Five Ordinary Critters

Living History in a Court Room

Black and White Weekend

These Civil War re-enactors were listening to a talk in the Old Court House in Winchester, Virginia.  I decided to make this black and white so it would look like a 19th-century image.

Five Friday Topics, July 8th

Willy Nilly Friday Five

1. My dad was born July 7, 1916, so he would be 100 now. I took this picture of him on a family trip to  Watkins Glen when I was 11 years old.

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2.  PhotoFriday has challenged us to post a Golden photo. I took this photo in the golden light of late afternoon.

3. Here are some roadside flowers I spotted in Shenandoah County last month. 

Orange You Glad and Skywatch Friday

4. We own spare lots next to ours and we are considering selling at least one of them. We had a perc test done, which is required because we don't have public sewers available out here in the country.
 

5. Mersad challenged us to post a picture for the word Splash and I'm happy to show you the Splash Pad in Winchester, VA. This is on the pedestrian mall and it looks like great fun for kids.

Have some fun this weekend!

Yellow House, Yellow Fence

One of the things I appreciate about blog linkups is that they provide a challenge, a subject to look for and photograph. I probably would have ignored this house in Winchester except that I'm often on the lookout for an attractive fence to submit to Good Fences. The flowers and house were nice too, and then this adorable child came along! 

Geese and Other Birds in B&W

Seeking Treasure in Winchester

Even though it was raining when we went to the festival in Winchester on Sunday, I still took dozens of pictures. Surely in such a historic town, I captured something for Tuesday's Treasures.

This building would have qualified but I only got a partial shot because I was photographing the flag, not the building.

The dog was handsome but I don't think Tom would say he's a treasure. The toys would spark his interest if they were antiques, but they aren't.

Frank took this shot. It's too silly to submit as a treasure.

Okay, I have a picture of a World War II jeep. Tom will like that!The sign on the front says Bastogne, which was the site of a 1944 battle.

That church is no doubt a treasure too. I should have stepped back and made a portrait of it.

Founding Father

Basye Random-osity

First of all, I hope all my fellow Americans had a pleasant Independence Day. We had rain but it let up in time for fireworks. We saw a spectacular display from our back yard, although it was several miles away. We assumed it was in Strasburg since the accompanying music sounded clear, echoing off the side of the mountains. But then I read the Strasburg's fireworks display was cancelled due to the wet weather so apparently what we saw was the show in Middletown.

My photos today are from the town of Basye, Virginia. We used to live there in Bryce Resort, which is a neat place. I'm using the Good, Random, and Fun format and linking to Monday Murals and The Barn Collective.

The Good: A cheerful mural brightens up the store at Wetlands Trading Company.

The Random: Directly across the road is this red barn. 

The Fun: On Saturday we visited BryceFest at the resort. Here you see a mini-golf course in the foreground, the festival booths behind it, and the hills and ski slope in the background. There seemed to be more craft vendors this year, although a few of the usual ones weren't there. 

Winchester, July 3rd

We went to Winchester this afternoon for their Rockin' Independence Eve celebration. We parked near this church on Boscawen Street so I thought I'd share it with you.

This Lutheran Church dates to 1842. Over the years they purchased additional buildings for their ministry.

I couldn't get the steeple in the frame so here's another shot showing the steeple towering over some neighboring buildings.

A light rain was falling but we decided to check out the festival anyway. It was taking place on the downtown pedestrian mall. The rest of today's pictures are from the celebration.

Shenandoah Sepia Critters

For a long time I wanted to get a clear photo of a cute chipmunk. They are not as bold as squirrels and usually they scamper away as soon as I spot them. Fortunately, this guy held still for a minute.

I've also had difficulty getting a clear picture of a wild turkey. I finally got a clear shot in Shenandoah National Park.

I can't help but wonder, "Why did the turkey cross the road?"

And why did the deer cross the road? 

I go up to Shenandoah National Park fairly often, and see deer about half the time. This one was standing behind recycling bins at Dickey Ridge.

Not Quite Willy Nilly Five

Tanya of Roanoke is on vacation but I'm still using her Willy Nilly Friday format because I have 5 pictures to get rid of; I mean, to share. 

1. Over at PhotoFriday, today's theme is "Contrast." That's one of the things that contributes to a successful black and white image, along with tonal range and strong composition, at least in my opinion. 

Looking Down from Playground Equipment

2. Travelers on Interstate 81 may think of Toms Brook as an exit with two truck stops, but there is actually a quaint town of Toms Brook a few miles away on US 11. I stopped there today to donate some cleaning supplies destined for West Virginia. Volunteers are collecting items at the fire department.

Towns throughout southern West Virginia have been devastated by recent flash floods. Monetary donations are also needed. One organization that is collecting donations over the internet is Aurora Lights.

Skywatch Friday

3. Just south of Toms Brook is the Shenandoah County Park. I stopped there to do the half hour of walking that my doctor prescribed. I saw this fearsome sign.

Signs, Signs

Just kidding; disc golf is not scary! It involves a Frisbee and a trail of basket-style targets. 

4. Since I was collecting "Looking down" images for City Daily Photo (see previous post), I halted my walk long enough to take this picture. Can you tell what it is? 

5. I've been participating in a stress reduction program at a yoga center in Strasburg.  We did an exercise in directed art this week. I decided to try oil pastels, and frankly my picture looked a bit washed out. However, my preferred medium is Photoshop, and a couple of filters later gave me an image I can live with.

Orange You Glad It's Friday

Looking Down

The first of the month is "Theme Day" at City Daily Photo and the current theme is "Look Down." I went up an outdoor stairway at the Strasburg Ramada Inn, hoping to find a dramatic vantage point from the observation deck. Unfortunately the upper levels are not open so I had to settle for a second-story view.

In the third photo, we are looking toward Cedar Creek. I imagine that if you could go up to the top level during a reenactment, you could see smoke rising from cannons on the battlefield.

Also Sharing with Scenic Weekends