Edinburg / Madison District Park

Sometimes I take Charlie to Edinburg Town Park to walk under the tall pine trees. I was surprised to see that on some maps it is called Madison District Park. I asked about this when I went into the town office to pay my final water bill on the condo. It turns out that part of the park is a district park with ball fields, and the rest of the park is owned by the town.

On a recent walk, I noticed a sign with a map. I was confused by it at first because it didn’t seem to show the whole park. When I looked at the other side, I saw that it is a map of the disc golf course, which winds around under the pine trees. (Disc golf involves tossing plastic discs into a wire basket. We used to call those discs Frisbees or even Pluto platters. But Frisbee is a different game, a kind of “catch” which you can even play with your dog.) 

Critters and Cold Days

Hi, it’s Charlie! Mom says people like my reports, so I’ll do the Saturday Critters report today. 

I went to Sadie’s house the other day. I get so excited when I go there. We chase a ball and eat snacks. Her mom says she is part Shih Tzu and part Pomeranian. I am all Beagle. But we can still be friends.

The next animal is a squirrel. I watched it through the window. Sometimes I see them outside and they move fast.

This looks like a deer, but not a real one. Real deer are thinner and have longer legs.

The rest of today’s pictures are from a walk in Riley Park. I saw two animal sculptures. They were cold.

It’s been very cold in the mornings, but most afternoons are okay. I don’t like putting clothes on, and sometimes I take them off in the car. My mom wears extra clothes when it’s cold. She says I should wear them too. 

A Tree in Ralph Sampson Park

 Harrisonburg 

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.” — Alice Walker

A Cold Half Hour at the State Park

 Today at Seven Bends State Park

Today started off very cold so I stayed indoors until mid-afternoon. I did get some items crossed off my To Do List. Finally, the weather report said it was 40°F outside, but the windchill made it feel below freezing. It said the sun was about to come out from behind the clouds, so I took Charlie to the park. I drove across the low water bridge and arrived at 4 PM.

We took a short walk and the sun did come out, but it didn’t feel warm. 

Within a half hour, we were back in the car. I paused on the low water bridge for a moment to capture the reflections on the water.

Cardinal and Sparrow on a Snowy Day

We had snow on Friday. Counties just south of us got more accumulation, and then they had another snowstorm this week that we didn't get at all.

The female cardinal must really like sunflower seeds. She dug through the snow to pull them out.

The other feeder has a camera. It caught her tolerating a sparrow. Sometimes cardinals are aggressive at the feeders, but she was so busy eating that she did not really interrupt her meal. 

The sparrow appears to be a white crowned sparrow. I don’t see this kind as frequently as the white throated sparrow, which has yellow parches on the face.

A Quiet Walk in W. O. Riley Park

Woodstock, VA

Wordless

Spaces and Places of Harrisonburg

Mural by Addison Green

This mural is at the entrance of the Walmart that’s west of Harrisonburg. Walmart has a community mural program.

It depicts well-known sites in Harrisonburg and Dayton. I have photos of the mill in Dayton, the museum there, and the Rockingham County courthouse in Harrisonburg.

Mosaic Monday / Murals

#walmartmurals @nowart_la

Belated Octoberfest Post

October was such a photogenic month that I didn’t get to share all the highlights. These pictures are from October 11.

Bryce Resort held an Octoberfest. I was there with Deborah and Frank and our dogs. We didn’t stay long, but I did grab a photo of these folks.

There was music indoors, but it was way too loud for me. The scene outside seemed a bit surreal, with dancers and even dogs (!) wearing lederhosen, children playing, people drinking beer, and cyclists speeding down the hill as they reached the end of the mountain bike trail. Oh, and bicycles overhead moving  up the mountain on a ski lift!

One thing I like to do is vary my route by taking a back road. I decided to take Crooked Run Road to Jerome, and found myself next to Deauville Farm. I was explaining to Deborah that Gail Rose used to raise fellow deer there, when I noticed that people were outside and OMG, there’s Gail! I hadn’t seen her in over 10 years, so I pulled into the parking lot and got out. She greeted us warmly, as always. 

There was an independent film made about Gail and her farm, and I remember going to see it some years ago, and at that time, Gail was recovering from cancer treatment. It was good to see her looking well.

Charlie and a Snowy Day

 Hi, it’s Charlie the Beagle! I have a complaint about yesterday. When I went outside in the morning, the ground was wet and very cold. I could hardly wait to go back inside.

Mom had put out extra seed for the birds and they came and ate it.

It was not a good day to go to the park, and by afternoon I was very bored. So we went to Sadie’s house and played. We had fun, but I got tired of her trying to kiss me.

Filtered in Photo Editor

Today Mom took me to Tractor Supply to see Santa. When I saw him last year, I was really scared, but I was braver today because I am grown up.

Some ladies from the Humane Society were there and they had little kittens that people can adopt. Mom bought something from them, but it wasn't a kitten.

Then we went to Sadie’s house and picked up Miss Deborah. We went to Front Royal because Mom wanted to go to a holiday market and Deborah wanted to go to the bookstore. People said I was cute in my new vest.

I have one other thing to tell you. I got tummy ache last weekend and so Mom took me to the vet on Tuesday. Dr. Jim said I have bacteria and give us some medicine. I feel a lot better now.

Students at Lunch

 Yesterday in Harrisonburg 

Actually, they were waiting for their order to be ready. I assume they’re James Madison University students because one was wearing a JMU sweatshirt.

Cloudy Skies and Christmas Stockings

Today I had an appointment in Harrisonburg at 2 PM. I thought about eating lunch in a restaurant, but realized I would've felt rushed, so I ate a protein bar in the car on the way. I parked so that the sun came in the window because I don't get much sunlight during these short days. The sun went behind the clouds part of the time, but I had a nice view.

The first two pictures are from my parking spot. The third one shows nearby Bushong Farm.

The medical office was already decorated for Christmas. I was there for my annual Medicare wellness visit, which some people think is a waste of time, but I usually get a prescription for lab work and a referral to a specialist if I need one.

By the time I picked up Charlie at day boarding, the sun was going down. This view is looking at the office next door.

I had noticed the full moon on the way home, but I could not stop on the interstate to take a photo. Later when I was walking Charlie after dark, I steadied the phone on a mailbox to snap a picture.

Brave Little Birds

Finally, a bird posed for me on the railing of my deck. They seem to be shy when I first start feeding them. Now that the weather has turned cold, they are willing to take a chance of being seen just to get some birdseed

I believe this is a white-throated sparrow.

The feeder cam is still getting pictures of birds.

I recognize this one as a junco, but I decided to doublecheck by asking Siri what does a junco look like? She misunderstood.