July 20th, 2008 — at play
On the way back towards DC today, we decided to take the scenic route, heading south out of Christiansburg to pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a recreational motor road, running over 400 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to Shenandoah National Parks.
We started our trip with breakfast at a little place just off the parkway in Tuggle’s Gap. The restaurant has been in continuous operation since before the parkway was done, and has some motel rooms as well. We spent a few hours meandering North up the parkway, stopping at a LOT of overlooks along the way.
Then we had lunch near Roanoke and hopped back on the interstate to take in part of the Shenandoah National Park. I basically starts where the Parkway ends. We had to get to DC, so didn’t make as many stops there before heading down the mountains to catch the highway to take us towards DC.
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July 19th, 2008 — at play
It is.. well, was - Saturday AM. Dad and I were trying to decide what to do with our day off here in VA. Sight-seeing, yes, but where. I do a bit of a google search and find some information on the Cascades Recreation Area, which is part of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
The Recreation area has a picnic area, but the showcase is a trail that leadsup Little Stoney Creek to the Cascades waterfall. According the website:
The trail itself is a thing of beauty also. Much of it has been carved directly into existing rock and there are numerous stone steps, walls and walkways. Four bridges allow hikers to get even closer to the creek and be surrounded by the sounds and sprays of falling water. Since the trail is so close to the creek, rocks may be slippery or icy, so be careful.
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July 18th, 2008 — at play, at work
Here we are, day one in VA. Chrisiansburge to be exact. And it is the first full day since we did cross the VA border before midnight. Yes, the title says DC, but it sounds better, given the reference and all, and I was there yesterday and will be there Sunday and Monday… so… what the heck.
We got lots of work done to prep for the upcoming work on the Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop, and got a few others errands run… but no real sightseeing yet.
Except for this…
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July 2nd, 2008 — ramblings
Ok… they’re not THAT kind of chicks… and technically they are ducklings, but hey, got your attention! And don’t worry, I’m 20+ feet away, using the zoom lens. See more!
July 1st, 2008 — ramblings
My new office has windows that are at ground level. Early May I noticed I had a neighbor… a duck, who had fashioned a bit of a nest in the corner of the building near my window. And the nest, we noticed once when the mama duck wasn’t around had an egg in it. Unfortunately, a few weeks later mama was gone, and the egg had gotten… I don’t know what. Maybe a coon or some other critter got to it, hard to say, but it was pretty well smashed.
A couple days later the landlord’s landscaper was cleaning up around the building and the nest was soon gone. We were all kinda bummed around here.
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April 11th, 2008 — ramblings
Last week I posted about the weather around here, referencing as an April Fool’s type joke. And sure, as hearty “Minne-snow-tans”, we take the weather in stride. Sometimes the jokes are really funny, sometimes they have unintended consequences and sometimes they’re just wrong.
Well around here, it is feeling like we’re getting hit with the joke that just won’t go away. After hitting the 60’s over the weekend, we’re not getting out of the 40s, and last night there was snow, lighting, and thunder. All rolled in to one.
This was my front yard this morning. Whee.
With our luck, next week it will be in the 80s, humid, and we’ll be swarming with mosquitoes.
