Into the Lake Go Geese

The gray geese always look before they leap! I took two pictures a few moments apart of different geese doing this.

Ducks at Our Lake

Ben Looks Fancy

Yesterday we took Benny to Grandy Grooming so that he would be clean and attractive for the holidays. I decided to get him a cocker cut for the first time since he was a puppy. Usually he has a buzz-cut ("puppy cut") with his ears kept long, but it's winter so I thought he might need a little warmth from his fur. 

Ben does not like getting groomed and Janet has called him a "tiger." When I picked him up and said "I hope he wasn't too bad," she said he was terrible! Which I'm sure he was! He has a ferocious way of barking when he is angry (or even scared) that strikes terror into anyone within striking distance.

At least he looks handsome now.

Monte Vista

On Sunday we took advantage of a Holiday House Tour presented by the Middletown Garden Club. The weather was rainy but the homes and churches on the tour were welcoming. I was happy to get a chance to see Monte Vista because it is a local landmark, a Victorian mansion dominating a hill across from Cedar Creek Battlefield. It also has a striking barn with a cupola that motorists admire from nearby I-81.

Monte Vista was built by Charles Heater in 1883 on property given to him by his mother, Caroline Heater, who was known during the Civil War as a Unionist even though two of her sons died fighting for the Confederacy. We were told that Mrs. Heater told Charles to build the finest house on the Valley Turnpike as a way of showing the neighbors that he was successful in spite of past conflicts.

The home that Mrs. Heater and her husband lived in during the war lies directly across the Valley Pike from Monte Vista on the battlefield. You can see it on the left side of this picture I took at a reenactment in 2010.

I posted photographs of the reenactment in November that year — scroll down that archive to see them.

Links:

• Nomination of Monte Vista to National Register of Historic Places
• The Heater House at Cedar Creek

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

We are in the season here where the days are short and all too often gray. Today we had a little sunshine, a welcome respite after three wet and sunless days.

Sometimes I feel depressed in the winter, especially when there's a series of gray days. I believe this is a form of seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.). When we get a mild sunny day, I try to spend some time outside. It only takes about 20 minutes of sunshine to make my world seem better.

Another cause of depression for me seems to be an allergy to mold and yeast. This can hit suddenly and can seem mysterious because molds and yeasts can be hidden and can even grow on foods without being noticeable. I mention this because it's not well known as a cause of depression. I'm able to manage depression by avoiding fungus and seeking out sunshine. I also take SAM-e as directed by a doctor. It even helps with aches and pains!

Article: Anxiety and Depression from Gluten, Dairy, Yeast or Sugars

WebMD on SAM-e 

Mill at Vaucluse Spring

This is a reconstructed mill house at Vaucluse Spring, a charming bed and breakfast that is northwest of Middletown in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Historic St. Thomas Chapel

I've been to the grounds of this little church a number of times on Civil War field trips but I had not been inside. Yesterday I finally had that opportunity because the chapel was open as part of Middletown's Holiday House Tour.

St. Thomas Chapel was consecrated in 1836. During the Civil War it was used as a stable and a hospital for wounded soldiers. It is no longer used for regular church services but is kept in good repair by the St. Thomas Trust.

A Stop in Linden

The Giving Tree Shop and Gallery

Linden, Virginia is a small town along route 55 (and just off I-66). We stopped there to see a small art gallery which turned out to double as a produce stand. At this time of year it is also a Christmas tree stand.

In front of the shop is an old historical marker, placed in 1927 by the Virginia Conservation Development Commission. It makes a claim which may be false:

Discovery Shenandoah Valley

John Lederer, First explorer to view this valley, saw it from this point, August 26, 1670.

Controversy broke out after the marker was erected. Lederer was likely not the first [white] explorer to view the Shenandoah Valley, although he was one of the first to travel through it and he does deserve credit for being the first to publish a report on it. Whether he saw it from the particular point is also questionable. Historian Eugene Scheel wrote that Lederer crossed the Blue Ridge many miles to the south. Other sources, however, accept the story that he crossed it at Manassas Gap, in which case he may have passed this point.

[If you are interested in the story behind historical markers, you might like "Virginia’s Roadside Historical Markers and the Shaping of a Historical Consciousness."]

Holiday Lights at Night

Looking out from an upstairs window, I can see our holiday lights shining in the evening. The lake reflects the silhouette of the Massanutten Range. The bottom of the star is not visible here because it is blocked by the deck.

Everyone who drives into the subdivision at night can see our lights from across the lake. I was delighted to see that they are reflected in the water.

Putting Up Christmas Lights

We purchased a lighted star and combined with strings of outdoor lights that we've had for a long time. Frank put them up on the end of the pool enclosure.

On the second night, the outdoor outlet went bad so the lights went dark. We had to purchase a new outlet the next day. He installed it and got the lights working again.

Backyard Birds

I'm loving my new camera! It's a Nikon Coolpix P510 and it captured some nice bird photos for me. These are a few pictures I took from our deck yesterday and the day before. The weather was quite warm for December and at first I was just soaking up a little sun on Wednesday while eating lunch. Some birds ventured fairly close to me because we have bird feeders set up nearby. So I walked back inside and brought out the camera. Pretty soon the birds came back and I started snapping pictures. I missed as many shots as I got though — those birds move fast!

A Sunset in Harrisonburg

Looking West from Market Street (U.S. 33)

Bird Feeder, University Blvd.

Harrisonburg, VA

Nice Weather for a Walk

Geese, Lake, and Signal Knob

We've had some unusually warm days for December, so it's nice to get outdoors. On this walk, Frank and I got to enjoy the view and the dogs seemed to enjoy the sunshine and the various scents as they walked around the lake.

An Old Self-Portrait

This picture is from about 20 years ago. I was taking a photography class at NVCC and I took this self-portrait in the back yard. It was not in digital format, of course. It was a medium-format transparency and I scanned it in a few months ago.

Our Christmas Kitchen a Decade Ago

Frank likes to decorate for the holidays! Back when we lived in Montclair, he decorated all the windows. Doesn't it look Christmassy?

Indoor Cat Looking Out

Puddle at the End of Our Street

Belle Haven Marina

We drove to Alexandria on November 11 for the Archaeology Volunteer Party. I hadn't been there in a long time. When I lived in Alexandria I volunteered with their program regularly. Anyway, we arrived in Old Town a little early and drove around. The town is still charming and vibrant! (Sigh! I miss it sometimes.)

 I stopped by the Potomac River south of town and took a few photos. I grew up not far from there.

The second image is cropped and altered in Photoshop to intensify the color.

The Grandest House on Our Street

When we purchased our house three years ago, the home shown here was also for sale. At that time it was painted pink! We were glad when someone bought it and immediately had it painted light yellow.

As you can see, this home looks like a mansion. It stands out in our subdivision, which is filled with ramblers and ordinary 2-story houses.

Statue of Admiral Byrd

This stands in front of a court house in Winchester, VA.  Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. was born in Winchester and gained fame as a polar explorer.

He is also pictured on a giant apple in Winchester.