Dark Clouds, Silver Lake

Dayton, VA

My eyes are hurtingThis afternoon, dark clouds signaled that rain was coming, but it didn’t start until tonight. So far, it hasn’t amounted to much.

Birds and Alternate Versions

When I was leaving the place that I showed in yesterday’s post, I noticed this tall tree with crows perched on the upper branches. I snapped a few pictures, so below is an alternate shot, which I cropped for a closer look.

Next we see a bird that I noticed when I was walking Charlie. It was singing, and was shaped like a robin, but I wasn’t positive until I cropped and lightened an alternate picture. I usually try to take two pictures of a subject in case one of them is blurred. This also gives me an extra shot for experimenting.

Views and Flowers at Purple Fox Vineyard

Near Harrisonburg

Yesterday I had an appointment near Rockingham Memorial Hospital, and afterwards I stopped here to decompress, eat a protein bar, and take a few pictures.

Oops! I wrote Purple Fox and it’s actually Purple Wolf!

Mural on South Branch Inn

Moorefield, WV

This huge painting is by artist Kelson Thorne. He calls it “Through the Trough,” referring to a gorge on the South Branch of the Potomac. The Trough was documented in 1748 in the writings of a young surveyor named George Washington!

The artist has painted a number of murals in West Virginia. I hope to see some of them during Heritage Weekend in September.

Sharing with Monday Murals

Across the street is a shop in a white barn decorated with a painted barn quilt.

Just Collages of Scenery

It's Sunday and I’m tired, partly because Charlie woke me before dawn this morning. I don’t have much new to report today, so I’m reposting some scenic photos, combined into collages for the Mosaic linkup. 

These are all pictures from the Shenandoah Valley and mountain region. I am fortunate to live in such a beautiful area.

Have a good week!

Charlie’s Mid-August Report

Hi! This week was not as exciting as last week when Mom’s sister was visiting. We didn’t do anything new until today

I saw the gray cat in our yard again. It isn’t very friendly and won’t talk to me.

On Monday, I stayed at daycare, and the people there are nice to me. Twice this week, I went to Sadie’s house to play.

Today I finally went someplace new. First we picked up Miss Deborah and Mom drove to Winchester. We went to a thrift store which helps support the animal shelter. 

Then we went to another place and stopped so Mom could take pictures. She said the dinosaurs are freshly painted, and don’t worry, they aren’t real. I’m glad because they are scary-big.

I let Mom know that I wanted to go for a walk so we stopped at a park in Stephens City and Miss Deborah took me for a walk.

That was fun! Now it’s time to rest.

A View of Mount Carmel Cemetery

This cemetery stands on a hill overlooking Middletown, VA.

It was the site of Civil War clash in October 1864, during the Battle of Cedar Creek. At that time, this was the Middletown Cemetery. It became Mount Carmel Cemetery in 1896. An interpretive sign provides a summary of the action here:

The Middletown Cemetery, on a knoll west of the village, was the only point where Union officers believed they could establish a strong position and attempt to slow the Confederate advance. They hoped to halt the momentum that had propelled the Southern troops since the beginning of their surprise attack. From this high ground General George Getty's division, approximately 2,500 strong, repulsed two Confederate assaults. Frustrated, General Jubal Early massed nearly 30 cannon near the Heater House and along Valley Pike (ahead of you and to the left). 

The 30-minute cannonade, along with a third Confederate attack that threatened to turn the Union right, finally forced Getty to order a withdrawal.

Link: National Park Service page with illustrations.

Second Look

 Weekend Reflection 

I just took a second look at this snapshot I took a month ago and realized it almost looks like the dog is taking a picture! 

Woodbine Market at 20 Years

Near Lebanon Church, VA

This farm market sits along Route 55 (John Marshall Highway) north of Strasburg. When I stopped there today, I saw a sign saying they are celebrating their 20 year anniversary. 

It’s on one of the main roads that connects the Shenandoah Valley with West Virginia. Years ago, West Virginia decided to replace Route 55 with a superhighway known as Corridor H, and a significant part of it has been completed in West Virginia. Connecting it with interstate 81 in Virginia would benefit some businesses in West Virginia, but it would not particularly benefit commerce in Virginia. So the superhighway still ends across the mountain in Wardensville, WV.

The mountain, by the way, is a rugged one that separates the two states. Here’s a view as seen from Perry, West Virginia. I suspect the rock formation is Big Schloss. This outcropping of quartzite and sandstone along the crest of Great North Mountain is a popular hiking destination. I’ve seen a lot of these formations along the mountains of West Virginia. (Geology buffs have probably figured out that these rocks did not erode like softer rocks that were once around them.)

I hear the views are great from up there. I regret that I did not make that hike when I was younger and more able, but that was a long time ago.

Red Cardinal Plus a Butterfly

My bird camera doesn’t capture many birds in the summer because I don’t feed them. I do furnish water though, and sometimes they visit the birdbath for it.

This is a male northern cardinal. It was captured on video, but I prefer to publish still shots. I tried a couple of apps that are supposed to grab stills from video, but found them complicated. I went back to pausing the action to capture screenshots on my iPad. Then I cropped them in the Photos app. 

 

The cardinal happened to visit in the rain, which makes the images even less sharp than video images usually are. To make up for this, I’m republishing a favorite picture of a cardinal from several years ago. This was taken in early spring after a late snowfall.

This butterfly visited my garden on Friday. I think it is a silvery checkerspot. It is considered rare in the northeastern states, but not uncommon in Virginia. 

Lake Shenandoah on a Sunny August day.

Yesterday, Rockingham County

Originally I had two medical appointments near Harrisonburg, but yesterday morning I got a call saying one of them had to be rescheduled. Unfortunately, the first availability is in October. We have a real shortage of medical providers right now, and often I have to wait several months for an appointment.

After my morning appointment, I drove to nearby Lake Shenandoah. Water level is down due to storm damage near the dam.

I took a few pictures of water lilies, and then crossed the parking lot to the Pollinator Trail. It was too hot to walk very far, and the sun was so bright that I couldn’t see the image on the screen of my phone, so I snapped pictures and straightened the crooked ones later.