Missouri Artist born in Virginia

This historical marker is just west of Grottoes, Virginia. It honors the birthplace of artist George Caleb Bingham. Born on a farm that had belonged to his mother's father, he was the son of Henry Vest Bingham and Mary (Amend) Bingham. I don't know if anything is left of the farm buildings, but his grandfather, Matthias Amend, owned a mill, which I assume was near the South River.

The marker reads:

George Caleb Bingham, a renowned American genre painter of the 19th century, was born in a frame house just north of here on 20 March 1811. Bingham moved to Missouri in 1819, where he began painting portraits in the 1830s and later specialized in paintings of the American West. He died in July 1879 in Kansas City, Missouri.

[Marker location on Google Maps: @38.266, -78.838 ]

Addendum: An article from the Augusta County News Leader on historic markers states that the house burned and was replaced by a brick house which still stands.

October Roads

We still have autumn color. Here are some scenes along the wooded roads here in the resort.

Dressing Up

I scanned this picture last month. It was taken at a Lions Club Dance several months ago. Frank was one of the organizers for the event so I had to go, even though I don't like getting dressed up.

The most uncomfortable thing about wearing a nice dress is that you have to wear dressy shoes and nylon hose. I'd rather wear sneakers or Lycra shoes with cotton socks. I survived though, and there were some good moments at the dance.

Since I'm talking about myself today, let me give you an update on my shoulder pain. It's still a problem, so Frank insisted that I go to a medical doctor. She prescribed Naproxen for inflammation and referred me to a physical therapist. I made an appointment with a PT for next week. Right now my shoulder feels a lot better, although I still can't lie or lean on my right side.

The View from Johnston Road

Frank has a house listed for sale that has a nice view: a little bit of Bryce's golf course and a little bit of the ski slope. Otherwise it's an ordinary house except that it's double: a 2-bedroom house upstairs and an identical one downstairs. Both levels have a deck and fireplace.
MLS#: SH6661744

Listen to the South River

This is a brief video of the South River to give you an idea of the way the rippling water sounds. (Be sure you have your speakers turned on.)

Port Republic, Virginia

Compare this to the same river upriver at the Bridgewater Dam.

The South River at Port Republic, VA

Sunday's weather forecast indicated it might be the last warm and sunny day for a while, so we agreed to go out for a drive. I suggested crossing the Blue Ridge to Gordonsville but Frank did not want to go that far. He countered with a suggestion to visit Port Republic, a quaint town situated between two rivers. We've been there a number of times and even considered buying a house there until we heard how deep the floodwaters had risen in the past.

We parked at the community park on the South River and walked around. It's just above the point where the South and North Rivers join to form the South Fork of the Shenandoah. The sound of the rippling water just about drowns out the noise from traffic going over nearby bridge. We watched leaves drop into the river and get scooped up by the current, which swirls them away

Previous Post: South River in Rockingham County

GPS /Location note: On Google Maps, ask for @38.294, -78.814 .

On the bank of the South River

Autumn at Browns Gap Road

• Description of Browns Gap history and hike on Guide to SNP
• Iron Furnaces.com page on Mt. Vernon Furnace (at Brown's Gap)
• Previous Blog Post mentioning Brown's Gap

A Horse in October

Oct. 26 in Rockingham County, VA

White House Fort Near Luray, VA

The building on the left is the "White House" circa 1760. It's on U.S. Route 211 just west of Luray.

The Virginia Historical Marker explains that "The old building just north of the road was built for a fort in 1760. It has long been a landmark in this valley."

Other sources explain that the building was a home and meeting house with a cellar constructed with portholes so that it could serve as a fort. See the Historical Marker Database page for more about White House and the nearby bridge across the South Fork of the Shenandoah which was burned during Jackson's Valley Campaign.

Speaking of the Historical Markers Database, I was surprised to see a new addition: Birthplace of Kermit the Frog.

