Dayton Sunflowers

Along West Mosby Road

Yesterday morning I had an appointment in Harrisonburg, and afterward I drove out to see a sunflower field in nearby Dayton. It’s not the biggest one I’ve seen, but it’s bright and cheerful, as flowers tend to be.

Silver Lake Farm Mural

Dayton, VA

When I saw a picture of this mural, I made a note to find it. The address was not listed, but I was able to figure it out using a search engine and online map.

Mosaic Monday / Murals

The artist is Laura Thompson, and she also painted the mural at White Oak Lavender Farm.  

Across Silver Lake Road is a LOVE sign.

I have shown Silver Lake before, but here are some more views.

Birds and Alternate Versions

When I was leaving the place that I showed in yesterday’s post, I noticed this tall tree with crows perched on the upper branches. I snapped a few pictures, so below is an alternate shot, which I cropped for a closer look.

Next we see a bird that I noticed when I was walking Charlie. It was singing, and was shaped like a robin, but I wasn’t positive until I cropped and lightened an alternate picture. I usually try to take two pictures of a subject in case one of them is blurred. This also gives me an extra shot for experimenting.

The View from Sheetz Mill Road

Near Woodstock

This rural road is not very long but it crosses Narrow Passage Creek twice. The creek curves around, following the path of least resistance, as water tends to do. 

Views with Charlie and Marie

My younger daughter visited today. Marie has to go home early tomorrow because of something called a job.

We went to Harrisonburg for lunch and then drove up to Skyline Drive. We stopped in Rockingham Park to walk Charlie and there we had a view of the Massanutten Mountains. 

The views from Skyline Drive were very hazy. I didn’t bother to take pictures of them. I already have hundreds of photos from there that I took on clear days.

We stopped at Byrd Visitor Center, and I remembered to take some pictures of Marie and Charlie.

Mosaic Monday

I wanted Marie and Charlie to pose by the statue of a CCC worker, but Charlie did not want to get close to it.

Barn on a Sunny Day

This was not today. Today was rainy. So was yesterday. It looks like the next few days are going to be rainy also, but that can change.

I can’t complain. We desperately need rain. The state of Virginia is officially in drought stage. Strasburg is already asking people to conserve water. Usually this doesn’t happen until July or August.

I had appointments today: Physical therapy and the eye specialist. I also picked up a prescription and had blood drawn for diagnostic tests. I don’t seem to have anything serious, but I have a bunch of nuisance problems plus ever-present fatigue. Yesterday I saw a new doctor and I’m grateful that he’s trying to be thorough. At least he doesn’t chalk up my concerns to old age! 

I was able to ignore my age for a long time, but my body reminds me every day that I’m not 39 anymore. Or 59!

Overall, I feel fortunate. I was born after World War II, and I’ve lived through somewhat of a golden age. The economy was good for most of it. It may fall apart now, with conflict and corruption threatening our country’s strength.  I hope not. 

My parents survived the Great Depression, followed by war. They taught me how to be frugal. Will that be enough? The health problems of getting older are a lot more expensive than I expected.

I don’t mean to go off on a tangent, so I’ll stop. I just wanted to say that my generation was very fortunate, in spite of challenges that we had to face.

One More Post about the Lavender Farm

White Oak Lavender Farm, Part Three

It isn’t often that I make three posts to show you one place, but there’s a lot to see at the Lavender Farm, and I didn’t even take pictures of the eating spots or the gift shop. I did pay a small fee to explore the Discovery Area, because that’s where you can see the mural and farm animals.

I didn’t have a tour guide and you don’t need one either. Let’s just wander through and see what we find.

Link: White Oak Lavender Farm

Double Mural, Purple Barn

White Oak Lavender Farm, Part Two 

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I went to the Lavender Farm to see the new mural. It covers the back of a barn plus an extension. I found it impossible to get the entire thing in one photo. I tried a panorama shot, and then flattened it using AI. Even then, there was a portion on the adjacent wall that I could not get in the frame because there was a butterfly house that I had to step around. Also, there were buttresses painted with lavender plants.

Monday Murals

The artwork is by Real Creative Studio in Harrisonburg. Speaking of artists, I saw some at work painting “en plein air.”

Another structure had flowers painted on the wall. 

There was even more to see and photograph, but it will have to wait until another day. Stay tuned!

Photographing while Waiting

Today I had an appointment in Harrisonburg. I didn’t have to wait very long, but I did have time to take a few pictures of their plants.

On the way home, I ran into a construction zone. This turned out to cause a ten-minute wait, so I took a picture of a barn. I never did see exactly what the road crew was doing because I turned off on a side road and took a different route. 

Another Critter Collection

Hi! It's Charlie here with a report and animal pictures. 

Today I spent a lot of time with Miss Deborah and Sadie. We had fun!

 Here’s a cat that lives in my neighborhood.

Yesterday Mom took me to the state park along the river.

On the way home, we drove past a farm. I like to see cows from inside the car. Some of them like to see me too!

Here’s a squirrel that looks friendly, but it doesn’t come close enough to say hello.

I hope you got to see some friends this week.