A Church on the Walking Mall

Winchester, Virginia

Like some other cities, Winchester closed off a street to vehicle traffic to provide pedestrians an inviting place to stroll, shop, and dine. Winchester is in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley about 75 miles from Washington, DC.

Here we see the First Presbyterian Church of Winchester.

Sharing with INSPIRED SUNDAY

Geese Marching on Snow

Sharing with Black and White Weekend and Saturday's Critters

No Wonder this Lion is Grumpy

I don't know what happened to this statue! I hope it wasn't deliberate.

Sharing with Sepia Saturday

Our View in Mid-January

The days are getting longer. I took these pictures around 5 PM, and a month ago it was already dark at that time.

If you look carefully, you can see geese taking off. (You can see a larger version of the photo by clicking on it first.)  Canada Geese squawk before they fly off so that gives me a few seconds to point my camera at them. 

Sharing with: Skywatch Friday and That Friday Blog Hop

Abstract Lights

When we still had our Christmas lights up, I had a little fun with them.

Tip: To swirl your camera, hold it sideways in your hand before starting to click the shutter. It's more natural to move toward normal position than to force it to turn away from the normal position.

Sharing with: Orange You Glad It's Friday

and NF Digital Art Meme

Farm Fences on a Snowy Day

I captured these scenes last week along Moose Road near Woodstock, Virginia. We had just driven out of snow flurries and the light was constantly changing. Compare the first photo with one taken in June from the same driveway entrance.

Facing the Massanutten Mountains

When I pointed the camera in a different direction the sky looked very different. 

Sharing with Good Fences

Signs and a Horse

When I saw the sign for Naked Mountain Winery, I thought of you! That is, I thought I should share it for readers of this blog. And near the bottom it says Drink Naked! I'm sure they mean their wine, right?

Along that same road I saw a fine horse looking over a fence.

On the topic of horses, here's a horse-related sign: Horse Motel. This is near Strasburg, VA. Also in Strasburg, I saw a sticker that claims One can never have too many horses!

Sharing with Signs, Signs 

and Look Up, Look Down

Birds Feeding on the Snow

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal don't seem to mind sharing seeds with the smaller birds.

Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday and The Bird D'Pot

The View Along Belle Grove Road

Middletown, Virginia

Late in the afternoon before our last snow storm the sky became dark and dramatic. I stopped the car at Belle Grove Plantation and got out to take some pictures.

The first picture shows a red barn that's across the road from the manor house. A funny thing about this picture is that another local blogger shared a very similar photo, and since I had seen a car stop a little way up the road just long enough to take a picture, I asked her on Facebook if that was her. It was, and she even had another version that showed my car parked in the distance!

Belle Grove

Belle Grove is operated by the National Trust and is well worth a visit if you find yourself near Strasburg or Middletown.  I've posted a number of pictures of Belle Grove over the years.

Sharing with The Barn Collective and Our World Tuesday

A Mural of Bridgewater, Virginia

I spotted this wonderful mural on the side of a hardware store in Bridgewater. Click on the panorama to get a good look! I had to merge two photos (in Photoshop) to show the whole painting.

The detail shot looks so quaint, but we often see buggies like that in Bridgewater and nearby Dayton. Many Mennonite families live in the area and even though they sometimes drive trucks to go to work, they can be seen riding in their buggies for local trips, especially on Sunday when everyone goes to church.

Bridgewater is a charming town on the North River and I've posted pictures of the college and there river previously.

Sharing with: Monday Murals

Snow is Melting

Temperatures have been below freezing this week and tonight's forecast is for sleet. But at least the snow has been gradually melting off the trees and roads.

Even though we live between two towns, there are farms near our neighborhood. I enjoy seeing the animals and I hope they aren't too cold.

Sharing with: Camera Critters

Patmos Lutheran Church

West of Woodstock, Virginia

 Sharing with: Inspired Sunday

Another Day, Another Squirrel

Sharing with: Sepia Saturday and Saturday's Critters

Snowy Countryside

Near Woodstock, Virginia

Sharing with: Scenic Weekends

and The Weekend in Black and White

Snowy Day with Dino

When we left Woodstock the other day, I took a detour past the Moose Lodge to get a few photos of rural snow scenes. It looks like this dinosaur was not bothered by the cold!

It had been a gray day with a few snow flurries but suddenly the clouds parted and we saw a patch of blue sky.

Sharing with: Skywatch Friday

and Orange You Glad It's Friday

Rockin' Since 1752

Woodstock, Virginia

This cozy house stands near Spring Hollow Run, the  creek I showed yesterday that was filled with ducks. I like the way the split-rail fence stands out in the snow. This quiet spot is only a block away from the town's busy main street.

There are some cute shops on Main Street. More than one of them proudly flies a banner that lets us know this is not the location of the famous music festival (which is in New York State), but this town is older.

The Other Woodstock

Rockin' in Virginia

Since 1752

Sharing with: Good Fences

and Signs, Signs

A Creek Overflowing with Ducks

Along Church Street, Woodstock, Virginia

Temperatures were below freezing today but when I saw this creek, I just had to get out of the car and take some pictures. I've never seen so many ducks crowded together, and this was in a town!

These are mallard ducks and they were in the creek on both sides of the bridge. They were floating and flying and landing and quacking!  While I was standing on the side of the road taking pictures, a pickup truck stopped and the driver got out and snapped a couple of photos with his cell phone. He said his wife wanted some pictures; I could see her waiting in the truck.

Sharing with: Wild Bird Wednesday and Reconnect with Nature

Woodstock's Old Courthouse

Shenandoah County, Virginia

Sharing with: Black & White Wednesday

and Wednesday Around the World

Down at Meadow Mills

Sharing with: The Barn Collective and Wordless Wednesday

Backyard Birds, January

We awoke to a snowy world this morning. Commuters had a tough time this morning because the roads were slippery, but by this afternoon the main roads were clear and most side roads were passable.

I was able to take pictures of birds through our living room window, which was fortunate because temperatures outside were below freezing. I was especially pleased with that pretty female cardinal (first image).

Sharing with: Our World Tuesday