A White Morning Glory

It took a long time for our morning glories to grow and they didn't bloom until October. Now only this one plant has survived the first frost. All our zinnias are gone now, but the marigolds are still blooming... for now.

Winter is coming. If I had my way, it would only last until January. I don't mind the snow (what little bit we get) but the cold gray days get monotonous.

But for now, we still have colorful trees. Today was pretty.

Our Dining Room View (Part of it)

More on AOL Web Space

On the first of this month, I wrote about AOL dropping free webspace. Since then I tried their instructions for downloading my files using FTP and found that they don't work in Dreamweaver MX. So here's how I connect using Dreamweaver. (It took a bit of experimenting to figure this out.)

When setting up a site in Dreamweaver, you get to specify the FTP address and login. (Under Remote Info select FTP.) Host is hometown.aol.com, Directory is your screen name, Login is blank, Password is email address for that screen name. 

Once you connect to the server, you can click on the down arrow and download your files. Watch for a minute because you may have to click Yes and No a few times.

All this only works until the end of the month, so those of us who used AOL's free webspace need to hurry up and copy our files, at least, any of them that are worth saving. Some of mine are really "ancient" (10 and 11 years old) so I'll transfer them to a CD and just archive them.

The View from Dickey Ridge

Looking out from the Visitor Center at Dickey Ridge, Shenandoah National Park.

For motorists entering Skyline Drive at Front Royal, the Visitor Center may be their first stop. It features a frequently-repeated film introducing the park, some wildlife displays, a light-up map, and a bookstore.


Once upon a time there was a small restaurant here. Now you can bring food with you to eat in the nearby picnic area, or continue driving to Skyland or (if you are heading north) to Front Royal. That town has the usual fast food outlets and various restaurants, plus a Martin's Supermarket. Hidden in the historic district is the charming Main Street Mill Restaurant, and if you follow Route 340 north to Riverton Commons (just past I-66 exit 6) there's a new Cracker Barrel, a Checkers, and some other chain eateries.

Another Deer Picture

Young Whitetail Deer

Dickey Ridge Picnic Area, Skyline Drive

Young deer are so beautiful! At the bookshop at Dickey Ridge, we saw an adorable children's book called Lost In The Woods: A Photographic Fantasy featuring incredible photos of a fawn and other wildlife. I may get it from the library just to fawn over the pictures. (Sorry for the pun; it was too easy.)

Another View from Skyline Drive

I think last year's colors were brighter. See View from Skyline Drive (2007) and More Photos from Skyline Drive.

A Deer at Dickey Ridge

The picnic areas of Shenandoah National Park are a good place to see deer, at least during the week when the crowds of tourists are not around. We observed several who did not run off right away when someone got out of a vehicle to take pictures. Here's one who let me walk fairly close before moving away.

Article: Herds of Hungry Deer Spell Change for Forests

Foliage Report, Virginia Mountains

Finally we had a frost last night here in western Virginia. This should trigger autumn colors for those trees which have stayed green late this year.

Some of the trees turned in mid-October and a few went straight to brown because of the drought. So we aren't getting the varied display that we've had in years of wetter and cooler weather. Still, the colors here in Shenandoah County have been lovely and may well peak this weekend.

Frank and I drove up to Skyline Drive yesterday, entering at Panorama and driving north to Front Royal. (He has a senior pass, so we don't pay the $15 entrance fee. What a deal!) I must say the colors in that section weren't as nice as we have here in Basye. I believe we had more rain in late summer than they got in Shenandoah National Park. Still, we enjoyed the scenery and learned some things at the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center.

Roadside Whitetails

Seen in Bryce Mountain Resort this week:

Note how the deer blend into the environment. There are two deer in the first picture.

Although bowhunting season has opened in Virginia, "our deer" are protected by rules of Bryce Resort. They must know it, for they are still fairly bold. We've seen dozens of deer over the past week.

Re-enactors take a break

One of the reasons I take pictures at Civil War events is to produce a few images that I might use to spice up my site Civil War Field Trips. When I took the photo above I thought I had something that looked authentic. Then I enlarged it in Photoshop and saw some glaring anachronisms.

