Late Summer Sky Watching

 These are all sky scenes that I saw while walking Charlie in August.

That long, vertical cloud is probably a contrail, formed from moisture and the exhaust of a jet plane. I live directly under the flight path of planes going west from Dulles Airport, so I see plenty of these. This one has been scattered apart by the wind.

Yes, contrails contain pollutants. No, they aren’t some part of a secret plot. They’re just everyday industrial byproducts.

The next shot includes a morning appearance of the moon.

Sometimes I see a hot air balloon. I think there are a couple of local companies that take tourists (or romantics) for rides over the Shenandoah Valley.

P.S. There seems to be an issue with commenting right now. Please try later if it does not work.

Sparrow, Finch, Butterfly

When I was taking pictures for the theme post on travel, I saw some house sparrows. Here's one that was perched on a railing behind the brick building. 

I checked out the pollinator garden, hoping to get a butterfly picture, but the butterflies floated past without pausing. I did see a goldfinch, but its head was obscured by foliage. 

This afternoon, I saw a butterfly on the pavement. Unfortunately, it’s flying days were over.

Rest Area, Mile 262 South

Theme: Travel

The state of Virginia encourages tourism, which is an important part of the economy. They maintain some pretty nice rest stops, where you can take a bathroom break, walk your dog, check a map, eat a picnic, or take a nap in your car. 

I don’t have the stamina for long trips anymore. I enjoy day trips, although sometimes I need to rest the next day. I travel by car. I haven’t flown in a plane in years. I don’t mind flying except for feeling crowded, but the rushing, standing, and waiting in airports is not fun.

For a while, I thought that self-driving cars would be available before I got too old to drive, but now I’m not so sure. What I really want is a self driving RV… or a chauffeur!

Long Mural and Flowers

When I saw a local news picture of some officials in Front Royal standing by a new mural, I decided to find it.

It was next to Happy Creek at Lions Park.

This is the entrance to the footbridge that leads to Bing Crosby Stadium. There’s a rock that says “Together, Growing through Service.” Flowers have been planted around it.

Sharing with and Mosaic Monday and Murals.

Festival Snapshots

Yesterday I showed animals at the festival in Stephens City. I did snap a few pictures to record the scenes at the craft sale, so here they are. As you can see, it was a beautiful day!

There was a parade earlier, but I did not go to see it. I’ve seen a previous one, plus numerous other small town parades. 

Shadow Shot Sunday

Petting Zoo and Charlie’s Report

1. At a Festival in Stephens City.

2. Charlie’s Report

Hi! Here I am the dog park in Strasburg. No dog friends came to play, so I ran around a while and then we left.

On the way home, Mom drove on a small road and look what we saw!

Mom said a man carved that face in a dead tree. It looks strange to me.

In Toms Brook

Other than that, I didn’t go far from home. I did get to see Sadie a few times. We like to walk together.

One evening, Mom and I were walking, and we saw a deer in our neighbor’s yard!

Sometimes when we are on our deck, we hear buzzy things. Mom calls them hummingbirds. They are small, and they buzz away as soon as they see me.

Well, that’s all I can think of. The weather has been nice.

Kids on Bikes

Strasburg, VA

They’re riding behind the Valley Milk plant, which closed a year ago. 

 

New LOVE Sign in Edinburg

Along Stoney Creek Blvd.

“Virginia is for Lovers”

It’s traditional for localities in the state to spotlight local attractions on their LOVE sign. I think the first letter represents a field, the second is obviously the historic mill, followed by birds and ducks. Stoney Creek is known for its ducks, and visitors to the mill enjoy watching them.

Ruby Throated Hummingbirds

My birdfeeder camera captured some hummingbird images this week. These are ruby-throated hummingbirds, but only the male has the brilliant red throat. The female, however, is slightly larger.

The male appears to beat his wings constantly, and even on the videos, he is usually blurred.

Dayton Sunflowers

Along West Mosby Road

Yesterday morning I had an appointment in Harrisonburg, and afterward I drove out to see a sunflower field in nearby Dayton. It’s not the biggest one I’ve seen, but it’s bright and cheerful, as flowers tend to be.