Silver Lake Farm Mural

Dayton, VA

When I saw a picture of this mural, I made a note to find it. The address was not listed, but I was able to figure it out using a search engine and online map.

Mosaic Monday / Murals

The artist is Laura Thompson, and she also painted the mural at White Oak Lavender Farm.  

Across Silver Lake Road is a LOVE sign.

I have shown Silver Lake before, but here are some more views.

Small Things on a Quiet Sunday

In Our Front Yard

I noticed the shadows that the weigela made on the brick wall and started to take a picture of it when my dog moved into the frame. I wonder if he’s going to try to get into all my posts now that I let him take over Saturday posts. Perhaps he thinks he’s an influencer now!

We didn’t go anywhere off our block today. I tried to get a picture of a fancy butterfly, but all I got was this little skipper.

Saturday Critters with Charlie

Ahroo! Charlie here, bringing you a beagle report. We’ll start off with a filtered picture of me at the state park

Picsart Haze Effect

We cross the Shenandoah River to get to the park.

I checked under the picnic table to see if anything was dropped there. You never know what you might find.

Let’s see, what else did I do this week? I spent some time at the daycare. Mom brought me a new toy. It’s name is Marty and she said it’s a robot. 

Do you like horses? My mom likes to take pictures of them. She said these have masks to keep bugs out of their eyes.

She also takes pictures of butterflies. She takes a lot of pictures.

I spent some time at Sadie's house. Here she is with Mom. 

And that’s enough. I’m going to bed.

Ranger with a Fiddle

 Middletown, VA

Today I went to a talk on “Music and the Civil War” at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. In addition to the discussion, there was music so the audience could hear actual songs that the soldiers sang. This ranger’s fiddle playing and singing was accompanied by Ranger Chris playing rhythm on”bones,” which were two pieces of hickory. He was skilled at clacking them like castanets. 

Coming soon: The 110th Birthday of our National Park Service on August 25. Admission is free on that day. Actually, admission to the Cedar Creek Battlefield is always free, except for tours of the Belle Grove Manor House. Nearby Shenandoah National Park usually charges per vehicle, so a free day is a great benefit for visitors who don’t have an annual pass.

Dark Clouds, Silver Lake

Dayton, VA

This afternoon, dark clouds signaled that rain was coming, but it didn’t start until tonight. So far, it hasn’t amounted to much.

Birds and Alternate Versions

When I was leaving the place that I showed in yesterday’s post, I noticed this tall tree with crows perched on the upper branches. I snapped a few pictures, so below is an alternate shot, which I cropped for a closer look.

Next we see a bird that I noticed when I was walking Charlie. It was singing, and was shaped like a robin, but I wasn’t positive until I cropped and lightened an alternate picture. I usually try to take two pictures of a subject in case one of them is blurred. This also gives me an extra shot for experimenting.

Views and Flowers at Purple Fox Vineyard

Near Harrisonburg

Yesterday I had an appointment near Rockingham Memorial Hospital, and afterwards I stopped here to decompress, eat a protein bar, and take a few pictures.

Oops! I wrote Purple Fox and it’s actually Purple Wolf!

Mural on South Branch Inn

Moorefield, WV

This huge painting is by artist Kelson Thorne. He calls it “Through the Trough,” referring to a gorge on the South Branch of the Potomac. The Trough was documented in 1748 in the writings of a young surveyor named George Washington!

The artist has painted a number of murals in West Virginia. I hope to see some of them during Heritage Weekend in September.

Sharing with Monday Murals

Across the street is a shop in a white barn decorated with a painted barn quilt.

Just Collages of Scenery

It's Sunday and I’m tired, partly because Charlie woke me before dawn this morning. I don’t have much new to report today, so I’m reposting some scenic photos, combined into collages for the Mosaic linkup. 

These are all pictures from the Shenandoah Valley and mountain region. I am fortunate to live in such a beautiful area.

Have a good week!

Charlie’s Mid-August Report

Hi! This week was not as exciting as last week when Mom’s sister was visiting. We didn’t do anything new until today

I saw the gray cat in our yard again. It isn’t very friendly and won’t talk to me.

On Monday, I stayed at daycare, and the people there are nice to me. Twice this week, I went to Sadie’s house to play.

Today I finally went someplace new. First we picked up Miss Deborah and Mom drove to Winchester. We went to a thrift store which helps support the animal shelter. 

Then we went to another place and stopped so Mom could take pictures. She said the dinosaurs are freshly painted, and don’t worry, they aren’t real. I’m glad because they are scary-big.

I let Mom know that I wanted to go for a walk so we stopped at a park in Stephens City and Miss Deborah took me for a walk.

That was fun! Now it’s time to rest.