A Bank Barn at the Bowman-Hite Farm

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park

This barn dates to around 1881. It has two levels that are both open to the outside. Here you can see that earth was mounded up (“banked”) to meet the doorway level on the upper floor. On the lower side, there is an overhang and shelter for livestock. This is a common style in the Shenandoah Valley.

Interior shot (Black and White)

Ranger Brian explained that hay could be carted into the upper level and stored, and a trapdoor in the floor made it easy to move the feed to the lower level for the animals.

We went back outside and walked around to the lower level. A snake skin was found, to the delight of children on the tour

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove Website

The View from the Bowman-Hite Farmhouse

This historic farm is part of the Cedar Creek Battlefield, but it is generally not open to the public. I was there on a National Park Service tour a week ago. 

The house was built facing the Cedar Creek Valley in the 1850’s, and the view is still pretty. You can see Strasburg in the distance.

I visited this farm in 2016 on another ranger-led tour. I decided to go back to find out about the recent research that revealed the story of James Foster, an enslaved man who worked here. He was a shoemaker in his free time and earned enough money to purchase livestock. When the Union Army camped nearby during the Civil War, they confiscated his animals to feed hungry soldiers. He filed a claim after the war, and was eventually paid for his losses.

An Attempt at Drawing

It's been years since I tried to draw anything more than a doodle. Then nature blogger David G. reviewed a book on drawing, and I thought I should look into it. Our local library did not have it, so I checked out a book called Drawing Nature for the Absolute Beginner. I didn’t have drawing paper or proper pencils, so I put it off because procrastination is the one art that I am good at. 

Well, today I realized the book was due back at the library so I took a sheet of printer paper and an old pencil, and sat down to draw at least something. The pencil was not sharp, and I couldn’t locate a sharpener, so I whittled it with a knife. 

 I tried to copy three birds. They came out looking cartoonish, but that’s okay. I started drawing the heron too low on the page so I added water for him to stand in. The robin does not look like a robin so I’ll pretend it’s some other bird.

I’m adding a pencil sharpener to the grocery list that I keep on my phone.

A Sweet Picture of Lynn

My Older Daughter

Homespun Mural

Berryville, VA

This long mural graces an alleyway, so I was not able to stand back far enough to get a full view. I did take a couple of close-up shots.

Mosaic Monday / Murals

The artist is Nancy Polo. I also took some pictures of the main street, which is Route 7.

Honoring Renzall Fields

A Celebration of Life

Yesterday Lynn and I went to an event honoring Pastor Renzall Fields, son of my friend Sarah, who preceded him in death by several years. He and his sisters were friends with my daughters during their school years. 

He will be greatly missed. He was a dynamic speaker and by all accounts, an excellent chef. 

Lynn did most of the driving since my eyes still get fatigued easily. She asked me to get pictures of her with his sisters. We did so after the service, although they were busy greeting people so I could not get a picture with all of them together.

Annita and Lynn

Lynn and Tobi

Lynn and Jettie

Oh, one thing I want to mention as far as taking pictures. Don’t hesitate to ask people to pose. You never know when a photo will turn out to be very precious to them. Several pictures that I posted on social media were included in the slideshow on Renzall‘s life.  Take pictures of friends and family. Share them. If they don’t want to be shown on the Internet, give them copies. A photo can become more meaningful as years pass.

Pretend Cat and Real Dogs

This cat is not real. It is made with AI (artificial intelligence). Since it looks like it could be a real photo, I added a signature block. I don't like seeing fake photos passed off as real ones and it happens a lot on social media.

Caturday / Saturday Critters

I saw a couple of dogs exploring the boat landing near Eastham Park in Front Royal. The concrete pier is normally surrounded by water, but the river is quite low. The town is under mandatory water conservation due to the drought.

Water linkup

Next we have a picture of Charlie, followed by a couple of small dogs that I saw in Front Royal.

Glass Table

In the Oral Surgery Center

Today I had a tooth pulled, one that had been previously filled and crowned more than once. I wasn’t happy about it in the first place because I just had the crown replaced in April, but apparently the root was fractured and infection had set in. After a few months, I will get an implant to replace the tooth. All of this is expensive.

The oral surgeon that I had some years ago has retired so I went to a different one in Winchester. To be honest, I was disappointed. They did not have the 3D x-rays that were taken in Manassas or the x-ray from my regular dentist, and they couldn’t read the one on the thumb drive that I brought with me, so they had to redo the x-ray and it took three tries. I wonder if some of this confusion was due to the computer outage that hit so many companies today. It also closed down the Social Security office, which was inconvenient because I was going to drop off some papers there while I was in town.

The extraction itself was pretty awful, but it didn’t take long. The numbing injections were painful and not as effective as I hoped. They recommended that I eat only cold, soft foods today, so I stopped at the grocery store and got some baby food and non-dairy ice cream for lunch. Then I came home and took a nap.

I am somewhat hopeful that getting rid of this infection will make my sinus infection go away. Two dentists have told me that that root is right up against the sinus cavity and could cause an infection. I have to take an antibiotic after the extraction anyway, so I have my fingers crossed for luck.

Oh, about the glass table: I was attracted to the reflective surfaces, and also to the way the table relates to the rest of the interior of the building. Many of the walls are glass, mostly frosted glass. It looks like it was the height of modernity when it was built, perhaps in  the 1970s.

A View from Thoburn’s Redoubt

Cedar Creek Battlefield, VA

Our extra hot weather finally ended yesterday, so today was a good day to go on a short tour. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove tours, and I wanted to go to this one because there was some fresh information that was not known when I went before.

