Stanley UMC

This United Methodist Church was completed in 1918.  It is on Main Street in the town of Stanley, Virginia. 

I'm sharing this with the Inspired Sunday Meme. I have enjoyed seeing church architecture on that blog hop. Unfortunately, participation has waned and Beth and Sally have decided not to continue it after the end of April.  I'll continue to post a church picture occasionally because I appreciate the design and history of these buildings, along with the meaning that they have to the community.

Mid-April Critters

 The grackle was eating when he realized I was watching.

Today we ran some errands and returned to find this pair of geese waiting by the driveway. I waited until they passed by before I opened the car door and hurried into the house. 

The small horse is a permanent fixture along Rockland Road.

It's only fair to show you a real horse! This one looks sweet.

Let's give equal time to cows! These were on the outskirts of Woodstock.

Sharing with Saturday Critters

I'd Rather Be Birdin'

Keep scrolling! There's more.

One day I saw this scene as the rain started to let up. 

Then a goose sat down and settled in the middle of the former firepit. 

Looks like there are eggs to protect! Today the other parent was sitting there.

There are a number of goose families in our neighborhood. I have not had a problem with this pair. It's the ones that hang out by our driveway that have been harassing me. I hope they have chicks to watch soon so they leave me alone. 

We stopped at Wendy's today for burgers. The dining area was open, after being blocked off for an entire year due to the pandemic.

I liked the dragon graphics on the bags for kids' meals.

A Week in April

Willy Nilly Friday

It didn't seem like a busy week but I took a lot of picture so I'll summarize my week here.

On Saturday we went to Sperryville, visited a small gallery, and returned via Skyline Drive. The first and second pictures are from Sperryville. 

[Sharing with B&W Weekend -- I thank them for showcasing one of my photos this week.]

On Sunday we met Allison and Dave for lunch in Warrenton. They have now been vaccinated too! 

After lunch I drove through Warrenton and saw the mural that I shared on Monday. This street scene shows the downtown post office from the side. The front view was cluttered by cars.

On Monday I went to Woodstock for a chiropractic appointment. I drove up Hollingsworth Road to see if the state park was open, but it was closed because the river was too high to safely cross the low-water bridges. We've had a surplus of rain lately.

I had my lunchtime snack at nearby Riverview Park. The redbud trees are bright. 

On Tuesday I drove out to Rockland and Boyce. I hope to share the Clover Hill photos later. Here's the front of the former Mt. Airy Market, now called The Farmer's Daughter. 

Bloom Day / Friday Flowers / Friday Bliss

Oh, another pink tree! 

Here's one of our rainy days.

Yesterday I went back to Seven Bends State Park, after calling first to make sure it was open. Construction has begun of the Rivers Way Play Space.

On the way home I stopped to buy groceries and saw a fine sunset when I came out of the store.

Skywatch Friday

Today was stressful. I drove Frank to an appointment and while parking I heard air escaping from a tire. Fortunately AAA sent a service truck right away. The mechanic said it was not repairable so he put the spare on. Later we got a new tire put on.

We had lunch at Cracker Barrel and I spotted this little charmer.

When I got home there was a message from my sister so I called her and we talked a while. 

Have a good weekend! 

The View from Fort Bowman Road

This lovely view is on the northern edge of Strasburg along Fort Bowman Road.  Unfortunately, it is within earshot of the roar of Interstate 81, and if you turn to the right you see a gas station and a fast-food restaurant. Continue turning and you see a new historical marker for the Bowman Family.

Signs 2 / Little Things Thursday

"To the east is Fort Bowman, built ca. 1771 for the family of George and Mary (Hite) Bowman. This house exemplifies the merging of German and English architectural styles in the Shenandoah Valley. The Bowmans, with others of German and Scots-Irish origin, had moved to this area from Pennsylvania in the 1730s and had become slave-owners. Their son Maj. Joseph Bowman was second in command in Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark's Vincennes Campaign during the Revolutionary War. Second- and third-generation family houses preserved nearby include Isaac and Mary Bowman's Mount Pleasant (1812), Col. George and Elizabeth Bowman's Long Meadow (1848), and Charles and Rebecca Hite's farmhouse (1850s)."

The house called Fort Bowman is at the end of the road. I believe it is currently occupied so I am using a picture of it that I took in 2009. My understanding is that the entire house does not date back to 1771; it has been enlarged over the years.

I have previously posted pictures of the Bowman-Hite farm which is on the other side of Cedar Creek. 

House Sparrows and Muscovy Ducks

• Wild Bird Wednesday
• My Corner of the World
• Wordless Wednesday

Upperville's Post Office

Links:

• Tuesday Treasures
• Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday
• Upperville Historic District.

A Warrenton Mural

Yesterday we were in Warrenton and I decided to try to locate a mural I had seen on the internet. The article about it did not provide an address but I thought it was in the historic district, which is also the trendy part of town. That is not a large area so I drove around and found it on the side of a building.

Unfortunately it was on the shady side of the building in the afternoon so it photographed with little contrast. I walked closer and took some detail shots, a few of which look clear enough to tell a story. There are Civil War soldiers, onlookers, and a baptism in a river near a railroad trestle.
 

Monday Murals / Mosaic Monday

The artist is Stewart B. White. The subject is Unity and Forgiveness, apparently following the Civil War. Perhaps I'll get back when the light is better so I can see the details. I read that this is full of symbolism and hidden portraits.

Not far from there I saw a purple cow, so I parked and took a few shots on that block.

Elkton Presbyterian Church

Elkton, Virginia. A sign says the church was established in 1899.

Inspired Sunday

 

Bedeviled by Technology... and Geese.

Here it is Saturday and I had to struggle to crop my critter photos due to technical problems. My laptop has memory problems and the app I usually use to fix that was not doing much to clear space. I tried to contact them yesterday but wound up conversing with a bot, which I found so frustrating that I deleted my account. That did not solve my swap disk problem with Photoshop, of course, so I am temporarily using Pixlr online. 

So, I hope you enjoy the deer, squirrel, and birds today.

Here we see a red-winged blackbird and a downy woodpecker. 

Saturday Critters / I'd Rather Be Birdin'

I've written about the graylag geese a couple of times lately. It's hilarious that they come up and knock on the door, but it is not funny when they get aggressive in the yard. The meanest one pecked me and left a bruise on my ankle! 

They leave a mess in front of the door too. I got a plastic owl, put sand in it to keep it from blowing over, and placed it in front of the glass doors. Here we see how well it works. Yes, they were not at all concerned about it. 

 

The Soft Side of Helltown

Front Royal used to be called Helltown, supposedly because it was the scene of many brawls when boatmen came to town. I'm not going to say it is calm now, but it does have a beautiful side. It is situated in a river valley between the Blue Ridge and the Massanutten Mountains.

Skywatch Friday

Black and White: I spotted this interesting tree next to Happy Creek. (I wound up editing this image on Fotojet online because my Photoshop program is giving me constant error messages.)

The next few photos are of Happy Creek. This creek winds its way through the town. For part of the distance, you can walk alongside it on a trail called the Royal Shenandoah Greenway.

Weekend Reflections

There is an arboretum planted along the creek with a variety of trees.

The purple flowers are next to a church in a different part of town.

Friday Bliss / Garden Affair / Floral Friday