More Scenes from Huntington Gardens

Here are some more photos from the beautiful Huntington Gardens. The botanical garden complex is a combination arboretum and gallery of garden design.

We didn't make it to the Australian gardens, but we saw the palm garden, lily ponds, jungle garden and Japanese garden.



The Japanese Garden is marvelous to see. A Chinese Garden is scheduled to open soon. We saw part of it last year during a lull in construction, enough to recommend a visit.

Winter Days in the L.A. Area

We have had to wear a jacket or sweater pretty constantly here in California. Temperatures dip into the upper 40's some nights but vary during the day, mostly in the 50's and 60's. Of course, this is much warmer than it has been in Virginia this week so I can't complain.

Both of these vertical images are from our visit to Huntington Library and Gardens on Wednesday.

Desert Garden, Water Garden

We returned to the Huntington Library and Gardens which we visited last year. On that visit we did not see all the gardens -- it's a huge place and you really can't do it justice in one afternoon. (On most weekdays, opening time is at noon so you can't start early.)

This time we started with the desert gardens and the lily ponds.

The waterlilies were not blooming but we saw blossoms that we would expect to see in the springtime, so I guess it's now spring in southern California.

Huntington.org

Valentine's Day Special

Frank in Palos Verdes, Feb. 14, 2008

Max

My sister-in-law has a great dog named Max. She also has a cat, a snail, and a mouse. The cat stays in a bedroom away from all the other animals.

(Does he look familiar? I posted his picture last year.)

Coming in to Los Angeles...

	We learned last year that the pleasant way to come to L.A. is to fly in to Long Beach. The airport there is small and friendly and you can walk to the car rental in a matter of minutes. Conversely, we had to fly out of Dulles which is huge and crowded with lines at security... not pleasant.
	We flew Jet Blue again, which has a decent amount of leg room and plenty of TV shows to watch. They don't serve meals, just snacks, so eat beforehand or bring food with you. And bring your own headphones if you have some.

Prism on the North Fork

Do you see the rainbow-like colors on the water?

Recycling an iBook battery

I came across my old laptop battery last week. Since you're not supposed to toss these in the trash (toxic chemicals can leach out and reach the groundwater), I checked the Apple website to find out where I can recycle it. Any Mac dealer... but they are far between. Fortunately, Blue Ridge Mac has opened a store in Harrisonburg between the mall and Evelyn Byrd Avenue. So when I was in that area on Saturday, I took the battery to the store and they accepted it for recycling.

It's a very small store but I plan to go back when they get in those ultra-thin laptops. I want to see if one will really slide into a manila envelope!

Hawksbill Creek

Viewing the closeup of Hawksbill Creek, you might think you were in the wilderness. But the picture was taken in downtown Luray, Virginia.

Luray has capitalized on the creek's location right in the middle of town. The Luray Hawksbill Greenway features a path and benches.

I went through Luray yesterday and the Greenway looked inviting so I went down to a bench and pulled a little can of chicken and some Corn Nuts out of my snack bag. With temperatures in the 60's, it was warm enough to eat my little picnic and walk around taking pictures.

I must say Luray seems to be looking more prosperous than it used to.

Forestville's Grist Mill

Today I stopped at the historic Zirkle Mill in Forestville to take a photo of the new historical marker. Here's what it says:

ANDREW ZIRKLE MILL

"Built in the 1750s by the Zirkel brothers and owned by the Revolutionary War patriot Andrew Zirkle, the mill operated for 180 years. Flour milled here went to Boston when the harbor was blockaded after the Boston Tea Party and to the Continental Army in 1781. The building survived the burning of the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War because its miller hung a Union flag from the roof and pleaded with officers of Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's cavalry for its safety. The mill contains its original millstones and the roller-milling equipment installed about 1900."

Department of Historic Resources 2007

The mill is located in Forestville on Quicksburg Road (767, which connects Route 11 with Route 42.) It is directly across from the picturesque old schoolhouse which is now operated by the Ruritans as a community center. It is not open to the public at this time.

Zirkle is a fairly common name here in Shenandoah County and is sometimes spelled Zerkle.

Airstrip at the Resort

I think every airport has a windsock to show which way the wind is blowing.

The Sky Bryce Airport consists of a landing strip next to the Basye-Orkney Library building which has a room used by the local flying club. It's a short walk to a restaurant, ski lodge, and golf course.

Might as Well Walk Where There's Scenery

On Wednesday the weather forecast was for rain but the precipitation didn't last long. However, the clouds stayed thick until mid-afternoon. Once the sun started showing through, I took advantage of the warm temperatures to take Ben for a walk along the valley floor here in the resort.

Below is a view of the Lake Birdhaven dam as we saw it from across the airstrip. Behind the line of trees is Resort Drive.

Firefox Accessories

I like the Firefox browser on my iBook. Occasionally I use Safari or, if I'm using the PC, Internet Explorer. But most often I use Firefox.

