Yesterday in Port Republic

Two Panoramas and a Collage

The Good, The Random, and the Fun

The Good: Isn't it incredible how the setting sun can transform a prosaic scene into a thing of beauty? I took this with my cell phone in a parking lot after picking up a prescription.

Sharing with Through My Lens

The Random: This mural is on the side of a carpet store in Broadway, Virginia. It shows a covered bridge which no longer exists.

Sharing with Monday Murals

The Fun: This collage consists of four snapshots I scanned in from 1994. My foster daughter and I visited my older daughter Lynn in Augusta County and we went to a carnival. Amaresh was an immigrant from Eritrea. She and her sister had come to this country as young teenagers after a long journey which they risked to escape a war zone. By the time she came to live with me, her sister was studying in a Job Corps program. She followed in her sister's footsteps after she turned 18 and eventually became a nurse.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday

Click on the image to see a larger version. I used PhotoCollage to make this assemblage.

Sister Shot, Signs, and a Shiny Sky

Willy Nilly Friday / Five on Friday

1. My sister made a very brief visit this week, arriving Tuesday night and leaving the next morning. We made time for a few snapshots, and since the weather was warm we took advantage of the view in the back yard. 

2. "Please Drive Safely. Heaven can wait." This sign is on a tractor trailer transporting caskets!

I snapped this picture with my cell phone. Frank was driving, as he often does after we eat out. I have food allergies and one is to wheat, which makes me very sleepy. I never order anything I'm allergic to but a few crumbs can wind up in my food in a restaurant and I don't realize it until afterward when I suddenly get drowsy, so our policy is that I drive before lunch and he drives afterward.

3. The shot of the passenger-side mirror was taken a few minutes later. I'm linking it to Weekend Reflections and Skywatch Friday.

4. When I saw this sad dog on a menu cover, I had to admit I know how he feels!

Sharing with Pet Parade

5. Last (and probably least) is a picture of a metal rooster, which I'm linking to Orange You Glad It's Friday.

At Sentara RMH and New Market

This morning I met Lynn in Harrisonburg where she had an MRI at the hospital. Then we went to lunch at Bob Evans. Here she's showing me her new umbrella, which is cleverly-designed with a see-through panel and a cover that's built into the end of the handle.

On the way home I stopped near the New Market Battlefield to eat a snack and take a few pictures in the late-afternoon light.

Sharing with Good Fences Around the World

Short Mountain

Artsy Random-osity

The Good, The Random, The Fun

The Good: I won this piece of handcrafted pottery as a door prize on an art studio tour a couple of months ago. I love art tours and winning this treasure was a bonus!

The Random: My older daughter underwent some medical tests near Harrisonburg today. While I was waiting for her, I took a picture of a farm through the window. Apparently there was a coating on the glass and the photo had an odd appearance, almost impressionistic. I decided to add a texture in Photoshop to give it a painterly look.

Sharing with The Barn Collective

The Fun: This tire sculpture in Toms Brook made me smile!

Our World Tuesday

Five for a Gloomy Friday

Willy Nilly Friday / Five for Friday

Today started out rainy so I didn't get any great sky shots, although the sun did come out this afternoon while I was in physical therapy (for my foot). But let me report on a few things and link to  a few blog hops.

1. Mersad's challenge today is By the Fire. I went back into my photo files for this shot of burning a brush pile. You can't just start a bonfire these days, you have to call the fire marshal first so no one sends out a fire engine!

Orange You Glad It's Friday?

2. An old friend passed away this week. She did not want any fuss made about her passing but someone wrote a remarkable obituary. She was a sister of my ex and I admired her. I took this snapshot many years ago.

3. This morning I was looking out at the rain and I saw a hawk land on the deck railing. Before I could raise my camera, he flew away! He was big and beautiful!

This squirrel will have to stand in for the hawk, although he was on the farther rail.

4. I stopped at the post office to mail off a small package and was delighted to find Wonder Woman stamps! My kids were fans of the old TV series, and now Marie works for DC Comics so I feel a personal connection.

5. The last picture is from a different rainy day. I cropped it and played with it in Photoshop.

Have a good weekend!

Skyline Drive on a Nice December Day

On the day before Christmas, we took Marie to Woodstock, Edinburg, New Market, and Shenandoah National Park. We didn't have much time in the park before dark but I stopped at Range View Overlook, one of my favorites. Marie and I both took some pictures of the clouds hanging in the mountains.

Here's a view from another overlook taken on a different trip. This is around milepost 7,  looking west here toward the Gooney Manor area.  

Back in October I drove through that area to see the scenery up close. I think I found the same barn! It's on Poor House Road near Browntown. 

I'm sharing that with Tom's barn linkup. And for his Tuesday Treasures, here's the visitor center on Dickey Ridge in Shenandoah National Park. Right now it's closed for the winter.

Before I leave Dickey Ridge, let me introduce one of the permanent residents.

Christmas Collage

Christmas is over and I have quite a few pictures, so I combined a bunch of them into a collage.  Click on it to see a larger version.

Marie, Lynn, Me, Allison and Various Decorations 

 Sharing with Seasons

We Saw Santa!

Last night we saw Santa at the shopping center! Later he came through our neighborhood, still riding on a fire truck followed by an ambulance. I watched the vehicles go past, reflected in the lake.

Sharing with Weekend Reflections

This morning Allison and Dave joined us. Marie was already here. Lynn arrived after lunch.

Lynn has a running joke that she wants "a hippopotamus for Christmas." Marie and I both took her up on it.

Lynn gave her sister some kitchen items and also a cute toy dog.

I hope everyone enjoyed contact with their family today!

Ready for Christmas

Looks like the cardinals are ready! They are wearing red and green.

The horses are dressed brightly for the holiday.

I guess the deer are ready. As long as this one isn't called to pull a sleigh, he doesn't need to worry.

The cute little dog has his Christmas sweater, like the woman holding him does.

The male mallards have Christmas-green colors brightening their heads.

Flash is ready to sleep until Santa arrives.

I'm almost ready. Marie arrived yesterday and we had a nice day today. Here she's enjoying peanut soup at the Southern Kitchen in New Market.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

Five Photos for Friday, Mid-December

Willy Nilly Friday and Five on Friday

1. My sister visited for a couple of days and yesterday we met Lynn for lunch. This was a lovely birthday treat!

2. Here's Signal Knob, ready for linking with Skywatch Friday and Orange We Glad It's Friday. 

3. This sweetie posed on my "patio peach," against a Friday Green background.

4. Dupont is going to pay $50 million (USD) for contaminating the Shenandoah River. This happened back in the 1930s and 40s (!) and there are still signs posted warning of contaminated fish in the South Fork. Mercury contamination spread for over 100 miles and has not washed away because the toxic metal sunk into the silt, and even onto surrounding land when the river flooded.

Weekend Reflections 

5. This little town is all decked out for the holidays! It's not a real town, of course, it's a little village in a shop. 

My Town Shoot Out