Long Gliding Wings and Small Busy Wings

Vultures are not glamorous birds, but they glide gracefully, sailing on air currents high in the air. 

Tiny hummingbirds are admired for their beauty, but their wings beat so fast that I’m lucky when they don’t look completely blurry in a photo. 

That shot was taken by a motion-activated camera mounted in a birdfeeder. The model I have was designed for birdseed, but I set it up for hummingbirds in the summer. 

I have a hanging feeder for them too. Recently they’ve been visiting many times a day, gathering energy for a long migration southward. 

I took this picture yesterday while relaxing on the deck. 

Another visitor to the deck was this butterfly. The “Siri Knowledge” app says this is a hackberry emperor. 

Colorful Clusters

When I took photos of the mural that I posted yesterday, I also snapped a few pictures of flowers across the street.

The next floral collage is a group of yellow flowers and leaves from earlier blog posts

Linkups: Mosaic and Gardens

Last are red begonias recently seen at Bryce Resort.

Mural at Broad Porch Coffee

Harrisonburg, VA

Monday Murals

This mural was painted by Earth Surprise. The coffee shop faces Court Square, and is directly across from the Rockingham County Courthouse, which I was going to show you, but Blogger has decided not to load any more photos right now.

Three Pictures from Front Royal

E. Wilson Morrison School

This elementary school opened for the season on August 12, and closed 10 days later. On August 22, a notice went out that the school had to be closed due to "structural damage to the building that requires immediate assessment and remediation." School was closed for two days so an inspection could be completed and plans made for students to go to a different school. The school is 91 years old, and apparently age and moisture caused weakening of the facade.

I took this picture when I went to Front Royal on Tuesday for a dental appointment. I had a small filling done, but it wasn’t very painful. (I decline Novocaine for fillings because it makes me nauseous, and the shot hurts worse than the drilling.)

After my appointment, I had lunch at Spelunkers. I’m not a fan of showing food photos, and all I had was lettuce-wrapped burger and fries. In spite of being a burger place, they have fresh flowers on the tables. 

After that, I made a brief trip on Skyline Drive, which is right next to the town and has fantastic views.

Deer, Dogs, and Other Fine Things

First, some deer at Bryce Resort.

Next, a report from Charlie.

Hi! I had a pretty good week. I got to play with Sadie several times.

On Sunday, Mom took me to Strasburg Town Park. No one was at the dog park, so we went down by the river where all the people were. 

I saw another beagle! Her person said she was shy so I barely got to meet her.

At home, we still see the little hummingbirds sometimes.

Mom asked StarryAI to draw a paisley cat. I don’t know why she said that.

Here is something about beagles that she found on the computer.

Beagles are famous! Yesterday we were walking on this road at Seven Bends State Park. A man got out of his car and came over to ask, “Is this Charlie the famous beagle?” He said I was even more handsome than my pictures! He has seen me on this blog.

I think I can rest on my laurels now.

Solemn Tourist with Reflection

Flight 93 Memorial

Today was the 25th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It was also the day that Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought the hijackers. 

I visited the Flight 93 Memorial in 2022 and posted pictures a few weeks later. I did not post this one the time, but today I cropped out some distracting parts of the image to make it cohesive. 

Twenty-five years is a long time, so perhaps now that we’ve made it through a quarter-century, I’ll be able to handle the future remembrances without crying. No guarantees though.

I remind myself that I was very fortunate that no one close to me was a victim of the disaster. My daughter Marie was traveling overseas, but she had lived and worked in New York City before she embarked on a world tour.

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.