Odds and Ends in Late May.

Willy Nilly Friday.

1. After the drive I shared in yesterday's post, we stopped in Wardensville for dinner. This display caught my eye.

2. This black and white photo is from many years ago, when President Reagan visited my workplace. We were allowed to take pictures, although cameras had to be checked over by the secret service.

Back in 2011, I shared another photo from that visit.

3. Construction has progressed on the new Seven Bends State Park. A picnic shelter is in place near the Lupton Road entrance, plus an almost-completed rest room.

4. Also at the new park, demolition of old buildings has been completed. Here we see the farm lane that once led to Camp Lupton.

Skywatch Friday.

5. Martins Food Stores have a new worker, a robot. Shoppers are startled as he moves around, checking the floor for spills. Children are excited to meet him!

6. The collage below shows wildflowers I saw today at Seven Bends State Park. The park will be very nice when it is completed, offering fishing, canoeing, hiking, biking, and outdoor education. There will not be RV camping because the access roads are quite narrow.

See my post from a year ago.

Floral Friday and Friday Bliss.

The View from Squirrel Gap Road

Near Capon Springs, WV

We were here in October and it was really pretty so we went back to see it in the springtime. It wasn't until I looked at my navigation screen that I realized the name of the road was Squirrel Gap. I didn't see a sign for the road; just a arrow on Route 55 with the name Hawk.

I decided to turn onto the road that leads to Hawk Recreation Area. 

The picnic area is primitive and very quiet. It was a weekday and no one else was there.

The only running water is the kind you bring up with a hand pump.

Here we see Smokey on a sign, a symbol of fire prevention.

I drove to the entrance of the nearby campground. It was quiet also. I did not attempt to enter because the road was badly rutted.

Lynn and her dog camped there last year and found it very pleasant. She said the only other guests there were some people carrying binoculars, apparently birdwatchers.

Last Month at the Carrier Arboretum

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Wordless and Wild Bird Wednesday

The Inn at Narrow Passage

Chapman Landing Road, Edinburg, VA
 

Tuesday Treasures.

The oldest portion of this rambling building stood in 1862 and was used as headquarters by General "Stonewall" Jackson after the defeat of his army at Kernstown. This is where Jackson met with Jed Hotchkiss and told him, “I want you to make me a map of the Valley, from Harper’s Ferry to Lexington, showing all the points of offence and defence in those places."

The maps that Hotchkiss made proved to be invaluable to Jackson in his "Valley Campaign." These detailed maps are still used today by historians.

New Mural on Mexican Restaurant

Monday Murals. 

When I took this picture in April, the artist was just finishing the mural on a restaurant in Winchester. Unfortunately, the city said it was in violation of an ordinance on signs. They demanded that it be painted over, but citizens protested so a meeting was held. It looks like the mural may be allowed to stay.

The View from Wakemans Grove

Some people like to take the same routes over and over. I prefer to explore and go different ways, giving the old lizard brain a tweak.

Yesterday we had errands in Basye and on the way back I turned onto Swover Creek Road and then Wakemans Grove Road. Here we see Wakemans Grove Church of the Brethren.

InSpired Sunday.

The church was build around 1900 on land donated by John Ozias Wakeman. (I found a church history online.) The church grew over the years, and eventually more land was needed to expand the parking lot. That parcel of land was donated in 1964 by Henry O. Wakeman.

This is in a pretty rural area of Shenandoah County. The barn with a "barn quilt" painting stands near the intersection of Wakemans Grove and Swover Creek Road.

And finally, another farm scene for The Barn Collective.

A Fancy Cat and Other Critters

 The cat is one of the neighborhood cats that hangs out at the school bus stop with the geese, waiting for treats. I played with her picture in Photoshop. Perhaps I'll call her "Matisse." I'm glad the Caturday blog hop encourages creativity.

The bird on the shed roof is a mourning dove. The next image has two birds among tree branches.

Also sharing with
  I'd Rather Be Birdin' and Saturday's Critters.

Grackle.

Turtle and Fish.

Canada Goose.

Skies, Bryce, Flowers.

Willy Nilly Friday.

1. This sky attracted my lens, shortly after I took the pictures I shared yesterday.

Sharing with Skywatch and Black and White Weekend.

2. Weekend Reflection: Outside a store in Middletown, Virginia.

3. We still own a house in Bryce Resort where we used to live. Our tenant is making plans to move so we are trying to sell it.

4. We went up to that house the other day to check on work that needs to be done. The azaleas were blooming nicely. 

5. Here are the tulips Frank gave me for Mother's Dy.

Friday Bliss and Floral Friday.

I left the Interstate...

... because I was driving into a storm. I was on my way home from Harrisonburg last Friday and heading straight for a dark-looking storm. I decided to take the exit at Mauzy and go down Route 11 for a while. There are places there to pull off it the rain comes done so hard you can't see.

With rain ahead and late afternoon sun behind me, it was not surprising to see a partial rainbow.

I turned on a country road to see if I could get a better shot. The rainbow was fading fast so this was what I got before it disappeared.

Since I've been in that area quite a few times, I knew I could find the road that goes by Endless Caverns. It's a scenic area and there could be more photo opportunities.

No doubt some of my readers will recognize the big letters on the hill advertising the cavern. Below that is a photo of the gateway to the caverns and campground.

Linking to Fences and Signs, Signs

I turned and took the Caverns Road back out to Route 11, stopping a few times to take some more pictures.

Look who's looking at me through the broken fence!

Steam was rising off the wet road.