Today in the Lost River Valley.

It was Hardy County Heritage Weekend in West Virginia, just across the mountain from Strasburg. This afternoon we visited the Valley Baptist Church and a farm, plus we drove through the state park and the lush countryside.

The charming church was completed in 1894 and "it was surrounded by a white picket fence to keep the cows out of the church yard." It is across Route 259 from the Lost City Post Office.

From there we drove toward Mathias.

The Ben Mathias Barn (the large one on the right) is spacious and sturdily constructed. It was built by Wade Snyder for H. Riley Heishman (20th century).

We've been there before but it was eleven years ago.  That was the first Heritage Weekend we attended, and we've been back many times since then. The sites vary from year to year so there's always something new to see.

Sharing with The Barn Collective

and InSpired Sunday.

Critters (But No Birds)

 I wanted to get some birds and butterflies for today's Critters post but did not get any pictures of them good enough to include. I did watch migrating monarchs passing through on their way south, but they did not stop to pose for me. So we have to make do with dogs, goldfish in a pond, an insect, a small deer, and a cute sheep.

Chronologically Random Photographs

Willy Nilly Friday.

1. A year ago we visited Marie and Deborah in California. I took this picture from above the clouds on Mt. Wilson. 

Sharing with Skywatch Friday and Black and White Weekend.

2. Thank you, marigolds, for blooming and giving me a burst of color for Orange You Glad and Floral Friday.


3. I liked the way the signs are reflected in the puddle at Borden Lumber.

When life gives you rain, make photographs. When it gives you sunshine, make more photographs!

4. We were in West Virginia yesterday and I pulled into a parking lot so Frank could send a text on his phone. It's easy to lose your signal in the mountains. And it was raining.

5.  This is an old picture of the house where my mother grew up. It's in Riverside, Illinois. 

Blog Post #6480

It's a very rainy Thursday so I'm posting some random shots from sunnier days in the Shenandoah Valley. I am grateful for this beautiful place. I'm also thankful that I don't live in a place that got flooded.

Sharing with Fences and Thankful Thursday.

Ever see something that made you say "Huh?" I was in a park and this guy stepped out of his car and put on this outfit. At first I thought he was dressing as a bear but then he put on a chicken hat. From there he went over to a picnic shelter. No one was there, so I guess he was waiting for a group to show up.

  

September Close-Ups

Sharing With Through My Lens, 

Wednesday Around the World, and Wordless Wednesday. 

September in Sherando Park, Stephens City.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday and
Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday. 

See my other Sherando Posts. 

My Mother, A Mural, My Daughter.

Random-osity

The Good: A mother's love is special. This shows my grandmother and my mother on the beach, long before I knew them.

Mom would be 98 years old today. I still miss her.

The Random: A lighthouse mural brightens in a stairway at the Fellowship Hall of the Strasburg Lutheran Church.

"Keep the Light Shining."

For murals around the world, visit Monday Murals.

The Fun: I met Lynn for lunch and shopping last week. Here she's pointing out that the dipping chocolate on her strawberries is just chocolate syrup.

Lynn is my older daughter and only she lives 90 minutes from here so we regularly meet in Harrisonburg.

Rockingham County: Two Buildings.

Both of these are red and sturdy, and I seem to have photographed them from the same angle. First, Port Republic United Methodist Church.

InSpired Sunday / Shadow Shot Sunday.

Second, a barn at Lake Shenandoah. It appears to have been converted to some other use, at least on the lower level. The style is a bank barn, with a bank of earth built up on one side so that doors open at ground levels on both sides.

The Barn Collective.

Lake Frederick in Black and White

Lake Frederick is near the small town of White Post,  Virginia. The fishing lake is public.

It's rare that I post multiple photos in black and white, but I felt these pictures looked best that way.

Sharing with Weekend Reflections

and Black and White Weekends.

It's the Last Day of Summer.

Willy Nilly Friday.

1. It barely seems like we had a summer. Much of the weather was cool, and we had an unusual amount of rain. We had some nice skies though. I can't complain.

Skywatch and Orange You Glad It's Friday.

2. Down in Australia, Nick of Floral Friday is celebrating the first day of spring. Well, I don't have spring now but I still have flowers. They'll be followed by the colors of autumn, so we're basking in beauty until November, at least.

3. The Woodstock Police Department posted their Lip-synch Challenge video, and it shows some fantastic local scenery. Many scenes had to be left out, of course, including the one with Massanutten Military Academy Students which I happened to catch when I saw them filming. 

4. This thing (werewolf?) was a bit of a surprise in a home improvement store, but it has something to do with an autumn event. (No doubt you can figure out which one!)

5. We saw an art exhibit at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. I spotted a wall devoted to Debbie Nees, an artist who was a neighbor when we lived at Bryce Resort. She passed away this year. She gave art lessons and had a cut-out of a giant bunny in her front yard.

Through My Lens.

Blue Ridge Heritage Monument, Elkton.

This new monument in Elkton, VA, honors "Rockingham County Farmers and Landowners Displaced to Form Shenandoah National Park." I've seen a similar one in Sperryville that honors the people in Rappahannock County who were forced to leave when the park was built.

This is beautifully built in the shape of a chimney. A center stone is incised with the form of a tree. Dedicated in 2018, a plaque lists citizens who were displaced. Surnames include Baugher, Beasley, Breeden, Dean, Hensley, Lam, McDaniel, Meadows, Morris, Shifflett, and Williams.

There are also four signs telling about the community that was on the mountains. Here are two of them. The others tell of "Making a Living in the Mountains" and "Family and Community Life."

To visit, park next to the Elkton Community Center on Blue and Gold Drive.

Sharing with Signs, Signs, and Fences Around the World.