Log Cabin, No Roof

In Etlan, VA

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Sunset Seen from a Gas Station

In Stephens City, VA

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and Orange You Glad It's Friday

Cedar Creek Winery

I don't go to wineries very often because I don't drink, but I've discovered that they often have pretty views so I've decided we should visit one every so often. There are plenty of them in Virginia now, although I can remember when they were few and far between. It wasn't until vintners discovered that European grape vines survive best when grafted to the roots of native grape plants that wine varieties became a viable crop here.

Cedar Creek Winery is near the small town of Star Tannery which is toward West Virginia.

I assume this sign is warning drivers to slow down because the road makes a dip.

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With Ben and Guppy, Ten Years Ago

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Ben, A Brief Bio

Today we mourn the loss of our cocker spaniel, who died this morning. He had congestive heart failure that finally overtook his indomitable spirit. Last night he lost the strength to even stand or roll over so we knew the end of his life was near. This morning he still could not walk and we had to carry him to the car.

When we first got him he was about 5 months old. A family in Dumfries had decided to give him up because he seemed a threat to their little girl. He was an excited little fellow, bouncing around their townhouse almost frantically, tearing and nipping as he went. Frank wanted him anyway.

Our early efforts to calm him were not successful. We send him to a trainer for two weeks and all he learned was "sit."

Eventually Ben learned a few more commands and could walk on the leash passably well. However, he seemed to be anxious at times.

He liked his walks, though, and learned to enjoy riding in the car once he got used to it. Unfortunately he continued to over-react at times and sometimes had odd episodes of focusing intently on someone and then threatening to bite them. It wasn't until after he had bitten me a couple of times that his vet and I realized that he might have some sort of seizure disorder.  A prescription for phenobarbital made a huge difference!  Around the same time, my husband discovered that an episode could be ended quickly by swinging a fly swatter back and forth, back and forth in front of him until he suddenly relaxed and smiled, looking relieved!

Ben had a heart murmur and last November he was diagnosed with heart disease. In April he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. A collection of medications was prescribed and for a while he was feeling better. But lately he seemed to be weaker and by Monday I knew I'd be taking him back to the vet soon. I hesitated though, for fear that the news would be bad. But after he collapsed on the floor last night, we took him to the vet today and learned there was nothing more they could do to help him.

I took the photo with the orange toy on June 25th. He was still doing pretty well and his mood had gotten sweeter while he was sick. He seemed to know that I was trying to help him.

I like to think that he was greeted at the rainbow bridge by his friend Guppy, who died in 2007 and whose mellow disposition had a calming effect on Ben.

Farewell, little Benny! We miss you.

When Ben was a Puppy

Ben C. Spaniel, 2002-2015

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Just Some Stella D'Oro Blossoms

Sharing with Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

Good, Random, and Fun in Etlan, VA

The Good: This cat is actually quite sweet, even though the pose looks a bit predatory.

The Random: This white barn sports a fine "barn quilt." So far there aren't many of these decorative pieces in this part of Virginia. We saw this along F. T. (Francis Thornton) Valley Road just south of the village of Etlan in Madison County.

The Fun: Browsing antique shops is fun, especially the ones that aren't too fancy.  This one had a number of buildings, some of them very rustic.

We drive through Etlan on our way to Charlottesville, and finally got around to visiting the antique store recently.  I posted a couple of pictures I took in front of this store a year ago.

Sharing with: The Barn Collective 

and The Good, The Random, The Fun
and Our World Tuesday

Civil War Mural in Marlinton

I was moved by this mural in West Virginia. Completed earlier this year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, it is about "the hometown strife of wartime, more than it is about the more famed losses and victories," according to artist Molly Must. (See article in Pocahontas Times.)

"Born of wartime conflict, West Virginia became a state on June 20th, 1863. Pocahontas County was torn between party lines. Neighbors and kin fought on opposite sides in The Battle of Droop Mountain (Nov. 6th 1863) where Union victory caused the collapse of Confederate resistance in the state."

Last week I shared a different mural by the same artist. You can see her experience as a collage artist in the composition of both murals.

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A Sweet Church in West Virginia

Green Hill UMC

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Exploring History at Droop Mountain

The 1863 Battle of Droop Mountain is interpreted in several ways at the state park. This monument to the men who died as a result of the battle is fairly new, erected for the 150th anniversary of the struggle. It stands near the park office and museum. 

The park is in the beautiful hills of West Virginia, near the appropriately-named town of Hillsboro. There is a spectacular scenic overlook which you reach by driving through the forested battlefield, which features a series of interpretive signs telling how Federal forces dislodged the Confederates who had fortified the mountain. Like many of the battles fought in West Virginia, the main reason for the battle was controlling important supply routes, such as railroad lines and highways.

(Click on image to open larger version.)

This sign tells of the "3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry" (USA) under Lt. Col. Francis W. Thompson:

The men of the 3rd WV fought their way up this ravine extending their line of battle along the mountainside until they joined with the 28th Ohio. Upon reaching the top, they helped break the Confederate line and pursued the defeated army south towards Lewisburg.

