Visitor Center

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Woodpecker Ridge . Stoney Battery Road . Troutville

This is perhaps the tiniest visitor center I have ever seen!

This has been a nice week for me and the boys...since football is over now they have had the week off for weight lifting (although that starts back up on Monday) so they have been able to ride in with me in the morning...that also means I have to get to work 15 minutes earlier which also means I actually end up being on time haha...on Tuesday I let them come home early and we stopped at Sonic for shakes and then came home and hauled out all of the Christmas decorations and started on that...you know how much I love my time spent with them so this is what I am most thankful for this week! Linking up with Michelle's Thankful Thursday & Signs, Signs

LOVE

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Roanoke Go Outside Festival

I LOVE when I find these LOVE signs! :)

Today I am thankful for my daughter and our friendship! Last Friday night she came to watch the boys' football game with me and we just have the best time together. I was telling Nick that I really enjoy her company and would still love to hang out with her even if she wasn't my daughter!

Linking up with Michelle's Thankful Thursday & Signs, Signs

Shoe Store

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109 Campbell Ave SW . Roanoke

This cool sign belongs to the Bush-Flora Shoe Co. They are one of the oldest retailers in the Roanoke area celebrating over 100 years of business! The company started out in 1928 but moved to this location in 1951...although not at this location anymore, which is now for sale, they are now located in the Towers Mall. This building started out in 1910 as Vest Furniture, then has been a hardware store, women's clothing store, department store and antique store. I found THIS interesting site which shows the history of tenants plus pictures!

Today I'm thankful for the beauty around me with the changing of the season! All the trees are really starting to pop! Although our temps have been in the 80's and humid, feels more like summer, which I'm also thankful for haha...I want to get out this weekend and see some pretty fall colors :) Linking up with Michelle's Thankful Thursday & Signs, Signs

Coffee or Dr. Pepper?

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Downtown Roanoke

Aren't these great? From what I have read, both signs date back to the 1940's.

For a little history on Dr. Pepper in Roanoke Click Here and for a little H & C Coffee history Click Here

Linking with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

City Daily Photo Theme Day - Sensual

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Along the Roanoke River Greenway in Wasena Park . Roanoke

I snapped this picture back in April because the sign kind of made us laugh...evidently Norfolk Southern doesn't want you to have a "sensual" experience haha...

For more takes on today's theme visit City Daily Photo

Happy Monday!

Bay Roc Marina

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8630 Hardy Road . Hardy . VA . 24101

Saturday while driving around we stopped by Bay Roc Marina on Smith Mountain Lake. We walked around for a little bit, they have a nice little restaurant there and the employees were all super friendly. The manager told us the water was low because they drained the lake a bit with the scare of Irma last week and the possible flooding it would bring which turned out to be a little bit of rain in our area...nothing too bad.

Today I am thankful for living in a small community. It's almost like 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon around here! Somehow, somewhere you know someone through someone else haha...maybe that's not for everyone but I like it!

Linking up with Michelle's Thankful Thursday & Signs, Signs

Est. 1762

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Charlottesville . VA


Today I am thankful for a few hours I got to spend with Ashlyn yesterday! She had to come over to do some laundry and asked me if I would go to an antique store with her because she is trying to find a table for her tv...doesn't take much to convince me to visit an antique store! We didn't find anything she liked but it was sure a nice afternoon :)

Linking with Michelle's Thankful Thursday & Signs, Signs

All Aboard!

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The Buchanan Railcar Inn . Buchanan

This spiffy railcar can be rented out for an event or a sleepover...that would be kind of fun!

Today I am thankful for an afternoon of drinks and friends! I got together with a couple of girls for a drink or two this week. It was fun. I don't know why I don't that more often...life gets in the way I guess!

Linking with Michelle's Thankful Thursday and Signs, Signs

Black Dog Salvage

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Black Dog Salvage . 902 13th Street SW . Roanoke . 24016

Do any of you watch the Black Dog Salvage show? I do occasionally. I find it interesting to learn the history about the places they go to and then it's fun to see some of the things from the show back in the shop for sale! Admittedly I haven't watched in a while though but I think it is on Netflix. I've shown you Black Dog Salvage a few years back Right Here ...look how little my boys are in that photo! In the above photos we just happened to be driving by a couple of weeks ago but didn't stop...I do need to make a point to go poke around again soon!

Linking up with Signs, Signs

Scenic Overlook

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Alleghany County...near Falling Spring
"Through the gap between Peters Mountain on the left and Lick Mountain lies the road to the Kanawha used by emigrants traveling west to the Mississippi basin. The road in the valley below follows the route Washington used when inspecting the forts along the Jackson River in 1756."

Now that's a view!

