Small Helicopters

The winged fruit of the maple tree is called a samara, but I always called them helicopters. Did you ever watch them flutter down in a spiral motion?

The maple seed is at the end of this papery wing. These particular samaras are from a Japanese maple and are very small, under an inch (2.54 cm) long.  Those small maple trees are planted along my street. 

The third photo shows a larger variety of maple. They can get very big. 

Sharing with City Daily Photo and Skywatch.

Goldfinch and Junco

Bird feeding season is officially over at my house. Well, except for hummingbirds and what's left in the suet feeder. I won't buy more birdseed until cold weather returns. The birds can find plenty to eat on their own.

My Birdfy camera stopped working a month ago. I tried the usual recharging, resetting, and pressing the power button, but it didn’t work and I’m not going to worry about it for the time being.

The picture of the dark eyed junco is from March. I cropped it but I didn’t brighten it, so I hope it looks okay. My vision has been “off” and now I’m not sure if I’m seeing things darker than they really are or not. I still have a cataract on my right eye and I don’t plan to have it removed until there’s no choice. It’s been a year since I had the cataract removed from my left eye, and my vision is still worse than it was before that.

Once a High School

Mt. Jackson, VA

Opening in June as a Community Center

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

Apple Tree Mural

The Apple House has been in business since 1963. Perhaps you have stopped there on the way to Shenandoah National Park.

One day as I passed it, I noticed a mural. I went back a week later to take some pictures.

The apple tree was almost lost in the shadows, so I lightened it using the Photos app. The artist is Amanda Horn, and I’ve seen her work in Front Royal.

Here’s a look at some surrounding items. As you might guess, the restaurant features barbecue as well as apples.

Mosaic Monday/ Murals

Stairway to the Tower

Blog Post 9070

The children's play space at Seven Bends State Park now has improved steps to the tower. The tower is modeled after the Woodstock Tower on top of the mountain, which is taller. 

The new steps are not as steep as they were originally designed. Although they do not match the lookout tower as closely, they are safer for children.

Charlie and I were there today for a walk. People were enjoying the nice weather, and I saw someone fishing in the river.

North Fork of the Shenandoah

Footbridge as Seen from Hollingsworth Road.

Beagles and Dinos

Today I have some unique animals to show you, but first I want to show you a new friend that Charlie made. Her name is Lucy and she was at the dog park in Bryce Resort. I could not tell them apart at a distance. Other than her gender being female, the main difference was that she had a white blaze on her forehead.

She was rescued as a stray so we don’t know if she is related to Charlie. I have seen pictures of other beagles who look just like him.

Last week, I mentioned that I wanted to find some unusual animals to share. I got a chance this week when I went to Winchester. The gardens at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley have a sculpture display called Scraposaurs. 

The artist is Dale Lewis and he created these prehistoric creatures using scrap metal.

Different Crop and Color

Outdoor Cafe

I took two snapshots of some folks at a sidewalk table. I believe they are tourists. I found the color to be a bit jarring, so I decided to convert one of the pictures to black and white. It is also cropped differently.

Do you find that the color version tells a different story? There’s an old saying that “Clothes make the man,” and although I try not to be judgmental about clothing, they can have an emotional impact.

"For the apparrell oft proclaimes the man." — Shakespeare

Sky, Trees, Mountain

The first scene is looking east toward the Massanutten Range. The second picture is looking west toward Great North Mountain. I took it while walking Charlie early this morning because I saw the hot air balloon.

These are cell phone pictures. I brightened the second one using Photoshop Express.

Mockingbird and House Finch

Wild Bird Wednesday

Well, I’m having trouble posting from my iPad tonight. I guess I need to reboot it.

Similarly, I had a problem with my refrigerator. The freezer compartment stopped freezing, and I had to throw out a bunch of food. I made sure nothing was blocking the vents. Then I ordered a new refrigerator, one with a more capacity and much nicer looking.

Suddenly, the old one started working again. Apparently ice had been clogging the drain hose and needed to defrost. Now this is a frost-free refrigerator, and I didn’t know that you really should defrost it once in a while, perhaps every year or so.  

I considered canceling the order, but decided that I really want the new one. It matches my other appliances. More importantly, prices are probably going to go up due to tariffs, and the old one might fail soon due to age.

Ha, this post was supposed tp be about birds! Well, note that the house finch is standing in front of a little house!

It was her Birthday Before it was Earth Day.

Happy birthday to Marie!

And a reminder to love our planet!