Just a Hint of Color for Now

I'm back.

Did you miss me?

Hubby and I just returned from a five-day excursion to San Diego. We went there to visit our eldest daughter, Shannon, who moved to San Diego last June.

It's about time we went out there, eh?

We were car-bound, but had a blast. Shannon played tour guide/hostess for the entire trip.

San Diego, aside from its well-known perfect weather, is a very fun, colorful, all-around gorgeous  place.

I'll share more pics later. We got home at 2:45 AM this morning. Not sure how long I'll be awake tonight!

A Touching Moment

Look what happened on a recent trip to the county fair...

Yep, I got up close and personal with a real, live cow.

Not too personal.

Her name was Pansy. When her owner said I could get closer and touch her, I couldn't resist.

I am such a city girl.

Woe is Me

Now THIS is a weather forecast one can embrace...

Too bad I won't be able to enjoy it on the bike.

But enjoy it I will.

With weather like that, I won't be on the computer much. So... see y'all in a few days.

Travel Preparations

I can't believe Summer is flying by so quickly.

I mean, jeez, it doesn't seem like that long ago that we were all wishing for warmer riding weather. Now all we can do is hope for cooler temps!

Hubby and I are really getting excited about our trip to Europe. That, too, will be here and gone before we know it. So I guess I'd better kick the planning into high gear.

I reserved rental motorcycles months ago. But other than that have only been planning here and there. But nothing serious. No real itinerary. No accommodations. No nothing. For the first half of the vacation anyway. Once we return the bikes, we'll be picked up by our favorite traveling companions (Belgian friends Annelies and Yves). The next week will be spent with them in and around Venice. Followed by a day or two with some other mutual friends, Tammi and Martin, in Switzerland.

We're getting quite excited. Even though it is still a couple of months away.

Hubby actually went online and got the info we needed to register for our International Driver's Permit. And, after hearing me bitch about the cost of obtaining passport photos -- $10 per person for two 2" x 2" images -- he found a place on-line to get free passport photos. He found a couple of places, but the one we used was epassportphoto.com.

At first glance, it looks like you have to pay there, too. But if you read the small print, you'll see that you can print or download a copy of the image, which is actually just a 4x6 print that includes four identical photos of each person. Put them on a memory stick like I did and take them to CVS or some other cheapo photo printer and you can get four images in one print for $0.29. So, for $0.61 (including tax), we each had two photos to send with our application and two in reserve for future use.

Did you know that Americans driving more than 50 miles into Canada are supposed to have an International Driver's Permit? I didn't. Not that I have ever driven that far into Canada, but one day I just might.

We have some other little trips coming up, too. Just no real bike trips planned. Not yet, anyway. Except for a trip to or at least toward New York I have planned for early Fall. About which I am also very excited.

Anyhoo... the next week or so will be pretty busy for me. So if you don't see me 'round, don't worry. I'll tell you all about what we've been up to later.

Up to the Challenge

Dar, aka Princess Scooterpie, threw down a blog challenge the other day. Or, as she called it, a mini-challenge. She said, "Post a picture of your favorite non-motorcycle/scooter shoes & one of your motorcycle/scooter boots/shoes."

At first, I wasn't going to participate. I mean, my assortment of footwear is nothing to brag about. Trust me.

It's been interesting seeing the different footwear fellow blogger/riders have chosen. First was Bobskoot's not-so-serious entry. Fuzzy gets kudos for the most-creative assortment. Pamela at Helmet or Heels gets the nod for following instructions most closely. Brandy at Trobairitz' Tablet had a pretty eclectic assortment.

After seeing what everyone else had in their closet, I figured it's only fair if I share, too. No matter how boring. So, here you go...

My Entire Shoe Collection

Don't laugh. That really is my entire collection of shoes. Except for maybe a pair of slippers that aren't shown. I only own about 15 pairs of shoes. Sad, right? And my Hubby calls this a lot. I keep telling him he is clueless.

My favorites and riding boots are out in front. Here's a closer look.

