Wild Birds in Black and White

Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday,

Wordless Wednesday,
Black and White Wednesday,
and The Bird D'Pot.

Car Show at the Air Show

Sharing with Tuesday Treasures and Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

Random-osity at Summer's End

The Good, The Random, The Fun

The Good: My trail camera has not seen any unwanted intruders all summer.  Last year it photographed a bear but this year the bears have stayed in other people's yards, mostly closer to the river. I did see a small bear in our neighborhood but it was a couple of blocks from here.

Over the last couple of months, the camera has only caught us, our invited guests, birds (mostly geese), and a cat. Of course, it also recorded hundreds of pictures of the tree in various changes of light and breeziness.

The Random: I've scheduled surgery to remove the bone spur on top of my foot. X-rays showed it has split in two! Pain has prevented me from walking more than short distances for most of the summer, which ruined my fitness program and many plans for fun.

I am getting a second opinion and can also cancel the surgery if the spur shrinks on its own. It actually started feeling better when I put magnesium oil on it, and I once had a heel spur that went away after I started wearing special insoles.

This spur seems to have resulted from frequently twisting my ankle, which the doctor says also caused a pad of scar tissue on my ankle. (Oddly, I was relieved when he told me that because I thought it was fat!)

The Fun: We went to the Virginia Air Show on Saturday near Front Royal. Stunts including some from the visiting Flying Circus were quite a spectacle!

A woman in a red jumpsuit did a courageous wing walking act and daring stunt pilot Bill Finigin made me nervous with his free falls and dives.

I'm glad we went even though the heat was uncomfortable and some soreness came back to my foot.

Also Sharing with Mosaic Monday, Seasons, and Through My Lens

This Afternoon in Winchester

Today we drove to Winchester (Virginia) for a music show at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. I also stopped to get pictures of a church for Inspired Sunday.

This is the Mountain View Church of Christ, a large church with an adjacent school. The school must be successful; it just started its 25th year.

There are two grand entrances to the church, one from the parking lot and another (with flags flying) facing U.S. Route 11.

The reason we set out for Winchester was to attend an outdoor concert at the MSV.  We are members of the museum so our tickets were very inexpensive. The band was a bluegrass trio called Bud's Collective and they put on an enjoyable show.. 

Sharing with Sundays in My City

Between the museum and Glen Burnie are these fine farm buildings. I took the picture above for The Barn Collective even though I've photographed them before.

Three Farm Animals and a Squirrel

Llama

Horse

Fancy Chicken

Gray Squirrel

Random Five, Late August

Willy Nilly Friday

1. I was impressed by this fancy lily in Middletown.

2. I don't know what sign used to be in this frame but it seemed like an intriguing subject for Skywatch Friday.

4. Yesterday I wrote about the 100th birthday of the National Parks Service. Virginia is celebrating 80 years of having state parks. This sign is at Shenandoah River State Park, which, by the way, is a beautiful place!

4. Frank's been working on a page for our community property owners association. The main idea is to have a web presence with contact information. He put one of my pictures on it. 

5. We really like our new car! Frank drove a hard bargain at the dealership in Harrisonburg and got a good price. 

Dog Appreciation Day

It's Dog Appreciation Day, also called National Dog Day. Yes, every day seems to have some sort of designation, but at least it makes sense to have this one in August, a month known for dog days, at least here where this is our hot season.

Sharing with Black and White Weekend

Happy Birthday National Parks!

It's the 100th birthday of our National Park Service! I dropped by the contact station at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park to extend a birthday wish this afternoon. The cake was almost gone but I don't eat cake anyway, so it doesn't matter. That park is only 14 years old, but it's always growing and changing. 

Shenandoah National Park is older, established in 1935. It's not far from home and we enjoy traveling on Skyline Drive, which runs the length of the park. The views are great and if we feel like walking, there are plenty of trails.

Sharing with Good Fences
and My Town Shootout: Mountains

Big Meadows

Mount Storm Lake

Power Plant

This lake is in Grant County, West Virginia, not far from Scherr. Some locals refer to it as Lake Vepco after the power company that has since changed its name to Dominion. We reached it by driving the new highway that extends Route 55 west from Moorefield.  

The ridges here are part of the "Allegheny Front," one of the windiest places east of the Mississippi. No wonder we saw long rows of wind turbines here!

Mt. Storm Lake

Sharing with Black and White Wednesday, Wednesday Waters, Outdoor Wednesday, Monochrome Wednesday, and Through My Lens   

Geese after a Summer Shower

Kernstown Random-osity

The Good, The Random, and The Fun

On Saturday I celebrated Winchester's Civil War Days by attending a lecture in Strasburg and then going to Kernstown to see a living history event at the Battlefield.

The Good: The Pritchard House at Kernstown Battlefield was built in 1854. This treasure has been stabilized and restoration is ongoing. 

The Random: There are various barns and sheds on the property and nearby. 

The Fun: I enjoy seeing folks dressed in period costumes.