9-12-16 ~ Pictures from a Happy Weekend Trip

A week ago Buddy and I went to Damascus, VA, for him to run another ultra marathon. While he was running, I went walking on the AT, the Creeper Trail, and around Beartree Lake. We stayed at the cutest place, Hikers Inn. The owners turned their garage into a bunk room and a queen room, and there was a shared bath for all. What a deal for hikers...$25.00 a nite. We stayed in the house in a kingsize bed and AC for $75.00 a night. What a great deal. We loved the owners and will return there next year. Our world really does consist of - to a  large extent - Bud's and my going to his 1/2, full, and ultra marathon races. This is one of my favorite spots to go.

Here is a collection of photos from that day.

Crossing the Finish Line - Ultra Marathon - Damascus Virginia

Today is Bud’s 64th birthday, and he has been running since he was a teenager. Now he has only one year until he can get his Medicare! WooHoo! He has hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, and is also a biker. It took him a total of 10 years to hike the entire trail doing it on his vacations in the summers, and he and I are both very proud to say he did NOT skip out on one single mile of it. We have been married 37 years, and if you all did not already know, I am 13 years older...77. So, not only is he an athlete who refuses to give up even with a painful hip requiring lots of physical therapy and exercises at home, he is a saint for putting up with me all these years. My youngest was only 6 and the other two were teenagers when we married, and he was been a wonderfully kind and loving step-father to the three of them. No one gave it a chance to last. Well, we showed them! I call him the "Ever Ready Bunny" because he never stops.

 If ou click on the picture, you will see the sign - Hikers Inn.
Our comfy room was the one upstairs in the front right corner.

These two pictures are of another B and B across the street from Hikers Inn. Damascus, Va, is a precious little town filled with the nicest and most accommodating folk in the world. The AT runs right down that main street so there are LOTS of B and B's geared to hikers and other that want to bike the Creeper Trail.

We ate in a little restaurant, and I got there biggest kick out of the "sign” on the aprons worn by the people working there...
Today's Menu ~ Take It or Leave It

The footpath through the woods around the lake is 1 mile.

I chose not to sit on this bench. I was deathly afraid of Poison Ivy.

  

 The walk around the lake was a mushroom hunters heaven on earth. The red one is my favorite. I felt like a gnome was going to come hopping out at any moment. I have no clue what their names are, and if any of them are poisonous. If any of you know and can identify them, I would love to have the information. I didn't touch any of them or the Poison Ivy which was happily growing everywhere I walked.

I think this is a MAGICAL mushroom.

These were the only two flowers blooming.

This is where is local fishermen hung out.

 This post is linked with:

Our World Tuesday

Signs2
Good Fences
Today's Flowers

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Shadow Shot Sunday

6-27-16 ~ Digital Flowers

I have decided if I try to create a digital sketch daily, maybe before long I will figure out how the brushes and colors work. For now, it is just hunt and click. Sometimes it works; sometimes not.

Autumn Is Creeping into Virginia

Today my goal - other that dragging my aged self to work and home again - was to try to document in pictures some of  the changes taking place around me in nature.  I am a novice photographer so please hang in there with me as I share with you some of my favorite shots for the day.

Here is our front field where the grass/hay has just had its second cutting and is ready to be baled.

Heading off to work this I got to enjoy these views.

Every morning the alpacas are out as I am driving by.  You can see the color beginning to show up here in the trees.

On my way home this afternoon I came upon these trees really sporting their colors. There was a long row of them. With the blue sky and clouds in the background, it was a real pleasure to stop and play with my camera. 

As I crossed the bridge coming down our driveway,  I noted just how little water there was in the creek.  Once again we are in a "No Burning" period because of the drought.

Once across the bridge,  Buddy had left me this silly sign.  Since he had his little car parked in “my spot,” he left me Eloise’s easel with a special handwritten sign. He is such a tease.

Here is what the “lot” looked like after I parked my little Vibe.

Before going into the house, I decided to take some last shots of the few flowers we still have in the yard.  The color is about gone from most of them, but there were a few that were still quite pretty.

Finally, as I walked up on the front porch, Buddy had another surprise for me...Lady Baga dressed up in her hiking gear.  I can tell that this is going to be an ongoing story.  I wonder what the next installment will turn out to be!

My First Attempt at Creating a Collage

Free photo collage customized with Smilebox

For a while I have wanted to learn how to create a collage for my blog using photos I've taken of flowers, nature, and interesting things from life.  Today I decided to take the plunge and just do it!  After reading about Smilebox I thought I would give it a try and went with their 14 day free trial package.  It does leave you with their ad under the collage, but it is't too obtrusive and I'm OK with it.  It was a fun first attempt at a digital grouping.