First, there were modern vehicles in the background, traffic on US 11. Fortunately, they are not very noticeable and I can crop them out if I sacrifice part of the picture.

But then there's a touch of modernity among the carefully chosen "authentic" utensils. It's pretty obvious in the enlargement (left).

I could clone or paste in Photoshop and cover it up. Or I can just post it here, smile and forget it.

Belle Grove, the Mansion

Here are the front and rear facades of Belle Grove in Middletown, VA. The first photo shows the front (facing the Valley Pike); the one below depicts the rear view. Note that the trim over the windows is different.

I attended the Living History Events at Belle Grove on Sunday but did not attend the Re-enactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek which was next door. For one thing, I saw part of the re-enactment last October. Then there was a twinge of conscience because I was aware of a controversy surrounding the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation, which sponsors the re-enactment. They made a deal with a nearby limestone mining company which is planning to expand onto historic land without telling the Belle Grove folks or the other preservation groups which opposed the expansion.

See the Civil War Preservation Trust page on Cedar Creek.

Post Number 1550

I see that this makes 1550 posts to this blog. And Sitemeter has recorded 25,101 visits since it started recording. That's a lot!

One reason I appreciate the discipline of trying to post every day is that it encourages me to keep up with my digital photo processing. You'll see plenty of photos on this blog. Typically I post small versions of my photographs, but I usually keep a larger version for printing, about a 500K file. If you are a family member who needs the larger file to make a print, let me know.

Otherwise, people who want a larger version can email me with their request. If it's for commercial use, please provide details (like size needed and circulation) so we can discuss pricing.

The Fiddler

Re-enactor gets ready to play his fiddle
Civil War Living History Event, Middletown, VA

A Belle at Belle Grove

This young lady wore a Civil War-era dress to greet visitors to Belle Grove Plantation on Sunday.

Middletown, VA

Robert Lee Hodge

At Belle Grove's Civil War Living History and Commemoration Weekend, the Military Living History was directed by Robert Lee Hodge.
You may have seen Rob Hodge on the cover of Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz. (Great book, by the way.) Horwitz traveled with Hodge and learned about "hardcore" re-enacting, which includes wearing worn dirty clothes and sleeping outdoors in frigid weather. He's known for carrying authenticity to an extreme.

Article by Rob Hodge: My 15 Minutes Out of the Attic.

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The Blacksmith's Apprentice

Living History at Belle Grove
Middletown, VA

Memory Card Disaster Averted

I almost lost a group of photos from my CompactFlash card yesterday. I was able to salvage them using Frank's PC. Since a similar problem happened before, I think I know what I need to do differently.

Saturday night I deleted 30-something unneeded images from the card using Adobe Bridge on my Ibook (laptop) to make space for more. When I went to Belle Grove on Sunday, I filled the card back up. Last night, I wanted to see the pictures, but while I could see thumbnails, I was unable to open them in Photoshop or even transfer them to the laptop.

Apparently deleting images from the card using my Mac is risky. Actually, it's not that easy to do, and probably for a reason. But I deleted them while moving a group to a folder on my laptop (using Batch Rename/ Move to other folder in Adobe Bridge), and this "appears" to work. But it must leave something on the card that shouldn't be there.

Unable to open my new pictures on the Mac, I ejected the card and took it to Frank's PC. They opened fine! I transferred the photos to a folder on his hard drive, then burned the folder to a CD. Took the CD back to my Mac and there were the pictures, behaving normally. Now I can open them in Photoshop and crop, resize, and so on.

I'm glad I didn't lose all those photos from the Civil War event at Belle Grove. There are some good ones - I'll get around to sharing a few with you. (If the PC had been unable to open the pictures, I could have downloaded a software that rescues pictures from cards.)

I put the card back in the camera and reformatted it. Most experts say to reformat your memory cards regularly anyway.

