The O'Malley's: Hot Like Fire

That pretty much sums up the weekend. It was 94 degrees on Saturday and 92 yesterday (the average for this time of year is around 70 degrees)!We made the most of the record-breaking temperatures by taking a day trip to Fredericksburg. We drove down on Saturday morning, strolled around the town, walked across the river to visit two historical homes Chatham and Ferry Farm, ate some incredible (and humongous) garlic burgers, drove through the battlefields in which the Battle of Fredericksburg was fought, and enjoyed some ice cream on the way home.

This was the farthest into "the South" that I have ever ventured and, from what I can tell, it wasn't that bad. It was a cute little town with a ton of history from colonial times and the Civil War. There were gorgeous old-fashioned mansions everywhere, I wish I would have gotten some pictures of those! Our favorite part was visiting Chatham, a mansion built just across the river on a hillside overlooking Fredericksburg. During the Civil War, Union troops used this house as a headquarters for General Burnside. From Chatham, they shot cannons down on Lee's troops who held the town of Fredericksburg. Walt Whitman and Clara Barton (the founder of the American Red Cross) helped wounded soldiers at Chatham. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson also visited Chatham about 100 years earlier. We had fun and learned something too :-)

The Rappahannock River (very muddy)

Crossing the river to get to Chatham

The entrance to Chatham

Chatham's gardens

I thought this was so beautiful! Apparently, it's a Wisteria plant that's grown over a wooden frame. Someday, when I have a garden, I'll have to remember to grow Wisteria in it.