Weekend Reflections #2

Reflection of the rocking chairs on my front porch off of my front door. Linking to Weekend Reflections!

Hope you are having a super weekend :)

Friday Fences # 2

This is @ Camp Alta Mons in Shawsville. I took this photo in the fall when we went hiking past this place to see the falls. Not too far from here is where we saw those cute baby bear cubs which if you don't remember you can read about it right here!

You can rent this old farmhouse for large groups to camp in.


Linking to Friday Fences

Last night Nick and I went to see the Cirque Du Soleil show here in Roanoke. What a fabulous show! Before the show they ask you to please turn off all your cell phones because it could be dangerous to the performers as they work on light cues. Almost everyone obliged except for one rude woman who sat 2 rows in front of us. Every 5 minutes, not exaggerating here either, she would turn her phone on and scan through facebook. It was easy for us all to see what she was looking at. And she wasn't even a young kid, she was a grown woman, 50 years old easily, so she definitely should have known better. She'd stay on her phone for a couple of minutes, enough time to check all her "important" notifications, then turn it off, watch a couple of minutes of the show, then turn her phone back on and check facebook again, over and over. She finally left with her partner a little before the show ended and the man sitting behind me yelled at her "thank you", of course she was too stupid to know that he was talking to her. I turned around and said "I know, she was so annoying with her phone" and he replied that he had been wishing all through the show that he had a water balloon to throw at her!

Really, what is wrong with people that they can't even follow simple directions and show a little courtesy? This cell phone epidemic is so out of control. I think when we go to a public show where they say "no cell phones" and a person still refuses to follow the rules, we need a laser light or something that we can call them out, silently, not to be disruptive, and the people that work there can go get them and tell them to leave the show. So aggravating isn't it?

Rural Thursday - Blog Hop # 9

Agnew Seed Shop, downtown Roanoke...from what I've been able to gather, Agnew Seed was built in 1897 and has remained in the Agnew family until the owner was found dead inside the building in 2008. The owner's wife decided to sell because it held too many bad memories. It went up for auction in 2009 and I am unclear as to what is happening with it now and will need to further investigate Google what happened.

Happenings around Botetourt....some of you may already know about the budget cuts our county is facing which include the possible closing of an elementary school, elimination of middle and high school sports, reduction in library hours, the senior citizen bus...and the list goes on and on...there was a board meeting held on Tuesday at Lord Botetourt High School and I had every intention of attending but then at the last minute my daughter Ashlyn was called in to work and Nick didn't get home till late so I had nobody to watch Braden and Dalton and didn't want to bring them to this all important meeting for fear they would be disruptive. I was so happy to see the parking lot at Lord Botetourt over-flowing when I went to pick Christian up from track practice. I figured I would catch up on the events of the evening from friends and I really wouldn't be missed because it seemed all of Botetourt was there! There were many citizens of the county who spoke up, senior citizens, high school students, parents, etc....declaring what they would miss the most and how important it is for them, like the high school student who told the story how sports literally saved him or the little old woman who said she depends on the senior citizen bus to take her husband to his dialysis because she is unable to because of her cancer. Apparently there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

The public support shown on Tuesday evening makes it all clear to me why I am so happy to live in this county. I truly hope none of our services/benefits we have taken for granted get cut.

You can read a real in-depth account of the evening at my friend Anita's blog @ Blue Country Magic. She did a real fine job of summing up the evening!
And you can read her news story right here.

Linking to Rural Thursday, c'mon and check it out!

Black & White Wednesday

Window display @ Hapers Ferry...linking to Black & White Wednesday

Thank you Mrs. Claus!

Barn Charm Tuesday

Old barn on Blacksburg Road in Botetourt County.....no edits done on this picture, straight out of the camera, it really is that green out!

Like barns? Click the Barn Charm badge and play along!



Don't forget tonight's meeting regarding the budget cuts...

*If you are a resident of Botetourt County, you might already be aware of the budget cuts we are facing that involve the possible elimination of all school sports at middle and high school level and an elementary school closure. If you didn't already hear about this, you can read the story right here and please attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 6:00 pm at Lord Botetourt High School regarding this important issue.*

Macro Monday #1

My dogwood just started to open up...tomorrow it should be beautiful! Linking to Macro Monday this week :)

*If you are a resident of Botetourt County, you might already be aware of the budget cuts we are facing that involve the possible elimination of all school sports at middle and high school level and an elementary school closure. If you didn't already hear about this, you can read the story right here and please attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 6:00 pm at Lord Botetourt High School regarding this important issue.*

Ozzy Sunday

A dog has one aim in life... to bestow his heart.

J. R. Ackerley

Linking to Sunday Best...stop by for a visit :)




*If you are a resident of Botetourt County, you might already be aware of the budget cuts we are facing that involve the possible elimination of all school sports at middle and high school level and an elementary school closure. If you didn't already hear about this, you can read the story right here and please attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 6:00 pm at Lord Botetourt High School regarding this important issue. *

Weekend Reflections #1

Downtown Roanoke, while at the St. Patrick's Day Fest


Linking to Weekend Reflections for the first time this week!