The sandals in the front row are my favorite warm-weather shoes. Although I am usually barefoot or wearing socks around the house, when I do wear shoes, it's the blue Keens I wear most. As if you couldn't tell just by looking at them (they're a bit dirty). They are more-rugged than the brown sandals beside them, but I love them both.

In the back row, on the left, are my absolute favorite pair of sneakers. They are Adidas Samba soccer shoes. Which I actually did buy for playing indoor soccer. They are the most comfortable shoes I think I have ever owned. They conform perfectly to my feet. The tongue is a bit tall, which is good for soccer, but not so good for just strolling. They look sort of silly with shorts, because of the tongue thing, so I only wear them with long pants. Unless, of course, I am actually playing soccer, then shorts would be just fine. I don't even know if there are adult soccer leagues in this area, but then I am so out of shape, I'd probably have a heart attack if I tried to play again...

Back row, middle, are my Columbia hiking shoes. Not that I hike all that much. But, when I do, those are the perfect shoes for it. I've worn Timberland boots for years, which I absolutely LOVE. I couldn't find a shoe I liked (or that was in my price range) in that brand, so I went with Columbia. I've been perfectly happy with them, too.

Back row on the far right are my Vega riding boots. If I'm being honest, I selected them because they were the most reasonably priced. They suit me just fine. I haven't tested the waterproof aspect of them. (I haven't really tested any of my gear in the rain.) I don't love them or hate them. They're just functional boots to me. Although they could fit a little more tightly around the ankle, they'll do.

One of these days, we'll get a nice long, steady rain (as opposed to torrential thunderstorm) so I can don the gear and see how dry I stay. I'd really like to do that before we head to Italy so I know whether or not I need to pack a separate rain suit. I'll let you know...

Finally, here's a totally unrelated shot.

  
Meg was waiting patiently for me while I was in the closet photographing my footwear. Doesn't she look cute laying there? I tried to get the other girls to get in a bed, too, but they were convinced I was going to take them for a walk and didn't want to sit still.

Speaking of which, I think I will take them for a walk. It's too early to start working, and I think this post is complete. 

Yes, Virginia Does Have Traffic

After having posted some ride pics and videos recently, I got a comment from one of my followers asking, "Don't you ever get any traffic?"

My answer? Of course! Just not much.

In fact, I am constantly amazed at how little traffic we encounter. We do spend most of our time on the lesser-traveled back roads. But still. We're a stone's throw from DC and Northern Virginia, a place that consistently ranks among the top five worst traffic regions in the country.

First, I have to clarify something. We live in the northern part of Virginia, but we don't live in "Northern Virginia" (aka NoVA).

The area known as NoVA includes Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William Counties. They are shaded brown, tan, and yellow, respectively, in the image above.

I am always telling people Warrenton sits right on the line between NoVA madness (think overcrowded suburbs and LOTS of congestion) and the Shenandoah Valley (think bucolic countryside).


View Larger Map

The differences are quickly apparent. Travel northeast and east about 10 miles and you'll find yourself in NoVA. The land of MANY strip malls, overpopulation, traffic, and rudeness. Head in any other direction from Warrenton and you'll quickly find yourself in the country. Really.

Before deleting the 1,900-plus photos my helmet cam captured the other day, I went through and picked out some images that actually do show traffic. Even I was surprised to discover that only about 10% of those images showed moving vehicles of any type. Cool, eh?

And just to prove to Sonja that we do have traffic, I put this slideshow together...



I tend not to include pics with cars or other stuff in them because they just look ugly. But I'll have to try and remember to throw some in every now and then. Just to keep things real. Know what I'm sayin'?

I'm Melting!

Saturday was a little sticky. Sunday was downright hot. Really.

Hubby had some work to do around the house. I wanted to get out and ride. At least a little bit. I used adjusting the angle of my helmet cam as an excuse. But the truth is, I just didn't feel like doing anything else.

I did adjust the camera a bit. There's a fine line between too much windshield and too much sky. I may need to go upward a teeny bit more. What do y'all think?

