" in my maps app on my iPhone and followed the directions there. The drive was only about 6 miles or so from downtown Honolulu where we were staying. Be warned that there is a $3 parking fee, but the admission is free.

Once there it's pretty windy! We stayed about 15 minutes, took in the sites, and read the interesting history of the lookout.

One of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history occurred here. This is where King Kamehameha and his warriors had their final battle to unite the Hawaiian islands. Many of the defenders of Oahu were driven off the edge of the high cliffs. Pretty crazy to think that all that violence happened in what is now a very peaceful and beautiful spot.

It doesn't take too much time to get to and the views are pretty impressive...worth a trip if you're wondering what to do and want to take a break from the water for a bit.

A view looking left at the lookout

A view looking straight ahead at the lookout

A view looking to the right at the lookout