Dodd Hall

Wardensville, WV

This is the main building of Camp Pinnacle, Hardy County's 4-H Camp. It was open to the public last weekend, so I made it part of a ride to West Virginia.

Many years ago, I worked with the 4-H program in Alexandria, Virginia. My children enjoyed being members of 4-H. For those who don't know, it's an educational program sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture in cooperation with state universities and local jurisdictions.

Animal Art at the Mill

Millwood, VA

There were so many beautiful works of art displayed at Burwell-Morgan Mill! I took dozens of pictures, mainly so I could look up the artists later and see their other work. Today I’ll share some animal pictures, but first I’ll show you an artified picture of Charlie so he that won’t be jealous of that beagle painting.

Some of my photos don’t do justice to the artwork because the lighting was not always even, plus some paintings were mounted high on the wall so I could not get a totally level and straight picture. I tried to straighten them out using software

I did not buy any artwork this time. I already have more than I have wallspace for hanging, and I want to avoid spending too much money because the economy feels uncertain to me.

Through the Stairs

Art at the Mill

Low Clouds and the Massanutten Mountains

Near Mt. Jackson

The first picture is from a month ago. Now the corn stalks have turned yellowish brown, and many of the fields have been cut.

The second picture is from Tuesday. I was waiting for the traffic to clear at an intersection. The red roofs are at a gas station. 

Glass Hummingbirds

Today's theme for City Daily Photo is "Glass," but today is also Wild Bird Wednesday. For this challenge, I decided to use a glass bird. I couldn’t get a bright picture of it in the bedroom window where it usually hangs, so I brought it outdoors.

I also considered using my hummingbird window hanging. It looks like stained glass, but it’s actually a glass panel decorated with special material. I read that you produce one like this using acrylic paint mixed with a simple glue for thickness.

My other theme day idea also involved hummingbirds. These are my glass hummingbird feeders.

I haven’t seen any hummingbirds since before the rain on Saturday. The last pictures of them taken by the bird cam was snapped six days ago. I suspect our local ruby-throated hummingbirds have gone south, but I’m leaving a feeder up in case other hummingbirds stop by while migrating from farther north.

My Birdfy device is not designed for hummingbirds; it is intended to hold seeds. I added a shallow hummingbird feeder to the seed tray. 

Best of luck to all the birds who are traveling this month. It is October, so cold weather is on the way.

A Halloween House in Winchester

People Decorate More these Days

New Market in Letters

This postcard-style mural was recently completed in the town of New Market. The letters show local scenes, beginning with the golf course and ending with Endless Caverns 

The artist is Brooke Barrick-Helsley. She was mentored by Studio Sasquatch.

 I photographed it on a rainy day. Here are a few scenes nearby.

New Market Battlefield looked dreary in the rain, which is appropriate because the 1864 Battle took place on a day so wet that some soldiers lost their shoes in the mud.

Mosaics / Murals

Restoring the Fort Loudoun Well

 Winchester, VA

Ten days ago I saw an announcement that the old well that’s associated with George Washington was open and could be seen for a brief time. I happened to be in Front Royal and decided to drive to Winchester to take a look. 

I have been to the location before. The fort itself is gone but the well remains. It was built during the French and Indian War to supply the fort with water. 

George Washington supervised the building of the fort between 1756 and 1758. This was long before he was president, and even before he became nationally famous during the American Revolution. We were still under British rule in 1756, and Washington served as an officer in the war against the French. 

By the way, there are other forts named Fort Loudoun, so that can be confusing. This one was disassembled after the war ended, and the huge logs from the walls were reused in other buildings in Winchester. The well remained in use for over 200 years. Here we see a Union soldier at the well as sketched by James E. Taylor, Civil War artist.

Now the well is being restored. Workers have built a scaffold so they can stabilize the rock walls on the upper portion of the well. The lower portion is solid rock. When the well was built, black powder was used to blast through the rock.

Fort Loudoun was a large structure with four bastions, based on European designs. It did not see battle, but it was used at a supply point and staging area.

Saturday Critters Including a Petting Zoo

Charlie is already asleep so he's not going to write a report tonight. Sometimes he's grumpy if I wake him up from a nap.

Lynn came to my rescue on Thursday when I found a leak under the kitchen sink. Here is Charlie watching her get out of the car. She was able to replace the connector that was leaking. I raised a couple of clever girls!

Today did not feel like Saturday because it rained all day. I managed to take my recycling to the bins when the rain let up, and I took Charlie for a walk under the tall pine trees in Edinburg Park. We were back in the car before a downpour hit. 

Last weekend was much nicer. Edinburg had their annual festival. I took some pictures at the petting zoo.

Well, I just checked the weather report and it looks like tomorrow may be sunny after all. When I checked earlier, there was rain in the forecast for four days in a row. One day is good, but after that, I’m ready for sunshine. And so is Charlie because he likes to take walks and have adventures.

Millrace

Clarke County, VA

I was attracted to the reflections in the millrace at Burwell-Morgan Mill. I’ve posted numerous pictures of this mill in the past, partly because an art show draws me here twice a year. 

By the time this grist mill was constructed in the 18th century, the technology for water-powered mills had been refined over hundreds of years. The stream that powered the mill wheel was channeled into a millrace that narrowed the flow of water to increase its power. 

This mill has an interior water wheel. On certain Saturdays, they still grind corn here.

Spillway

Summer’s End

Summer is officially over. I hate to see it go. I didn’t take a vacation because it’s just too difficult and not enjoyable when I have to deal with back pain and other health issues. But I did get outdoors to enjoy the flowers and signs of summer.

These pictures are left over from August.

“Summer's end's around the bend just flying
The swimming suits are on the line just drying
I'll meet you there per our conversation
I hope I didn't ruin your vacation...” 🎵 

“Come on home, Come on home.
No you don't have to be alone,
Just come on home.”

(© John Prine and Pat McLaughlin)

Repeated Birds

 I saw those birds on a wire on a foggy morning. Most of them are facing the same direction.

The other day, I discovered that I can crop pictures in the Photos app to a uniform size by tapping the crop button twice and selecting the dimensions I want.

The birdfeeder camera is still getting pictures of hummingbirds. I haven’t put any seed in the feeder yet, but I do have a small hummingbird feeder there. These little birds will be heading south soon.

To make up for not having any close-ups of other birds, here’s a collage of pairs that I have shared previously.