The boy in the orange shirt asked the ranger some good questions and had already learned facts about the battle from looking at exhibits earlier. He said he was a history nerd.

I have posted pictures of this site in previous years. Signage has been improved and eventually parking will be improved. This historical park is still being developed.

The battle of Cedar Creek began here in the pre-dawn hours of October 19, 1864, when General Thoburn’s division was attacked.

Posts about Thoburn’s Redoubt.

Birds Surrounded by Green and Brown

The first bird appears to be a mourning dove, although it has a distinctive bar on its face. I think it’s pretty.

The other bird is a thrasher. I don’t see them very often.

Music Shop Window

Front Royal

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

Apple Trees Mural

Winchester, VA

This is a new mural by artist Sarah Gallahan, who has painted a number of murals in the northern Shenandoah Valley. She did this one for White House Foods, a producer of fruit products. I’ve been eating their applesauce ever since I can remember.

I’ve posted some of her colorful murals before and you can see them by searching this blog for Gallahan. Here is a collage of examples.

Monday Murals / Mosaic Monday

Low Water but Still Pretty

North Fork of the Shenandoah

I hope my readers don’t get tired of seeing pictures of the river. I try to document it through the seasons. It is, after all, iconic, and our Shenandoah Valley is named for this river.

The low water bridge on Lupton Road is in no danger of flooding right now. The water level is low as a result of drought conditions.

Patches of algae can be seen, particularly if you look downriver from the bridge.

 I think the water is slightly deeper on the upstream side of the bridge. This is at the entrance to Seven Bends State Park, and you can often see people fishing or just cooling off in the river.

Sharing with H2O / Sunday Best

A Hot Week with Charlie

Hi, it's Charlie. I had to go to daycare two days in a row this week because my mom had appointments. She also goes shopping on those days because it is too hot for me to wait in the car when she goes in a store.

Sometimes it’s too hot to walk on the sunny part of the sidewalk. Then we walk around in the yard and sit in the shade. We didn’t go to the dog park all week, although we did go to the state park this evening. We saw a groundhog there. We’ve seen them in our neighborhood too. I would chase them away, but Mom holds onto my leash.

I would like to chase rabbits too. I watched one from the car when we went for a car picnic. That’s when we drive around the corner and Mom gives me snacks. She wants me to feel more safe in the car, but it makes a lot of noise and that is scary.

I like seeing animals, but some of them are afraid of dogs. Tripod the cat is friendly and says hi to me. 

Mom added special effects to a picture of Tripod. 

The cat who lives with Tripod is not very friendly but does visit our yard. I was watching from inside the door.

Is it hot where you are?

Walk on the Shady Side of the Street

Front Royal, VA

The heat wave continues. Dress for the summer and stay cool when possible.

So Many Lenses

Yesterday at the Opthalmologist's Office

A visit to the ophthalmologist can take an hour or more if they have to dilate your pupils because you have to wait until the eyedrops do their thing. Then the doctor comes back in and can complete the rest of the examination. I got bored waiting and took a picture. This is an impressive piece of optical equipment. 

As I mentioned before, I had cataract surgery on May 3 and I haven’t been able to see well out of that eye since then. My vision is much worse than it was before the surgery, because now everything looks blurry through that eye. Strong glasses do not help. We don’t know why at this point so I’ve been referred to a retina specialist. Also, the pupil is painfully sensitive to bright light and I can no longer use the eyedrops that used to help with that because we don’t know if they might contribute to the problem.

That eye used to be the stronger one, even though it had a tonic pupil, which means it did not respond to bright light by contracting. (This is the main symptom of Holmes-Adies syndrome, which is fairly rare and is thought to be caused by nerve damage.)  Now my other eye is doing all the focusing work and it gets tired quickly. 

I regret having the cataract surgery. I did try to research the risk of having it with Holmes-Adies Syndrome, and found almost no information. The doctor said there was a possibility of being more sensitive to light, and many people have temporary blurriness, but it usually resolves within two months. It’s been 10 weeks. 

Photographing at the Valley Overlook

Shenandoah National Park

A week ago I made a short ride into the mountains because I was in Front Royal for an appointment and Skyline Drive begins there, right at the edge of town. I took a few pictures at the first overlook, drove to the nearby picnic area and ate a snack. I didn’t have time to linger because I needed to grocery shop and head back home in time to pick Charlie up from day boarding. 

There are always people taking pictures unless the weather is bad. Who can blame them? 

The dental visit resulted in our referral to an endodontist in Manassas for three-way x-rays. Yesterday I went there and found out that not only is the root of the tooth probably fractured, but the bone surrounding the tooth is dissolving. The tooth needs to be extracted. This requires a visit to the oral surgeon and probably an implant. I can’t tell you how tired I am of problems with my teeth. This was one of two teeth that got new fillings and crowns in April. Regular x-rays did not show the bone loss, and the gums became infected and painful. 

I’ve always taken care of my teeth with brushing and flossing and regular dental visits. All of my back teeth got fillings when I was still quite young, Over the years they had to be filled again, with many of them getting crowns plus a couple of root canals. 

Both dentists said that my recurring sinus infections could be caused by the infected tooth. It’ll be several weeks before I get that tooth pulled and find out for sure if it solves that problem. 

Meanwhile, I continue to have eye problems, and have been referred to a retinal specialist. But that’s another story.

Hot Weather Blooms

Yesterday in my Yard

Garden Affair / Floral / Wordless Wednesday