Bright Skies, Tired Eyes

Today I was in Winchester for a follow-up with the ophthalmologist and he dilated my left eye to diagnose a problem. This made the eye even more sensitive to light than it already was, so I decided not to drive home until the medication wore off. I ate lunch and went to the walking mall to take some pictures.

Here we see the historic courthouse, now a Civil War museum.

The downtown post office faces the pedestrian mall. The town also has two modern post offices outside the historic district.

I glanced up at the balcony of a restaurant and saw these guys. I’ve seen them somewhere before. 😉 

It was a beautiful afternoon so I took other pictures but they can wait until tomorrow. My eyes are tired, which brings me back to the results of my appointment. It’s been 27 days since my cataract surgery and my vision is still not sharp in  that eye. The doctor found that there’s swelling in the middle of the macula, so the center of vision in that eye is blurred. He prescribed another anti-inflammatory eyedrop, so now I will be taking two kinds. I’m not happy with the prednisolone drops that  I’ve been taking because they are causing side effects, but he says to continue them because I really have to get that inflammation down.

I did not expect complications from the surgery, and I’m not happy about the eyestrain or the side effects. I still cannot drive very far because of the eyestrain, and I can’t read for long stretches of time. Bright light is painful so I can’t spend much time in the sunshine and I really miss it.

Well, that’s enough for now. Thank you to all who have wished me well as I recover. And after all, it was a beautiful day!

Camp Jones at Bristoe Station

Prince William County

Interpretive Sign for Civil War Camp

Reconstructed Chimney for Hut

Links:

• Winter Quarter Showing Reconstructed Hut 
• Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park
• Tuesday Treasures 
• Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

Thursday in Clear Brook

Frederick County, VA

After taking some pictures in Winchester, I decided to go up to Clear Brook Park to get some pictures of the lake. I had stopped at the park once, but had not walked out to the lake. The water level turned out to be low, like most of our rivers and lakes are right now. It’s been a fairly dry summer.

Some people were fishing, and others were walking along the trails. 

I saw this cute green frog. It did not move, so I was able to get closer. I modified his close-up in the Oilbrush app. 

The park has a number of amenities, including an old caboose.

The parking lot is surrounded by Rose of Sharon trees. 

The Clear Brook community is still somewhat rural, although it’s proximity to I-81 has made it a trucking hub. There is a large Amazon Fulfillment Center. 

The post office is still small.

When I got back to the veterinary to pick up Charlie from day boarding, I found one of the resident cats sleeping in the waiting room. 

I’ll close with a picture of Charlie that I took today. He was quite pleased because he not only chased the ball and played with it, he brought it back and laid it near my feet. He is not a retriever breed so it has taken him a while to learn to bring the ball back.

Near Little Washington

Last weekend I drove to the village of Washington in Rappahannock County. Oh, first I took Charlie for a run in a dog park so that he would be calm during the ride. After he burns off extra energy, he relaxes and often naps. 

The Rappahannock County Library has a large classical-style building plus a book barn for used book sales. It also has a nice view of farms and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Don't be fooled by the rural appearance of Rappahannock County. A lot of wealthy people live there.

I happened to see the new post office. Although it lacks the charm of the old one that was in the town of Washington, it is larger and more modern. 

The Old Post Office in White Post

1913-1958

Tuesday Treasures/ Wordless

 

Along the Cacapon

Post Office, Capon Bridge

The town of Capon Bridge is along Route 50 between the state line and Romney. I took a ride through there today after an appointment in Winchester.

 

I have avoided driving a particular section of Route 50 since an accident there in 2010, so I took Route 259 to Wardensville. I stopped by the Cacapon River to take some pictures and then drove back to Virginia on Route 55. 

Views around Fulks Run

 These scenes are along Little Dry River Road and Brocks Gap Road. I followed a sign to see Grace Baptist Church.

  

The Fulks Run Post Office shares a building with a lumber yard. I've driven past it several times without noticing it on the way to West Virginia on Route 259.

This is a scenic area and one of the few ways to enter West Virginia without going over a mountain.

Neighbors in Letters

Fairfax County

Monday Murals: The Neighbors mural is in the West Springfield area. The post office is nearby.

The scenes in the collage are within a few miles of there.

Mosaic Monday

The Old Burke Post Office

In Fairfax County, VA

Fanciful Critters in the Snow

This winter mural is in the children's section of the Shenandoah County Library. Note that Mr. Deer has a scarf to keep warm.

Monday Murals

Yesterday snow began to fall around mid-day and at night it turned to sleet and ice. We got about five inches of snow with a hard crust of slippery ice.  I was glad I did not have to go anywhere, although by afternoon a mail truck showed up with a package. He also picked up a box that had been delivered here by mistake on Saturday. I was surprised that he knew about it already because I had left a message after the post office had closed on Saturday and today was a holiday. 

 I was curious about why the Postal Service goes the extra mile on packages until I read that they actually make money on package delivery while they lose money on first class letters. Also, they have a contract with Amazon for every-day delivery of “Prime” packages based on the extra steps that the huge retailer takes to label, sort, and deliver packages to local post offices. 

 

Lacey Spring Post Office

Labor Day 2021

 

Montross Town Hall and Post Office

Town Established 1852.

• Tuesday Treasures
• Wordless on Tuesday