More Lighthouse Pictures

Someone emailed me about the lighthouse photos, so I thought I'd share a few more. The first one is on the Roanoke River in North Carolina, in the historic town of Plymouth. Unfortunately we did not have time to visit the Roanoke River Lighthouse Museum there but it sounds interesting.

The image on the right is a daytime view of Hatteras Light with us posing in front of it. A passing tourist was kind enough to snap this for us.

Earlier Posts include:

• Hatteras Lighthouse at Dusk
• Bodie Lighthouse
• Ocracoke Light Station
• Point Vicente Lighthouse in California

Local Creek, Yellow Leaves

We passed this creek Friday on our way to Winchester.

We took our time and enjoyed the colors of fall. It was like driving through a gigantic garden!

Dancing Geese

Atlantic Daybreak

Photographed by Frank at Myrtle Beach, SC

Dawn at the Patricia Grand Hotel

When we arrived in Myrtle Beach on Sunday, a heavy rain was starting to let up. By the time we found a hotel room that fit our requirements and had dinner, the day was over. But we could see and hear the surf from our 5th-floor room.

Frank got up at dawn and went down to the beach to walk around and watch the sunrise. He took these lovely pictures. I was unwilling to force myself awake to go outside so early, so I missed a chance to spend time on the beach when it wasn't raining.

Link: The Patricia Grand Resort Hotel

Events This Weekend

Events in the Lower Shenandoah for October 18, 2008. Some continue Sunday.

Reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek, Middletown, VA

Civil War Living History and Commemoration Weekend at Belle Grove, Middletown

First Kernstown Battlefield Tour Saturday (south of Winchester)

Autumn Days Arts and Crafts Festival, Elkton, VA
Elkton Autumn Days Arts and Crafts Festival will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Oct. 18 and noon-5 p.m. on Oct. 19 on B. Street and Henry Avenue (at Elkton Elementary School)

Broadway-Timberville Fall Festival, Saturday, West of New Market, VA

Art & Craft Show at the Barn, West of New Market

It's Fall Foliage Time in Virginia

Our View on October 15, 2008.

Y'all come up to the mountains!

Where We Stayed

We made it home from the Carolinas. I have a few more photos to post, although there was a day and a half of no pictures because the rain was coming down hard.

For the curious or just for the record, I'm posting a list of places we stayed. Didn't stay at any one place for more than one night while at the beach because the weather ranged from cloudy with showers to hard steady rain. We spent a lot of time in the car.

1. Days Inn & Suites, Rocky Mount, NC. We had a nice "suite" (room with small kitchen).
2. Comfort Inn, Hatteras, NC. Another suite.
3. Ocracoke Island Inn Villas, Ocracoke, NC. We stayed in a 2-BR condo. Lots of space, amenities, but some huge beetles were in residence and the internet was not working.
4. The Islander, Emerald Isle, NC. Small condo unit w/ snack area (mini fridge and microwave). A sign on the wall near the microwave says that cooking is prohibited, and a smoke detector is mounted above the microwave. (These units are for sale, but who wants a condo where you can't cook?)
   
5. Patricia Grand, Myrtle Beach, SC. Nice hotel except the restaurant was closed. Ocean-front room had a small kitchen including cooktop.
   
6. Kate's house - two nights in South Carolina.

In case you are wondering why we sought out rooms with some version of a kitchen, two reasons: I like to be able to cook breakfast (wheat-free and milk-free), and I am taking a medication which has to be kept cold. We carry a picnic cooler but having a fridge at night helps a lot. (Warning: mini-fridges have mini-freezers too small for a pint of ice cream.)

In both Ocracoke and Myrtle Beach, we had reservations elsewhere but broke them after getting there. In Ocracoke, the original accomodations were described as vintage, which turned out to mean shabby and musty. They had attempted to cover the smell with a fabric freshening spray, which seemed to make it worse. In Myrtle Beach, we had reserved an ocean-front room but they had switched us to a side room, which Frank turned down. So we lost time driving around looking at lodging.