Back to the ride. I did have a destination in mind. I was headed for the South Run Riding School in Nokesville, just 14 miles from my house. They were hosting a hunter series event.

Confused? The "riding" in this case refers to horses. It was yet another chapter in my quest to learn more about this area.

A "hunter series" is a type of horse show. I've been curious as to what that's all about. And since this one was relatively close to home, off I went.

It still amazes me how quickly town becomes country in these here parts. I was just about convinced I'd either passed the place or made a wrong turn when I came upon the place.

There were horses scattered about the facility, so I stopped just inside the gate to make sure it was safe to proceed. I didn't want to startle anyone.

Convinced that the coast was clear, I went on in and parked.

There's my helpful shadow putting that thingy under the kickstand to hold the bike up.

I had worn shorts and a t-shirt under the gear, so I removed the jacket, pants, and boots before heading over to watch the horses. There was not a lick of shade to be found. Not that I could take advantage of anyway.

I did an in-depth post with lots of pics on my personal blog if you're interested. I hate to post the same exact stuff here.

Here are a few of my favorite shots in case you don't feel like going to the other blog to see more...

I only stayed for about an hour, but I was baking in the sun the entire time. Of course, the bike was baking, too. So when I pulled the gear out of the black side cases it was nice and hot.

Nothing like donning hot gear when the body is already sweaty and overheated.

Did I mention that it was 93 degrees and very humid?

It felt good to get back on the road.

It's interesting to see how the roads are so much straighter on the east side of town as opposed to the west side of town. Warrenton pretty much sits in the middle of the Virginia Piedmont. To the east is the Atlantic Coastal Plain. To the west are the Appalachian foothills and mountains.

The roads are pretty straight, but at least they are still a little hilly.

I was really glad to get home. This next picture pretty much sums up how I felt by the time I got there.

Yes, it was that bad.

But a hot day on the bike is better than a cool day at home, right?

Um, maybe.

It wouldn't have been as bad if I hadn't baked at the horse and pony show for an hour.

Still. Come on cool weather!

Scenic Route to Lunch

Saturday marked twenty-eight days since our last ride.

Yep, four weeks!

One weekend, I was in Philadelphia. The other  two weekends were just too darn hot.

Fortunately, things cooled down. Of course, it is Summer, so that cooling didn't last for long.

The good news is, we did manage to get a ride in on Saturday. It was sticky, but tolerable. Unlike Sunday. But I'm getting ahead of myself... 

I even made Hubby take a picture of me before we set off. You know, before helmet head.

That's my special "look where I am pose," which I have perfected with one of my friends who has become a regular travel companion.

And, look, there I am at our first stop. It was not a planned stop. What you can't see behind me is the forest road that I did not realize was closed to motorized vehicles.

On Google maps it looks like a road. It even has a name... Berry Hollow Road.

Now, I'd used the DeLORME Virginia Gazetteer, to plan the route, too. But I missed the thin, little, black bar across the road. Which I saw after we got home. At least now I know to look for those bars when in doubt about any roads...

There's Hubby, checking out the map.

And, look, here I am again. Three pics in one post.

That huge rock was saying "climb on me" so loudly that I just couldn't resist.

It was actually a pleasant break. I'd packed some water, so we had a drink and cooled off a bit.

We were both pretty hungry and didn't hang out too long.

We back-tracked a bit then went on our way. The next stop, planned this time, was Griffin Tavern & Restaurant in Flint Hill, Virginia.


View Larger Map

I'd seen the place before. It looked pretty cute. I even remembered hearing someone (no idea who) say once that they have good burgers.

Porch at Griffin Tavern & Restaurant

If it hadn't been so humid, the porch would have been a great place to eat. But it was humid. So we went inside.

By that point, we were both pretty hungry. So hungry, that I forgot to take a picture of my food to share with y'all. Which is a shame. It was fabulous. Grilled Flank Steak and provolone cheese with sauteed chunks of onions and mushrooms, served on Ciabatta. With awesome hand-cut, expertly prepared french fries.

