Grave Garden Ornaments by Barns

Saturday was a no go with housebuilding. Snow had fallen yet again and again I was stuck in the house. So I threw out plenty of bird seed along with a couple of suet cakes and watched the birds. It got a little daunting at one point as the Crow Family who live up here on the hill decided to sit in the oak tree and peer through the french doors at me. It felt a bit like a scene from The Birds.

 By Sunday I was done with being in the house and it was too cold to partake in any fun outdoor group activities so I decided to go exploring by driving around the countryside. Berryville was going to be my first stop so I headed off there with the car heater furiously blasting out hot air around me. With the windows up and loud music playing I was very content. I passed through a small village called Millwood which I'd never been to before.

It pretty much consisted of a few buildings along the main street, many of which were very old, almost tottering on the edge of the road. It felt as though the whole place would tumble to the ground as I drove through, much like a house of cards when blown upon. There were 2 antique places which I shall return to visit at a later date but for now I was reluctant to get out of my cozy cocoon.

 I loved this mural as I entered Berryville. I drove all around the town and realized that it wasn't the place I'd thought it was, my memories of places were mixed up. There were some antique/junk stores on the main street but nothing that could prize me from my warm seat. I did climb out to investigate one of the graveyards but only found one interesting stone.

And I also got out to watch this Norfolk Southern train as it pulled away and then realized that I was standing at the site of an old photo I'd seen on the internet, one that I wanted to photograph myself.

 But I was disappointed. The old photo is the top one of these two and the one below is all that's left today.

 Berryville was not as captivating as I'd hoped so I drove on, but this garishly painted house made me smile before I left.
My next stop was an old chapel which looked very old. It dated from 1790 and had an old graveyard so I went for a walkabout and read on a sign that Lord Fairfax worshipped here. I found this wonderful old book online about the chapel.
http://www.archive.org/stream/oldchapelclarkec00hughes#page/28/mode/2up
There's a section entitled A Gentleman of Verona which is interesting.

 This gentleman is also mentioned in the book in The Cemetery Record, page 26.

 I really liked this little place, it had a peaceful and welcoming feel to it and is obviously well looked after.

I saw these 2 guys hanging around outside.
I drove further on and came to a place that caught my eye. The side of the road was loaded with statues, carvings and old farm machinery as well as old garden furniture.

I struck up a conversation with the guy working there, who was looking after the place while the owners weren't there. He was very friendly and didn't mind me taking photos. The place is called Neatos, apparently because visitors would wander around remarking on how 'neat' the place was.

I totally fell in love with this bronze horse so if anyone would like to get me an early Birthday present, it's only $23,000.

 This beautiful 1968 Edsel sat out the front begging to be restored.

 There were some very cute and unique garden ornaments, mostly made from concrete but a few others made from soapstone or granite. I had a look around inside the store but wasn't as intrigued as I had been with the exterior. Saying goodbye I set off again and this time decided to trek along more rural roads.

 There were few people out as I drove along empty roads and looked out over emptier farmland, frozen ponds dotted among the rustic old barns in desolate fields. But there was a peaceful beauty in the bleakness. I bumbled along the windy lanes and eventually ended up approaching a village with this post in the middle of the road, such a strange sight, that I promptly came to a halt.

 This was the village of White Post. The post has been replaced many times over the last 200 years, the first erected by George Washington. Bishop William Meade was borne at White Post and later led the remarkable revival of the Episcopal Church in the decades following the War of 1812.

 As I drove in the direction of home I passed this wonderful old country store. Unfortunately it was closed but I shall return as I'm curious to find out how much those realistic black crows are going for. On my travels I had been keeping an eye out for old barns. One of my groups is wanting to do a tour to photograph these, a photographic assignment I've been meaning to do for months. And strangely enough the best ones of the day were practically at the end of my road, within 20 miles of Meadow House. Who'd have thunk?

A good start to the Barns of America and just down the road from me. It was a fine way to finish the roadtrip until I came across this group of cows and horses who immediately took an avid interest in me and my camera.

Say, "Hay!"