Hello to 2023.

I just wrote a rather amusing blog post and then accidentally deleted it. Sigh! 

As 2022 Draws to an End.

It wasn’t a bad year yet it wasn’t great either. There was plenty of worrisome news, and while I appreciate that  my life is fairly easy, I fear for the future of the world.

Here I am in a beautiful area, yet I feel mired down by pains and my diminishing abilities. Life is full of challenges yet achingly ordinary.

Yesterday I had a root canal in Manassas. Carbocaine kept the pain away until it wore off, and then oh boy! And now I seem to be reacting to NSAIDS. A month ago I had outpatient surgery for female problems, or are they aging problems? Also, my left hip is very sore, especially when I first get up in the morning. 

And my washing machine stopped running. Today I ordered a new one. It should be here on Monday. I know, first world problems! 

Both Marie and Allison have recently recovered from Covid. I still haven’t gotten it, knock on wood.

Well, the weather was nice today and Charlie enjoyed the dog park. Let’s hope we can make 2023 a good year. 

 

Late Afternoon on the Lupton Side

Seven Bends State Park

You cross the North Fork of the Shenandoah to reach the park. 

Do you see the distant chimney in the center of the second picture? It was an outdoor fireplace at Camp Lupton, which used to be on this property.

It was cold when we were there yesterday, having missed the warmer part of the day. 

Junco and Woodpecker

I think that the little bird is a slate colored junco. 

Both birds are feasting on the sunflower seed that I placed on the deck. The second bird appears to be a red-bellied woodpecker, although the bright sunlight brightens the belly so much I cannot see the reddish tint. 

 

Brick Building, Late Afternoon

Tuesday Treasures

 This building on N. Main St. is in the Woodstock Historic District. It is believed to have been built around 1870. 

It was Icy Cold by the River Today

North Fork at Lupton Road
Seven Bends State Park

A mask helps keep my face warm.

Sharing with Image-in-ing.

A Special Day with Family

Our Christmas was fairly modest. I haven’t had a lot of energy and my left hip has been bothering me for a month or so. The most important thing to me was spending time with my daughters and we were able to do that, even though Lynn has a very sore knee and had to make a real effort to be here. Marie purchased and cooked a delicious meal for us today.

Lynn took this picture of Marie and me with dream catchers that she made for us.

This was Charlie’s first Christmas in a real home. He seemed a little nervous having two visitors at once, although I took him to the dog park this morning so that he could run off his excess energy. He was a good boy today.

Marie and Lynn always feel a little awkward when asked to pose, but here they are.

It was a good day. I hope your day was special too.

 

Charlie’s Christmas Eve

Hi, it's me, Charlie. Mom said I can tell you about the changes here. Maybe she already told you that Marie is here. I guess she is my sister because we have the same Mom. 

She got me a Pup Cup. It’s creamy. Later we went to a store and to the dog park. I showed her how fast I run. Only one other dog was there because the ground was too cold. The water in the dog bowls was frozen. We did not stay long.

Mom has put up a bunch of decorations. Some of them look like dogs. The best ones look like beagles! Mom said she had dogs before that looked a little like me. 

I have some Santa toys. Mom said they are for Christmas, which is tomorrow. She said to wish you a Merry Christmas, whatever that means. If you have pets, I hope they are staying warm and getting treats.

Looking for that Holiday Magic

Lights Reflected in Mirror and on Side of Car, in B&W

The buildup to Christmas is exciting when you are a child or when you have young children. I don’t. I've been trying to get into the spirit of Christmas but it's been slow coming to me. I do like seeing the Christmas lights and decorations. When I find something that makes me smile, I just might take a picture of it.

Today my younger daughter Marie showed up, so that cheered me. There is nothing as nice as having loved ones around during the holidays.

Talus about It…

The latest feature at the play space in Seven Bends State Park represents a talus formation. A talus slope or deposit is “formed by an accumulation of broken rock debris, as at the base of a cliff or other high place.” (Wikipedia) The State Park is at the foot of the Massanutten Mountains, known to hikers for jumbled rock slopes.

The talus feature is near the climbable model of the Woodstock Tower, which stands high on Powell Mountain in the Massanutten Range. The real tower was built by the CCC in 1935 and has a great view of the bends of the Shenandoah River.

I took these photos just two days ago, but today the weather is miserable. We had rain, sleet, and a little snow. Sleet makes for a slippery surface. But weather in Virginia is changeable and we’ll have more nice days before long.

House Finches, Male and Female

Mount Pleasant in Strasburg

On Hite Lane near Cedar Creek

Tuesday Treasures / Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday 

Warehouse Gallery is Closing

Luray, Virginia

The Warehouse is closing at the end of this month. The artworks will be sent to at least two different locations. I am sorry to see it close because it is big and fun to explore, although it lacked central heat and cooling.

Jim Mayes founded the gallery and has announced the new locations. He is the subject of a mural on the wall.

The current location is across the street from the visitors center. I took some pictures of the decorations in front of the center.

Seasonal Artificial Intelligence or Lack Thereof

"Garbage in, garbage out." (An early statement about computer data.)

Generating AI images is not easy. Well, it is easy to generate something, but it may not be at all what you want. I’ve been playing with freeimagegenerator with extremely mixed outcomes. The app’s results seem rather random, and both people and animals often have extra limbs or fuzzy features.

Today I was trying to conjure up Christmas-themed pictures. The only ones that show the subject I described are Father Christmas/Santa images and a Christmas tree in Klimt style. There were a number of pictures so distorted that I didn’t download them.

I enjoy experimenting with images and working around computer problems. Hmm, blogging is like that too!