Hubby's Fish & Chips

Hubby opted for fish and chips, which he was also quite happy with.

Even the iced tea was really good.

We're both ready to go back.

Flags at Griffin Tavern

If only it were a bit closer to home.

I'd like to return when it's a bit cooler so we can enjoy lunch on that lovely porch.

I don't think that will be a problem. Especially since it sits virtually at the foot of one of my favorite roads... Crest Hill Road.

I even managed to figure out how to get my helmet cam to take pictures instead of videos. Now I just need to get the angle adjusted properly so you don't see quite so much of my windshield.



I have a question. Please answer honestly. Is that slide show too long? It's hard to whittle the pics down. I only shared about 10% of them, and I only did that because they show how varied the scenery can be.

One more question... Would you prefer the slide show without music? To me, the show seems interminably long without the music.

I'd love to hear your honest opinion. Thanks. :-)

Back in the Saddle

I went for a ride yesterday! Yay.

I would be more excited if the ride were a bit longer.

Check out the ride map.

Yep, short and sweet. Six tenths of a mile in each direction!

I needed a haircut...

The weather for this weekend is looking good, though. So we may actually get a REAL ride in.

Fingers crossed!

Natural Selections

I discovered a new moto-blogger recently. Thanks to FuzzyGalore, that super-cool moto-blogging diva who has a knack for finding the coolest stuff!

Anyway, his name is Joe Popp, and his blog is Tales of a Flying Brick. The "brick" being his 1988 BMW K75. Joe lives in NYC and did a post recently about re-discovering nature. He writes very well, by the way. His prose got me to thinking about nature.

One of the things I have always loved about our WV Place in the woods is watching the seasons change. Seeing all of the new growth emerge in the Spring. Watching the leaves slowly turn colors. Seeing the various critters, big and small.

I tend to take lots of pics of weird stuff, but I find little things in nature interesting.

Like spider poop ...

Spider Poop on the Doorknob

You know you have a spider issue when you start seeing dots like this. I don't know if it's poop in the true sense of the word, but it is definitely drops of stuff emitted by a spider. Apparently it is highly acidic and quite a problem at boat storage facilities as it eats right through gelcoat.

Tunnel Spider's Web

Speaking of spiders... look at that bad-ass-looking nest. That's an old table leg sticking out of our trash pile. One of those large and very mean-looking tunnel spiders took advantage of the opening and built his nest with the tunnel going down into the leg.

Okay, enough creepiness.

Here's a shot of two of our dogs walking on our driveway. There are weeds growing pretty tall on both sides. One weed in particular -- the red arrow is pointing at the top -- is about seven feet tall.

Lots of Tall Grass and Weeds

I have no idea what it is, but it's big.

It's hard to appreciate the size of the thing just looking at the photo. But I am a tall girl and still had to lean my head pretty far back to look up at the flower.

Bug-covered Flower

That's a close-up of part of the flower. The whole flower wouldn't fit in a frame. I thought the bugs looked pretty cool.

Pretty Butterfly

Who can resist a pretty butterfly? I wonder how it lost that chunk out of its ass end?

Back to grossness for a sec...

Check out K's trophy. It's an entire rear leg from a deer fawn with all of the meat and hair gone from the upper two-thirds of the limb. She didn't kill the deer. She just found the bone laying in the woods. It had been there for a while. How do I know? It absolutely reeked.

When a dog shows up with a prize like that, you can either let them have at it (which I can't imagine would be good for them) or take the bone away. Then the problem becomes what to do with the bone. You can't just toss it off into the woods, because they'll go find it again.

I usually hang their finds up high in a tree out of their reach. Hubby always thought that seemed silly. So, when I drove off to the store, he put it in our trashcan. In the garage. Upon my return, I noticed that the garage smelled strongly of death. Despite the fact that the lid was securely fastened onto the trashcan.

