Popular Post Photos

I'm puzzling over which picture to choose for my photo of the year. I looked at my blog stats, which tell me the most popular posts. That doesn't really tell me which photos attracted many viewers because many people found a post because they were looking for information about that place. That’s probably the case with my post on Blackwater Falls, which is the most popular one from this year.

Similarly, many people came to my post about the Lego sculptures because they were searching for something about Legos.

The single post that got the most hits this year was once again a post from 2014, The Tall Crosses near Strasburg. People find it after they see the crosses in Strasburg and wonder why they are there. A church erected them.

Here are some pictures from other popular posts of 2023.

And if there were one personality that attracted the most viewers, it would be Charlie!

Mosaic Monday

Twixmas with Charlie

(Twixmas is the week between Christmas and New Year’s)

Hi, it's Charlie. I survived a holiday, which is a time when people invade my house and make noise. I won't complain because they brought some really good food, and even some toys for me wrapped in crinkly paper.

Uh oh! Mom did some things to my photo. I don't know why she bothers when I already look good!

Marie stayed for a few days and now I miss her. She rode with me in the backseat so that I didn’t feel so worried. She also bought me some things at Petco and played with me at the park.

Sometimes Mom and I go out on the deck and put out seeds for the birds and squirrels. I can watch them through the window. 

I heard that there is another holiday coming, but I hope it is a quiet one. 

Yellow Tinted Glasses

These glasses are designed to cut the glare from oncoming headlights. And they do help, although I push them up on my forehead when I don’t need them because they make it harder to read signs at night. I also wear these on bright days when I don’t quite need dark sunglasses.

In this picture, they are on the hood of my car, which looks blue here because it is reflecting the sky. 

Wet Days

We just had a couple of days of rain, plus quite a bit of fog. At least it wasn’t ice!

H2O Thursday / Skywatch 

This afternoon the clouds finally started rising back up into the sky. In this picture, they are still touching Massanutten Peak.

I took that picture through a window while I was waiting for a routine medical test. I also entertained myself by taking pictures of their Christmas ornaments.

Ducks in Spring Hollow Run

Woodstock, VA

On some maps, this creek is called Hollow Run, but I have heard it called Spring Hollow Run and that is what the US Geological Survey calls it. I find the name intriguing because there are three geographic features in the name: Spring (the source), hollow (a small valley), and run (a creek). 

I have seen mallard ducks before at this pretty spot along Church Street. 

By the Shenandoah with Marie and Charlie

Late Afternoon, Seven Bends State Park

Blue / Wordless 

Blog Post #8555

Greetings from Us

I hope your holiday was great, or at least very nice. I realize not everyone celebrates Christmas and not everyone has family or friends with them. I am fortunate that both of my daughters were able to be here.

Lynn and Marie fixed an excellent meal of prime rib and vegetables.

Charlie got excited by all the activity and the beef and presents. 
 

Here’s a cute picture that Marie took of Charlie with me.

I hope the rest of your week is bright and joyful!

Mosaic Monday

Christmas Eve 2023

The year went by quickly and I don't feel ready for Christmas. I haven’t taken good seasonal photos yet so I'll start with a computer-generated image.

Marie arrived last night. Today she wanted to buy Charlie a new harness so we went to Petco. A young woman helped us find one that fits him. It has metal buckles so maybe it will last longer. He like to break plastic buckles by crunching them with his teeth! 

Here’s Charlie wearing the new harness. We went to the dog park in Strasburg. It’s next to a tennis court. We had a tennis ball too but Charlie got tired of chasing it because no other dogs were there to compete with him.

May your Christmas Day be bright!

Critters on Festivus

Festivus is the day before Christmas Eve. It was made known by a Seinfeld episode on TV in 1997.

Decorated in Picsart for Caturday and Critters

Charlie celebrated by getting a hamburger at Wendy's and taking a walk at Seven Bends State Park.

A number of new benches are donated.

I scanned the sky for birds and saw a hot air balloon instead. It seemed like a cold day for a balloon tour.

I was hoping to get a shot of the balloon from the bridge, but it had moved on. A short while later I saw it just above the tree line on the far side of town. This farm is right on the southeast edge of Woodstock.

Well, Christmas is coming and I’m not ready yet. Are you?

Yesterday at Bolivar Heights

After some shopping yesterday, I stopped in the park on Bolivar Heights to eat one of the snacks I had just bought. I took a few pictures and met this friendly dog and her owner.

This hilltop is a Civil War site. In 1862, President Lincoln reviewed the troops here. In 1864, Union Major General Phil Sheridan’s army occupied this area.

Another New Little Free Library

Edinburg, VA

This book sharing box is in Edinburg Town Park. It was an Eagle Scout project with support from the VFW and VECCA. There weren’t many books in it so maybe I should contribute a few from my collection.

Water H2O Thursday / Skywatch 

I happened to notice that the sky was reflected in a puddle in the parking lot. Also, you can see the mountains through the trees.