Today’s Sky and a Remembering

Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I remember the beautiful sky that morning, and how it made the newscasts sound surreal. 

This week I heard a few broadcasts on NPR about the after-effects of 9/11. It’s tragic that many of the first responders and volunteers who went toward the disaster at the World Trade Center have suffered and died from the effects of the toxins that were in the air.

I remember being shocked when Christine Todd Whitman, the Bush administration’s head of EPA at the time, stated that the air quality in Manhattan was safe for citizens, except for those working to clear the wreckage. It was obvious from photos that the city’s air was still smoky and polluted. Years later, she apologized after finding out that she had passed on dangerously incorrect information.

Both the US government and NYC Mayor Giuliani failed to inform citizens and workers of the health risks. It took years of efforts by injured workers and activists, including TV personality Jon Stewart, to secure adequate healthcare and benefits for the first responders. 

I am thankful for fire fighters and all the others who come to the rescue in times of crisis.

Link: No Responders Left Behind: The FealGood Foundation

Phone Photos of Hummingbird

Ruby-Throated Male

These are pictures I took with my iPhone while sitting on the deck with my dog. I eat lunch out there almost every day, and several weeks passed before the hummingbird was bold enough to feed in our presence. I was pleased that Charlie did not jump up and scare him.

I used a moderate zoom to take the pictures. I have found that if I use the maximum zoom setting, the images come out blurry. I have better results with zooming at 2X or 3X and then cropping later.

I planned on this being a longer post, but I’m having trouble uploading pictures right now. I don’t know what’s going on with Blogger. I hope they're not going to bring AI into it.

The Fall of Turner Ashby

This memorial to Confederate officer Turner Ashby is on Chestnut Ridge in Harrisonburg, where Ashby was mortally wounded in 1862. The site is currently monitored by security cameras because the monument was defaced a few years ago. 

This monument was dedicated in 1898 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, long after the war was over. 

Although I have posted photos of this site in the past, I recently learned something about Turner Ashby that lowers my opinion of him, which wasn’t particularly positive in the first place. (He not only fought against his country, he also had flawed judgment as an officer. Stonewall Jackson had strongly criticized him for poor performance at the first Battle of Kernstown. But the most shameful story about him comes from before the Civil War.)

In 1856, Ashby led a vigilante mob in an attack on attorney John C. Underwood, after Underwood spoke against slavery at the Republican convention! Wow!

Turner Ashby’s name has been back in Virginia news lately because Ashby-Lee Elementary School is a subject of a controversial court case brought by the NAACP and a few students in Shenandoah County. The case and the backlash has really brought out a divide between citizens who believe that public  facilities should not be named for Confederate “heroes” and people who oppose progressive changes. I find the defense of racism to be disturbing, but I also remember when Virginia textbooks taught older generations a fake version of history, painting the Old South in a positive light. 

Back to Chestnut Ridge, there are several plaques and markers in this small park, and the sign erected by Civil War Trails provides the most detail. Even that one is open to question, because it may not have been “a Union bullet” that felled him. Forensics indicated that he was hit by friendly fire coming from his own troops. Keep in mind that a battle is full of dust as well as smoke, so vision can be obscured.

The Life of Turner Ashby

Marker for Jon C. Underwood

Street Garden

Leesburg, VA

Monday Murals

This large painting show pretty flowers and butterflies. To the left is a small park with hydrangea bushes and the painted piano that I featured in mid-June.

Dream Come True Playground

Neff Avenue, Harrisonburg

This playground on Chestnut Ridge was built to be fully accessible so that children of all abilities can play together. 

A garden next to the parking area was bright with Black-eyed Susans.

Mosaic Monday

Four Years with Charlie

Hi, it's Charlie! Yesterday was my "Gotcha" day. It's been four years since I adopted my mom! Here's a picture from when I was nine months old and went to the dog park for the first time. I have grown since then, and gotten braver too.

We did not get to go to the dog park to celebrate because it rained all afternoon. It did stop for a little while, and we went to the state park, but we didn’t stay long because another storm was coming. I was disappointed when we had to leave.

Here I am checking out the gundalow in the play area.

Mom gave me a yellow squeaky toy, but it looks scary so I didn’t put it with my other toys. I dropped it in front of the door instead.

We did go to the other part of Seven Bends State Park on Sunday,  and it was a nice day except for being hot.

Sometimes I see my friend Tripod when we’re on a walk.

Here’s another cat, fancied up in Picsart.

I got to see Sadie several times this week.

One day Mom took me to Riley Park.

We saw a butterfly and a metal dog.

I hear that there’s a holiday for some people on Monday. I recommend going to a park and spending time with your friends.

Harrisonburg Rectangles

Lines, rectangles, and right angles catch my eye. Not as much as triangles, but still… Shapes are interesting.

The first photo shows a reflection of a sign that happens to be suspended from an overhang. The second picture shows the entrance to a parking garage.

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.

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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!