Watery Wednesday

Summer fun at Craig Creek!



Check out more watery wednesday pictures @
Watery Wednesday!

Barn Charm Tuesday

I really, really, REALLY hate to recycle old pictures but today is barn charm and I totally wasn't ready and I do like to play along, we just haven't been anywhere in so long which is completely unlike us. I dug back a couple of years for this one which is over in Blue Ridge and am linking up to Tricia once again!

Resting

Hiked a couple of miles on one of the horse trails off the parkway yesterday. Ozzy is taking a well deserved rest!

SkyWatch Friday

 

A storm's-a-brewin' over a red tin roof. This is one of the slave cabins @ Greenfield in Botetourt County. To see more skies from all over the world, visit Skyley!!

my gosh, does anyone understand picassa? i moved all my pics to snapfish, and then deleted from my computer files, then had to download this from snapfish, which then put it in a zip file, which then put it in picassa, which confuses the heck out of me everytime...is it just me? maybe...i've just never fully understood how picassa works. sheesh, what trouble i had to go through for today's skywatch photo lol

Good Clean Fun

The boys getting cleaned off in the Fireman's Foam Pit @ Festival in the Park! Doesn't that look fun?!

Watery Wednesday

(Ozzy swimming @ our spot on Craig Creek)

Today is the first day of school for kids here in Botetourt County. This school year I have 2 4th graders, a freshman and a senior. Ashlyn likes to keep reminding me that today will be her last first day of school, ack!

Ozzy will be one sad and lonely puppy today. He just loves having all the kids around. He's going to wonder what happened.

Yesterday we had an earthquake here. I was surprised. I grew up with earthquakes and as it was happening I was thinking, wow, this feels like an earthquake but it can't be! Ozzy was chasing the boys through the house just at that time so I thought they were making the floors shake. Then my neighbor called, who is also a California transplant, to ask me if I felt that! We had a nice convo talking about the earthquake and quakes we have experienced in Ca. All is well here though, nothing shook off shelfs or anything like that and it was over before you knew it. Thanks for checking in on us over here :)

Today I am linking once again to Watery Wednesday...go on and have a visit and see some more water shots!

Barn Charm Tuesday

Another old barn from Catawba Valley. You can see more barns from all over the world by visiting Tricia @ Bluff Area Daily Photo, just click the barn below!

The Buchanan Theatre

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior, the Buchanan Theatre has been recognized as Botetourt County's oldest standing theatre. The theatre first opened as A.E. McCurdy's Open Air Theatre. McCurdy's was purchased in 1914 by Elmer Shank. Shank and his family cut all of the lumber themselves and completed construction of the current theatre building in 1919.

Old photographs of the property indicate that in its early days the theatre was known as the Star Theatre. The exterior of the building had "Mouse-Tooth" shingles in the front gable and a two story covered porch where the current concession stand is located just inside the front door. This two-story porch provided shelter for those waiting to enter the theatre while providing an outdoor area for those who lived above the theatre. As with theatres of the day, the facility was segregated with an exterior entry for African Americans to enter for seating in the balcony.

Eventually the Star Theatre became the Buchanan Theatre and it operated continuously until 1985. Over the years the building has been remodeled several times and what can be seen today is a mixture of the thumbprints left by each generation of owners. Notable exterior features include the Art Deco concrete details on the facade, the neon sign and freestanding ticket booth. Inside, one finds a pressed metal ceiling, knotty pine paneling and a curved wall around the concession area which features a 1950s era popcorn machine and candy counter. The stage area is in remarkable condition and the cinemascope movie screen is ready for use. The movie projectors are relatively new as well.

SkyWatch Friday

The sky and road from Greenfield. (I played with the "boost" effect on this one)

To check out more skies from all over the world, visit Skyley!

I just read the sad news about the passing of Klaus Peter, a fellow blogger who also happens to maintain the Skywatch site. I, along with all the other Skywatch participants, dedicate today's post to Klaus. Rest in peace.

Country Roads

take me home, to the place, I belong ...lalalalala

The other day I had to take Christian to his bud's house for a sleep-over. His friend used to live in our neighborhood but moved across town about a year ago but Christian and him have remained good friends since. I can get to his house by either taking the boring old interstate or taking the back road like this one, which I did. Given the chance to choose, I pick the back country roads every time!