Today I am thankful to be officially starting my first day of summer vacation! The boys last day of school was on Tuesday but I had to go in for a few hours and clean yesterday...then grocery shop, run the boys and a friend around town...my house looks like a bomb went off...I am also thankful to have a whole, mostly uninterrupted day to clean haha...and perhaps a little bit of blogging of course! Linking up with Michelles Thankful Thursday & Signs, Signs for the first time in ages! Have a great day :)

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 116

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1)

Blue Ridge Park...came here on Monday to walk the track...it was kind of cold!

2)

Glade Creek Baptist Church...this is the church that sits next to the cemetery I posted on Tuesday.

3)

Along 460...isn't this an oxymoron?

4)

Sunset this week from my deck.

5) I have been feeling like there's not time for anything lately! The boys have weight lifting at 7:45 in the morning for football so I drive them to that and come back home...I have to be back at school at 9:30 then I get off at 1-1:30...then the boys have track practice right after school so I have to go back and pick them up (rather than have them ride the bus) at 5:30 or 6, depending...My life has been chopped into small snippets of time...I'm drowning!

That's my 5 this week and I hope you will join in with us! Post 5 randoms, link back, visit others!! Thanks for playing along and have a great weekend!!



I'm linking with Photo Friday and Good Fences :)

Piedmont Label Company

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Bedford
The Piedmont Label Co started up in 1919 and is STILL printing labels!
Found an interesting story HERE on Piedmont and the history of canning and labels.
The sun was relentless on this day...not matter what I was trying to get a picture of, there was that blinding sun right in the way!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Linking with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

All You Need Is Love

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On Sunday we went to the Go Outside Festival and I was so excited to see not one, but two LOVE signs! I've shown you others we've found HERE HERE & HERE but I feel like I've seen more than that...maybe my search didn't pull them all up...anyways, the Go Fest has really grown since the first one we attended way back in 2011...you can see that HERE...then there were only a few booths set up and now there's soooo much to do and see...we've been every year except missing probably the 2nd year since the first was nothing to write home about ;)

Linking with Signs, Signs when it goes live...

Fallout Shelter

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309 Campbell Avenue . Roanoke

The boys and I have a fascination with fallout shelters...such an interesting period in our history. I couldn't find anything out about this one but I did find a video clip of another that is near this location showing emergency supplies being dropped off in 1963...you can view that short little clip HERE and you can read a little more about the shelters HERE

Excuse the slant..we were driving by and I quickly had to snap!

Linking up with Signs, Signs when it goes live.

Old Bull Building

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1874 . Durham . NC

Here's a great website with old pictures showing this historic building's life through the years... Click Here

Linking with Signs, Signs when it is up and ready.

Bub & Pops

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On our last visit to DC this past spring, our first stop was to eat at Bub & Pops...Here Braden is annoyed with me and Nick is in line ordering our food...

Here Braden and Dalton are both annoyed with me and my camera haha...lunch is finished and we are stuffed! My goodness what good food! We had Italian subs and Chicago Beef sandwiches...we shared, they were HUGE! Definitely recommend!

Guy Fieri ate here and filmed a segment for Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives so you know it's good stuff!

For more on Bub & Pops, visit their website HERE

Linking with Signs, Signs as soon as it becomes available

A Couple of Signs

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The sign in photo 1 is for a real estate office and next door to that is the Stonewall Jackson House ...you can see a couple of VMI Cadets standing out front talking.
Lexington

Linking with Signs, Signs

Heironimus

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This was a department store based here in Roanoke since 1890. It's been closed since I've lived here. Not sure what is going on with the building...probably be taken over by fancy lofts eventually!

Linking up with Signs, Signs

A Stone House and a Couple of Different Signs

This house sits right below the Mill Mountain Star. There's a paved trail that runs right past it. As beautiful as it is, I would not like to live here due to lack of privacy but their view of the Roanoke valley must make up for it! Linking with Good Fences

We see this on our way to Raleigh. I can't remember if this is in NC or VA...it's very close to the border. It's a bit unsettling to see a guy hanging from a tree in the distance till you get closer and see what it is. I guess they are offering tree trimming services...

It looks like they do a little of everything though (taken through dirty windshield!)

You've heard of bottle trees right? This is their version...well this is a car part tree!

We were driving by this one and had to turn around to get a better look!

Haha...how funny! This is in Blairs, VA

Linking with Signs, Signs

The Bennehan Family Graveyard @ Stagville

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The cemetery is a short walk from the house (see Tuesday & Wednesday's posts)

It's quite hot out, nearly 100 degrees but the shade from these trees makes it feel much cooler! We were told though that when this was a working plantation there weren't any trees around...The house sits up on a slight hill so that they were able to see all around the land...amazing how nature takes over when you let it!

I got very excited when I saw the old rock walls!

And even more excited when I saw this magnificent wrought iron gate!

Beautiful...

Rest In Peace Bennehan Family...

Heading back to the house...you can just see it through those trees...

For more on the graveyard CLICK HERE

Linking with Tex's Good Fences & Signs, Signs