Hubby then moved the can outside. It still stunk, but at least it wasn't in an enclosed space. We usually truck the trash home with us. But that was way too foul-smelling, so we left it there with the lid off hoping the thing would dry out in our absence and the smell would go away. I guess we'll see...

Storms were forecast for Sunday afternoon. Because we left around noon, we missed having to drive through them. But they did hit our hometown. In a very weird way.

Looking at the weather radar, the main storm was just north of town.



Standing on my front porch, looking left, you could see it raining like Hell. Hard to tell in the picture, so you'll just have to trust me. It was raining so hard, that huge puddles were forming in the street. But only to the left.

The picture above was taken seconds after the previous shot. So close that the time stamp on both images is 3:35 PM. It's hardly raining at all there. In fact, you can see that the sidewalk is barely wet. Yet it had been POURING half a block away for at least five minutes. Yes, pouring.

That skinny little tree doesn't have a leaf canopy thick enough to keep the sidewalk dry. It just wasn't raining in that spot.

The sidewalk by our gate was pretty wet, but 15 feet or so away, it was almost dry. Weird, eh?

My last nature pic of the day had to feature a dog, right?

A Very Sleepy Belle

That's Belle, our youngest Brittany. Isn't she just the cutest? She's five, but has a very cute, puppyish face. She looks sort of mean there because I disturbed her slumber. Well, the flash did.

I thought you might appreciate my not ending this post with more unpleasantness.

Isn't nature grand?

Romney Lost Its Touch

After Hubby's depressing visit to the WV Place last weekend (to check for storm damage), we decided we really needed to get out there to spruce things up.

When we arrived at that decision, we weren't planning on going soon. Just agreeing it was something we had to do. Then, when we saw the forecast for more hot weather this weekend, we figured we might as well just go out there and clean. It's not like we were going to want to do anything fun (like riding!) with it being so hot.

Saturday's actual air temperature reached 103. The heat index (what it feels like when you factor in the humidity) was higher. It was hot, but we have A/C. Thank goodness. And some of what we had to do outside required power-washing. So we were sort of working in a giant cloud of mist, which helps cool things down a bit.

Besides, we're not dumb. We alternated indoor and outdoor tasks and drank plenty of fluids so we didn't overheat.

  
I spent most of my time indoors. Cleaning. Except for when I went outside to take pictures. Just like the old days when we built the place, I figured I should document the facelift process.

I helped power-wash the back patio. It needed it. BAD.

Hubby did most of the work. I guess I did about a third of it.

A Very Yucky Patio

But remember, I was doing the indoor cleaning. And I had to drive into town for food and stuff. Plus make lunch when I got back. It just appears that I didn't do anything because there are rarely pictures of me working.

One thing for sure, the dogs were very happy to be there. Thrilled, actually. We have just under six acres of wooded land they get to explore. I guess about three quarters of that is enclosed by an invisible fence.

In addition to the general cleaning and power washing, Hubby also repainted the trim around the front porch and back door. He mowed the grass a bit, too. Patched a crack in the cement. Sprayed and knocked down some wasp nests. And probably more stuff I can't think of at the moment.

But those things all made a huge difference. Now we have our cute little house in the woods again, instead of that abandoned-looking shack.

Anyone want to come for a visit?

I was VERY sad to discover that the Italian Touch restaurant, the only restaurant in town that we really like, closed. For good. Since we haven't been there for a while, I have no idea how long ago that happened. It's a shame, really. Their food was good. But in small towns like that, I guess it's hard to keep enough business to make a decent profit.

A cold front is moving through. Finally. Temps hit 103 yesterday (Saturday) and were very close to 100 when we left Romney around noon today. With such fronts come thunderstorms. A really strong one rolled through town around 4:00 this afternoon. And there's another line of storms moving through as I write this around 1:00 AM Sunday night/Monday morning (can't sleep). Hubby and I are both hopeful all of the paint he so painstakingly applied doesn't wash away.

We have good news, too. The heat wave may have broken. Temps aren't supposed to climb out of the 80s all week. 