With Kate's kids in South Carolina

Austin and Justin took us and Sidney to the neighborhood park on Monday. The photo below was taken by Justin.

A Carolina Squirrel

Duck duck goose goose

These waterfowl have adapted to civilization on Ocracoke Island.

British Cemetery on Ocracoke Island

Four seamen from a British vessel are buried here on Ocracoke Island, NC. They lost their lives when their ship was destroyed by a German torpedo in 1942.

The British flag flies here, and the cemetery is maintained by members of the island's U.S. Coast Guard station.

At the Beach

Here we are at the site of Hatteras Lighthouse before it was moved. You can see it at it's current site in the distance.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

Ocracoke Island Light Station, North Carolina

Constructed in 1823, it is the nation's second oldest still in use. It replaced one that was built in 1798 in an inlet, which was vulnerable to damage from storms.

The Hatteras to Ocracoke Ferry

If you want to take your car to Ocracoke Island, you have to take the ferry. It's part of the North Carolina transportation system. On-board amenities are limited to a small seating area upstairs and a restroom. If there are RV's aboard, you may find walking between the vehicles too crowded to be comfortable.

Pirates of Ocracoke Island

The islands off the Carolina coast carry stories of pirates. Read the story of how the notorious Blackbeard was ambushed by Lt. Maynard's crew and killed in 1718.

We ran into this pirate at a restaurant in Ocracoke. The little sign says "Please! Keep yer bloody hands off me person."

Bodie Island Light

Bodie Lighthouse on the Outer Banks, NC

Like many southern lighthouses, it was destroyed by the Confederacy during the Civil War so that it would not aid Union ships. Rebuilt in 1872, it is still in operation.

Evening Light at Hatteras

This lighthouse was relocated in the year 1999 after erosion made the old location unstable.

Summary, Erosion at Cape Hatteras Light

Late Afternoon on the Sound

Outer Banks, North Carolina
Not far from Rodanthe
Looking West

Earthworks on Roanoke Island

Reconstructed Fort Raleigh

"Earthenworks restored on the site are associated with England's colonization efforts that were sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh from 1584 to 1590. An adjacent spot has confirmed evidence of metallurgical activity from the 1585 exploration expedition."

National Park Service

Recent Archaeology at Fort Raleigh

Peeking from the Stockade Gate

Entrance to the theater for "The Lost Colony,"
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Manteo, NC

Ausbon House, Plymouth, NC

A Civil War Trails marker across the street from this house tells us that it was a "Sniper's Nest." It starts out: "Bullet holes around the upstairs window of the Ausbon House are haunting reminders of a fight to the death hear on December 10, 1862, when a Confederate sniper refused to surrender. "

The sniper was eventually shot. Look in the photo below and notice the bullet holes around the right-hand window.

Old Methodist Church, Plymouth, NC

When we drove through Plymouth, North Carolina, we made a turn to see the historic part of town, which is on a river and has several historic sites and a museum.

A marker in front of this lovely church says:

Records first mention the appointment of William J. Waller as pastor of the Plymouth United Methodist Church, February 15, 1826. The first building was constructed in 1832. The church cemetery predates the church with the earliest grave dating back to 1808.

Columbia, NORTH Carolina

We'll make our way to Columbia, SC. Meanwhile here's Frank in the small North Carolina town of Columbia. It's on US 64 on the way to the Outer Banks.

A Discomfort of Travel

Traveling to a strange place can be interesting but stressful. Food allergies have made travel extra challenging, and sometimes unpleasant. I carry a selection of snacks so I won't starve, at least not for a few days.

Tuesday was typical. Like many hotels, Days Inn & Suites offered a breakfast bar. Most of the items on the bar are wheat-based or contain dairy products, so those are out for me. Most fruits don't work for me either, since they make my gums very sore. Fortunately, they had plain instant grits. That's better than nothing but not great, so I was looking forward to a good lunch.