*If you are a resident of Botetourt County, you might already be aware of the budget cuts we are facing that involve the possible elimination of all school sports at middle and high school level and an elementary school closure. If you didn't already hear about this, you can read the story right here and please attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 6:00 pm at Lord Botetourt High School regarding this important issue. *

SkyWatch Friday & Friday Fences

@ Greenfield in Botetourt County...my "go to" place when I haven't been out anywhere for pics! Always lots of great photo ops there!

Linking with Friday Fences and SkyWatch Friday because I'm a multi-tasker :)

Oh, update on CDP...the site is down because the host site was hacked and it should be back up any time now...have a great weekend!

Rural Thursday - Blog Hop #8

Woke up Wednesday morning to this! I love the way the fog looks and especially when it's hanging around all these fab spring colors! I am so happy it's spring!

Linking to Rural Thursday, again...because it's so cool! :)




By the way, I think I'm off on my Rural Thursday numbering...my computer automatically shows the last ones so I think it's correct but I'm the only one on 8...what's the deal?!

Also, if you are part of the City Daily Photo group, do you know what is wrong with the CDP website? Its been down for a few days.

Black & White Wednesday

The olde spring house from what's left of the Blue Ridge Resort...built before the Civil War. I'm really diggin' this Black and White meme! Play along or just click the tab to view other entries :)

Barn Charm Tuesday

Etzler Road, Troutville

Check out barns all over by visiting "Barn Charm"!

Cutie @ the St. Patrick's Day Festival

(St. Patrick's Day Festival, Downtown Roanoke)

This adorable little Bulldog was the hit of the festival! He just sat there in his chair watching the band play and didn't mind the hundreds of people who came up to take his picture. What a good sport he is! Seriously, people were snapping his photo like the paparazzi to Brangalina. We were considering bringing Ozzy along but I don't think he would have been this mellow...maybe next year...of course I'd have to get him a cute hat too!

Ozzy Sunday

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." --Roger Caras

SkyWatch Friday

This is what spring looks like :)

Check out more spring-y skies from all over the world by visiting Skyley @ Skywatch Friday

Have a great weekend!

Rural Thursday - Blog Hop #7

Every springtime the boy's elementary school holds a "Spring Expo". There are several different types of classes the kids can take after school like Walking, Running, Yoga, Cooking, Photography and Bird House Art, and several others. This year Braden and Dalton picked Photography and Bird House Art. The Photography class is taught by a woman from the O. Winston Link Museum and the Bird House Art class is taught by a local artist. I volunteered to help with the dismissal of the children when the classes are over. In the photo above, Braden and Dalton and a couple of their friends are running around trying to find cool stuff to photograph. Trying to get a picture of them was nearly impossible as none of the children stood still for long, running to the next subject to get a pic of. The museum furnishes very nice Canon cameras for all the kids to use....maybe the boys can teach me a few things when their course is over! (mine are the 2 little red heads in the back)

It's Thursday so of course I'm linking up with Rural Thursday Blog Hop! Hop on over!

Black & White Wednesday

The kitchen door @ Greenfield

Barn Charm Tuesday

This "barn" sits on the corner of Roanoke Road and Catawba in Daleville. When we first moved here in 2008 I was so excited to see this antique store housed in a barn, until I turned the corner and realized it was closed and hadn't been open in quite some time. I think when I first saw it the word "antique" was a little more visible than now. I would love for someone to buy this and fix it all up and re-open again as an antique/prims shop...although it does look like it needs quite a bit of fixing up.

Linking up with Tricia and Barn Charm :)

Creative Exchange Monday

This is from my favorite walking spot at Greenfield. The more I try to find the historic significance of this little house, the more confused I become. This is all part of the Preston Plantation and I "thought" this house was the Bowyer/Holladay house but I do believe that house was the big brick house that was demolished in the mid 1900's. I "think" this building may be the Dower kitchen...perhaps....still unclear. The thing that bothers me is this is such a wonderful place with these great old historic buildings still standing, the slave cabins, the original kitchen and then this structure...only 3 structures left, why can't whoever is in charge of the restoration efforts (which are supposedly happening) put a little more info out there about the buildings instead of keeping me guessing!

So anyway, I have concluded that this is an old kitchen, possibly belonging to the Bowyer/Holladay house....if anyone has more info, please feel free to fill me in!



Here are a couple of links for further reading:
Site Inventory

Efforts to construct a monument for Col. Preston

I am linking up with The Creative Exchange this week :)

Ozzy Sunday

"The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue." --Unknown

SkyWatch Friday & Friday Fences

The fence that runs along the old cemetery at Greenfield and some pretty blue sky.....linking to SkyWatch Friday and Friday Fences oh and Fingerprint Friday because I'm such a joiner!

