Mark of Fridays: Almost heaven in West Virginia

Hey, didn't the Hanleys all go to West Virginia not too long ago? And didn't they promise to post some pictures of the trip? What ever happened to that?
Oh yeah!
During the last week of July, the Hanleys took their first family summer vacation. They had the station wagon and the bad music and the goofy dad. The Hanleys were heading off to West Virginia, the homeland of the Stewarts and Seagos and impossibly terrifying roads.
There were many reasons for the trip. First, they had been invited to a wedding in Middlebourne, West Virginia, Grandpa Barry's hometown.
This gave them an opportunity to visit close family friends, spend time with some of Lynne's extended family, and allow Grandma and Grandpa Seago to show off the Little Man. Plus, Lynne got to show Matt around the Ohio Valley, a place that feels like home - despite the fact that she's lived most of her life in Chicago.
And along the way, the Hanleys made a stop in Indianapolis, home of Matt's college roommate (known to some as Nathaniel, but known mostly as Kramer). Nathaniel and his wife Karrie have a beautiful (and very tall) little girl, Elyse.
Mark was thrilled to see someone his own size and decided to stay up half the night because he was so excited. Matt and Nathaniel shot off some fireworks because there were no records available to toss around like frisbees.
Then, it was on to West Virginia. Matt has heard about WV since he met Lynne, but this would be his first visit. They were headed for the state border with Ohio, near Wheeling.
If you haven't been to West Virginia, you should know this: the state is almost incomprehensibly beautiful. Hundreds of wooded miles leading into the Ohio River Valley. In some spots, you can see for miles - just green trees and blue skies. It's hard to imagine the area loked much different 100 years ago.
Also, if you're going to West Virginia, you should know this: the roads are basically death traps. No shoulders, steep drops, then winding and twisting with steep drops. All roads are basically 75 degree inclines with hairpin turns. Oh, and herd of deer might run onto the road. You can still see the imprints of Matt's fingers on the passenger side door.
Besides the fantastic wedding, a big part of the trip was visiting family and trips to Memory Lane.
First up was Farmington, Ohio, where the Hanleys visited the farmhouse where Lynne's mom grew up and where Lynne was brought home from the hospital. Although no one is living in the farmhouse anymore, it was still there and looked in decent shape. Matt walked around a bit inside and Lynne told stories about feeding the horse across the street and her mom shooting a BB gun at a bell.
Then, Lynne, Matt and Mark took a walk over to the local cemetery, which was about 100 yards away (and next to the one-room school where Lynne's grandma went to primry schoo). The graveyard was tiny, but filled with history. Some of the gravestones marked the final resting place of people born before the United States was independent from England. Generations of Mitchells and Copes are buried there. Mark sat at the grave of his great-great-great grandpa, Isaac Cope (1840-1895), who fought in the Civil War. Matt took Mark's picture there - which is either pretty cool or pretty creepy.
Next family stop was in Middlebourne, West Virginia, hometown of the Seagos. Mark got to spend the day with bunches of cousins and uncles. Everyone was so friendly - it was like they'd known him forever. They all spent the day together and had a wonderful time, sharing stories and making new memories.
The Hanleys also participated in the Barry Seago History Tour. Highlights included: the ballfields where he used to play, the jail where he lived when his dad was the sheriff, the home of the guy who shot his dog after some of the boys "borrowed" a few of his crops, a really good pizza place where they pile shredded cheese on sauce and bread, a guy who was the smartest guy Barry ever knew and paints houses, and zillion places that a kid could spend all day acting like Tom Sawyer and generally having a great time.
The trip was great. And Mark got to ride in the car (fun), hang out with both parents for a whole week (really fun), pull a lot of grass out of his Great Uncle Steve's yard (super fun), go swimming at the hotel pool (extra super fun), and see some animals at the Ogelbay Good Zoo in Wheeling (near bliss).
Can't wait to go back!