Unfortunately, I could not find one. We were on a highway with few restaurants except for a few sandwich places. Finally we found a place that looked like it had a varied menu.

I asked a series of questions and eliminated several initial choices because they were not available without butter or would take 20 minutes to make without it. I settled on a salad with chicken, no cheese or croutons, dressing on the side. But my first bite of the chicken was a big disappointment; it had an unpleasant taste. Turns out they marinated it in an Italian dressing. Not only was the taste bitter, but vinegar does not agree with me, so I sent it back and got a stripped-down chef salad. This was edible but the ham and turkey had that over-salted taste of lunch meat, so I forced down some of it without enjoyment. And they did not have decaf coffee so I just had water.

When we returned to the car I pulled out my snack bag and had something from it so that I didn't feel totally hungry. But this sort of road-food unpleasantness is not unusual. Often I end up with a greasy circle of burger meat and some wilted lettuce because that's all I find that won't make me ill, and even that meat is likely to contain pepper, which makes me cough a bit. (I tested allergic to black pepper but unless the food contains a lot of it, I don't cough TOO violently.)

Although I have a long list of food allergies and sensitivities, the ones likely to be hidden in restaurant foods are the ones I've mentioned above: wheat, dairy (especially butter), pepper, and vinegar. Still, I've only gotten REAL sick from restaurant food a handful of times; moderately sick more times than I can count. I put coughing, mild abdominal pain, and getting hopelessly sleepy in the moderate category. It's the unhappy price I pay for eating out.

Shadwell Marker, Route 250

"Shadwell, Birthplace of Thomas Jefferson"
East of Charlottesville, VA

This is a bit over 90 minutes from home, about the limit that I can drive without feeling too tired to be alert.

Will this dog have to go?

We've had Scamp since June and often he's very sweet. Unfortunately, he barks too much, but there's a worse problem. He gets Ben ferociously upset.

Ben is not the most stable dog anyway. He's always been a bit jumpy and insecure, and is very hard to train. Scamp wants to play but he plays rough. He jumps on Ben over and over, past the point where Ben gets impatient and growls. Ben comes over to me (perhaps to feel safer?) and Scamp jumps on him again; Ben turns and growls. I get nervous that I'll accidentally get bitten when they are fighting next to me.

Then there's what I call charging. Sometimes Scamp senses something wrong and barks and charges toward Ben, yapping frantically. This has happened when I approached Ben with fresh water, for instance. Ben reacted by growling in my direction! Hey, Ben! I was trying to do something for you.

And this morning we had duffel bags next to the door. Ben investigated them and started chewing on a strap. I went over to stand in front of the bag and correct him. Suddenly Scamp charged, bark bark bark! Ben growled and grabbed my pants leg with his mouth. He hasn't done that before, and I was afraid I'd get bitten if I didn't get Ben calmed down. I yelled for Frank to put Scamp in the other room, and once that was done, Ben started calming a little although he still looked nervous and hostile. I was able to get him to follow me over to his crate though, and once he went inside I shut the door. He was okay later.

So while it's not just Scamp who is a problem, he is still a newcomer to the household. He may intend to correct Ben, but Ben does not see him as his boss and reacts aggressively. I'm getting caught in the middle. So I'm afraid the new dog will have to find another home. Possibly the old dog will too if he continues to act hostile. But I hope not.

Yes, the Leaves are Changing Color

Here in the mountains of Shenandoah County, the trees have started to greet autumn. The dogwoods turned red a week ago and are now fading but many trees have not changed yet. This weekend and next should be colorful here.

Peak color here (northwestern Virginia) typically falls between Oct. 15-25. See the fall foliage map at the bottom of this UVA page. If you drive out to the Shenandoah and the colors haven't changed yet, drive up into the mountains.

Portrait Trick

We liked the way a picture of Frank leaning on top of my car came out so we tried the technique again, trading places. This is a variation of a portrait photographer's trick: having the subject lean on a mirrored horizontal surface, to reflect light back into the face and at the same time add visual interest with the reflection.

