Blogging Around the States - West Virginia

Welcome to Blogging Around the States which is a weekly feature that I do every Saturday.   This week we are visiting Kristina in beautiful West Virginia.   I've driven through West Virginia on two different occasions, once from the east heading west and the other from the south, making a left turn before heading west.  I was astonished at the beauty of this state.  The winding roads through verdant mountains and valleys really impressed me.  On both my trips through the state I vowed to come back and stay for awhile. 

Kristina is a working mother who loves to read, buy books, X-stitch and watch TV. Stop by for a visit at her blog, Kristina's Favorites.

BOOKLOGGED:  Start by telling us a little bit about yourself.  (family, job, likes, dislikes, favorites, idiosyncrasies, pet peeves, or anything else you'd like to share that will help us know you better) 

KRISTINA:  Well, my name is Kristina and I'm a 28 year old mother of 1 beautiful little boy, Ethan, who will be 2 in November and wife to a wonderful husband, Paul.  I love to read and cross stitch although I hardly have time for either.  I mostly read at night while in bed, this I believe is the cause for many crazy dreams =).  I am a chronic buyer of books, my husband thinks there might be a problem when I can collect over 200 books but read them at a snail's pace.  That's what happens when you become a mom. I also love way too many TV shows, lasagna, stars, jalapeno almonds, fresh cut grass, clean linens, potato chips, itty bitty kitties, and new office supplies.....not in that order, of course.  (Kristina, I have a kitty name Itty Bitty!)

BOOKLOGGED:  What do you love about your state?

KRISTINA:  West Virginia is amazing.  The best thing about it is the scenery and the seasons. The beautiful mountains and the trees, especially in the fall.  It's really something to see.  We have 4 separate seasons, with 4 distinct weather patterns.  It's hot in the Summer, cool in the Fall, cold in the Winter and mild in the Spring. 

BOOKLOGGED:  Is there anything you don't like about where you live? 

KRISTINA:  Construction and traffic, but I guess that's everywhere =) 

BOOKLOGGED:  If job, money, family did not enter the equation, would you prefer to live in another state?  Which one?  And why?

KRISTINA:  No I really wouldn't!  I love it here although I love the cold.  If I had to choose a place to live for a week, I would want to experience a really cold really snowy winter in Maine or Alaska.....crazy, I know!



BOOKLOGGED:  If I visited your state what cities, sights, and/or activities would you recommend I check out, see and/or do?   

KRISTINA:  We have so much history here!  You have to visit all the historical locations, but you might be here permanently =)  There's too many to name so I'll give you a few of the great ones and some websites to check out.  First, I would send you to the Greenbrier Resort http://www.greenbrier.com/site/about-history.aspx, formerly known in the Civil War Era as The Old White Hotel to the locals.  The resort has had many names and many duties such as hotel, hospital during the war and bunker/bomb shelter in the 1950s for the US Congress to use in case of an emergency.


Second I would send you all the way down to Harpers Ferry http://www.nps.gov/HAFE/index.htm, best known for John Brown's Raid in 1859, and now his ghost.  There are ghost tours situated around town and John Brown's ghost, you really should take a tour, I loved it.  The town was settled by Robert Harper in 1751 and then he built a ferry across the Potomac river which led to "Mr. Harper's Ferry".  I love the buildings and how the town looks almost identical to what it used to. 
Ok, now since we've spent all our time in Harpers Ferry, I'm going to bring you back up to where I live, Morgantown.  Home of the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Forks of Cheat Winery http://www.wvwines.com/index.html.  In mid September you can grab a glass of wine at the Wine & Jazz Festival http://www.wvwineandjazz.com/

and head to Milan Puskar Stadium for a West Virginia University football game http://www.msnsportsnet.com/teams.cfm?sport=football. Go Mountaineers!!!  

Then relax and take a tour of the Festival of Lights at Oglebay (pronounced O gull bee) Park in Wheeling http://www.oglebay-resort.com/fol.htm.  Here you will drive through a tunnel of snowflakes and into a world of light where Cinderella is late for the ball and the Lochness Monster comes alive.  I hope you had fun =)

BOOKLOGGED:  Who are some authors that currently live in your state?  Any famous authors from the past?

KRISTINA:   There are a few authors from here but probably the most famous author is Pearl Buck http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck.  Known for writing The Good Earth in 1931 and many short stories and children's books.  She was born in Hillsboro, WV but was raised in China by her missionary parents.  She wrote The Good Earth and described the region Anhui, where they lived.  She later toured West Virginia to raise money for the upkeep of her birthplace which is now a historic house museum http://www.pearlsbuckbirthplace.com/


BOOKLOGGED:  Do you have a favorite book set in your state?

KRISTINA:  Back to the Ghost Stories, Dr. Ruth Ann Musick  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Ann_Musick wrote The Telltale Lilac Bush, 100 ghost stories from around Northern West Virginia, and Coffin Hollow,  a sequel of 100 more ghost stories, during her tenure at Fairmont State College in Fairmont, WV.

I apologize to Kristina for not including all her pictures but I was having a dickens of a time getting things to work out as well as they did. After the apology comes a big THANK-YOU, KRISTINA for sharing a little about you and your beautiful state of West Virginia. When I come back I'll look you up - You make a perfect tour guide.