Conicville's Church of Christ

InSpired Sunday: Conicville UCC sits on a hill with a great view of the valley below and Great North Mountain in the distance.

An old sign over the door says Christ Reformed Church. The church dates to the late 1800s.

The town was once called Cabin Hill. It first appears in historic records in the 1850s. It was renamed Conicville when the post office opened there in 1892 because there was another town named Cabin Hill.

The church can be seen from Senedo Road, Route 42.

I took these photos in February a couple of years ago.

Let's look down the hill to the west. You pass this barn on Jerome Road.

Here's another farm, but it was in shadow.

I'm not too pleased with the dim light from that day, which may be why I did not post these after I took them.  It was brighter in the sky, so I'll close with a shot of the sky over the mountains.

Late Afternoon at Blandy, Winter 2020

The State Arboretum is a peaceful place and I like to drive through it whenever I'm near Boyce.  Even in winter I sometimes see animals or birds.

I pulled off the road near a pond and got out to take a few photos. I was pleased to see someone riding a horse in the distance and got his picture as he passed a sunny spot.

Since I like watching horses, I drove next to the parking lot for horse trailers. Sure enough, the rider was there getting his horse ready to go home. But first he brushed him and let him graze in the grass.

There is a farm across the fence from the paddock. Cows had already noticed the man and his horse and were coming over to investigate. 

 I don't know whether they wanted to make friends or were just hoping the truck was bringing some fresh hay.

Sharing with Saturday Critters. 

Winter Light and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Willy Nilly Friday.

 1. Weekend Reflections: I have a pair of pictures I took at a park near Stephens City.  

There was barely a crust of ice on the deeper areas of water.  In the second photo, clear water in the foreground allows you to see more detail in the reflected trees.

2. Moving to a different body of water, we see the South Fork of the Shenandoah near Eastham Park. It was a cloudy winter day. Two men happened to be looking around at the boat landing. In the distance are the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'm going up there for the next picture.

3. This is the wayside at Thornton Gap, where Route 211 crosses the Blue Ridge. I posted a different view of this sign in June 2013. 

4. Skywatch Friday: Here we've looking west from the Blue Ridge at Sunset.

5. Friday Bliss and Floral Friday: These flowers were on the table in Spelunker's, a burger place in Front Royal.

Exhibits in Edinburg

Signs, Signs: The Shenandoah County Library currently has an exhibit on immigrants in Virginia. 

• One in six Virginia workers is an immigrant. 
• One in five self-employed business owners in Virginia is an immigrant. 

Speaking of Edinburg, we attended a program in January on "Planting for Pollinators." Sponsored by Friends of the North Fork, it featured Sari Carp of Sustainability Matters. Native plants are key foods for pollinators. Here are some slides from the program. 

Pileated and Proud!

Sharing with: 

Wild Wednesday,

Wild Bird Wednesday,
I'd  Rather Be Birdin',

 and Wordless Wednesday.

See all my Pileated Woodpeckers.

Leeds Manor Rural Historic District

Tuesday Treasures and Fences.

This afternoon I found this historical marker on Carrington Road near Delaplane.

This historic district encompasses about 22,200 acres of the Northern Neck Proprietary, a vast region granted by the exiled King Charles II to seven supporters in 1649 and later inherited by Thomas, 6th Lord Fairfax. The Manor of Leeds, an area of more than 160,000 acres, was laid out in 1736 for Fairfax's personal use, and much of the historic district lies within its boundaries. Also within the district is The Hollow, the childhood home of U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall, built in the 1760s. In 1806 a Fairfax heir sold the Manor of Leeds to Marshall, his brother James, and two other men. John Marshall later divided his portion of the land among his sons and visited frequently. 

Now I realize some will be curious about the smaller sign that identifies the farm behind it. I lucked out and found that it has been listed for sale at some point, and the listing gives a little history.
"Montana Farm, home of Channing Meade Smith of Mosby Rangers fame. Residence circa 1850, completely restored." 

Carrington Road.

Footnote: I have added this marker to Historical Marker Database. 

Two Barns West of Strasburg

Sharing with The Barn Collective and Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday.

Purcellville Encore

I found another mural in Purcellville so I've got enough photos for another Random-osity post.

The Good: We visited the Purcellville Art Gallery and found a wrap-around mural on the front and one of the sides.

Monday Murals.

The Random: The gallery is small but it has some gems and is nicely arranged. 

(Sharing the collage with Mosaic Monday.)

The Fun: I'm going back in time for this picture. Here's my mother (seated) and her sister in Peggy's yard in Purcellville.

Previous Purcellville Post: Jan. 13, 2020.

Inspired Sunday near White Post

Zion Baptist Church is on Zion Church Road, White Post, Virginia. However, it is not really in the town of White Post. It's over the county line and almost half way to Front Royal.

If you like seeing a variety of church architecture, check out InSpired Sunday. 

Shadow Shot Sunday. 

Late this afternoon I drove through the arboretum on the other side of White Post. I stopped to get a picture of a lane in the light of the "golden hour."

Dogs and Deer.

Along Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park.

Don't worry, this dog's family was nearby, just across the stone wall.

Many people take their dogs up there. Dogs should be on a leash not longer than six feet in length. This helps keep pets and wildlife safe.

Saturday's Critters.

After squirrels, the most commonly seen wildlife in the park is deer. I can usually find a few in the hour before sunset.

Do you suppose the small deer wants to use the telephone? Perhaps he wants to call his mother!

Yes, the park still has public telephones. Cell phone signals are not reliable in the mountains, although the park service advises that you can often get a signal at west-facing overlooks.

Caturday Pet Art: Here's a pup I saw in a car. The image was dimmed by tinted glass so I cleared it up a little and then added clouds and some filters in Photoshop. I'm still learning this stuff!

Main Street Woodstock

If you've driven along the old Valley Pike (U.S. 11) through Shenandoah County, you've probably seen buildings neatly lining the road through historic towns like Woodstock.  Chartered in 1761, it is the county seat.

Theme: Streetscape. Weekend Reflection: the Historic Courthouse.