Years ago I worked for Sears Portrait Studio and Lee's Photography and I haven't forgotten everything I learned yet. I don't mean to imply that the two studios are similar though - at Sears we made nice family photos but Suna Lee is an artist.

Blog Post #1514: Adding Labels

Now that I've written over 1500 blog entries, I appreciate the value of having Labels, which are those keywords at the end of each entry (also listed in the left-hand column).  So I've been adding labels to my old blog entries, both to organize them by topic and to add a search option. Generally I create a Label when I realize that I've blogged about a particular topic more than 8 or ten times.  Then I go back to previous entries on that topic and add the new Label.

I see that Safari lets me edit an entry in a new window, thus saving my place. (Firefox for Mac does not have this feature.) But I can add Labels more quickly to previous Blogspot entries as follows:

1. Sign in.
2. Click Edit Posts.
3. Type search term in box. It can be the name of the label (like Autumn) or a related term. Click the Search button.
4. A list of posts appears. If desired, click the right arrow to read the post, or click View to examine the post with pictures.
5. Check all posts that you want to have that Label. 
6. Pull down box "Label Actions" and select the label. It will be added to each post that you checked.

This works on Blogspot blogs.

Volunteer Farm of Shenandoah

Our speaker at last week's library talk was Chuck Seal of the Volunteer Farm, which is off Back Road west of Woodstock, VA. Chuck described the work of the Volunteer Farm, which grows vegetables and donates them to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. In response to needs for higher-protein food for the hungry, the farm is undertaking a project to raise meat, starting with goats. A couple is letting them use their farmland near Zepp for this effort.

We stopped by the current farm on Monday and I took a few photographs. It was quiet there because students are back in school so most of the volunteering happens on weekends now. There are still vegetables to harvest, and after frost hits, there will be rocks to move and a fence to build.

If you've never seen the countryside around Back Road, you're missing beautiful views. The Volunteer Farm is an example of the rich pastoral scenery that the Shenandoah Valley is known for.

Deer in the Driweway

I got home late this afternoon and two deer were standing at the end of our driveway. One bounded away and the other stood still long enough for me to take her picture.

There wasn't enough light for a really clear photo so I filtered the image in Photoshop to make it look arty. (I used a cross-hatch filter but I don't know if you can even see the effect in this small version.)

Another View of Our View

See the mist rising from the valley? I believe it's water vapor from Lake Birdhaven.

Front Royal Golf Club

We were in Front Royal yesterday for a dental appointment. Afterwards I drove to the Front Royal Golf Club which I learned of from a roadside marker. This public club is located behind a new shopping center (which has WalMart, Lowe's, Cracker Barrel, Checkers, etc.).

It looks like you can easily walk to the Shenandoah River but we didn't try because a light rain was falling. I saw another lane going down towards the river (boat ramp?) but a chain was across it.

A New Listing in Basye

Contemporary on Supinlick Ridge 
3 BR for $169,000

This house reminds me a bit of the chalet we owned except that this one is 1-level. Although it's in Bryce Resort, it's on a state road - very convenient for commuting to Mount Jackson or Woodstock.

In beautiful Shenandoah County, VA!

MLS #SH688497

walcroft1@msn.com

AOL Dropping Free Websites

America Online announced that it is discontinuing free web space for members. Well, I've been expecting that for a long time. Now that their email accounts are free, it's natural that bonus services would be cut back.

I still have several sites on AOL's servers. The only one I update frequently is the webpage I maintain for the Chemical Sensitivity folks, and I can move it to Webhero or VirtualAvenue.

How to download your AOL web pages

Blue Hole in GWNF

Blue Hole near Bergton, VA

We stopped here Sunday afternoon. It's just inside Virginia not far from the West Virginia line.

We did not see the point where the North Fork of the Shenandoah begins, though. On the map, it appears to be slightly downriver from here. It looks like you could put in a canoe at this recreation area and paddle down to the North Fork in just a few minutes.

Directions to Blue Hole are in this article