More Triangles

I'm still deciding which photo containing triangles I should post to the City Daily Photo monthly challenge. Once I started looking for triangles to photograph I realized they are easy to find.

I took this picture at a Fauquier County Park near Marshall. Here we see part of a walking trail.

Art at a Winery

There are now so many wineries in Virginia, I couldn't count them if I tried. We rarely visit them though, since I am allergic to yeast so I'm allergic to wine.  Recently a winery in Fauquier County hosted an art show so that gave us a reason to go there. It was an interesting venue for an exhibit, although a bit on the chilly side.

Note the shapes in the first photo. It's one of several I'm considering for my entry into City Daily Photo's Theme Day Gallery. The topic for April is "Triangle."

A Road Trip for Susan

Frank's youngest daughter (far right) was in town before embarking on a cross-country road trip so we met her for lunch today. Her sister and brother-in-law joined us. 

Our meeting place was the Cracker Barrel in Front Royal because it's conveniently located near I-66.

Allison, Dave, Sue, and Frank

Walking at Sherando Park

Disambiguation: This Sherando Park is in Frederick County, Virginia, not to be confused with Sherando Lake Recreation Area near Waynesboro. The name Sherando is related to the name Shenandoah and the exact origin of the word is the subject of a number of possible histories.

This park is located between Stephens City and Dinosaur Land. It features various athletic fields, picnic areas, a playground, and a lake.

Spillway

Linking to: Sunday Bridges

and Sunlit Sunday

Duck Duck Goose

The geese visit our yard regularly but it's unusual to see the mallard ducks joining them. They seemed to feed together peacefully — for a while.

Linking to: The Bird D'Pot

and Camera Critters

Sepia Squirrel

This handsome fellow is a young gray squirrel. He's cute but voracious!

I used an action in Photoshop to give this a sepia-toned look so he'd qualify for Sepia Saturday. He can also be seen in Saturday Critters along with dozens of other fine creatures.

  

Looking Down on A Tree

Reflection in a Creek

Linking to: Weekend Reflections

and Look Up, Look Down

Riverwalk in Strasburg, Virginia

We parked at the Town Park on the edge of town and walked the trail almost to Strasburg High School, a distance of about a mile. The trail is near the North Fork of the Shenandoah and feels more "in the country" than "in town," although it is paved and fairly level. It's a pleasant place to walk.

Linking to: Skywatch Friday

and Scenic Weekends

A Woman and Dog, Riverwalk

Linking to: Rurality Blog Hop

and Thoughtless Thursday

and Little Things Thursday

Feeder Friends in Black and White

Linking to: Black and White Wednesday 

and Outdoor Wednesday 

and Wild Bird Wednesday

Bring Your Own Phone

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Linking to: Signs, Signs

and Wordless Wednesday

Springtime Snowfall

It looks like winter doesn't want to leave us. We got a couple of inches of snow today.  I hope this will be winter's last gasp, but I wouldn't count on it.

It was pretty to look at.

Linking to: Our World Tuesday

and Nature's Footsteps - Catching the Light

Woodpecker: Melanerpes Carolinus

This handsome bird is a red-bellied woodpecker. You can't see his belly here but check out this earlier post.

It's nice to get a photo of a bird that's not on a feeder once in a while!

Linking to: Nature Notes

At the Self-Serve Dog Wash

I was pleased to learn that there's a dog wash in Front Royal. It's more expensive than the one in Woodstock but it's closer to home and towels are included.

"Hi, what's this?"

"Oh, it's a bath."

"I want to go home now."

(At 450 S. Commerce Ave., Front Royal, VA)

Linking to: Camera Critters

Rileyville, VA

Rileyville is a small town just off route 340 between Front Royal and Luray. It's not far from the South Fork of the Shenandoah.

Linking to: Sunlit Sundays

and Inspired Sunday

and Black and White Weekend

Geese Splash Down!

Canada Geese Come In for a Landing

Landing Gear Extended

(Backlit, Zoomed and Cropped)

Splash!

Touchdown!

Linking to: Weekend Reflection

and Bird D'Pot

and Saturday Critters

Blog Post #4300

Linking to: Sepia Saturday

When I reach a blog milepost I usually share something about myself or about blogging. This time I'm writing about my student record at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA).

As a "lifetime learner," I just keep taking courses. Community college courses are enjoyable to me, particularly in photography and history, so I continued taking them long after I earned my associate's and even after I got a bachelor's degree elsewhere. Perhaps I hold some sort of record!

This report shows I started taking classes at NOVA in 1978 and took one every year from 1981 through 2012. I won't bore you with the whole thing but here's the first part. (You can click to see it larger if you're curious.)

When I downloaded this I was surprised to see that they have added non-credit courses to the record. It's not the official transcript, which has never shown non-credit classes, some of which were just one-day seminars. It's nice to be reminded of those. And another surprise: this record shows classes I took at other colleges in the Virginia Community College System, particularly Lord Fairfax Community College, which is now the school closest to me. Here's the last section of the record. 

That last course does not have a grade at all because I audited it, which "senior citizens" can do at no charge in Virginia. Oh, I don't like that term! But if you fall into that age group and want to take a free course, it's something to look into.

Orange Safety Fence

Linking to: Orange You Glad It's Friday

Snow at Cullers Overlook

It's officially spring in Virginia but there's still a chance we'll get more snow. For now, most of it has melted except in the mountains. Here are some photos from February taken in Shenandoah River State Park.

The state parks do a good job of plowing their roads, but when we arrived the overlook parking lot had not been plowed yet. A plow arrived while we were there however.  This park is a good alternative to Shenandoah National Park when Skyline Drive is closed due to snow or ice.

As you can see, Cullers Overlook always offers a great view! I've posted pictures of it in other seasons. The Massanutten Mountains provide a dramatic background for the valley and a few of the great bends of the South Fork of the Shenandoah.

The interpretive sign is back! It was missing when we were here in November but it's been reposted with a few corrections. (The old version had a spelling error, for instance.)

Everett Cullers Overlook

 Gazing upstream to your left, the gently rolling floodplain and wooded hillsides on this side of the river are the living legacy of Mr. Everett Cullers and family. This land was a portion of the larger farm that was acquired by Everett and his wife Nettie in 1953. Along with their three sons, Merle, Thomas and Everett, Jr., the Cullers worked diligently to make improvements to the land and protect the beautiful river along its boundary. In 1994, the Commonwealth purchased 484 acres of the property from Merle Cullers, thus adding two miles of scenic river frontage to Shenandoah River State Park.

Linking to: Skywatch Friday
and Scenic Weekends