Saturday with Lynn and Marie

 

Girl with Flowers

When I was in Waynesboro with Lynn last month, she spotted this colorful mural.

The artist was Nils Westergard, according to Graffiti Street. 

  

I decided to use some of the same colors in a collage.

Mosaic Monday / Murals 

 

Cedar Grove UMC

This church is on Smithland Road in Harrisonburg.

The original was a one-room log structure. It was used as a public school on week days, and on Sunday, as an inter-denominational church. in 1886, it was dedicated as a Brethren Church. According to the church website "The original log structure was later weather boarded, was heated by wood stoves and lighted by kerosene lamps."

The building was further improved in the 1940s, but in 1953 it was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt. It is unclear to me when it became a Methodist Church.

Inspired Sunday 

 

Fancy Birds Plus Some Cows

The peacock is a stunning bird. I edited his picture using Picsart.

Yesterday I saw a penguin cutout near the county recycling bins. I imagine that someone offered it to the attendant, who chose to place it by his little office.

We saw parakeets today in a pet store.

 

High Water at Chapman's Landing

This afternoon I dropped off some things at a charity shop and then went to Landfill Road to do my recycling. On the way home I decided to make a short detour to see the river at Chapman's Landing. "Road Closed - High Water" warned a sign. I cautiously drove to the nearby parking area.

It's a boating and fishing spot where Narrow Passage Creek meets the Shenandoah. The water was high and easing into the parking lot. Parking is restricted here but I have a state fishing license so that I can legally park at boat landings. I don't fish; I just take pictures.

Nearby is a low-water bridge that crosses the Shenandoah. Part of it was underwater, not only making it possible to get swept into the river but also making it impossible to see if the road has been damaged by the flooding. 

There are homes and farms on the other side of the river and when the river rises, residents are forced to either stay home or walk across a nearby swinging bridge. To the east is the Massanutten Range and it would be a strenuous hike to get out that way. 

Skywatch / Reflections

Virginia bluebells like the damp soil near rivers and they are blooming now.

Nearby is the Narrow Passage Inn and I stopped in their driveway to take a few pictures. I don't know what the pink flowers are but the yellow bushes are forsythia.

Friday Bliss / Garden Affair / Floral Friday

Signs and Riverside Park

Elkton, VA

Signs 2

See how this wall looked before the sign was painted.

Last week I drove through Elkton and decided to look for a park on the river which I had seen listed somewhere. I had forgotten what it was called but I knew where the river is, so I drove around and found it. The name is simply Riverside Park and it is on M Street.

The river is the South Fork of the Shenandoah. In the summer we'd probably see people picnicking and canoeing here, but the weather is still cool so I only saw one family walking around. A boy was throwing pebbles in the water.

After they left, I posed on a swing.

Robin Framed and Filtered

 

Happy 89th Birthday to the CCC

On April 5, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6101, which established the Civilian Conservation Corps, commonly known as the CCC.  The program provided training and wages to young men during the Great Depression by having them work in conservation and natural resources.

This memorial is in Edinburg at the Forest Service Office. The first CCC camp was established not far from here on April 17, 1933 in George Washington National Forest. It was called Camp Roosevelt. 

The statue is #44 in a series of CCC statues that dot the American landscape. There’s one in Shenandoah National Park that I have photographed several times. (See all my CCC posts.) 

This memorial reminds us of the millions of CCC men who toiled between the years of 1933 –1942 to improve the management of our nation's natural resources and build the infrastructure of the modern outdoor recreation system. Their accomplishments are unequaled and are a testament to the hard work, pride, and determination to overcome the social and economic strife thrust upon them by the Great Depression.

Random-osity from Staunton to S.U.

Good, Random, and Fun - It's been a while since I did one of these posts.

We'll start with a long mural I saw in Staunton when I was there with Lynn. This is on the side on the ReStore, which sells used or unneeded building supplies with profits going to Habitat for Humanity.

Panoramic View. Sharing with Monday Murals.

At the end of the parking lot. I noticed murals painted on the Jersey walls.

On Saturday I attended a Civil War seminar at Shenandoah University in Winchester.  The topic was "Beyond the Mere Routine of Everyday Life": Encounters and Experiences during the Civil War." All the speakers were excellent. Jonathan Noyalas was the first speaker, sharing "Union Soldiers' Encounters with the Shenandoah Valley's Enslaved."

Alonzo Quint (Chaplain of 2d Massachusetts Infantry) said that eight months on slave soil "has made me feel that it is slaveholding itself that is the sin." He observed that most soldiers now "detest slavery, and mean to fight it."

During the lunch break I took a short walk and photographed some of the spring flowers on the campus.

Mosaic Monday / Blue Monday

The View from Old Furnace Road

A few days ago I went to an appointment in Harrisonburg and then drove around a little to take some pictures. The sky was very pretty! 

Barns / Inspired Sunday

The words on Temple Beth El are from Exodus: “This is My name for ever and this is My memorial for all generations.”

Beth El Congregation began in 1859 with four families. The corner stone for the present building was laid in 1964.

Old Furnace Road runs along the north side of Harrisonburg. It leaves the town and wanders out into the country. I saw a delightful pink barn and turned around so I could share it with you.

 

Birds, A Dog, and a Squirrel

Sometimes in the evening a flock of birds settles in a tall tree in my back yard but after a few minutes they fly off, only to return a few minutes later and repeat the process. I think they are starlings but I only see them in silhouette. 

The rest of today's pictures are from a year ago. The two cardinals are so bright you might miss seeing the sparrow sitting between them. 

The dog walking with a woman looks like a boxer to me. He appeared to enjoy his walk.

The final image shows a squirrel backlit by late afternoon sunlight. 

Faces and Flowers

It's April 1st and I don't have a practical joke for you, but it is theme day at City Daily Photo. The theme is Symmetry. I had some things to donate today at the hospice thrift store and I decided to walk through looking for symmetry. I found a mask and a child’s backpack. Which one do you like?

Since we’re looking at faces, here’s an old selfie from an assignment I did back when I was taking an advanced darkroom class. 

Black and White Weekend

Let's have another look at Lucy, who got officially adopted by Lynn today. For the last few weeks, Lynn had her on a foster-to-adopt basis. I made them a congratulatory collage.

When I was in the thrift shop today, I saw a sunflower reflected in a mirror and snapped a picture for the Weekend Reflections linkup.

And speaking of flowers, tulips are starting to bloom. 

Friday Bliss / Garden Affair / Floral Friday