A Sort of Snowy Sunday

On Sunday we woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground. Sadly it wasn't the 4 feet I'd been hoping for but nonetheless it still looked pretty and I soon hopped out of bed, donned some clothes and trotted outside with Kota in fast pursuit. He was very happy and boisterous this morning and bounded straight for the dogwood tree as soon as I'd opened the door.

 He charged to the top of the biggest branch, yowling as he did so, and constantly looking back at me to make sure I was watching and applauding, which obviously I did. He's definitely been putting some practice in. Gone are the days when he'd get stuck at the top of a tree or on a bough overhanging a river and I'd have to go rescue him. It's taken 10 years but whatever, he's a surefire superstar now! I clapped my hands enthusiastically and he beamed as he strutted and posed on his branch. He finally came down with zero hesitation and without putting a paw wrong then zoomed off across to the fence.
I walked across to The Lanes and took some photos before the snow melted which it was doing rapidly. Yet the thaw made some pretty images with droplets suspended from anything hanging, snowy branches, whiskery vines and bent grasses.

I was sad to see the snow melt, it was gone completely by 3pm. We've had one of the mildest Januarys ever so I'm pinning my hopes on February or March. Let it snow! Properly! Please!

A Rocking Saturday

On Saturday morning I left early to get to nearby Bull Run Mountains where I was meeting the conservancy group and helping with some trail work. It was a cold day but there were a lot of people who had come to volunteer and we were soon introducing ourselves and chatting. Tools were brought out and distributed once our work was explained and we all started trudging up the trail. Some people helped to complete a job that had been started previously but the most of us were going to build a waterbar.

 Above is a waterbar already on the trail, and a description is here.  I've seen many of these on hikes and assumed they helped towards preventing erosion but never paid them much attention until today. Our leader was Janis who I have the utmost respect for as she's about to embark on a 6 month hike walking the whole of the Appalachian Trail. You can follow her here once she's started. There was also a guy there who has already completed the AT trail AND the Pacific Trail. Whoa! I would love to do either of these if I'm still upright when I retire!
Janis explained that we needed plenty of large flat rocks that could be found up on the hills which we could then bring down to the trail. They were likely to weigh about 150 - 200lbs or more. We all looked at each other but then shrugged our shoulders and began plodding up the steep slopes. We soon got engrossed in our work and people could be seen puffing and heaving rocks or sliding and rolling them downhill so that after an hour or so we had quite a respectable pile by the side of the trail. While we'd been doing this some of the others were digging a gully alongside the trail for water to run down, and also a ditch angled across the trail for the stones to sit in.
Soon we realized that there was a group of guys up high on the hill crowded around a monster rock which I nicknamed The Monolith. They were determined to bring it down for the waterbar and their combined efforts were indeed gallant if not pigheaded as their male egos refused to let them give up as they pushed, crowbarred, slid and rolled it down the hill, over a gully and up another hill before it finally rested grandly on the trail. This huge hunk of rock was guessed to weigh in at between 700-800lbs! There were suggestions of making it into a bench or picnic bar but it had been hauled down to be part of a water bar so with more digging to deepen the ditch, that was what it became.

 Everyone was very impressed and I'd been filming their actions as they toiled down towards the rest of us. Unfortunately this is only my second movie with the iPhone and so in the excitement I forgot to turn the phone to landscape mode so the resulting video is an upright one. Ooops! Oh well, the desired effect was still achieved. The link is here.
It was Tim's suggestion to use the Benny Hill music and it was a superb choice, it fit perfectly.

Here is our completed waterbar and gully, Everyone threw old leaves over the trail to cover the mud we'd created and we all stood looking at it rather proudly as the conservancy group told us we'd made a fine job of it. We puffed our chests out further as they also told us to make sure we pointed out 'our' waterbar to our hiking partners on future hikes in the park. We would indeed! We picked up the tools and headed back to our vehicles, stopping for final chats and to exchange contact information.

I got home and woke up a sleeping Kota, ran to the shower and then relaxed before going into Marshall for a steak and wine dinner, an excellent way to finish up the day.

Oddities and Antiquities

On Saturday afternoon I headed down to Gordonsville. I had a friend's birthday present to buy and wanted to get her stuff that had been made in the U.S. so I was on the lookout for any interesting gift or antique shops. In Orange, nothing was jumping out at me so I went round the back roads and by chance came up to a store with the words, 'Body Bronzing & Bohemian Goods'. That sounded mighty intriguing and my foot was out of the car door before I'd killed the engine.

I saw this big black box in one of the rooms and my initial thought was that it was a coffin then I remembered the sign outside, 'Body Bronzing'. This was one very cool tanning salon. Not much room to maneuver but the machines were top notch and I was very tempted to just close the door and hop in.

Every room was a delight as I meandered my way around the building, each time surprised when I came across another tanning bed.

I really liked these torches made of bits of glass containers. Might be back for a couple of these. I did find my friend a present but fell victim to that common female trait of Shopping For Someone Else But Spending More On Oneself. Oh well...

Really liked this Cure Box too but managed to contain myself. I left the store and carried on towards Gordonsville where a new gift shop had opened and has been calling my name for some time. It stocked quite a bit of Folk Art stuff which I love and once again I fell victim to SFSEBSMOO. This birthday shopping was getting expensive. I finally managed to get back to the car and then a final spurt to Rob's house where I was relieved to put shops and shop windows behind me. I was worn out!
On Sunday after a hearty breakfast we drove out to Lake Anna for some fresh air. It really was fresh out and very cold with a nippy wind and silly me had forgotten to bring a jacket so I had to borrow one of Rob's humungous coats which I could quite happily have camped in if I'd had a tent pole or two, it was so big. But it was warm and stopped the biting wind. We noticed a storage unit was having a yard sale so pulled in to nose around. There wasn't much that caught our eye until we went into a unit and spotted the most horriblest ugliest most grotesque mask ever with a $1000 price tag attached.

We looked at it and muttered for a while and finally Rob had to enquire while we chuckled what warranted the huge price tag. The owner roared with laughter and admitted it was just a ruse to get people laughing and talking. It certainly worked and we spent a while chatting with him and informing him he'd do well selling it on EBay before Halloween. It was very well made but damn it was ugly.

A little further on I yelled at Rob to stop as we passed this barn. I loved the signs on the side and simply had to have a photo. He was most obliging, turning the car around and even driving into the owner's yard and positioning the car so I could take a photo without getting out. I couldn't help laughing at his cheek and we left pretty sharpish. Sometimes he's the bestest asisstant!
We eventually got to a deserted Lake Anna and realized as we stepped out of the car why it was so desolate. Although it was sunny the wind was harsh, whipping up the water's edge and tugging at our jackets.

We walked around the lake's edge for about half a mile but decided it really was too cold for hiking so headed back to the parking lot. Driving back towards Mineral I asked Rob to look out for a store I'd noticed on the way to the lake. All I could remember was that it had signs on its walls and I recalled there was a lot of green. Sure enough a little later we drove up to The Old Whitlock's Store.

This was a treasure trove inside and soon we were chatting with Bill, the owner, while we walked around investigating everything. Bill told us the building was 165 years old and he'd restored it with his wife. He'd done a remarkable job, it was like stepping back in time. As he talked it was easy to imagine long skirts and dusty boots walking these same floorboards during the Civil War. The ceiling planks still showed the woodworker's tool marks and the doorsteps were bowed from countless footsteps. Every nook and cranny was filled with wonderful antiques and it wasn't too long before I'd found some things that I simply couldn't put back down. Bill had some old cameras and I just had to have one or two for my collection. While Rob and Bill chatted, I deliberated and pondered and huffed and puffed as I tried to make a decision. It really was just too bad that I didn't have a bottomless wallet but Bill very kindly agreed to give me a discount on two cameras of 15%.
I also spotted a business card on the counter from American Pickers, a fabulous antique show, website here.

Bill showed us a cabinet full of memorabilia about the old store. There were old posters, pamphlets, packaging and signs and even part of some scales used for weighing gold which Bill had found in a wall of the building during restoration. The old original JC Whitlock sign is now back on the front of the store too. Bill had been walking through the local woods and felt drawn to some old ruins. He'd rummaged around the underground around a chimney and found the battered sign which he'd brought home and then hung back up in its rightful place after cleaning it up.

Rob loved this old model railway at the back of the store. There was also an upstairs of the shop that held more goodies. As Bill revealed the history of the place he also told us a couple of ghost stories and I decided to record him while he narrated. I've put together a short video using a couple of audio and video clips from my iPhone and a couple of snaps, also taken with my phone. Here's the link.
This store was a great find and will likely become a regular haunt but unfortunately we had to tear ourselves away to get home. A stop on the way back to Rob's for coffee and pie and then the journey for me back to Meadow House and a hungry Kota.
And not to forget, a car full of bags to unload...

An Icy Weekend

Very early Saturday morning I hopped out of bed and looked out of the window to discover that we'd had some snow silently delivered overnight. Not much but more than a dusting and enough to make a pretty winter wonderland.

I donned a jacket over my PJ's and carefully walked outside to fed the crows, scattering seed in front of the house, then rushed back indoors to make a cup of tea and snuggle back under the covers.

Kota was in heaven sitting on his fleecy hammock with warm air drifting up from the heater below and watching the crows strut and caw right under his nose thanks to the reflective film on the windows.

Later I went out to take a few photos and then rushed to the post office before it closed. I wasn't prepared for ice under the snow and lost control of Stuart at the bottom of hill. We slowly glided out into the main road but thankfully the car approaching from my left had plenty of time to slow down and swerve around me. On the way back up after my trip to Marshall it took me three attempts to get back up the hill.
I was glad to get back to the house and wondered how Brandon would get up the hill later to deliver my fire wood. But his truck had big chunky tires and he didn't slip once. We stacked the wood and then as we chatted over a beer he told me to stock up well for when the snow comes. Apparently when the last snow fell it was 4 or 5 days before anyone touched the bottom road and then it was just a bulldozer creating a one lane escape route. The army and coast guards followed after that to dig out Marshall. Brandon invited me into town for a drink later that evening to meet some of the locals but I was staying put, that icy hill was too intimidating.
On Sunday I had no intention of driving anywhere so I spent the day reading in front of the fire and just took a couple of photos of things Mum sent me.

This is the old family Monopoly set, a little battered but complete. It was nice to see the old pieces again and I always thought this was the best set ever. When I was younger I never understood why some Monopoly sets had an iron or a top hat as the game pieces. The idea of the game is to travel around the board along the streets and through the stations. How does one travel on an iron? You need proper transport for that, like our game pieces, a tank, a ship, a car, a motorbike and a train. My young literal mind sometimes had issues with the ship since there was no water for it to float on but at least it was a mode of transport. Not a silly top hat.

Mum had also found this old Art Deco style kettle which had spent years in a box and wasn't something I remembered having seen during my childhood. But I love its unique shape with the original little oil heater underneath.

I noticed Kota paying rapt attention to something outside and crept over to see what was so alluring. He didn't even acknowledge me, just stared into the trees, and as I followed his gaze I spied a beautiful red tailed hawk sitting on a branch.

I quickly grabbed my camera and clicked the shutter. Luckily I was just in time as he immediately took off and flew over the meadow.
On Monday morning a little more snow had fallen so I waited until about 9:30 to leave for work. The ground around the car was a little slushy so I hoped I'd be able to get out OK. I drove slowly down the hill and took the bends even slower but as the decline became a little steeper the brakes locked and I started picking up speed. It was terrifying not being able to stop but I reacted quickly and steered over to the side of the road that looked more snowy. I put a wheel onto the grass and Stuart stopped, thank God. But I couldn't back up and had to leave him there. The road was a sheet of ice and I had a problem just getting out of the car and standing upright. I managed to let Kit, a neighbor, know that I'd abandoned Stuart and then I plodded up through the snowy meadow back to the house. I was still clutching my coffee and as soon as I got indoors I threw a large slug of brandy into it.
Around 2pm I spotted Matt, another neighbor, walking down the hill. I rushed to join him and together we salted the lower and steeper part of the hill since that area is constantly shaded.

Abandoned Stuart. The dark areas on the road which I thought were safe were actually black ice. It looks like the road ends in the distance but that is actually where it drops down to the steeper hill shown below.

 Poor Stuart stayed on the hill until about 4pm when the UPS van came beetling up the hill. Since he'd managed OK, I walked back down again and this time managed to get Stuart back up to the house. The salt had done its work and the whole hill was now just slush. The temperatures were staying above freezing for the night so I decided to drive again, this time to pick up a piece of furniture with Jim. It wouldn't fit in Stuart but went in the back of Jim's Tahoe easily.

I'm really pleased with this $50 cabinet. It's unusual, maybe from the 70's but is in perfect condition and a perfect home for my cameras which have been in boxes since I moved to Marshall. Now I just need bookcases, a sofabed and wardrobes. One piece at a time...