A Pose that Dates the Photo

Chances are we all have taken a photo of someone talking on their cell phone. If these images survive for 100 years, our descendants will look at them and know what era they are from. I imagine that in a few years, we will all be using some device that does not require holding it up to the ear. Or perhaps people will even move past the need to communicate constantly via a phone. 

Black and White / Weekend Street Scene

Fishers Hill Battlefield Access is Closed

The trails at Fishers Hill Battlefield are closed as repairs are being made after a pipeline explosion on July 25. When a gas pipeline exploded that morning, flames shot high in the air, causing I-81 to be closed for a brief time. Fortunately, the burn area was all on the battlefield and did not reach any residences. 

The pipeline exploded just over the hill from the parking lot on Battlefield Road. You cannot see the burnt field from the parking area but you can see it from the interstate just south of State Route 601. I noticed that I could see some burnt trees on the far horizon from the parking lot.

Nearby there is a farm lane that is being used by Columbia Gas crews as they inspect the damage and replace the pipes. 

I’ve been to this battlefield many times over the years, both on Civil War tours and just to walk. It’s a lovely spot if you don’t mind the hum of highway traffic. 

Fishers Hill was the site of a Union victory in September 1864. 

I’ll close with a picture of a contrail and clouds.

American Robins, Virginia Deer

I liked the way the robin was perched on the rooftop so I took a picture with my cell phone. It is not detailed so here's an older picture that's a close-up.

Also, I want to share with you these deer before I lose track of their pictures. I’ve taken many photos this summer, and I don’t want to forget any special ones.

The View from Claven Lane

Middletown, VA

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday 

Cedar Creek Battlefield

Artwork on the Paladin Downtown

Winchester, VA

After I read that Sarah Gallahan Art had painted new murals on a restaurant on Piccadilly Street, I drove into Winchester to see them. They are pretty spectacular!

Also on that block are murals painted on parking spaces. I was only able to capture a few of them because, you know, cars park there.

Mosaic Monday / Murals / Blue Monday

Hopewell Friends Meeting House

Clear Brook, VA

Hopewell was the first Quaker meeting established in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Early Quaker settlers came from Maryland and built a log meeting in 1734. After it was destroyed by fire in 1757, the limestone building was constructed.

I found this building by checking the HMDB website for nearby historic sites when I was visiting Clear Brook Park. When I arrived here, I felt like I had been here before with Professor Poland's class. If it was not this Quaker Meeting, it was one that looked very much like it. But that was maybe 30 years ago. 

The grounds feel very peaceful. The surroundings are rural. 

For these final two pictures, I used an app give them a painterly look.

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.

Piccadilly Storefronts

Winchester, VA

Yesterday I visited Winchester to take a few pictures and do some grocery shopping. These windows are along the unit block of Piccadilly Street. I don’t know why the Celtic shop has a cowboy.

The large building that is reflected in the windows is the George Washington Hotel.

New Art Gallery on 211

When the Warehouse Gallery closed at the end of 2022, they announced that they would move the artwork to two locations, one in downtown Luray and the other to a building west on 211. That building has finally opened. It is much smaller than the Warehouse, but the art is worth seeing.

I took the Scenic Route

There was a storm on Monday that pretty much missed us, but it cleared the air and cooled things down. Yesterday I took advantage of the improved weather and drove up to Shenandoah National Park via Luray. I entered Skyline Drive at Thornton Gap and drove south, exiting at route 33 and then driving to Harrisonburg to grocery shop. I made a number of stops, of course.

The Byrd Visitors Center at Big Meadows was closed except for the lobby and book store because the storm had taken their power out, so the only exhibit I could photograph was a preserved raptor in the lobby, which I assumed was a hawk. My Photos app says it is a peregrine falcon. Since the lighting was dim, the colors don’t show up, so I can’t see if the head is bluish or not.

The rest of today's photos are from Pinnacles Picnic Area. I walked around looking for birds and pollinators. I heard a woodpecker high in a tree but could not get his picture. There were tall wildflowers where I found skippers and swallowtail butterflies on the monarda. 

Eight Thousand Four Hundred Blog Posts

I’ve been blogging a long time with an average of slightly over one post a day. I should exceed 8500 posts before the end of this year. Yes, that’s a lot!

Lately, I’ve been playing with what they call “artificial intelligence,” or AI. It’s really just stuff compiled from Internet searches, and then reassembled according to rules that the developers deemed to be best practices. Images follow standard rules of composition, although they may not be factually correct.

The Picsart app now generates “new” images as well as applying filters to existing ones. I have enjoyed using their artistic filters so I decided to try their AI. Their avatar maker sounded like fun, but I’m not thrilled with the ones they made from pictures I uploaded. The app either took too many years off my age, or added a few by making wrinkles darker or hair gray. Here are the ones that I found worth downloading. The first one looks very young, but I got a kick out of the fantasy look.

The sketch-style picture got my hair too dark, and the last one made it too light.

Potato Mural

Daily Buzz Cafe

A new coffee shop has opened in Middletown in the building that used to house the potato chip factory, which moved to Mount Jackson. When I read that they kept an old mural on the wall, I decided to check it out.

“Small Fry Potatoes”

Since I  limit my caffeine intake, I ordered a decaf coffee over ice and it was good. 

They also kept this old sign for Jozie’s big red potatoes.

I also stopped at the nearby Cedar Creek Battlefield and looked for butterflies in the meadow but did not find any. It was a hot and hazy day.

Sharing with Blue Monday, Mosaics, Murals.