 | We went to the Daylily Festival last weekend. It was at Viette Nurseries which is between Staunton and Waynesboro, VA. This festival features wine tastings but we did not take advantage of them; rather we went in as "Designated Drivers" which saved us a lot on the tickets. I had intended to go to Viette's at some point anyway to see the daylilies so this was a good excuse to go. The video I made of the festival is only 39 seconds long, so take a look! |
| I'm getting used to having a view of a lake! Even so, there are times when I'm struck by the prettiness of it, like in the early morning or at dusk, or even when a light rain is falling on the water. The fountain in the lake is not there for looks. It's actually an aeration system, adding a bit of oxygen to the water which tends to get high in algae, thanks to the natural fertilizer contributed by our friends the geese. |  |
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| North End of Massanutten Range Seen at Dusk |
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Flanked out of his position on Richardson's Hill, Union Col. John R. Kenly hurried his command north to the bridges spanning the forks of the Shenandoah River. At this spot on the South Fork stood the Front Royal Turnpike Bridge, and the Manassas Gap Railroad bridge was located just east.
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The Bridges | Another bridge led over the North Fork. |
As the Federals crossed the bridges, the 1st Maryland Infantry (CSA) pressed the Union rear and the Louisianans attacked the flanks.
...The Federal attempt to burn the bridges failed when the Louisianans, led by Gen. Richard Taylor, charged into the flames to beat them out.
The North Fork Bridge was damaged enough, however, that it and the cannon and musket fire from Guard Hill slowed the Confederate crossing. The Federal advantage evaporated when Lt. Col. Thomas S. Flournoy's 6th Virginia Cavalry swam the rain-swollen river and formed for the pursuit.
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| Present-Day Bridge |
 | I snapped these pictures at the Heritage Day Parade in late May. Stephens City is located on the Valley Pike (US 11) south of Winchester, Virginia. It's right off I-81 and has expanded in recent years to the point where it has seemingly endless suburbs. But the historic core of the town is pleasant and interesting. The town dates back to 1758.
We were fortunate to discover that the local bargain outlet was providing free seating and even free water to those of us who turned out to view the parade. |
Elmer E. Meyer, Jr. passed away on Monday, June 18, 2012 in Washington, DC. He had a 30-year career in higher education administration. He was an Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dean of Students at Cornell University and finally Vice-Chancellor for Student Life at East Carolina University until retiring in 1989. He loved working as an advocate for students as they made their way through their college careers. He contributed to his community wherever he lived. Elmer and his wife Nancy spent the last 20 years between Basye, Virginia and Washington DC. He worked as treasurer of the Basye Community Library midweek and as a dedicated volunteer for the Smithsonian Institution on weekends. Elmer was a life-long Big Band Jazz fan and a supporter of the ECU jazz program. After two years of declining health, Elmer E. Meyer passed away late Sunday evening at the Georgetown Retirement Center in DC. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Nancy Ramsay Meyer and his three children Marc Meyer, Megan Hartley, and Rene Meyer-Grimberg, as well as seven grandchildren.
Obviously, this is an old train! That made it easy to imagine what it was like to ride the rails 150 years ago.
 | I don't know the mom and child in the first picture but I thought they looked sweet. This was aboard the old train which is used for special events. There's a newer, more modern train for the Potomac Eagle excursion rides. Frank took the pictures of me. I did not know in advance that my pink shirt would clash with the red train! |
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| In Romney, West Virginia |
 | We talked about taking a trip for our tenth anniversary but could not think of any destination worth the trouble of traveling. We wound up driving to West Virginia for Romney Railroad Days where we took advantage of the "shuttle" train trip. 2002 Wedding Snapshots |
| Marie had to travel out west for work so she went early in order to do some camping and touring. See Marie's blog for some great pictures! The photo you see here is an old one, dating back to a trip about 20 years ago when Marie was on a cross-country trip via bus. I flew to Arizona and we went to the Grand Canyon together. |  |
| Frank has been doing so much yard work that he created large piles of branches, and he also wanted to clear out a truck-load of material that was under the deck. I suggested he look into renting a dumpster. Here is is! Within two weeks he had it filled up so D&M is going to pick it up early, even though you normally get to keep it for a month. |  |
| We made up a flier to provide information on our house in Bryce Resort. We are offering it for sale OR for rent, whichever comes first. We put some fliers in a box by the road so passers-by can get basic information. Click on the image to see a larger version. Also, I just created a blog label called "Strudel Ct." This a temporary tag added to organize information on the house for would-be buyers or renters. |  |
| One of the things I unpacked from our recent move was this marriage certificate from my father's parents, Charles Leslie Suiter and Leora Morton. They married in April 1908 in Hadley, Michigan. The close-up shows you some details. Pastor C. W. Barnum of the Methodist Church married them, and witnesses were Cassius and Jennie Hodgson.
Photo: My Father's Family
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| All Rights Reserved, L. Walcroft |
