Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Front Royal, VA

Inspired Sunday

I noticed a large sign at this church. One side invites people to worship with them via online video conferencing.

The other side of the sign says "Pray for our health care providers." Amen to that!

The white wing of the building appears older than the modern brick sanctuary.

It's Caturday and World Turtle Day.

Saturday's Critters. I haven't filtered a cat photo in a while, so I plucked one out of my archives and altered it in Photoshop for the Caturday blog hop. 

Today happens to be World Turtle Day and I found a turtle in my archives too.

The rest of today's pictures are from this past week.  Do you see the fish that this fellow caught? He threw it back a few moments later. Our neighborhood pond is pretty much a "fish for fun" place.

Weekend Reflections.

The squirrel seems to have spotted me. He doesn't look too pleased. I was in his territory that day, a park in Front Royal. I also photographed a robin there. How nice that it posed on a fence! That makes it perfect for the Fence linkup.

The Bird D'Pot: The rest of my pictures today show local birds.

The young sparrow was perched about our deck. I think he fledged from our bird house recently. I've watched the parents bring food to the house, and heard chirping inside it.

The male goldfinch is a bright yellow in spring. The female is a duller shade, but still quite charming.

The ducks in the final photo are mallards.

Random Pictures, Late May.

Random-osity
 

1. Black and White: This is the North Fork of the Shenandoah near Strasburg.

2. Skywatch: The sky is cloudy, as it has been quite a bit in recent days. We've had our share of rain too. This medical building is in Timberville.

3. Friday Bliss: Jack-in-a-Pulpits can be hard to spot because the flower hides under the large leaves. I found some of these wildflowers at the Thompson Wildlife Management Area.

4. Friday Flowers: Rhododendrons are in bloom. I photographed these pink ones in Capon Springs.

5. This fancy iris is blooming in my yard. I don't recall whether I bought it from Iris Hills in Middletown or from Exline near Berkeley Springs.

Have a nice weekend and 

Stay safe! 

Front Royal Covid-ality

I drove through Front Royal today. It was cloudy and dark but at least we're not having the flooding that some places are dealing with.

An electronic sign displays the local Covid-19 Hotline.

In front  of the hospital is a sign saying "Heroes work here." We certainly appreciate the medical staff and all the folks helping to fight the pandemic.

Thankful Thursday, Little Things, and Signs, Signs.

"FREE FOOD!" A banner over the street lets people know that they can pick up food on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

Blessing boxes around town also offer food. This one has an announcement that meals are available at a Baptist Church on some evenings.

Near the blessing box I saw another box, a "Free Library." There was a note saying "This wise owl reminds you to disinfect the covers of your book choice. Remember to wash your hands before and after reading. Enjoy reading while protecting yourself and others."

The bowling alley is still closed by state order. The owner has been vocal about his unhappiness with the lockdown. It was partially lifted this week but only for certain services, and sports facilities were not among those allowed to resume business.

Another business has a more positive message: Spread love, not germs.

In that same shopping center is Gordmans, which until recently was Peebles. Their parent company closed Peebles, renovated, and reopened the store as Gordmans with a different pricing structure. It opened on March 4, only three days before the first cases of COVID-19 were announced in Virginia.

Now it's closing. The coming has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Captured on Camera

Wild Bird Wednesday.

The trail cam by my driveway only captures wildlife every once in a while, and bird pictures usually just show a distant blackbird standing on the ground. I checked it the other day and was pleased to see these two birds in flight: a cardinal and a sparrow.

The camera is motion-activated. Often it captures people in my driveway, especially the hard-working folks who bring us packages. I made a collage to honor them.

The View from Tanners Ridge.

Near Stanley, Virginia.

This little church is now rented out as vacation lodging. It was part of the Tanners Ridge Mission high in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is said to have been called All Souls Episcopal Church from 1937 to 1963.

The property was home to artist Robert E. Kuhn from 1966 until his death in 2000. During the Depression years he was hired as an artist for the Works Progress Administration. Later he took up abstract sculpture and many of his works are still on the property.

Tuesday Treasures / Our World Tuesday.

There are other residences on Tanners Ridge. Although this is only four miles from the town of Stanley, it is high enough on the mountain that the weather can be noticeably cooler. 

Selfie with Dotted Mask.

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday.

New Murals at the New Star.

If you are a photographer, you probably know the experience of glimpsing something as you drive by and knowing you simply must go back and get a picture. This happened when I passed the New Star Market last month. I've stopped there before to take pictures of their decorated patio. Now they have some bright new murals. 

An employee told me the artist was working on another mural at the end of the building. I found her cleaning up for the day.

I came back on a later date to see the finished mural. It looks stunning! There's a rock cliff, some climbers, and the river in the distance.

If you drive out 55 between the interstate and Star Tannery, you'll want to take a look at this gas station/market/BBQ.

The artist is Sarah Gallahan, who also painted the anniversary mural on a hardware store in Winchester.

Monday Murals, Mosaic Monday, Blue Monday.

 The owner of the New Star Market said he was inspired to add a new garden.  

Views Near Timberville.

Let us visit northern Rockingham County. This is a mostly agricultural area in the Shenandoah Valley.

The First United Methodist Church in Timberville was built in 1971. It sits between a new medical building and a shopping center.

The final three photos are from a different day in rural Rockingham.
 

Sharing with Inspired Sunday
and The Barn Collective.

Current Critters

Black and White Weekend: Taking pictures of birds in motion is a challenge. Often my results are a blur. This shot was lucky because the goose just happened to land in front of the fountain.

A few days ago I showed pictures of cardinals and I only had one shot of a female. Today this lady posed for me, just long enough to get a photo.

The goslings have grown! Their parents and the nanny are taking good care of them.

Our local Canada goose family did not have so many babies, but they are looking out for this one.

Here a stink bug was posing on the side mirror of my car. Insects are likely to be overly plentiful this summer because our winter was too mild to kill them. I've already had a tick bite! I put the tick into a plastic bag and took it with me to the doctor's office. She said it was a deer tick and could carry Lyme disease, and she prescribed doxycyline. 

I'd Rather Be Birdin' / Saturday Critters.

On a more cheerful note, I love pileated woodpeckers and once in a while, one visits our yard. It even makes a distinctive call so I know to look out the window and pick up my camera.

After you get a good look at this beauty, scroll down to see a furry rabbit.

Another furry creature is the squirrel. I felt sorry for this momma squirrel because she was clearly hungry, even eating the hot pepper suet which is supposed to be squirrel-proof.

I had intended to stop filling the suet feeder for the summer, but since she apparently has little mouths to feed, I bought some regular suet for her. Yum-m-m, says Momma Squirrel!