Prescribed Fire at Wolf Gap

Smoke on the mountain! I knew what it was because I had seen an announcement that the forest service was going to do a prescribed burn at Wolf Gap.

Yesterday I was driving home from recycling coupled with Charlie’s afternoon outing, and I could see the smoke from Woodstock.  I decided to take a closer look, so I drove out to St. Luke.

Let’s go west just a little ways and take another look.

I discovered some back roads that I had not driven before, and saw some nice farms. I’ll study the map and go back again to explore.

Earlier Post: Bringing Fire Back to the Mountains

Linking to: Skywatch

Who Lives Here?

Today I was driving down a back road when I saw this nest, high in a tree. It’s too big to be a squirrel’s nest. I reasoned that if it was an eagle’s nest, there would be a body of water nearby.

And there was!

What do you think? I suppose it could be a heron’s nest, but there was only one and they like to nest in rookeries. 

This is in western Shenandoah County.  

Meanwhile, my bird camera at home recorded some vibrant cardinals.

Another colorful bird is the goldfinch. This one looks a little odd; I think it’s molting.

Farewell, Old Farm!

 Woodstock, VA

There is a huge development project underway on the east side of Woodstock. Judging from the map, I’d say it’s about equal to twelve town blocks. I first saw a sign go up on Water Street, and then saw another sign plus heavy equipment on Hollingsworth Road. Then a few days ago, I noticed that the land was being cleared on French Woods Road, and when I turned onto Cemetery Road, I saw this construction site past the cemetery. 

As you can see, this used to be a farm. The farmhouse has stood empty for years and had become dilapidated. I stopped to take pictures because I don’t think the house or barns will be here much longer.

The final picture shows Charlie looking at the heavy equipment from the Hollingsworth Road side of the project.

Ruby’s Fortune Teller

Harrisonburg

This dramatic mural dominates the covered walkway at Ruby‘s Arcade. Here we are directly across from Massanutten Regional Library. 

Large metal gates are decorated with fiber art.

On the front of the building is an interesting cartoon portrait which I suppose is Ruby, peering out of a hole in a brick door, oddly enough.

Monday Murals / Mosaic

New Exhibit, New Season at Belle Grove

 Middletown, VA

Saturday was opening day for Belle Grove Plantation after a winter break. I’ve been there many times, but I wanted to see the new quilts on display. These were stitched at community events and venues as part of a project to honor the memories of the enslaved workers who kept Belle Grove flourishing from 1783 to 1851.

Names of 270 people are on the quilts, organized by family groups. Their names were discovered through years of research using local records, news articles, and other sources. 

In the next room is an archaeology exhibit called “Unearthing Enslaved Lives.”  I’ve been following the research here for quite a few years. Historians, archaeologists, and students have done an impressive of reconstructing stories that were almost lost to time.

The property is on the Cedar Creek Civil War battlefield.

First Critter Report of Spring

 Hi, it’s Charlie! The week went by quickly. Our weather has gotten pretty nice, although it rained yesterday.

Did you know that Queen Elizabeth I had a small beagle?

AI Picture for Women’s History Month

Spring is here and we see lots of birds. I haven’t been able to get close enough to one to sniff it. They are strange creature.

We saw some more sheep.

This is a short report because it is already bedtime. Happy spring! 

No Bones About It

This print shop in Strasburg often decorates their window. Here you can see the daycare building across the street reflected quite clearly.

Yellow Signs of Spring

Daffodils in Winchester

Forsythia in Front Royal

Skywatch / Floral Friday

Grackle Visits the Feeder

These are stills from a video that was automatically recorded by my Birdfy device. There are unfortunate glare spots because the sun was shining on the lens, including a round orange spot that makes it look like it has a red breast like a robin. I can’t avoid placing the camera where it gets sunstruck because the only direction that never gets direct sun is north, and that would be looking toward my neighbor’s window. 

This bird has character! The long beak and bright eyes give it a cartoonish look, so I found it worth the trouble to make still pictures from the video. Actually, this isn’t difficult once I download it. I just stop it where I want and tell Siri to make a screen shot, which I crop and save.

Speaking of Siri, she failed at identifying the bird when it faced downward, guessing that it was a beetle or a bear!

A Bit of Green for St. Patrick’s Day

Although it was very cold today, I took Charlie for a short walk at Seven Bends State Park this afternoon. I saw that the Virginia bluebells are getting ready to bloom. They are often found along rivers because the conditions in floodplains are ideal for their growth.

The sign for the trail is green. Gokotta is a Swedish word that refers to waking up early in the morning to listen to the birds sing and enjoying nature.

Sorry, Charlie did not pose because he was busy sniffing the ground in order to figure out what dogs had been there previously. 

Here’s an AI drawing of a beagle dressed for St. Patrick’s Day.