Is this the perfect room for watching football or what? […]

We travelled alongside this guy on our way to the beach last week. I’ll bet his car gets photographed a lot. (By friend and foe.)

For you nanny-state types, relax, my passenger took the photo.
[ This content originated at Musings Over a Pint ]

Confession… I don’t like shrimp. Actually, any kind of shellfish for that matter, but I know many people who do, including my husband. However, the tasty marinade and honey butter, used for basting, changed my mind and even I enjoyed this succulent s…

My partner and I had the privilege of meeting with anot […]

Beautiful 5 BR, 3 1/2 BA custom built home with stone f […]

With a cold front was pressing south and east across Virginia I knew Friday 8/23 held potential for decent chase conditions but I was constrained in time – and thus range – by plans we already had in place for dinner guests.  When a very nice cell…

With a forecast of 78 and low humidity, there was no way I was going to
waste a day like that on yard work or chores. Both kids were busy so I
hiked solo at Bear Church
Rock. It was actually
the first time I had ever done that. I made it home without g…

With a forecast of 78 and low humidity, there was no way I was going to waste a day like that on yard work or chores. Both kids were busy so I hiked solo at Bear Church Rock. It was actually the first time I had ever done that. I made it home without getting eaten by a bear.

The hike starts next to the Rapidan River and also follows the Stautoun River for a while. The first 2.2 miles of the hike are comfortably flat paralleling a river.

This looks like a great swimming hole.

At about 2.2 miles you turn left away from the river and the trail gets much steeper all the way to the top at about 4 miles. On the way I passed through the tunnel of mountain laurel that I’m sure would be spectacular in bloom.

The trail also featured countless spiderwebs spun across the trail. This is one that I saw before I walked into it. There were many that I did not see in time.

The spiders and the climb were worth it, as this was the reward at the top. I didn’t see a single human on the way up.

That is Old Rag in the distance. There is absolutely no sign of human civilization from up there. I could not see a house, farm, cell tower, or road. I was no hurry to give up my peaceful solitude so I made a pillow out of my backpack and took a little siesta. I got about 15 minutes in before another hiker joined me on the rock.

The trek down was uneventful. On the way out I passed what has to be one of the smallest post offices ever in operation.

And no southern town is complete without a Civil War Memorial.

On the way in I had to stop for directions as my printout from Google Maps was missing the final turn. I stopped in at a county store / gas station. There were two old guys sitting by a wood stove chewing the fat, as they say. 5 hours later on my way out I stopped in for a cold drink. The old guys were still there. They are probably still there.

Photoset on Flickr.

With a forecast of 78 and low humidity, there was no way I was going to waste a day like that on yard work or chores. Both kids were busy so I hiked solo at Bear Church Rock. It was actually the first time I had ever done that. I made it home without getting eaten by a bear.

The hike starts next to the Rapidan River and also follows the Stautoun River for a while. The first 2.2 miles of the hike are comfortably flat paralleling a river.

This looks like a great swimming hole.

At about 2.2 miles you turn left away from the river and the trail gets much steeper all the way to the top at about 4 miles. On the way I passed through the tunnel of mountain laurel that I’m sure would be spectacular in bloom.

The trail also featured countless spiderwebs spun across the trail. This is one that I saw before I walked into it. There were many that I did not see in time.

The spiders and the climb were worth it, as this was the reward at the top. I didn’t see a single human on the way up.

That is Old Rag in the distance. There is absolutely no sign of human civilization from up there. I could not see a house, farm, cell tower, or road. I was no hurry to give up my peaceful solitude so I made a pillow out of my backpack and took a little siesta. I got about 15 minutes in before another hiker joined me on the rock.

The trek down was uneventful. On the way out I passed what has to be one of the smallest post offices ever in operation.

And no southern town is complete without a Civil War Memorial.

On the way in I had to stop for directions as my printout from Google Maps was missing the final turn. I stopped in at a county store / gas station. There were two old guys sitting by a wood stove chewing the fat, as they say. 5 hours later on my way out I stopped in for a cold drink. The old guys were still there. They are probably still there.

Photoset on Flickr.

With a forecast of 78 and low humidity, there was no way I was going to waste a day like that on yard work or chores. Both kids were busy so I hiked solo at Bear Church Rock. It was actually the first time I had ever done that. I made it home without getting eaten by a bear.

The hike starts next to the Rapidan River and also follows the Stautoun River for a while. The first 2.2 miles of the hike are comfortably flat paralleling a river.

This looks like a great swimming hole.

At about 2.2 miles you turn left away from the river and the trail gets much steeper all the way to the top at about 4 miles. On the way I passed through the tunnel of mountain laurel that I’m sure would be spectacular in bloom.

The trail also featured countless spiderwebs spun across the trail. This is one that I saw before I walked into it. There were many that I did not see in time.

The spiders and the climb were worth it, as this was the reward at the top. I didn’t see a single human on the way up.

That is Old Rag in the distance. There is absolutely no sign of human civilization from up there. I could not see a house, farm, cell tower, or road. I was no hurry to give up my peaceful solitude so I made a pillow out of my backpack and took a little siesta. I got about 15 minutes in before another hiker joined me on the rock.

The trek down was uneventful. On the way out I passed what has to be one of the smallest post offices ever in operation.

And no southern town is complete without a Civil War Memorial.

On the way in I had to stop for directions as my printout from Google Maps was missing the final turn. I stopped in at a county store / gas station. There were two old guys sitting by a wood stove chewing the fat, as they say. 5 hours later on my way out I stopped in for a cold drink. The old guys were still there. They are probably still there.

Photoset on Flickr.