Rivanna Trail Foundation

One of the pluses of C-ville, is the river trail that circumnavigates the city, marked by little diamond-shaped, metal signed, nailed to trees and posts.

There are a number of foot bridges, crossing the Rivanna River

The trailes can get pretty dense at times, making the trail almost undiscernable from the surrounding brush. So far I have not had any run-ins with Virginia's snakes, but I am always on the lookout just in case.

All the recent rains have actually washed out parts of the trail... but that did not stop us. Wading, anyone?

Your Mercies in Disguise...

When trials come and difficulties arise, friendships disolve, loved ones pass away, and life seems particularly dark, we often question why. We wonder if there is a reason for it all and we try to make sense of it. For some, life has no purpose, and so good and bad times are just cycles of life that everyone goes through, devoid of rhyme or reason. For the Christian, meaning in life is expected, but sometimes hard to find. I recently heard a song that spoke to this very topic and thought I would share it here:

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

~ Blessings, by Laura Story

Rivanna Reservoir

I didn't realize that I had know idea how to spell "reservoir" until CJ and I went on a hunt for the Rivanna Reservoir. I saw it on Google Maps one day when I was looking for directions for my lazor hair removal appointment (TMI? Oh, sorry.). I had been feeling overwhelmingly land-locked, here in Central VA (yes, I realize VA is on the Atlantic coast, but where I am living is so far from the ocean, I might as well be in a land-locked State), so I was desperate to see water - any water. I dragged CJ along on my quest, but didn't think to look up the specific directions. I knew the general vicinity - could even see the reservoir from the highway that runs through the city. But when we got to the right area, it seemed that none of the roads actually led to the water. I pulled out the GPS to type in Rivanna Reservoir and that was when it hit me that reservoir was a word I had never before spelled in my life. I couldn't even picture it in my mind's eye. In the end, it didn't matter. The GPS couldn't help us anyway. The only reservoir it would give us directions to was over 100 miles away (I still don't quite understand that one...). In the end, we parked the car on a nearby country road and found a little worn-away path in the brush and tall grasses that led us right to the falls of the reservoir. It was beautiful! CJ were both glad we went to all the trouble it took to find that spot... it was totally worth it!

If you don't believe, have a look for yourself...

Somedays I hate Blogspot.com...

Ok, so I started a post yesterday... had a bunch of pictures, etc. I finally finished it today (put a bit of time into it) and clicked "post." I haven't a clue what happened, but it gave me an error message, and guess what?! None of it saved as a draft!!! UGH! That makes me so mad!!!
Back to the drawing board... I'm sure it won't be as witty the second time around... =(

Natural Bridge, VA

When you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, it is pretty much imperative that you strike out into the great unknown of your environment and explore the beauty that can be found (in reality, beauty can be found just about anywhere if you just look for it). Well, that is just what CJ and I decided to do last weekend. We chose to head west to a historical point of interest known as Virginia's natural bridge (coincidentally located in Natural Bridge, VA - ok, so it wasn't a coincidence). Why historical you ask? There are a few historical aspects, dating back to our forefathers in the 1700s... and then of course, there is always the fact that God created it thousands of years ago. Here's the stuff I learned while there... Jefferson bought it (along with much of the land around it) from King George III for 20 shillings (approx. $2.40) back in 1774. Even before that, George Washington (you know, like the first President of the United States? yeah, that one) surveyed the bridge and carved his initals 23 feet up on the inside of the bridge. I'm sure I'll never know how he managed to get 23 feet up, seeing as they hadn't invented cherry pickers yet.


It's nearly impossible to make out the "GW," but I am told that is what is in the little white box and of course I believe everything I am told (obviously). ;)



Almost as soon as we got past the concession stands, we arrived at the natural bridge. CJ and I were rather disappointed because after driving more than an hour to get there, we were all ready for a nice long hike. Besides the fact they charged a whopping $18 PER PERSON (is that not INSANE?!). I mean I didn't pay a cent (because my guys is awesome like that), but it's the principle of the matter. They should not be allowed to charge for something that should be open to the public. It is a national historical landmark, so I have no doubt my tax dollars make their way to Natural Bridge, VA. It's not like they even provide you with a ski lift to the top like the natural bridge in Kentucky. In fact, they don't even allow you to hike up to the top at all. Ok, I'll step down from my soapbox now...


In any case, it was pretty, and worth seeing once.


We did continue hiking past the bridge along Cedar Creek. It was quite beautiful and the weather was perfect!


At the end of the trail were some small falls... great photo opportunity, which I did not let slip away. I offered to take a picture of a nearby couple and of course they offered to return the favor. So, I got a cute shot of CJ and myself in front of said falls. Maybe I'll post it on Facebook. =)

FOAMHENGE

You may think it a typo or somekind of mistake, or you might even just assume I am plain ol' crazy, but no... there is an actual place in this world called Foamhenge, and I have been there (and lived to tell about it!).

I was in middle-of-nowhere, VA, when out of the blue, sign appeared! C. and I HAD to check it out. =)

Lo and behold, we found what looked an awful lot like Stonehenge, but without the stones.

It was truly made entirely of styrofoam! Who would think to do such a thing? Funny you should ask. His name is Mark Cline. He is apparently some kind of artist, and based on some his projects (and the sign he posted), I'd venture to guess he is a little off his rocker.

Here is the aforementioned sign. I thought it quite amusing (but sad that he had to post such a thing at all - where is respect for other people and their property?!?!?!?!).

Here is a comic strip that mentions Foamhenge. This was a reprint that was posted on a bench near the psuedo-historic site.