The Church of Saint Mary

This Episcopal Church stands along Buckmarsh Street (US 340) in downtown Berryville, VA.
 

This Week's Backyard Birds

 Actually, there were others. But they did not pose for me!

Mr. Cardinal only posed when the light wasn't shining on the window. When it did, he could see me and he flew away.

The sparrows appear to have a nest in a bush under the window. On the grass, this one was well-camouflaged. I increased the contrast in Photoshop so you can see him better.

Another white-throated sparrow posed in a spot where he showed up better.

The mourning doves are not particularly shy.

P.S. Did you see my Great Blue Heron post?

Sharing with Saturday Critters and The Bird D'Pot.

Five Topics for Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

1.  Are you a skywatcher? Clouds and sunsets never get old to me.

2. This is a close-up of the CCC building I shared on Tuesday. The CCC built many of the parks in Virginia and other states.

Black and White Weekend

3. Plastic! It shows up everywhere! It may break up but it never goes away.

Plastic bags like this one are a problem. Many of us are carrying reusable shopping bags to cut down on plastic pollution. But did you know that synthetic fleece is a pollutant? Yes, your fleece jackets and blankets pollute the waterways. Read How Microplastics from Fleece Could End Up on Your Plate. And don't give fleece products for Christmas this year. Please.

4. I've been sick for 11 days now. It started out as a cold and became a sinus infection. On Tuesday I went to the doctor. So did Frank, although he had just come down with a cold that day. It's a bad one that's going around. I'm starting to feel better. Stayed home most days.

5. I thought I'd end with something colorful so I went back into my October folder and found some flowers. 

Enjoy your weekend! Do something fun!

Last Month in Strasburg Town Park

These pictures are from November 11.

Sharing with Fences around the World and Through My Lens.

Great Blue Heron in December

From our window I could see a light blue oval on the other side of the pond. Was it a heron or only a bag? I picked up the old Nikon that I keep by the window and zoomed in. Yes, it was a heron! 

 After grabbing a couple of pictures through the window,  I stepped out on the deck to get a clearer shot. I took a few and turned the camera sideways to get a vertical image and just as I focused, he lifted his wings and flew! I clicked the shutter. He didn't go far, he landed on the dam.

I could see some geese floating nearby so I waited for them to approach him and got a group picture. Finally I remembered that I was outside without a jacket and that's not a good idea when I have a respiratory infection. It was very cold; I went back inside.

Even though our nights have been freezing, our herons have not migrated south. I think they stay as long as they can find fish to eat.

Wild Bird Wednesday and No So Wordless Wednesday.

A CCC Camp Building

Camp Red Bird, Shenandoah National Park

I've been coming to Shenandoah National Park all my life but this fall I saw this old building for the first time. It's on a lane near Elk Wallow. The sign in the first picture tells us it needs assistance.

Help Wanted

The Piney River Technical Building is one of the few remaining structures that reveal the rich history of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Shenandoah National Park. Camp NP-12, also known as Camp Red Bird, was established on July 4, 1935. It was the 12th national park CCC camp.

The "technical" building housed the offices of the architects and engineers who developed plans for the many projects the "CCC Boys" undertook in Shenandoah. After the CCC was demobilized in 1942, most of the structures, meant to be temporary, were removed. However, the National Park Service retained this building and until 2006 it was used for our maintenance operation. As you can see, the building, while still structurally sound, has fallen into sad disrepair.

Our vision is to restore this building to its original appearance and create a place where visitors can learn the wonderful history and compelling legacy of the CCC at Shenandoah. We are working with the National Park Foundation (NPF) to raise funds for the restoration as part of NPF's Centennial Capital Campaign.

For further information about the project, or find out how you can donate to the cause, please contact the Superintendent's Office at 540-999-3500.

Along this access road is the trailhead for the Piney River Trail.

Sharing with Tuesday Treasures. 

Blue Sky Rurality

The Barn Collective.

Both farms scenes are in beautiful Page County, Virginia.

The collage of trees is on a background from PhotoCollage, although I cropped it.

Mosaic Monday.

Greenway Spirit and Word Fellowship

This church is near Stephens City, a small town with a really large post office area. Places like this, on Tasker Road, have a Stephens City address but are well outside the boundaries of the historic town.

Sharing with InSpired Sunday and Shadow Shot Sunday.

A Joy Picture and Saturday Critters.

The December Theme for City Daily Photo is Joy. I struggled with this topic because I didn't have a recent picture that looked joyous and I've been sick since Tuesday so I haven't taken any new pictures except for a few from the window. I looked back through my files and found this picture of a raptor expert enjoying a public education project. 

I'm sure I'll find some additional depictions of joy as we get closer to Christmas. In the meantime, here are some more critters for Eileen's linkup. 

Looking Back on November

Here we are at the very end of November and there are so many pictures I haven't shown you! Well, it's Willy Nilly Friday so I'm doing a post of random shots, only this time they are in pairs by location.

1. Dickey Ridge, Shenandoah National Park. I drive up there often because it's only 5 miles from the grocery store in Front Royal that has a salad bar. I get my lunch and take it up to the park to eat while drinking in the view.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday and 

 Black and White Weekend.

2. When we visited Orkney Springs, I found flowers scattered about, apparently from some sort of celebration.

Floral Friday.

3. It's been 30 days since we visited Capon Springs and I didn't get around to showing the pictures. It really deserves it's own post but just in case I don't get to it, here is a shot of the pond in autumn. Charming place, and it is just across the mountain in West Virginia! 

Weekend Reflection, Orange You Glad, and Signs, Signs.

4. I took so many photos of the ginkgo grove at Blandy that I didn't have time to pick out the best and post them. The leaves turn yellow every autumn but then fall, covering the ground in a golden carpet.

See the grove in 2015.

Frank took the picture of me. I was feeling pretty good then but now I'm down with a bad cold. I hope I'm better on Sunday because the weather is supposed to warm up and I want to get outside.

Have a good weekend!