Have a super weekend :)

Rural Thursday - Blog Hop # 6

The weather was perfect yesterday so when the boys got home from school I loaded them and Ozzy up and we ran over to Greenfield to do some walking. This is my MOST FAVORITE place to walk around and it's so close to home which makes it super convenient. Braden and Dalton were less than excited though since they wanted to go to their friend's house to play but I said "too bad, so sad, get a bottle of water and let's go"!

I've done several posts on this area, the slave cabins, the kitchen, the cute little house that is still standing and the cemeteries that are there...all with walking trails meandering through many pretty acres.

The photo today is of the boys, Dalton holding Ozzy, and Braden annoyed with me, at the slave cabins. If you want to see more photos of this area with the cabins, kitchen and house, just do a search for Greenfield in the search bar at the upper left of this blog.

I did find some new info that I hadn't seen before on the area which tells more about the buildings and a map...scroll down to page 71 for the good stuff. Site Inventory of Greenfield


Linking up with Rural Thursday :)

Black & White Wednesday

I'm trying out a new theme this week, "Black & White Wednesday". I never use black and white and I love it when I see black and white in photos, but when I look at my own, I have a major thing for color too....so....this shall give me an excuse to go ahead and use black and white once a week!

This really cool old tree stands at Greenfield. There should be a weekly tree theme because I also have this thing for trees!

Check out more pics in black and white!

Barn Charm Tuesday

This was taken at Avenel Plantation in Bedford Co, Va....we were there in the fall of the past year. I did use this barn once before for Barn Charm but not this particular image. When I used it the first time I tried to find information on the barn. The house was built in 1838 but I couldn't find anything at that time on the barn, but when I looked again I did find the application for listing Avenel on the National Register of Historical Places and found this about the barn:

Situated further west of this grouping is a one - and - a - half - story , gable - roofed , frame nineteenth - century barn . The south portion of the gable roof is extended downward to shelter a lean - to addition along the building's south side. The main portion of the barn is divided into four stalls.

The application is quite interesting and if you have time and like that sort of stuff, you can read more HERE

Of course I'm linking up with Barn Charm so go check it out!

Monday Morning's View

This is my view into my backyard this morning. The snow fell sometime early in the morning. I got a text saying school is closed. 3 of my children are still sleeping, enjoying their snow day! It's not much, maybe an inch and the roads look clear, perfect actually. It's only supposed to be in the upper 30's today and rain mixed with snow till the afternoon. Braden and Dalton have their basketball banquet tonight at Leonardos in Fincastle. That should be fun :)

Ozzy Sunday

Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.

Roger Caras


We might be getting some more snow overnight....hardly anything, less than an inch I guess....but then back up into the upper 60's this week! I took Ashlyn shopping yesterday and noticed the cherry trees blooming!

Train Car in B&W

My bud across the pond, Shaun @ Valleys Shutterbug , suggested black and white on yesterday's photo so here it is, with a little grit added in! Thanks for the suggestion!

SkyWatch Friday

Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac.....linking to SkyWatch Friday ... have a great weekend :)

Rural Thursday - Blog Hop # 5

This is a bit of a strange submission. My little local blogging pal Diane over @ Blue Ridge Gal was telling me on Sunday that she was in search of a grave for "Find A Grave". We were looking for something to do that day because it was too nice to be stuck inside so I thought that I should also do a "Find a Grave" search. I'm a big user of Find a Grave for genealogy and have submitted some photos for fellow genealogists and have had others return the favor. It's a great tool if you love genealogy like me! (you can find a link to find a grave on my genealogy blog, in the sidebar)...soooo anyhoooo...we had decided to go across the road to Greenfield to hike around and let Ozzy get some exploring time. Amersterdam cemetery is easy to get to from Greenfield so I gathered the names that people were looking for in Amersterdam and we headed out. When we first opened the gate to walk into the cemtery, the first thing we notice is this pile of bones:

oh well, just a dead animal....then we proceed to hunt down the names on my list...very hard to do since nobody has taken care of this poor little cemetery in a very long time...there were very prickly vines that kept sticking onto our pants and shoes and the brown grass was grown over the graves making it very hard to find them.....we continue until we get to the other side of the small graveyard and find this:

This poor deer managed to somehow get both its back legs stuck into the wrought iron fencing. It was a very sad thing to see. I didn't zoom in on the deer as I felt kind of strange taking its picture, and yes, it is already dead, although it doesn't look like its been dead long.....so then we decide we've done enough grave searching because we just can't meander through the cemetery very easily and having no luck and we stumble upon this:

yes, another pile of bones...and this is the very last picture I was able to capture at the Amsterdam cemetery because my camera then froze. It wouldn't do a thing. I couldn't turn it off, take pictures, nothing...and I had charged it before we left....soooo, I have now renamed this cemetery the Voodoo Cemetery! And that is my Rural Thursday, rural cemetery story!

For more ruralness, check out Rural Thursday!