I may actually be able to post a ride report one day soon. :-)

Tick-eating Machines

If you read my post that mentioned ticks the other day, you may have noticed my girlfriend  Tracey's comment saying I need a guinea hen.

Know what that is?

I'm betting most of you don't, so I thought I'd post a picture for you.

I took that a couple of years ago when Tracey had a small flock of guineas. She got them specifically because they are known to eat ticks. When she and her Hubby moved into their newly built house situated in the middle of what once was a large, grassy field, she said the ticks were so bad you'd see them crawling up the windows and around inside the house.

Yuck.

But then she got the guinea hens who quickly got the tick population under control.

They are goofy looking things, but I bet you can't help but smile at their beautiful weirdness.

Motorcycle Safety

I saw a post on Motoress recently touting an online motorcycle safety training course. It's a cool idea, but I wonder how many folks will actually pay the CAD$34.95 to partake?

As is often the case with Web sites, Motoress sucked me in. They really have lots of good stuff. Like this article on push steering. Which, by the way, I think is a much better and more descriptive phrase than counter steering. Don't understand what I am talking about? Follow that link!

Actually, the article that led me to the one on push steering was Five Motorcycle Riding Skills Best Kept At Hand. It may seem a bit rudimentary. But those really are five things every rider should master. It's worth a read, even for those who have been riding for a while, because it's a great reminder as to the importance of certain techniques.

I really should read Motoress more. It's a great resource.

One can never read enough about motorcycle safety.

Which reminds me... the guys at NWXplore shared a video the other day in a post aptly titled, "Scary U-turn Almost Kills Motorcyclist."

It was shot with a helmet cam. A non-rider might think, "Why's the picture going from side-to-side so much?" While a rider like me thinks, "That guy does a great job of scanning."

What's scanning? Always being aware of what's around you and/or coming at you from not just in front of you, but from behind you and on both sides.

It's no secret that people don't always see motorcyclists. But some drivers are just plain careless. Like the bimbo in the video who tried to explain her way out of the situation by saying, "There was a blind spot..."

If she couldn't see the whole road, she should have taken the time to maneuver into a position that would have allowed her to see. Her laziness and lack of foresight could easily have killed this guy. A guy you just have to admire not just for his alertness, but also for not cussing the douchebag out and/or kicking a huge dent into the side of her car to serve as a reminder.

"Ride like you're invisible." A great piece of advice to end a post featuring that valuable learning video.
 

Daydream Believer

At times like this...

... daydreaming just might be the only way to ride.

Really. I have absolutely no desire to hop on the bike for a quick jaunt through the oven.

When Hubby asked if I wanted to go to the WV Place this weekend, I said we'd have to check the weather. After all, if it is going to be 80 degrees, I'd rather be riding than doing anything else. But that is not to be.

It's going to be slightly cooler in West Virginia, if you can describe a 101 degree day as "cool." 

Oh, well. If you saw my post the other day, you know our little house in the woods is sorely in need of attention.

And I know the girls will be absolutely thrilled to go for a visit. They all love it there, but it is, without a doubt, Meg's favorite place on Earth. I'll have to try and remember to get a quick video of her smiley face once we get there.

One bad thing about WV during summer is the ticks. The house is after all surrounded by woods. Unfortunately, due to the very mile winter we had, ticks are really bad this year. Having not spent much time there, I'm not sure how bad, but I guess we'll see.

I saw this absolutely horrifying picture on Facebook. It isn't Photoshopped. It's a real photo of an actual snake covered in ticks.

I posted the smallest image I could so as not to overwhelm you. It's from a reptile rescue facility in Australia.

If you have a morbid sense of curiosity like me, click on the picture for a larger view. But I warn you, it's sort of stomach-turning.

I never knew that snakes were susceptible to ticks. Apparently, when healthy, they can sort of slough them off. This guy had a fractured head or neck or something. Which made him spend way more time on the ground than usual and rendered him unable to rid himself of the ticks.

