Trees Along Crooked Run Road

Shenandoah County Route 720

I love driving along country roads in the autumn! Pretty scenery becomes gorgeous when the leaves are colorful and glittering like jewels.

The colors are fading now but I got a fair number of photographs while they were bright. I won't post them all. You probably don't want to see that many pictures of trees! And if you like seeing country roads in the fall, take a look at some older posts:

• Dellinger Gap Road in Autumn
• Autumn View Near Keezletown
• Tree, Belgravia Road
• More Autumn Foliage
• Autumn at Brown's Gap
• Leaves Start to Change Color
• White Fences, Country Scenes
• Moreland Gap Road
• Wolf Gap Road
• 
  

Autumn at the Lake

 I took these photos at Shenandoah River Lakes in Warren County. The peak in the distance is Signal Knob at the north end of the Massanutten Range.

You Might Also Like: Evening Near Waterlick

Ben in a Gazebo

Last week we took little Ben to 7 Bends Veterinary for his bordetella booster. He behaved well, so I rewarded him with a walk in the park in Edinburg.

Link: Madison District Park in Edinburg, VA

Bhutanese Mask

My daughter Marie sent me this great mask. She bought it in Bhutan on her world tour.

More Views of October Snow

Here are some views of Saturday's snow. The temperature rose above freezing so the snow was wet and heavy. At least it wasn't too deep, barely above my ankles. I heard that some places in New England got three feet of snow and still don't have electricity restored. Our power was only out for two hours so we were fortunate.

I took these pictures in our yard here in Basye.

Maple in Snowy Woods

October 29, 2011

I can't recall seeing a snowstorm like this so early in the season before. Usually it's mid-November before we get more than a flurry in Virginia.

Today the temperature went up and most of the snow melted away, which was fine with me. However, it was pretty to look at the contrast of the autumn colors against the white snow.

Squirrel on Snowy Rail

Today on Our Deck

A Squirrel in October

This squirrel visits our deck fairly often to scavenge tidbits from the suet feeder. I took this photo earlier this month.

Our view today is quite different because we had an early snow.

See all posts tagged Squirrels.

Last Rose of Summer

Since our nice autumn weather is ending abruptly tonight, our plants won't be producing any more blooms this season. Fortunately Frank brought the last rose inside so we could enjoy it.

Right now snow is falling outside. It's unusual to have snow accumulation in Virginia in October, but the forecast is for 4 to 6 inches by tomorrow afternoon.

A Young Red Tree

A Maple, East of Woodstock, VA

A Home-built Tractor

We stopped at a Christmas tree farm on the Fall Farm Tour in Warren County. The owner had built a tractor which was an object of fascination for visitors.

View the video and hear it run. [If it doesn't show up on your ipad, that's a known issue and I'm looking for a solution. Sorry.]

General Store in Browntown

Rudacille's General Merchandise

Browntown is a community along Gooney Creek in Warren County, Virginia. According to a page about Browntown's history, this store was built in 1885.

A Couple of Farm Photos

Last month we took advantage of Warren County's Farm Tour Day and visited a few farms south of Front Royal. It was a chance to see some places we hadn't been before.

Of course, we drive past farms all the time, and I've visited Gail Rose's farm many times. When I was growing up, my farm experience was pretty much limited to my Uncle Hiram's farm in Michigan. Coincidentally, his last name was Rose too. He wasn't a big-time farmer though, more of what is now called a hobby farmer.

By the way, I've now passed the 100-post mark for the tag "Farms."

See also: Visit to the deer farm (2006).

A Fine Pair of Draft Horses

These gentle giants work at Liberty Farm in Bentonville (south of Front Royal). Owner Mark Wastler uses them to plow fields. He combines old-fashioned farming methods with science to produce healthy foods while protecting the environment.

Link: Liberty Farm, Virginia

Autumn Along Fort Valley Road

Passage Creek

I enjoy visiting Elizabeth Furnace Recreation Area in the fall. It's in the National Forest and a rocky little river burbles through the valley lined with colorful trees.

Fort Valley lies within the Massanutten mountain range, which in turn divides the Shenandoah Valley between Strasburg and Harrisonburg. Fort Valley is easily missed, but not hard to find if you know where to turn. The main entrance is next to Panorama Memorial Gardens on Route 55 (Strasburg Road).

See also: Autumn Impression, Passage Creek

The View from Denny's

Strasburg, VA

This is the view from Denny's parking lot in Strasburg. Unfortunately the restaurant does not take advantage of the view; you have to go outside to see it.

In the vertical picture we are looking south toward Signal Knob, a landmark on the north end of the Massanutten Range.  The other photo is slightly to the left of the first and looks over a new subdivision. In the far distance is the Blue Ridge.

See all posts about Strasburg

A Mailbox in October

Looking Up

I took this picture by pointing the camera up through the sunroof of our car.

The Artist's Clothesline

At Margot Bergman's Farm Studio, New Market

Some of these cloths had hopeful ideals depicted on them such as "love" and peace symbols. This display reminded me of the prayer flags that Marie photographed in Tibet and Bhutan.

A Llama Comes to the Library

On Saturday our library in Basye had a children's program on llamas. Volunteer Mona Wolf led the event and even arranged for a real llama to come up from Edinburg Gap Llamas. 

Start the short video for a look at the fun!