This is just a normal scene in Catawba Valley, taking the back road.

Stuff to do this weekend:

Camp Barefoot 5 Music and Art Festival
Info: campbarefoot.org, karldenson.us, kylehollingsworth.com, thenewdeal.com

Pulaski Grand Slam Bluegrass Festival
Info: pulaskitown.org/Pulaski_Grand_Slam_Bluegrass_Festival.aspx, bobbyosborne.com, adamlarkeyband.com

The 7th Annual Meadows of Dan Folk Fair
Info: meadowsofdanva.com, heavenonwheels.net

Heritage Days in Christiansburg

Click here for more stuff to do!

Watery Wednesday

The pond at Greenfield. There is a nice trail that goes right around this pond. If you are quiet enough you can hear and see all sorts of wildlife as you walk.

To see more watery shots from all over the world, visit Watery Wednesday!

Barn Charm Tuesday

A little old barn in Catawba Valley. To see more barns from all over the world, visit Tricia @ Bluff Area Daily Photo!

Summer

(Cave Mountain Lake)

My oldest 2, Ashlyn and Christian enjoying one of the last weekends of summer before school starts. It's hard to believe that Ash will be a senior this year and Christian will be a freshman. They haven't gone to school together since elementary school and I remember thinking back then that they won't go to the same school again until high school and thinking how far away that was....and now...that day is almost here....where did the time go?

Sunday Bridges - Another Buchanan Swinging Bridge

Nick and Braden crossing the Buchanan Swinging Bridge. To learn about this cool old bridge see this post and to see bridges from all over the world, go visit Louis La Vache over on the west coast!

Saturday Photo Hunt-One

"One" forsaken old house in Catawba Valley. Visit Saturday Photo Hunt on facebook to play along!

SkyWatch Friday

Leaving Greenfield as the storm is coming in (continuation from yesterday's post). We had walked over to the cemetery and that's when the winds started picking up along with some thunder and lightning so we knew we had to call it a day and head back to our vehicle. We had to make one quick stop at Food Lion before getting home and by the time we reached the house it was "a real toad strangler" (ok, I've only recently heard this phrase and have been wanting to use it, but really, it was a toad strangler!). We pulled into our driveway and yelled "every man for himself" and all grabbed a grocery bag and ran for the front door. We were soaked to the bone, but it was all good, we really needed some rain!

To see skies from all over the world, visit Skyley!

Have a great weekend :)

Holladay/Bowyer House @ Greenfield Plantation

The boys and I, Ozzy included, hiked around Greenfield on Saturday afternoon. I knew there was an old cemetery near this house that I hadn't checked out yet. This house sits near the entrance of Greenfield, to the right as you drive in. When you walk up to the house, there is another trail that leads to the small family cemetery. Our visit was cut short as a big storm came through.

Interesting reading on the area:
The 'Holladay/ Bowyer House' National Register Site

By the time that Botetourt County was organized (in 1769), the acreage upon which the 'Bowyer/ Holladay House' would be constructed had already been farmed for more than two decades. The property's proximity to Fincastle, the county seat for a territory that once stretched to the Mississippi River, coupled with the well-watered, rich farmland made this land valuable. The topography in this part of the county lies in the limestone belt of Virginia, which results in fertile soil suitable for general farming and excellent for producing cereals, fruits, and grasses, as well as providing good grazing for livestock .

Like most of Virginia, from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, Botetourt County was primarily agricultural and rural. The geography of the Valley, unlike that of the tidewater or piedmont regions, did not favor large scale monoculture such as tobacco, and the trade routes from west to east were not adequate to transport large quantities of goods during the early nineteenth century . As a result, Valley farms differed from the large plantations east of the mountains that relied almost entirely on slave labor. Instead farms in the Valley were often smaller with a few slaves who worked alongside their masters in the fields . The number of slaves on Valley farms also tended to remain small throughout the antebellum era, with most slave owners owning less than five slaves. The Preston and Bowyer families residing at Greenfield in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were among the relatively few slave owners in Botetourt County possessing over twenty slaves.


click here for even more stuff to read!

