Bridges at Capon Lake

Hampshire County, WV

The metal bridge over the Cacapon River is no longer open the vehicles, but is maintained as an exhibit. It is a Whipple Truss bridge and was first erected in 1874.  A structural engineer named Squire Whipple is known as the father of iron bridges because he figured out out how to build strong metal bridges by mathematically analyzing forces and stresses in structures, incorporating double intersection diagonals into the truss design. 

Nearby is a more modern bridge that was built in 1991.

Fish Paddling a Kayak

Woodstock, VA

Our state park staff won second place in the town’s annual pumpkin character competition. They created a fish paddling a kayak. 

On Tuesday I stopped at their office in town to take a picture of the unique creation just as these friendly rangers showed up. (How’s that for timing?) After I congratulated them, I asked them to pose with the kayak and pumpkin-head fish.

Charlie and I had just come from Seven Bends State Park, where we both like to walk. The river was quite low. We did get some rain the next day and last night, so that may have relieved the drought a little.
 

A Bird and a Deer

October is a few weeks earlier than the time that I usually start feeding birds. I decided to put out a handful of black thistle seed (nyjer seed) because it can take a week or so for the birds to discover the feeders. Today I checked the feeder camera app and saw that one bird has found it.

It appears to be a female house finch. The male is much more colorful, and I hope to see him soon. 

The camera takes videos, and I saved these images by holding down the progress bar and saying, “Siri, make a screen shot.”  I cropped these and increased the contrast. 

There were two short videos showing that a deer came by one morning. I live in town, but not far from what I consider the edge of town. There’s a farm a few blocks from my house, but the forest is much farther away.

Peak Colors, Shenandoah National Park

 Yesterday, Thornton Gap to Swift Run Gap

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday 

Color! Art and Foliage

 Berkeley Springs, WV

The red cardinal is painted on a wall outside a place called the Cardinal Bar. I happened to see it when I went to Berkeley Springs to view art and fall foliage. Autumn colors don’t last very long, so I make an effort to get out there and see them.

In the hills outside of town is a stained glass studio called Frog Valley Artisans. I already have a pretty piece from there hanging in my window, so I refrained from buying anything this time.  I enjoyed looking though.

 

The one I own is a landscape, but peace signs seem to be popular.

A little farther out Route 9 is a spectacular overlook, so of course, I drove out there.

Linkups: Monday Murals and Mosaic Monday

Pond in Autumn, Capon Springs

 Hampshire County, WV

Capon Springs is a charming town known for its mineral springs. It was established as the town of Watson in 1787, but eventually became known as Capon Springs after the nearby Cacapon River.

I drove there on Thursday to enjoy the autumn colors. I decided to go through Wardensville on the way home and take Trout Run Road over the mountain. On an impulse, I turned up a steep driveway to a small church that I had noticed before but had never photographed.

This is Mount Vernon Union Church near the mountain community of Perry. I was unable to find any information online except that it has a cemetery. A sign by the road says that the church is open from June through October. I imagine that the driveway becomes impassable In wintry weather. 

Filtered Cat, Monochrome Dog

Tonight my eyes are tired from driving, so I'm just going to share two pictures instead of writing a long post. First, a pretty cat that I saw today, filtered using the Becasso app.

Of course, Charlie does not want to be left out of a “critters” post, so here he is in a cheerful mood.

Abide No Hatred

Bonfire Bookstore, Woodstock, VA

I was intrigued by the juxtaposition of this flag with a reflection of the courthouse. The saying sounds almost biblical, but when I looked for the source, I read that it was written by editor Chuck Reese after a tragic event in 2017 in Charlottesville: “White faces have to look straight into the eyes of other white faces and say: I will not abide your hatred.”

Recently Lost

Over the past two weeks, I have been saddened by death notices for several fine people. A few of my fellow bloggers may remember Connie Biltz. She stopped blogging some years ago, but I continued to follow her on Facebook. She was a published poet.

Here in the Shenandoah Valley, we lost a couple of men who shared their extensive knowledge over the years. Rob Simpson taught photography and natural history at Lord Fairfax Community College (now called Laurel Ridge). I took a couple of workshops in nature photography with Rob, and also a semester in photo marketing. Along with his wife Ann Simpson, Rob authored a number of books on our national parks and wildflowers, beautifully illustrated with photographs. If you have browsed the bookstores at Shenandoah National Park, you have probably noticed some of his books.

Jim Moyer was also a writer and educator, although he might not have referred to himself as one. I learned from his articles on Winchester history and George Washington. He was active with the French and Indian War Foundation, and participated in reenactments from that time period. He was always willing to smile when I took his picture

These were all good people who generously shared their time and skills. We are fortunate that they left us their writings and other contributions. 

Thank you.

Piedmont Art Show, 2025

The annual art show in The Plains, Virginia, is always worth seeing. It’s in the beautiful Grace Episcopal Church, and stained glass windows amplify the beauty of the art.

I took these pictures on October 4. Here are some paintings that caught my eye. 

The beagle, of course, reminds me of Charlie. 

Brilliant Yellows in Shenandoah

Along Skyline Drive

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

Vaulted Cards Mural

Woodstock, VA

This is a new mural for a new shop, and I have to admit that I did not understand the name until I looked it up. It’s in a former bank building, so the vault is from the bank, and the painting shows a vault door.

They will sell sports trading cards and other collectibles.

For more murals, see Colourful World.

No Kings in Shenandoah County

Yesterday was a big day for #NoKings rallies across America and even around the world. Millions of people participated in the United States. I’ve always been a little skeptical of demonstrations, but this one felt different. There was enthusiasm and joy, partly inspired by the fun images of protesters dancing in inflatable animal costumes in Portland. 

In our mostly rural county, there’s a small demonstration every Saturday in Woodstock. Yesterday it was much larger, with over 500 people lining Reservoir Road. I later read that Senator Mark Warner joined the group.

I passed the crowd and drove down to the old courthouse, where a small group was holding signs and waving flags. 

A woman held up a sign that says “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor.”  I have often seen this sign in Harrisonburg, which calls itself The Friendly City.

She is standing next to a statue of  Peter Muhlenberg, a hero of the American Revolution. He was a clergyman in Woodstock when the war broke out. The legend is that he interrupted a sermon to declare, "there is a time to preach and a time to fight, and now is the time to fight!" He recruited 300 members of his parish to form the 8th Virginia Regiment, made up mostly of German-Americans.

Today’s final image is a collection of signs that I saw on the Internet from various places.

Mosaic Monday