You can see other interpretive signs for Droop Mountain on the Historical Marker Database.

Confederate Graves

Behind the Superintendent's Office is a barely-marked cemetery and a museum, located in a charming log building which appears to be a CCC-built cabin.  (For those who don't know, the CCC was the Civilian Conservation Corps, a jobs-creating program under Franklin Roosevelt's administration.

See all my Droop Mountain posts.

Reproduction of Parrott Rifle

Lookout Tower in Sepia

The observation tower on Droop Mountain was built of logs the size of telephone poles. They are grayish-brown so a sepia tint looks natural. I'm sharing this with Sepia Saturday.

I visited this part of West Virginia as a child and later as a young adult. On this recent visit I delved into the Civil War history, having studied it over the past 20-plus years. (See my Civil War Field Trips site.)  When I was younger I knew very little about the Civil War in West Virginia, for Virginia history treats the war as pretty much a Virginia affair.

The Tower on Droop Mountain

Near Hillsboro, West Virginia

This scenic lookout on Droop Mountain provides a beautiful view of the valley below. The mountain was the scene of a Civil War battle on November 6, 1863. The sign on the left summarizes the action:

Nearly five months after West Virginia was admitted into the Union, the Confederate army of Brigadier General John Echols still occupied the prosperous Greenbrier Valley region of the new state. From its headquarters in Lewisburg, his army was the foremost defense of the Virginia-Tennessee Railroad, an important Confederate supply line in southwest Virginia.

On August 26 and 27, 1863, the Confederate army had successfully repulsed an attack at White Sulphur Springs by the Federal Army of Brigadier General William W. Averell. In early November, Echols learned that General Averell had left his headquarters in Beverly, West Virginia, and was again moving south toward the railroad. Confederate outposts in Pocahontas County tried to slow the advance. General Echols marched his army north, all through the night, to Droop Mountain to reinforce them.

The reinforcements arrived just in time, for General Averell began his attack early. Throughout the morning, Echols’ outnumbered Confederate army held the high ground and blocked the highway with artillery, but in the afternoon was overwhelmed by the crushing advance of Federal infantry on his left flank. Following the collapse of his lines, General Echols retreated south with the remnants of his command. Federal troops occupied Lewisburg on November 7, 1863, but being burdened by prisoners and captured livestock, General Averell elected to return to his headquarters in Beverly, waiting until early December to lead a third, and ultimately successful, attack on the railroad. Operations in the Shenandoah Valley in the spring in 1864 drew remaining Confederate troops out of West Virginia, thus leaving the new state securely under the control of the Federal government for the remainder of the war.

With more than 400 casualties, (140 Union and approximately 275 Confederate) the Battle at Droop Mountain was one of the last significant Civil War battles in West Virginia.

I climbed the tower steps and found a sign at the top that tells the same story.

You don't need to be a history buff, though, to enjoy Droop Mountain State Park. There are magnificent views, picnic areas, and a play area for children. The lookout tower and some other park buildings were built by the CCC during the Great Depression.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday

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Daylilies (On Droop Mountain)

Flowers remind me I am lucky,

For I am not color blind.

The hues and tints and tones,

The contrasts of color on color,

Color, how much I love you!

Sharing with Six Word Friday (Color Challenge)

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Civil War Trails, Hillsboro, WV

There are two Civil War interpretive signs near the Pearl S. Buck birthplace in Hillsboro, WV.  Both tell about the Union Army Camp that was here in November 1863. I believe the first one is older so I'll provide the text. You can read the other one on Historical Marker Database. 

Yankee Army Camp

John D. Sutton, 10th West Virginia Infantry, wrote, "The army went into camp in the levels between Mill Point and Hillsboro." These fields were later owned by 2nd Lt. Matthew John McNeel, Company F, 19th Virginia Cavalry, and the Capt. Edgar estate. In plain view of his camp was the large, brick home of Col. Paul McNeel, a member for Pocahontas County in the convention at Richmond that declared secession. Col. McNeel's son was a Confederate captain in McNeil's Rangers. Averell reportedly spent the night either in the home of Col. Paul McNeel or in the Presbyterian Manse.

Eight-year-old C.L. Stulting lived on the farm with Hermannus and Johannah Staulting (ancestors of Pearl S. Buck). Staulting wrote "around 6 o'clock, we were all sitting around the breakfast table unaware of there being any soldiers in our neighborhood, when we heard the firing of army guns just outside of the house."

While camped here, Union General William W. Averell developed a plan of attack on Confederate forces at nearby Droop Mountain.

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Canada Geese by the Fountain

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Upside Down Theme Day

The City Daily Photo theme for July 1 is "Upside Down." I see one of the other photographers chose a subject similar to mine but his squirrel is Swedish and quite red.

Also sharing with Camera Critters 

and Wednesday Around the World