Christmas 2025

The other night, I was walking Charlie and heard sirens in the distance. Then I heard music and realized that Santa Claus was coming on a fire engine. I don’t think Charlie knew what was going on, but he didn’t seem scared.

Marie arrived late Tuesday night. She worked-from-home yesterday. As an editor, she has writers and artists to supervise.

While she was working, I took Charlie to Seven Bends State Park. The weather was nice, but the river level is low.

Today was Christmas Day. Lynn drove down here, bringing gifts and food for dinner.  

We opened gifts and had an tasty meal that Marie cooked. I received a new phone and they set it up for me. I used to be tech savvy, but since I retired, I have found it’s hard to keep up with all the changes.

I hope you had a great day too.

Peace Dove, Mourning Dove

I selected this “Peace on Earth” garden flag to display this season. It represents an ideal that would take a miracle to achieve. Pardon my cynicism, but I’ve been hoping for peace for a long time.

The dove is often used as a symbol of peace. It is also used as a symbol for other ideals in cultures around the world.

I don’t recall seeing a white dove in the wild. Mourning doves, which are predominantly gray, are very common here in Virginia. 

Doves and pigeons are members of the Columbidae family.

On the Day before Christmas Eve

Riley Park and Beyond

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Reach for the Stars

Harrisonburg

When I was in Harrisonburg three weeks ago, I found this mural in Ralph Sampson Park. There are many murals in Harrisonburg, and there’s still a few that I haven’t photographed yet.

The park is named for basketball player Ralph Sampson, who was from Harrisonburg

Monday Murals

I did not find information on who painted this mural, but it has the look of a community project. Some of the paint is faded, but the black lines are still dark. I believe they are streets and you can see the houses along them. I suspect that the large building is the nearby school. Mountains are in the distance. A person is on a ladder, reaching for the stars.

 I was there on an overcast day and it had rained earlier, so I didn’t take many pictures. I did take one of decorations in the doctor’s office and one of fog and traffic as I waited for a light to change.

Winter Solstice

Tonight we have the longest night of the year, for those of us in the northern hemisphere. The axis of the Earth is turned to its farthest point from the sun. I don’t like the short days, and I am glad that the longer days are on their way.

The weather was decent  this afternoon, except for an occasional strong gust of wind. I felt like hibernating, but Charlie wanted to go out for an adventure. Finally I took him to Seven Bends State Park. We walked along the river for a little ways, but my back still bothers me so I didn’t go very far.

The shadows were lengthening, and the temperature was dropping. By the time I drove back across the Hollingsworth Road bridge, the sunlight was beginning to go away.

Charlie’s Christmas Letter 2025

Hello, Frenz! Some families send out a letter every year to tell all their big news. My mom does not do this, so I decided that I would take care of it for her. I am a beagle, so I am a smart dog and a good boy.

Do you think this looks like me? People say I am handsome. Sadie thinks I am too. She is Miss Deborah‘s dog.

My main job is taken care of my mom. One of the things I do is keep track of the schedule. I know when it is time to get up and go for a walk. I also know when it is time to take a ride and go to the park. If Mom forgets, I jump on her at 3 o’clock because we need to go so we can get back in time for dinner. My dinner is at five.

It doesn’t matter which park we go to. They all smell good. I sniff the ground and all the trees and I can tell who has been there before us. If the park is very far, I let Mom know that we should stop and get something to eat, unless she has brought good snacks for me. 

Sadie is not my only friend. I like other dogs, and I like the friendly cat that lives across the street. 

I like people too, and I expect them to show they like me. Even people we don’t know stop to say I am cute. The mail lady gives me dog biscuits.

About twice a week we go to day boarding, and I like the ladies there. They are glad to see me. I don’t like leaving my Mom though. 

Sometimes I stay at Sadie’s house. We have fun! And her mom walks me almost every day because my mom has a sore knee and her back hurts after a while. 

I have two big sisters, but they are grown up and don’t live with us. We get special food when they come to see me.

Oh, I have another job. I watch for animals when we are riding in the car.  I see horses, cows, sheep, and goats. 

And sometimes I see deer. They are not behind a fence like the other animals. 

Well, it is my bedtime. I hope you have nice holidays with friendly visitors and good food, and naps too. Naps are important.

A Few Winter Trees

 Front Royal, VA

After my podiatry appointment yesterday, I made a quick stop at the grocery and then went to Spelunkers for a hamburger. They have their Christmas tree decorated.

As I mentioned in yesterday‘s post, I drove into nearby Shenandoah National Park. The skies were cloudy, and rain arrived later, but I'm glad I drove up in the mountains because today the park was closed due to multiple trees blocking the road from a wind storm. The winds were even stronger today. If you plan to go to the park in winter, always check first to see if they are open or possibly closing early. The weather up there can be harsh.

Some of the trees have taken a beating over the years. At the overlooks, it’s common to see trees that have had their branches broken multiple times from wind and ice.

Sometimes the sky was gray, but I also saw cloudy blue skies. In the monochrome blue picture, my cell phone camera deepened the color. There were two crows in this tree, but one flew off before I got my window rolled down.

The final scene is from Signal Knob Overlook.

Roofers at 1940 Feet High

Shenandoah National Park

The weather was milder this afternoon, so I drove up on Skyline Drive after an appointment in Front Royal.  Soon I reached Dickey Ridge, and was surprised to see that construction is going on at the visitor center. It turns out that the roof is being redone with terra cotta tiles. The last roof had the appearance of wood shingles, but they were made of textured concrete

I spoke to a couple of the workmen (not ones who were on the roof because that’s a dangerous job, although they had safety ropes.) Yes, they were out here working last week in below-freezing temperatures with high winds. Today’s temperatures were a pleasant surprise for them.  It reached the 50s (Fahrenheit). We had days last week with a windchill temperature of 1°F, and that was in the valley. It’s often about 10° colder on the mountain.

One man commented that he was enjoying the views

Short Story at the Feeder

Birdfy Camera Shots

For a moment, two Carolina wrens were at the feeder. The one on the left flew off in a blur.

“Hey! Where did you go?”

Ice on the River, and a Sign by the Road

Seen from the Road Today

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