Watery Wednesday

Dalton's big catch @ Craig Creek. While there on Sunday, we saw so many water snakes, it was crazy. We've seen one or two since we've been going there but they were very active for some reason this past Sunday. Then heading home, Christian, our oldest boy said that his friend told him that Craig Creek is known for having a lot of water snakes. Knowing that we don't have Water Mocassins here, the water snakes don't really bother me like they did in Georgia and Missouri, where we DID have Water Mocs. These little water snakes here are not poisonous, but they did seem aggressive. When Nick dangled his bait right in front of one of the snakes it jumped so quick and bit onto his little fish bait and wouldn't let go. There was another snake swimming in the water and some crazy guys tried to catch him by grabbing onto his tail and that thing took off at double speed. They move quick! Although as much as I don't like snakes, I don't freak out as much anymore when I see them since I am a little more at rest knowing they are just harmless water snakes!

To see more water shots from all over the world, visit Watery Wednesday!

Barn Charm Tuesday

Another barn picture from Gettysburg. I would LOVE to live in that white house! To see barns from all over, visit Tricia in Missouri!

Canoe

Last month we took a canoe ride down the James River. We used Twin River Outfitters out of Buchanan. They dropped us off 5 miles up the river and we returned at the shop. We took the easiest trip, not sure how the kids would do but they did great. Nick, Ashlyn and Braden were in one canoe and Christian, Dalton and myself were in the other. About halfway through, a huge storm blew in, lots of rain and lightning. We were able to find a spot along the river to get out of the water and get a little protection from the elements. It was a little scary but memorable!

Sunday Bridges-Along the Blue Ridge Parkway

A Blue Ridge Parkway bridge at Mabry Mill in Floyd County.
To see bridges from all over this great big world, visit Mr. Louis La Vache at
San Francisco Daily Photo

Saturday Photo Hunt-Painted

This is a facebook photo hunt called "Saturday Photo Hunt" and today's theme is "Painted". I'm new to this little meme so I'm not really sure how it works, seems like you get the theme on Saturday morning so I had to dig through my archives to find a photo that corresponds with the theme since Saturday's I stay pretty busy, too busy to be hunting up a theme pic lol....but I digress... I was able to find this patriotic painted van that we spotted in Floyd County, VA over the 4th of July weeekend!

SkyWatch Friday

Wednesday night we didn't have any football practice and it was such a nice evening so Ozzy and I decided to run over Greenfield for a walk around the trails. This is my favorite place to walk, it's so pretty and peaceful. Occasionally we'd pass a couple out walking or a jogger but the place is so big that you feel like you are there all alone, just me and Ozzy! Since this is just 5 minutes from my house, I always wonder why I don't this more often?!

Here we stopped for one of many breaks, Ozzy isn't really big on a lot of walking and loves breaks, and I just loved the look of this field of Queen Anne's Lace with the clouds moving in, so voila, it's my SkyWatch Friday pic! To see more skies from all over the world, visit Skyley!
and if you are new around here and wondering who this "Ozzy" is, you can meet him here!

Have a great weekend and Happy SkyWatching :)

Running Hills

Football practice for the 9/10 year old Botetourt Panthers. For the first couple of weeks practice is pretty easy, without gear. Hill running will become much harder when they have full pads on!

Barn Charm Tuesday

This barn is on Blacksburg Road and the picture is the result of a drive by. I used the "focal soften" effect from picnik because it didn't turn out great, being a drive by and all but it was my barn for this weeks entry and I liked it mostly because of the cute deer standing there!

To see more barns from all over, visit Tricia!

August Theme Day - Postcard Worthy

This month's theme in the City Daily Photo community is "Postcard Worthy". I don't care for the title of the theme, sounds rather presumptuous to assume your photo is "postcard worthy" don't you think? But anyways, playing along with the theme, I wanted to chose a photo of a place that holds great memories for us and this would be the place. This is our little spot on Craig Creek where we have spent many weekends this summer to escape the heat. Yesterday we loaded the cooler with drinks and sandwiches and headed out. We were so lucky to have the whole creek to ourselves all day!

Being from SoCal we really appreciate places like this that are unspoiled by development and huge crowds of people!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants