Shooting Arrows and Warrenton Jail

On Saturday I had been looking forward to going to the Rte 11 Yard Crawl but woke up to pouring rain, not really the kind of weather I wanted to be scouting along roadsides in. Last year I'd bought a compound bow very cheaply from the yard sale, so since it was exactly 1 year later, and I hadn't had it checked out for safe use, today would be the day. I discovered that an archery shop was very close by so drove there immediately.
It was quite overwhelming once I entered. I hardly knew where to look first, there were bows and arrows hanging and standing everywhere. a couple of guys were having their compound bows restrung and I could tell immediately that they were hunters.

 The staff were fabulous and very welcoming, not at all fazed because I was a complete newbie. I showed them my bow and one guy laughed, saying I'd never be able to use it as it's a 75lb bow and the most he'd ever seen a female pull was 62lbs. but he did say it was in good shape and fine to use but was due for a restringing. He then suggested I get another bow which threw me for a bit but then I walked over to the recurves. Even before getting the compound bow I'd always fancied using a more traditional bow. When I first looked at Meadow House I'd noticed an archery target in one of the fields and picked up a few random arrows that I'd later found, resting them by the fireplace. so I picked out a take down recurve made from ash and maple and straight away felt better holding it than the compound bow. And it was a downhill run from there. Before I knew it I was having a lesson on how to shoot while one of the other guys started cutting and tipping a dozen feathered arrows for me.

 I took a photo of my instructor holding my bow so I'd remember where to put the arrow nock. I had so much to remember.

 My bow sitting on the cradle. I was literally hopping from one foot to the other waiting to take it. They all wanted to know if I was going to hunt but I said I fed the animals rather wanting to shoot them so I was deemed to be a "critter gazer".
Soon my carbon arrows were ready and I could leave, feeling pretty cool as I loaded both a recurve and a compound bow onto the back seat of the car with my bundle of arrows.
I wanted to get home to shoot but first I had errands to run in Warrenton so drove there first. Then I got waylaid. I passed the old Jail Museum and without thinking parked the car and walked inside. I've driven past so many times and wondered what was inside, and since today was an impulse day, I was going in!
A gentleman greeted me and explained some of the history. I couldn't remember it all but there was so much written literature available that I didn't worry. He pointed out a few key things explaining where I could go then sat down and let me wander.

 This kitchen area was once part of the old jail but when a new building was erected at the back, this part of the building became the jailor's home. The barrel was hand carved from a tree trunk. The old jail was built in 1808 then in 1823 a new jail was built at the back with an exercise yard used also for hanging until 1896.

The old mirror used to hang in the dining area of the Warren Green Hotel which stands behind the jail. The Duchess of Windsor spent a year here waiting for her first divorce and apparently spent a lot of time preening in front of this mirror.

 There are 2 other rooms downstairs which were once cells holding a lot of folks at one time. People would be arrested and thrown in the cell, then often forgotten about and left for ages before release. food wasn't always supplied and there are reports of folks languishing in here until the new jail was built with a full time jailor to attend the prisoners.
The jail now houses displays of Civil War memorabilia and Warrenton history. The jail was used for military prisoners as well as civilians. It's believed that during the Civil War captured prisoners from both sides were held here until they could be moved on to POW camps, but it was likely that none stayed long since the town was captured and recaptured 67 times during the conflict! Frank Rockefeller, brother of oil tycoon J.D., was held here for stealing potatoes in 1862 from a field in Warrenton, and Col John S. Mosby himself was held here for a few days to 'cool down' after being apprehended before managing to complete a duel with Captain Alexander Payne who had publicly insulted him.

 This 1920's dentistry display donated by a local dentist made me shudder. There was a lot of horrendous equipment here, but I loved the advert.

The exercise yard and site of the executions.

Inside the newer jail stands the two solitary confinement cells, a free standing room within a room, and not looking too comfy.
This is a really interesting museum, exceeding my expectations, and holding some very original artifacts, even a tourniquet used on Stonewall Jackson and old radio equipment used by Warrenton police in the 60's.
Hopping back into the car I sped home anxious to try out my new bow.

Being a very responsible owner the first thing I did was prepare a space for it to hang as advised by the archery shop.

The first two arrows dug into the grass but my third was a winner, and after that I was doing pretty good.

But my fingers got very sore and soon I could only shoot about 3 arrows then take a break before I could shoot another 3.

This was my arm a couple of days later where the bow string clipped it on its return. But I've ordered a brace from England so should have adequate protection soon. Barb came over late afternoon and shot some arrows, finding it a little harder than she'd thought.

We decided on the spur of the moment to go tubing on Sunday and chose a less commercial place called Downtown River, nearer to home than Luray. The photos from my phone in its waterproof case were all blurry so I've not loaded many but it was a lovely way to wind down and we spent 3 hours just bobbing along enjoying the scenery.

Storming the Capitol and the Capital on a Hunt for Art

On Saturday I had to be down in DC early to meet a group, we were going for a tour of The Capitol, somewhere I've often wanted to visit.  It was a muggy grey day with rain threatening to fall so being indoors seemed an ideal solution for the day. We all met and then lined up waiting for our tour to start.

This replica of the Freedom Statue that sits atop the dome stands downstairs in the Visitors Center. It was disappointing as close up, it looked like a plaster cast, crudely carved and with little detail. We were directed to an auditorium where we watched a short but brilliant film on how and why the Capitol came about. We were then ushered out to meet our tour guide who introduced herself to us rather brusquely, with strict demands that we didn't photograph her, and then led us quickly to the first point of interest.

We stood in the hall above surrounded by past presidents and quickly the room filled up with other groups. We all donned the headphones we'd been given so we could hear our guide. We listened as she named a few of the statues and then had to hurry after her without being able to look around the room properly.
We next entered the Rotunda where we saw more statues. Around 1859 Congress invited each state to contribute 2 statues of its most notable citizens, and these are now displayed in various rooms of the Capitol. This room is now a ceremonial area where state funerals since Lincoln have been held. Special visitors are also received here.

The Apothesis of Washington painted by Constantino Brumidi and a video which I had to take very quickly, click here.

This Frieze of American history was painted  all around the Rotunda by Constantino Brumidi, Filippo Constaggini and Allyn Cox, and is supposed to influence the viewer into thinking it's carved in stone rather than painted.

The Baptism of Pocahontas by John Gadsby Chapman, and The Declaration of Independence by John Trumball, who was one of General Washington's aides.

Abraham Lincoln. He was wearing the long frock coat in which he was assassinated. I wish I'd had the time to grab a full length image.

We were kept pretty close to the wall by our guide and not allowed to move out more to the center or to the other side of the room so we never got to see the art or other sculptures properly.We weren't able to look at the other side of the room, just our small segment that we stood in.

Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony by Adelaide Johnson in 1920. The pioneers of the woman suffragette movement.

Thomas Jefferson holding the Declaration of Independence. This was the first full length portrait statue placed in the Capitol building.

We were then herded to the National Statuary Hall where there were more statues donated by various states.

The dome, on which the Statue of Freedom stands, is above this room

The Car of History depicting Clio, muse of history, recording the proceedings of the house. Carved by Carlo Franzoni in 1810.

Rosa Parks (commissioned by Congress), and a sculpture from Florida, John Gorrie (he invented air conditioning!)
Our guide attempted to demonstrate the acoustic qualities of the hall by walking away from us and then quietly talking to us with her mouth covered. None in our group, apart from one, could hear her, but then there were hundreds of other bodies crammed into the hall also.
In less than an hour our tour was complete. It is an amazingly beautiful building but with so many people and being rushed at such speed with so many limitations on what we could see, I retained very little information from the tour and had to rely heavily on this excellent website, click here.
There is also a superb exhibition in the visitors' center. I had seen some beautiful tiles in the exhibition from England, but there were in a part of the building we weren't allowed in. Basically it's just the Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall that visitors get to see. But I fervently wish we had been allowed more time and freedom to view these spectacular places in more detail. There was so much that I missed. They have got the tour process down to a fine art, meticulously planned, but it would have been more enjoyable if we could have had a little more time to actually let the wonder of this place sink in, instead of standing at the end bewildered and wondering, 'Is that it?'
I will obviously have to return another day.

Because there was so much of the day left I walked down to the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial which stands at the front of the Capitol. I think this is my favorite of all memorials in DC, the detail captured in these bronze statues is amazing. It was started in 1902 and sculpted by Henry Shrady who spent nearly 20 years completing it.

I would love one of those lions on my patio!. I was still feeling in an arty mood and so headed to the National Gallery of Art. There is an exhibition called When Art Danced with Music, featuring Diaghilev's Ballet Russes, where Diaghilev brought together design, music and dance, involving the top names of the period, thus creating productions ahead of its time that captivated audiences. The website is here. It was an incredible exhibition and I spent a couple of hours in there, watching the ballet performances and admiring the many costumes on display. It was hard not being allowed to photograph anything but understandable; a soft light glowed throughout, protecting the exhibits.

Afterwards I decided to walk over to the other wing and visit some favorite paintings before I left. This is the walkway underground linking the two wings, the lights flicker in different patterns along the metal sculpture.

 Turner's Keelman Heaving in Coals by Night. The light in the sky seemed to light up the whole room.

 Van Gogh's Roses. I love to just stand and admire the brushstrokes on his paintings, this one being my favorite.

I'm a big Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec fan, fascinated with the Moulin Rouge era.There are quite a few od his paintings here.
I also love the Baroque style. Until Impressionism, most art showed biblical or mythical characters, portraits or still life, and many of these early paintings were stunning.

This is The Last Communion of St Mary of Egypt by Sebastiono Ricci in 1695. The detail is incredible and I stood for ages getting as near to the painting as I could with a nervous guard watching me closely. Apparently these paintings have sensors which can be set off by proximity and not just touch. The angel wings in this painting are fabulous, it took everything in me not to touch the paint, I was sure that if I'd been able to I would've touched feathers and not paint.

I'm also captivated by Reubens' work and admire his dexterity in this painting of the Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria. What skill to create silver cloth with paint. It almost shimmered as I moved from side to side, the guard once more watching me.

This is my all time favorite, Daniel in the Lions' Den, again by Paul Reubens, taking him 2 years to paint, finishing in 1616. Daniel was thrown to the lions for refusing to give up Christ, yet not one of the beasts attacked him, resulting in Daniel being freed the following morning. I sat down to study this huge painting for a while, to the relief of the guard.
I could have easily spent another 24 hours in this building but not wanting to deal with heavy late afternoon traffic I walked back to the car and managed to escape DC hassle free and with my own gallery of favorites captured on my camera.