He was anesthetized so the parasites could be removed -- hundreds of them -- and as of April was doing well.

I feel sort of better knowing that's on a whole 'nother continent. But it still gives me the willies.

I'll be staying out of the woods for sure. And checking the girls carefully. Even though I keep them dosed with Frontline, I still have to be careful. Because the little buggers will ride into the house on them and then come stalking us humans. Ugh.

I'll be sure to let you know how the visit goes. I hope you all get to ride this weekend.

If All Else Fails, Ask the Camel

A week or so ago, I saw this photo on Facebook. It cracked me up, so I wanted to share it here.

I did the right thing and asked permission first, which was promptly granted. It belongs to Triumph Adventure Tours, a joint venture between Triumph and Edelweiss Bike Travel.

Hubby and I did an Edelweiss tour a couple of years ago. It was fabulous. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but it's sort of expensive.

This year's trip to Italy is a different sort of adventure. We're just renting bikes and touring all by ourselves. Just the two of us in a land of German-speakers. Should be interesting, eh?

Planning has sort of stalled, which is why I haven't talked much about it here. Nothing worthwhile to say beyond, "I can't wait!"

The trip is still on. We -- Annelies and I -- have just been too busy to plan. She actually was here in the US for a week, which is one of the reasons I went to Philadelphia recently.

I found that picture in All Things Europe on Tumblr. If you have time to kill and like looking at pretty pictures check it out.

The friend we'll be visiting in Switzerland sent me an e-mail recently. One of the things she said made me chuckle. It was "...I think you will like where we live, more cows than people and very pretty."

Does she have me pegged or what?

Dereliction

Our poor, beloved little WV Place is looking quite abandoned. And for good reason. We haven't spent any significant amount of time there in ages. I can't remember the last time we actually slept there.

We never even got around to Spring cleaning!

This new Virginia house of ours has stolen the spotlight. The WV Place was always our escape from suburban Hell. But now that we live in this cute little town, which just happens to be situated on the edge of the lovely Shenandoah Valley in Virginia's Piedmont region, there doesn't seem to be anything to escape from.

So our poor little house sits. Derelict. It's sort of sad.


Sure, we've thought about it. We just haven't felt overly driven to go there. Although I am sure the girls would love a prolonged visit.

By now, most of you have heard that a crazy storm blew through the Mid-Atlantic region late Friday night, wreaking complete havoc on the Washington, DC area. The area in which we happen to live.

Just so you have a better idea, of the storm's path and our locations, I created a graphic for you using an image found in the Washington Post.

The timeline is wrong. We got hit in VA around 10:30 PM. I think it hit DC around 11:00.

The red arrow points to the general location of our WV Place. You know, the one in the middle of the woods, surrounded by hundreds of trees? The blue arrow shows the approximate location of the VA house. Both were pretty much in the middle of the storm's path, but the VA house was spared.

We had no idea what things were like in WV. So on Saturday, when Hubby couldn't connect with the WV Place, we started to worry.

That's when he decided to drive out there on Sunday. He put the chain saw and spare gas in the truck and off he went. I was still catching up on work, so stayed home with the girls. Hubby didn't want to take them along in case there were trees down across the road preventing him from getting to the house.

When he arrived, all was well. Everything. We even had power. No DSL, which is why he couldn't communicate with the thermostat.

No storm damage. But the house is looking quite neglected.

Front Door

Resident Front Porch Spider

Back Porch

That back porch is desperately in need of power washing.

Back Door

That doggie door appears to be aching for use, too.

Bird Nest Over Kitchen Window

Birds even built a nest over one of the kitchen windows. Sheesh.

The nest was empty, so Hubby knocked it down. But look what a mess it made.

Bird Nest Mess

We're going to have to go visit soon. It'll be a working visit for sure. To do some cleaning, cleaning, and MORE cleaning.

Sigh...

Remember, I didn't go along. Hubby shot those pics for me. He did a good job, didn't he? It appears I have trained him well. I just love that Hubby of mine.