Leading a Horse, Wordlessly

Portraits at Meadow Mills

Blog Post #5600

On my blog anniversaries I shift gears and write about blogging or fill in some gaps about my own background.

One thing I like about blogging is the sense of community. There are many admirable people in my blogging circles and I enjoy hearing from them. Although I get behind in my commenting, I do enjoy seeing the variety of fine images that are posted every day.

Last night I made a change to the sidebar of this blog. I added a list of the linkups that I participate in most frequently. Also known as blog hops and linky parties, these are opportunities for bloggers to share their posts and find other blogs to visit.  One of the most popular ones that I visit is Skywatch Friday, with over 100 participants.

I've never hosted a blog hop myself because I feel that I already spend more time on the computer than is optimal. My eyes get tired, sometimes to the point that they just won't focus any longer. I really should take more frequent breaks but I tend to get absorbed in reading and creating.

[Note to self: Set a timer!]

Old Ford Murals

Last week I shared a mural from the old Ford building in Luray. There are two more murals here that I want to show you and also share with Monday Murals.  They are painted to look like open garage doors at the Ford Dealer in the 1950s.

The building is on Broad Street (US 340) behind the Performing Arts Center.

Rural Rockingham County

Mt. Zion UMC

These scenes are near McGaheysville, Virginia. That town lies in the Shenandoah Valley near the south end of the Massanutten Range.

Sharing with InSpired Sunday and The Barn Collective

My Folks and a Station Wagon

My dad was a clever man! He could fix things and build things. One of the things that amazed me was the way he could pack all our camping gear in the back of the station wagon. He didn't just cram it all in; he organized it. He built boxes for tools and kitchen equipment. He packed so that things we might need on the road were accessible. I have never known anyone who could pack a car as well as he did.

I was still a kid when I took this picture. Hope all you dads out there felt appreciated on Father's Day.

Sharing with Black and White Weekend

Birds at City Park Lake

Hagerstown, Maryland

Don't worry! The bears are sculptures!

Father Mallard was not far away.

Sharing with The Bird D'Pot

and Saturday's Critters

Carp and Duck Family

More Family Pics from Yesterday

Peggy and Bill have departed for the next leg of their vacation trip. Here are pictures from yesterday's trip to Maryland.

Newcomer House on Antietam Battlefield was owned by my ggg-grandmother's nephew. 

My Sister at John's Family Restaurant in West Virginia

Frank at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

Frank took this picture of me.

Random Photos for Mid-June

Willy Nilly Friday

1. Peggy and Bill came to spend a couple of days with us. Today we went to Hagerstown.

2. A mother duck and her babies were swimming in the lake at Hagerstown Park.

Sharing with Weekend Reflections and Camera Critters

3. Look who wandered through our neighborhood yesterday!

4. Here's a beautiful rooster in front of a gas station.

Sharing with Orange You Glad It's Friday

5. Here's some foliage in Shenandoah National Park. What's that behind the tree?

Sharing with Photo Friday: Foliage theme

Speaking of Shenandoah National Park, it begins just outside Front Royal. Here's a picture from the first overlook near the north entrance looking back toward town.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday
and My Town Shoot-Out

Seeking a Different Perspective

I stopped at Rockland Park for a few quick pictures. I wanted to shoot a "different perspective" so I took a shadow shot but it wasn't unique enough so I looked for something else. 

This is actually a close-up shot. Only a touch of grass keeps it from looking really abstract.

Sharing with Good Fences 

Dead Tree Hollow

Sharing with Signs, Signs,
NF Trees and Bushes,
Wordless Wednesday,
  and Black and White Wednesday 

Location: Blandy Experimental Farm

The Quarters at Blandy

At the State Arboretum in Boyce, Virginia

"This impressive brick structure is believed to have originally served as slaves' quarters for the Tuleyries, the private estate just to the west. The oldest part of the quarters, the east section, was probably built in the 1820s or 1830s."

Sharing with Tuesday's Treasures 

and Our World Tuesday

Link: Blandy Experimental Farm

Eleven Years on Blogspot

The Good, The Random, and The Fun

The Good: Today marks 11 years of blogging! Here is a screenshot of my first post. Later this week I'll celebrate another blogiversary: my 56-hundredth post!

Even though time seems to pass quickly, 2005 was a long time ago. We were were spending that summer in Glebe Harbor with the idea of making it our permanent home. However, the location was just too isolated for me. By the way, I made my first website back in 1997. That really feels like ancient history now!

The Random: Luray is the town to visit if you want to see plenty of murals here in the Shenandoah Valley. This one identifies a building that once housed a Ford dealership.

Sharing with Monday Murals

The Fun: At Garden Fest on June 4, there was a sheepdog herding demonstration. It was fun watching the border collie at work, and the sheep didn't seem to mind. They really stay together!

Sharing with Camera Critters and Seasons

Mount Sidney and Nearby

Mount Sidney is one of many historic towns along the old Valley Pike (now US 11). For those who aren't familiar with the Shenandoah Valley, the Valley Pike was once the "Great Wagon Road" and before that it was called the "Indian Road" because it was a well-worn path used by Native Americans for many years.

I was attracted to the bright red roofs of the Mt. Sidney United Methodist Church, a nice-looking building worth sharing with InSpired Sunday.

Old Town Hall, Now Owned by a Business

Not far from town I passed this fine barn decorated with a "barn quilt." I went back and took a picture for The Barn Collective.