There are many add-ons for Firefox, and I've downloaded a few. Here are my favorites so far:

• Forecastfox - Little icons at the bottom of the browser window tell me the weather. Lynn recommended this one.
• SearchStatus - Mouse-over a little symbol to see nifty info about your website, including what links to it show up in major search engines, how old versions of a page appear in archive.org, Whois info, and more.
• PicLens - a glamorous-looking way to browse pictures. "Must see to appreciate." Use it to view images on search results or try browsing your own picture folders.

A Couple of Warm Days in February

We had unseasonably warm weather yesterday and the day before. With temperatures in the upper 60's (F), I was glad for a chance to take the dog for an extra walk.

Here's a couple of pictures I took in W.O. Riley Park in Woodstock after our visit to the vet on Tuesday. I used a Photoshop filter on the image above to give it extra contrast.

Test and Built Your Vocabulary

Free Rice . com offers a simple word game that generates food for world hunger. It's a multiple choice quiz to see how many words you can define. Some of them are words I never heard!

More Blog Directories

Blog Flux Directory has some good tools such as a way to hide your email address from spambots. Free to join.

Other places to list your blog include:

1. Superblog Directory
2. Blogio.net blog directory
3. Blog Listings

Stoney Creek and Crooked Run Road

Here's another photo of the swinging bridge over Stoney Creek. I don't think it's in use; the other side appears to be blocked off. The sign from Virginia Department of Highways advises us to "Walk carefully Do not run or otherwise cause this bridge to sway." I was surprised to see a state highway department sign on a footbridge.

The nearby bridge on Crooked Run Road is a low-water bridge; ie, it's passable when the water level is low but not during times of flooding.
This "Stoney Creek" is one of several creeks by that name in the Shenandoah Valley. It runs down to Edinburg and joins the Shenandoah's North Fork.

Below is another part of Crooked Run Road, not far from Deauville Farm. There's a pond on the left. (Outside the picture was a real estate sign, in case you are looking for a scenic piece of rural land.)

By Crooked Run Road

I took Ben to the vet today for his bordetella shot which is required by the kennel so that we can leave him there when we go to visit Frank's sister. On the way home I stopped at this church on Crooked Run Road to take a couple of pictures. The sign tells us this is Stoney Creek Church of the Brethren and services are at 10:30. (See Wikipedia's page on this denomination if you are not familiar with it.)

Next to the church there's an old swinging bridge across Stoney Creek. Nearby is a ford that leads to Resort Drive -- if you have the nerve to navigate the steep banks and cross there. I've never done it, preferring to either detour through on Longstreet or continue up the hill to Supinlick Ridge.

Decor over the Mantel

Our chimney looked bare after we took down all the holiday decorations and removed the antlers that came with the house. So Frank polished up this trio and mounted them. He was limited in exact placement because the drill bit would go into the seams but not into the concrete blocks.

These are not the geese that we had on the ceiling of the chalet on Joyce Court, but he got them the same way (bid for them on ebay).

Shrine Mont on Saturday

Chalybeate Spring

Walkway to the Spring, Frosted with Ice
(Click to See This in the Summer)

Large Tree Fallen Over a Path

The mineral-rich spring can be glimpsed from VA Route 263 between the old hotel and the loop at the end of the road. Pull off into the parking spot and take a closer look!

Shrine Mont is the conference center/recreational complex owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia at Orkney Springs, Virginia. The public is welcomed here, for a primary mission of Shrine Mont is to be a place where people can get away and feel closer to God. However, the indoor facilities are closed during the winter.

Pond on a Wintry Day

I went up to Orkney Springs yesterday morning to take some photos of the pond in wintry weather. The boardwalk was a bit slippery and the ground was muddy and someone's dog was running loose but still -- the effort was worthwhile. Ice makes nice pictures!

More Images of this Morning's Ice

I took these photos between 9:15 and 9:30 this morning.

My rain chain had been transformed into an ice chain.

The oak trees hold on to their leaves until the new leaves start to bud in early spring.

Icy Trees

This morning we still had ice everywhere. I went out in the yard and took some pictures.

The sun got brighter and the temperature edged up to about 50 F. Icicles started falling everywhere, sometimes with a crashing noise. By late afternoon most of the ice was gone.

Below: Dogwood buds encased in ice

Sleet and Freezing Rain

We had quite an ice storm. It started last night and continued through mid-afternoon. Everything was covered in icicles.

This morning our front deck was too slippery to walk the dog, so we fastened two 6-foot leashes together and let him walk himself, with Frank staying under the overhang at the front door.

After lunch, conditions improved a little. Frank was able to drive to work, although he had to drive around a tree that had fallen over the right lane of Supinlick Road.

Scene Atop the Slopes

A very short video to share the flavor of the ski slope.

Glad to see that the little boy got back on his snowboard and sailed away downhill.