Crafters at Work

Children's Program, Jan. 14, 2012
Basye - Orkney Springs Community Library

Mona Wolf led another children's program at our library on Saturday. A lovely group of kids spent a  winter afternoon making snowman magnets and paper snowflakes, listening to stories, and enjoying refreshments.

Children worked hard on their crafts, with occasional help from  parents. A few kids left early to go skiing at the slopes which are nearby. The library is at the airport in Bryce Resort.

You can click on a picture to see a larger version. See more images from this event below:

• Snowflake Crafts
• Snowman Crafts
• Winter Stories

You can see pictures of the library's December program here.

See also: November program featuring K-9 dogs.

Snowflake Crafts

Winter Crafts
Basye - Orkney Springs Community Library

Miss Mona had help from a staff person from the Massanutten Library in planning crafts for this January program. The foil snowflakes are cut from origami paper.

Upcoming programs are posted at the library and also on the Shenandoah County Library System website.

Listening to Winter Stories

Basye Orkney Springs Library

At Saturday's program, Miss Mona read stories about snow to the children. The small kids were enthralled; the older ones listened politely.

Showing Off Snowman Crafts

Children's Program, Jan. 14, 2012
Basye - Orkney Springs Community Library

Folks are Skiing

We've had several very cold days so the ski slopes at Bryce Resort are covered with snow. Skiers and snowboarders are out there doing their thing.

When we walk the dogs in the evening, we can hear hollering and laughter coming from the slopes, which are maybe a half-mile away as the crow flies.

The resort is in western Shenandoah County, VA.

Historic Harrisonburg: The Quilt Museum

The Virginia Quilt Museum is located in a house built in 1856 for Edward Warren and his bride Virginia Magruder. Warren was killed in the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. Yet a ghost that has been reported standing at the top of the staircase is not thought to be Warren, but another Confederate soldier, Joseph Latimer, who was wounded at Gettysburg and died of gangrene in the house. See a history of the house on the Quilt Museum website

The building stands on Route 11 Northbound at Franklin Street. In front of the house is a Civil War Trails Marker entitled Warren-Sipe House — Home and Hospital.

Many other homes and buildings were used as impromptu hospitals during the Civil War. Just a block away stood the Confederate General Hospital in a building that once housed the Harrisonburg Female Academy. That building was demolished in 1879, but reminders of it's past stand in front of the municipal building that is now on the site: a cannon and a Civil War Trails marker about the hospital.

McNeill Marker in Harrisonburg

I've been interested in McNeill's Rangers since learning their story on a field trip in 2010. The Rangers were very active in West Virginia but also ventured into Virginia and Maryland. In 1864, John "Hanse" McNeill was severely wounded in Mt. Jackson, and I've posted pictures of the McNeill's Last Charge Marker and related sites at Rude's Hill. Capt. McNeill was taken to Harrisonburg, where he died. When I saw on HMDB that there was a marker in Harrisonburg relating to that, I decided to photograph it on one of my trips there. (We drive to Harrisonburg almost weekly for shopping.) The marker stands in front of the Massanutten Regional Library on Main Street (U.S. 11 Northbound). It mentions that the wounded McNeill was brought to Hill’s Hotel on the corner of Main and Water Streets. After he died there his son, Lt. Jesse C. McNeill, took command of the Rangers.

You can read the entire text of the marker on Historical Marker Database. Hill's Hotel is long gone, but I took a picture of the corner of Main and Water Streets as it appears today.

See all my McNeill's Rangers posts.

Hanging Around the Bird Feeder

An Eastern Gray Squirrel

A Free Rose

A check-out clerk handout me a free rose at Kroger. The leaves had wilted but the flower was still pretty.

I photographed it on our deck. All the greenery in the background comes from pine trees, which stay green all year round.

A Light Snow

We had a light snow yesterday. This afternoon was warm so what little snow we had melted away.

