Garrison House in Front Royal

Late January Random-osity

The Good, The Random, The Fun

The Good: Farms like this remind me that the Shenandoah is still a fertile valley producing healthful food for people and animals. 

Sharing with The Barn Collective 

The Random: Here are some winter scenes from our area. We had an inch or so of snow last night, but most of it melted during the day. 

Sharing with Mosaic Monday and Seasons

The Fun: Seeing trains is fun! I like the whistles and the rumbling sound. This one received some unofficial decoration.

Sharing with Monday Murals

Little Church at Night

Primitive Baptist Church, Waterlick, VA

Sharing with Black and White Weekend and InSpired Sunday

I've posted pictures of this small church in Waterlick several times previously, but I had not seen the interior until last night. It's fairly spartan and there are eight narrow pews on each side of the aisle.

The occasion was a play put on by the Foolsmen Shakespeare Troupe, who are students from Chelsea Academy in Front Royal. They put on a fine performance of As You Like It.

My Yard is Full of Critters

We are fortunate that we have a yard that attracts birds including geese and ducks. Squirrels come to feast on bird seed, and once in a while a cat comes through.

Sharing with Saturday's Critters
and The Bird D'Pot

The yellow cat appeared to be waiting for birds to show up. I went outside and she ran away.

I love the pretty cardinals and photograph them often. The male is bright red and the female is colored more subtly, probably to avoid attracting predators when nesting. I often think of my mom when I see these fine birds, for she liked watching them and she sometimes wore a red sweater!

Many years ago I read a book called The Cardinal but it had nothing to do with birds. It was about a Catholic priest who rose up through the ranks. I was young when I read it; I remember being appalled when he let his sister die during a difficult childbirth rather than have the baby's life sacrificed. It was a horrible choice to have to make, but it left her husband without a wife and her child without a mother. Other than that horrific incident, I enjoyed the book.

Five from Front Royal

The town of Front Royal has furnished me with plenty of topics for Five on Friday, Willy Nilly Friday, and other linkups.

1. I stop at this shopping center once or twice a week. If it's near lunch time, I sometimes buy a salad at the supermarket and take it up to nearby Skyline Drive to enjoy the view while I eat. (I have a National Parks pass so I don't have to pay to enter the park.)

Sharing with Skywatch Friday and My Town Shootout

2. And here's one of the views from Skyline Drive. It's prettier in autumn, but even in the dead of winter, it lifts my spirits.

Looking toward the Remount Road area from Dickey Ridge

3. I'm not the only person who feels inspired by the views. This man celebrated with his arms outstretched! Don't worry, he did not try to fly!

Linking to the Silhouettes meme.

4. Back in town, there's a new attraction: The Virginia Beer Museum on Chester Street. The museum is also home to the Helltown Saloon, which is not the only business in town to sport the Helltown name. That was a nickname for the town way back when it was called Lehewtown.  It became Front Royal in 1788.

The building's fresh coat of green paint qualifies it for the Friday Greens linkup, which unfortunately is closing down due to low participation. Thank you, Nick, for your efforts. 

5. This sign always looks cheerful, and on a recent sunny day it really stood out!

Have a great weekend!

Sharing with Orange You Glad It's Friday

Hats and Other Symbols

In Woodstock, VA

These cut-out characters are skating around a rock sculpture of a hiker. He's been dressed up before.

The fences here are small but cute. I'm linking to Fences Around the World.

Also in Woodstock on Saturday, I saw plenty of pink hats. Even the Peter Muhlenberg was wearing one! A man complained that this was disrespectful of Muhlenberg, a Revolutionary War hero. After thinking about it, I concluded that Muhlenberg would understand. He was quite a rebel, for his fame in Woodstock is based on the story that he was preaching in a local church in 1776 when he interrupted a text from Ecclesiastes, saying "a time of war, and a time of peace... And this is the time of war," removing his clerical robe to reveal his Colonel's uniform. He went on the form the 8th Virginia Regiment and be an important officer in the Revolution.

This legendary incident in Woodstock took place on January 21, 1776,  exactly 241 years before the Women's March and the day I took this picture!

Oh! Now I understand why this gentleman suddenly showed up in colonial costume. He was there for the Muhlenberg anniversary! He removed the pink hat from the statue and conversed with someone about whether the face looked like Muhlenberg's.  As I was leaving, I noticed that a few people gathered and he read a prayer.

Wintry Mix, January 23rd

Unexpected Waterfall

Recent rains (and a very minor snowfall) caused some flooding in low spots around here. I was surprised to see that it also brought about a waterfall next to Skyline Drive between Milepost 1 and 2. Normally there is only a trickle of water here.

Click on the video to hear the sound of the water.

Sharing with Wednesday Waters

Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park

Artsy Random-osity

The Good, The Random, The Fun

The Good: I won this piece of handcrafted pottery as a door prize on an art studio tour a couple of months ago. I love art tours and winning this treasure was a bonus!

The Random: My older daughter underwent some medical tests near Harrisonburg today. While I was waiting for her, I took a picture of a farm through the window. Apparently there was a coating on the glass and the photo had an odd appearance, almost impressionistic. I decided to add a texture in Photoshop to give it a painterly look.

Sharing with The Barn Collective

The Fun: This tire sculpture in Toms Brook made me smile!

Our World Tuesday

Signs of Resolve

#WomensMarch 2017

January 21, Woodstock, VA

Click to See a Larger Image

This is my third post about Saturday's march and rally in Shenandoah County. There were about 375 participants in this small town. Some residents had gone to the main march in DC, which is only 90 minutes away.

The mood was cheerful and enthusiastic... So many smiles, so many signs!

(Previous posts are here and here.)

It's only fair to mention there was a counter-demonstration of sorts, maybe 20 people who were mostly there to voice opposition to abortion rights. This gentlemen was showing his support for the new president who was sworn in the previous day. He made it a point to tell marchers that he supported human rights and their message of caring.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday 

Christian Newcomer Church

Toms Brook, Virginia

Architecture is interesting to me, and I keep an eye out for buildings to photograph for this blog. While driving home yesterday I saw this church in Toms Brook. When I pulled over to take a picture, I was shocked to see that this church was named for Christian Newcomer, a very distant relative of mine! I've passed this church many times without reading the sign!

Christian Newcomer was a brother of my gggg-grandfather Henry Newcomer. I posted a picture of Christian Newcomer's grave in December 2013 along with a summary of his life. He was the third Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. You can read about him on Wikipedia or GAMEO.

Although a sign on the church identifies it as a Methodist church, a plaque tells us that is was originally Evangelical United Brethren and was first built in 1879 and rebuilt in 1915.

Sharing with InSpired Sunday

Classic American Scene

Rally in Woodstock, Virginia

This scene from the yesterday's March for Social Justice had an old-fashioned quality so I experimented with it in monochrome. My idea was to make it look like a grainy old news photo but when I opened the filters in Photoshop, I saw this one and decided I liked it better.

This was a small-town "sister march" to the #WomensMarch.

P.S. I thank Black and White Weekend for spotlighting my shadow photo of a week ago.

Squirrel Appreciation and Marching Dogs

I read that today is International Squirrel Appreciation Day, so before I show dog photos, here is a rascally squirrel.

Sharing with Saturday's Critters and Pet Parade

The dogs were parading with their owners in Woodstock, Virginia. The occasion was a March for Social Justice, a local version of the Women's March that drew so many people to major cities today.