Millstone, Garden Center

Woodstock Gardens

Millstones like this were used in pairs to grind grain. Now they are often reused as landscaping elements. They can make a dramatic fountain with water propelled up through the center hole. 

Recently, I took Charlie to the garden center to walk around. He enjoyed exploring and sniffing while I looked at trees and decorative items.

November Views from Shenandoah River State Park

 Near Bentonville, VA

The peak of fall foliage has passed and I didn’t get to Shenandoah River State Park in time to catch it this year. I have photographed this view at the optimal time previously. This time was windy and cold so I didn’t stay outside long. At least the oak trees still had red leaves.

It seems like our autumn colors didn’t last long, perhaps due to the drought. I did see spectacular foliage in a number of places, so I can’t complain,

This park is on the South Fork of the Shenandoah. If you could fly, you could be in Seven Bends State Park in a few minutes, but driving there takes about an hour because you have to go around the Massanutten Mountains and across two rivers. 

The first two pictures are from Cullers Overlook and the last one is looking toward the Blue Ridge from Daughter of the Stars Drive.

Skywatch / Water H2O Thursday

Northern Mockingbird at the Feeder

The Birdfy camera captured these images this afternoon. Until this morning, I was only putting out nyjer seed for the birds, and it attracted house finches. I decided to add a mix of fancier food after the weather turned colder, and yesterday morning the temperature was 23°F (-5°C) when I woke up. That’s cold enough to make all the birds extra hungry, so I provided them a mixture with sunflower seeds.

The mockingbird came this afternoon. Unfortunately, my deck was already in shadow, so these pictures are a little dark.

The morning temperature was a little higher today, but still quite cold. Deborah came to take Charlie for a walk and he was not happy about the weather, even though she put a sweater on him. 

Flag Display for Veterans Day

Representing Branches of Military Service

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Sperryville Riverwalk

Rappahannock County

I caught a glimpse of this mural as I was driving down U.S. 211. I made a turn into the town of Sperryville and went back to find it. I guessed that it was behind the coffee shop, and there it was, overlooking Thornton River.

There is a nice walking trail along the river. Sperryville is a small town but a popular spot for tourists because it is one of the gateway towns to Shenandoah National Park

Mosaic Monday / Murals
An Earlier Post with Thornton River

An Unusual Baker

One day I was driving through Strasburg and this scene caught my eye. Looks like the bake shop was decorated for Halloween! I took this two weeks ago.

On that same afternoon, I paused in the county park to capture a picture of autumn trees and shadows. Since then, many of the leaves have fallen. We’ve had a frost, but not a hard frost yet. There are still a few flowers blooming.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Going to See a Zedonk

We’ll start with a picture of Charlie at the Bark Park in Mount Jackson. I filtered this in PicsArt and then added a border in Photocollage.

Charlie is still nervous about riding in the car, but after he runs around at the dog park, he calms down and rests. Last weekend we started our adventure by going to the dog park and then driving further south to the pumpkin patch at Court Manor. I’ve been there before but I really wanted to see their zedonk. 

It was their final weekend of the season. My plan was to just see the animal from the parking lot and take a picture, since dogs are not allowed in the petting zoo area. 

Some friendly goats came up to the fence, but I wanted to get a closer look at the zedonk, So I bought a ticket and went inside. Charlie was resting in the car and the temperature was cool enough to leave him there for a few minutes.

The zedonk’s mother was keeping an eye on him. He’s a year old and his father is a donkey. The owner does not know which donkey is the dad. This animal only has stripes on his legs, but some zedonks have more stripes.

There are also called zonkeys, and sometimes have been bred on purpose in order to produce a hybrid that can be trained like a donkey but has the disease-resistance of a zebra. 

I snapped some pictures of other animals, of course.

Charlie was waiting in the car, fairly patiently. He looked out the window as we left.

Photographer’s Home and Studio

Little Washington, VA

Last weekend was the annual Rappahannock Studio Tour. I never have time to visit all the art studios because they are spread out over a wide area, and some are in homes located on winding mountain roads. This time I only went to the main gallery in the town of Washington and two studios. 

Deborah had volunteered to watch Charlie and Frank was not feeling well enough to take a day trip, so I went by myself. It takes over an hour to get there, even longer for me because I stopped to take pictures of the fall foliage. Usually, I don’t visit the photographers’ studios because I am pretty well steeped in photography already, and I don’t like to miss the paintings. 

There were a couple of photographs in the main gallery that stopped me in my tracks, so I decided to see more by that photographer, Charles Tompkins. His education includes classes at the Ansel Adams Yosemite Workshop, and it shows in his work. He has mastered tonality and lighting. Although I have taken a ton of photo classes, I never had the budget for fancy equipment or the motivation to work long hours by myself, although I certainly spent a lot of time making prints with other students in classes. I did work in two portrait studios, but I didn’t earn enough to pay the bills that way.

The other exhibit I chose to visit was north of Flint Hill on a narrow country road that had me wondering if I had accidentally turned onto an old logging road or a cow path! But that’s part of the fun of a studio tour, seeing new places that you would never venture into without a destination.

I would have loved to visit some of the artists that I’ve seen in the past and purchased paintings from, but I wanted to get home before dark, and also pick up Charlie before he wore out his welcome. He loves going to Deborah‘s and playing with her dog, but sometimes he gets anxious and that can be tiresome.

Brass Door Handle

I noticed the reflection on the door and took a picture. The shadow reminds me of a silhouette of a horse.

Skywatch: The First Week of November

The first week of November isn’t over yet, but I want to show you these before I forget.

Now that the days are getting shorter, I’ll probably take more pictures of sunsets because I will often be coming home at that time, or walking the dog. That may be the only positive thing I can say about these short days. I like sunshine. 

Charlie is Four!

Happy Birthday to Charlie!

He has no idea what it means to have a birthday. I bought him some special treats. Otherwise, we didn’t celebrate much because I was in pain. I had physical therapy this morning and it did not turn out well. My back muscles went into a spasm and I couldn’t get up without help.. My back has been hurting ever since. Right now I’ve got a heating pad on it.

In other minor news, the male house finch finally joined the female on the feeder that has a camera. He stayed to the far left and flew off after a few seconds.

 

Speaking of birds, here is some student artwork that I saw in Rappahannock County on Saturday. 

Ginkgo Gold 2025

Virginia State Arboretum, Oct. 29

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Choosing the Future

Vote, while we still have democracy!

Many state and local elections take place today. Sometimes we get so focused on national politics that we forget that local politics are very important. 

Local candidate’s positions can be hard to decipher when we don’t see much about them in media. I feel our school board is important, but it was tricky trying to figure out what the candidates actually believed. They often speak in generalities or clichés. I had to read between the lines, and hope I made the right choice.

Shopping Mall Mural

 Leesburg, VA

This mural was painted a year ago by artist Leilani Romero. I don’t go to Leesburg very often because it’s over an hour away and the traffic can be heavy.

This is at the entrance to the outlet mall, which is not in historic downtown Leesburg. It’s on the east side of town, whereas I would come in from the west.

Leesburg used to be a charming old town, but now it’s surrounded by crowded commercial development. I did not actually shop in the mall because I don’t need that kind of stuff. I think I went there years ago and didn’t find anything I wanted.

Mosaic Monday / Murals