We had a snowfall in October — unusually early for snow in Virginia. But since then the weather has been mild — unseasonably warm even for Virginia. We did see a little snow a month ago, but it was across our little valley and up on Great North Mountain.  Like many weather systems, it came across West Virginia, which ends at the crest of the mountain. I like the way the snow outlined the trees. I took a picture of it from our deck. —>

Tabletop Games, 1860's-Style

Inside the Bushong Farm house

"Christmas on the Farm" depicted life in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War. Here we see girls and an older woman playing games like checkers and pick-up sticks. These gentle scenes remind me of Little Women, which was set during the Civil War.

• See all Bushong Farm posts.
• See Living History posts.
• Visit the New Market Battlefield website.

Ladies in an 1860's Kitchen

Bushong Farm, New Market Battlefield, VA

One of the highlights of "Christmas on the Farm" was the kitchen. The women who portrayed 1860's homemakers had prepared a holiday feast, most of which had been eaten by the time I toured the farm. They were colorfully attired, as one might have dressed for Christmas.

The kitchen itself was in a building separate from the house. This would have protected the house from any fire that might spread from the large fireplace used for cooking, and also would be an advantage in summer, since cooking produces a lot of heat. Under yet another roof there's an outdoor oven for baking.

Meanwhile, Back at the Farm...

In late December, I posted a group of photos from Bushong Farm. I interrupted the series in order to share pictures of Marie's visit but I still had some pictures left from the Christmas at the Farm event. Here are a few.

Bushong Farm was the site of the most dramatic part of the Battle of New Market. You can see the farm from Interstate 81 in the Shenandoah Valley.

Lights-a-Whirl

Instead of taking a snapshot of our Christmas tree I decided to play with whirling the lights. I quickly learned that the easiest way to turn the camera in a circular motion is to start with the wrist turned backwards before pressing the button. It feels natural to turn the wrist back to normal position and then just keep turning.

I altered the third image in Photoshop® to make it different. I cropped it vertically, made a duplicate layer and inverted the colors, then experimented with blending modes until I found a color combination that I liked.

You might also like a previous Christmas Tree.

Tikis

Marie brought these carvings back from Polynesia.

See also:

• Marie's reports on the Marquesas in (Polynesia)
• Marquesa Islands on Wikipedia
  

The Most Accomplished Traveler I Know

Marie has gone back to New Jersey, completing her 10-month world tour. We drove her to the Metro in Fairfax on New Year's Day. She spent the afternoon with friends and took the DC to NYC bus the next morning.

It was great having her here for a few days. She's my younger daughter and she still amazes me with her abilities and grit.

See her "No Hurry" blog. And check out the trip around the world that she made 10 years ago.

On the Ridge at 1750 Feet

On December 30, Marie and I went to the Basye Post Office and then stopped by the ski slope for a look around. The uppermost trails were not ready yet due to unseasonably warm days, although I understand that they are open now, covered with snow.

See also: Busy Slopes in Basye

Ski Trails at Bryce Resort

Starting Point for Redeye, Bootlegger, and Revenuer's Run

Christmas Homes

In Sundance near New Market, VA

On Readus Road near Woodstock, VA

Dinner at the Wayside Inn

Middletown happens to be in the middle for Peggy and me, a midpoint where we can conveniently meet for dinner. The most historic restaurant there is the Wayside Inn, said to be the oldest continuously operating inn in the United States. It's in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley and has been serving customers since 1797.

Bill, Peggy, Frank

Peggy, Marie, Linda

See also: Outside the Wayside Inn.

It's 2012!

It's the first day of the year 2012, another reminder that time is passing quickly and our lives are fleeting in the grand scheme of things. Last month held a landmark birthday for me, marked by eligibility for benefits I used to associate with old age. Yikes! I am getting old!

Sometimes I feel my age, like when I wake up in the morning with my back stiff and my left arm aching. But most of the time I am unaware of aging and feel surprised when I look in the mirror and see changes in my face.

Now the holiday season is ending and Marie has left to return home to New Jersey. My favorite thing about Christmas time is spending time with family members. Here are some pictures from the last few days.

Lynn	Marie

Me, Marie, Peggy, Frank

I hope you had a chance to spend time with family or close friends. And enjoy the coming year!