Egret, Geese, and Deer

Saturday's Critters / I'd Rather Be Birdin'
 

This first image shows an egret visiting our neighborhood lake, observed by Canada Geese. This image is from my archives because I don't have much in the way of new bird pictures to share today, having posted them on Wednesday.

The rest of today's pictures are from my trail camera. The first one is an infrared photo at dawn; you may need to peer closely to see the deer in front of the lake.

I cropped all the trail cam pictures. It doesn't frame or zoom, it just clicks when there's motion. Eyes tend to look exaggerated in night shots, the well-known "deer in the headlights" effect.

The deer have been chomping on the same bush almost every night. It must be pretty tasty!

 Bonus Picture: Halloween Selfie.

A Window in Strasburg; A Glimpse of Delaplane.

Willy Nilly Friday / Weekend Reflection.
 

Waiting at a stop light, I glanced at a window and saw what almost looks like two people peering out. It's actually a reflection of part of a mural by Alice Mizrachi, which I shared in 2016. 

Tom has also shared some of her work. It has similarities to this painting.

Let's cross the Blue Ridge and visit Delaplane. The town itself is tiny but historic. The area around it has beautiful farms and a few popular wineries. 

Black and White Weekend

The post office is in an old frame building. It's near the railroad where Stonewall Jackson's troops boarded a train to get to Manassas in time to fight in a now-famous Civil War battle. (See my Civil War Field Trip site with a Romney to Delaplane tour. Oh, I just got Professor Poland's new book on John Brown!)

Skywatch: The next scene shows a vineyard with fields and hills behind it. The final shot is a boarded-up building in Delaplane.

 

Heroes, Humor, and Recreation.

Thankful Thursday / Signs
  

Heroes at Work. This sign is in front of Shenandoah Memorial Hospital. We are thankful for the dedication of our health care workers. 

  

Looks like Borden's Hardware is putting up funny signs again! I'm glad! I need a smile now and then.

I found a car with a smile. Apparently there is really such a thing as a clown car!

 

Halloween is just a few days away and there are a few events scheduled, although many were cancelled this year to avoid contagion. Those that remain are making efforts to ensure social distancing.

The rest of today's pictures are from Seven Bends State Park in Woodstock. To get there we drive down a narrow road and cross the North Fork of the Shenandoah. 

I was pleased to see that the new flyer for Friends of Seven Bends State Park was available near the parking lot. I am on a committee that worked to develop the flyer, and it is gratifying to see our efforts paying off. Our meetings have been virtual since March, and we are working with park staff and Friends of the North Fork to promote volunteering, recreation, and learning opportunities.

The park gets very busy on the weekend so I usually visit during the week. I have an annual pass to Virginia's State Parks.

Birds are back!

Songbirds are returning to my yard. I sat on the deck to eat lunch this afternoon and had my camera ready. I was delighted to see that a number of them were flitting about. They may be looking for food in anticipation of a storm that is coming our way tomorrow. 

I was pleased to see Mrs. Cardinal.  I wished I had some seeds to put out for her but I won't start feeding birds until late November. Bird food draws bears to our yard, so I wait until the bears have settled into their winter dens.

The woodpecker was only in view for a moment so I was lucky to get a picture of it. 

The bird on the arbor was more cooperative. It posed for a minute or two. I think it's a mockingbird.

This afternoon I dropped off a load of recycling and then went to Seven Bends State Park for a brief visit. I saw a small bird on the tall grass and grabbed a picture. I did not have a zoom lens with me so I cropped the picture. It wasn't until I pulled it up on the computer that I realized there were two birds. They were only there for a moment. 

Wild Bird Wednesday / My Corner of the World

 

Graves Mill.

Madison County, VA.

The mill was built around 1798. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The miller's house is nearby. 

 

This is in the shadow of the Blue Ridge near Wolftown, not far from the county seat of Madison. This country lane is nearby. 

 

Colorful Leaves in My Yard.

 

Image-in-ing.

A Mural on a Harrisonburg Garage.

I read about this mural online and found it on the exterior of the Elizabeth Street Garage. It is a portrait of Lucy Simms, who was born into slavery and became an influential educator. The artist is Andre Shanks.

Monday Murals / Mosaic Monday

I walked around the block and took some more pictures. Here are a few including Glen's Fair Price Store and Kline's Dairy Bar. The possum drawing was a small decoration on a pillar of the garage. 

 

Graves Chapel

Near Madison, Virginia

Built in 1885, this country church still operates, although services have been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic. 

I was reminded about this area by a post on Beth's blog so I put it on my to-visit list. We made a pleasant drive there on a recent sunny day. We also visited a few other sites that I'll share soon. But for now let's walk around the chapel.
 

I took several pictures through a window and decided I liked this one with a bit of reflection of the trees and sky. 

The church is on Bluff Mountain Road not far from the border of Shenandoah National Park. Let's take a look across the road.

Sharing with Inspired Sunday,
The Barn Collective, and Shadow Shot Sunday.

 

Piggies and More.

A funny thing happened this week. Frank was working in the yard and these little pigs came along! He called me to bring my camera.

Apparently the pigs did not want to hog the camera because they turned to leave. I went back in the house to try to find the farmer's phone number, but failed because we no longer receive phone books and I wasn't sure how to spell his name. Information was a waste of time, and did not even have the right number for animal control in my county. 

I wound up calling the sheriff's office and they sent out a young officer. By that time the pigs had disappeared. She said she would reach the farmer. This is not the first time his animals have escaped. 

A neighbor came over and said the pigs have been digging up her lawn! I later found holes in our side yard but at least it wasn't in the lawn. 

This summer pigs came through our yard  pursued by the farmer's son! I've seen sheep and chickens in our neighborhood, and even a cow! The farm is not far away, separated from our lake by a dam and fence. 

Weekend Reflections: Let's move on to Glen Burnie in Winchester. I think the reflection is an odd one, and even the sculpture that it captures is unusual. I'm including a view with Frank standing next to it so you can see how big it is.

The spider and web are part of a summer exhibit called Bugs.

Saturday Critters and The Bird Depot.

Today we were in Millwood and that's where I saw a dog  sitting on a wall. 

The rest of today's post is from my archives. The flying bird is a great blue heron. Then we have a blue jay and a friendly duck.