Starry Shapes

Our Independence Day was last weekend and we saw fireworks from our yard. They were going off in all directions! We took folding chairs out to the driveway and sat and watched. 

The display that was most impressive had predominately white bursts. I took the remaining color out of this shot for the Black and White linkup.

This one was more colorful than the rest.

Skywatch Friday

Our flag is also a symbol of Independence Day.

Friday Flowers / Garden Affair / Friday Bliss

 Clematis and daylily blossoms have star shapes. 

Below the flower pictures are some snapshots I took today. Apparently I've been collected star designs without realizing it! 

 

Scarves.

A small barn quilt and a store-bought quilt.

An Afternoon in Burke.

Today I drove over an hour to see an allergist in Burke. I saw this doctor over 20 years ago when I worked in Fairfax. He said he recognized me.

He's been busy since I saw him then. He has been allergist to several presidents. On his wall are autographed photos of Presidents Bush and Obama.

They ran environmental allergy tests today and I'll get food allergy tests next time. I had a strong reaction to dust, which is not a surprise.

 I stopped at a park afterwards.  This squirrel has stolen some trash. I think he was licking a jelly packet. 

The sign on the trash can "Do not stack trash bags around trash cans. Please put in dumpster."

These signs are necessary because the cans get full on weekends and leaving trash on the ground is a temptation to wildlife, which then learns to hang around the picnic area seeking more food. Critters larger than squirrels will come and rip open bags and strew trash over the entire area. 

Hidden Birds

There are plenty of birds around but they are harder to see now that the foliage is thick. Also, I do not feed them in the summer so they rarely pose in front of my windows.

The small woodpecker was pecking on the stems of the bush. I believe the bird on the bench is a catbird.

The third bird is really hard to see. It is brown and white and may be a sparrow. 

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Parents in 1940, University of Chicago

Wordless Wednesday

Jeeps in Middletown's Parade

 

Tuesday Treasures / Wordless on Tuesday

News Item: 'the town called all Jeep owners to enter their Jeep in the parade in honor of Jeep’s 80th anniversary. Ultimately, 175 Jeeps participated in the parade."

See yesterday's post: Independence Day in Middletown.

Independence Day in Middletown

4th of July Parade

Last summer we had no parades due to the pandemic. Now that vaccination seems to be working, people are anxious to socialize and enjoy some entertainment, at least outdoors where fresh air keeps us safe. 

The Middletown Parade was well attended and there were many participants, especially in vehicles. The sky was cloudy and we did get a light rain. Some umbrellas came out. I put on my rain hat. The raindrops were cooling.

Riding in the convertible with a "Mayor" license tag is Mayor Charles Harbaugh between former Washington Football Team players Brian Mitchell and Ken Harvey. In addition to this being an Independence Day celebration, the festivities marked Middletown’s 225th anniversary.

 Riding in a blue convertible with the town sheriff is football legend Mark Moseley, a local resident.

In the red convertible is Tatum Sheppard, Miss Virginia.

The parade had 250 entries so I combined some favorites into collages to share here.

Mosaic Monday

Seen near Bealeton

Along Route 17

These murals reminded me of some that I photographed in Marshall, Virginia. I looked up "Nick's" on my blog and sure enough, that store is also named Nick's, so I think it's owned by the same guy.

Monday Murals

 

The Original Lutheran Church in Winchester

In Mt. Hebron Cemetery, Winchester, VA

Inspired Sunday

Originally the cemetery surrounded the old Reformed Church. The cemetery has grown but the church is gone except for a wall that has been restored.

 There are several plaques. You can read the black one entitled Lutheran Pioneers on Historical Marker Database. It tells that the cornerstone was laid in 1764 and destroyed by fire in 1854.

The 2008 plaque tells us that "This 'Old Church Wall' of the original Lutheran church was stabilized and restored through the generosity of the members of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church and the citizens of Winchester, Frederick County, and Clarke County."

Red, White, Blue, and a Dog too.

It's our Independence Day Weekend.

This shop is in Strasburg, Virginia. I think red, white and blue makes a great color combination so I selected some birds with those colors.

Saturday Critters / I'd Rather Be Birdin'

Our American Robin has a red breast. I see robins frequently in Virginia.

The white geese live at our community lake, along with Canada geese and graylag geese. I've watched them chase off groups of Canada geese.

Blue jays are larger than robins but smaller than geese. 

This dog is named Beemer and he lives in Woodstock.

June Shenandoah Beauty

Last week in Woodstock, Virginia. 

Skywatch / Garden Affair

I went on a garden tour and then drove down to the river. 

Signs: 
"There are no gardening mistakes,
Only experiments."

Note: My eyes are bothering me tonight so I am not going to be able to comment on blogs until tomorrow. Have a good weekend!

Friday Flowers / Bliss

Weekend Reflection

Oops! I forgot my Blogaversary!

Blog Post #7582

I started this blog on June 13, 2005. That means I've been blogging for 16 years and two weeks. In defense of my failure to mark the anniversary, I point out that my younger daughter was visiting for the first time since 2019. Something happened that prevented her from visiting in 2020. (It was Covid.)

Here's one more picture from her visit. We went up to Skyline Drive with Lynn. This was a panoramic shot that you could scroll across on a phone, but here it is flattened out but distorted. 

Marie is on the left taking a picture. Lynn is on the right. 

Toolish.

July is here and the City Daily Photo theme is tools.

Themes sometimes call me to think outside the box. I snapped some pictures around our tool box and choose the hammer because it reminds me of a horse and I like pictures of horses!

The roll of wire is actually quite small but I like that I can imagine this is a big roll of wire hanging in a barn.

I took the pictures on my cell phone and that is definitely not the right tool for blogging. Now I am on the iPad and it is better but still clumsy.

Black and White Weekend.