Snapshots of Summer

Robert Moses Beach on the 4th of July

Fireworks and a concert at Hecsher State Park

Before and After

I have taken a few pictures along the way of how the apartment is coming along, so I thought I would post the before and after shots of one room just to give you an idea of what a difference all our work has made.



This is the bathroom (as you can probably tell). Mom removed all the gross paint stuff and wall paper and replaced the sink with a vanity. And voila!


white paint above... sponge painting below... so much better!

Old Rag

CJ and I wanted to hike all of Old Rag (we started out a few months ago, but it was too late in the day when we set out and so the setting sun forced us to abandon our trek before we managed to summit Old Rag). This time around: mission accomplished!



It began all wooded and in the shade, for which we were very thankful - it was rather warm out.

As we got up near the top, the rocks were more prevelant (it became more of a rock climb than a hike) and the trees were rather dead looking.

The views of the surrounding mountains were breathtaking!

When we finally reached the top, we were more than ready to be there!

My feet were sore...

As we started back down, we ran across a deer (at 3,000' elevation!). We were rather surprised to see her, but she didn't seem the least bit disturbed by us. =)



When we reached the bridge (on our return hike) near the beginning at the trail, we could not have been more thrilled. 3 hours up and 4 down (we took the long way back)... we were EXHAUSTED!

The Waltons

While CJ was busy at the US Open (that is a golf event, in case you were wondering), I had a whole day to myself (what to do, what to do...). A recent blog post got me thinking about the TV show The Waltons, a show I often watched with my family in my adolescence. I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to drive down to Schuyler, VA and see Earl Hamner's childhood home and the place that began the Walton saga (since CJ had never watched The Waltons, I knew he would not find any of it very interesting).

When I arrived at the museum, I was surprised that it was set up in the Schuyler public school (the school the Hamner children attended). As it turns out, the school closed in 1991, and the museum was set up some time after that. Different school rooms were set up as various rooms in the Walton house (as seen on the TV show).


In this collage of pictures, you can see the set of John-boy's bedroom, the kitchen, and Ike Godsey's General Store.


The set of the living room



The current General Store


Earl Hamner's boyhood home (smaller than Hollywood's depiction of it)


The little, white, Baptist church


Here you can see how close the General Store was to the Hamner home... there was no traveling down the mountain to get there. It was practically in their front yard!

This is the actual camera and equipment that was used in the filming of the Waltons.

The Waltons (part II)

Anyone who has ever watched The Waltons, is familiar with the Baldwin sisters and "the recipe."

An actual distillary, though not actually the Balwins' (as the next picture explains)



a sign


THE Recipe

What I did not know was that the Baldwin sisters were based on a real-life mother/daughter duo, who really did make moonshine that was renown in the area. From what I was told, distillers usually used apples (apple cider) and fermented that. These two ladies used apricots instead, making all the difference (apparently).

A Day at the Vineyard

I guess when you own your own massively huge vineyard, you can name the streets whatever you want.

The Barboursville Vineyard

A random barn at the vineyard (not that I can think of any reason why a vineyard would need a barn, but it was pretty)

Row of Grape Vines

A Few More Cavern Shots

This underground lake is actually only a little over a foot deep, but the reflections of the stalactites make it look much deeper (and cool too!).

Totem Pole Valley

The Bath Towel

The Wishing Well

They drain this pool of water once a year and collect the coins, which are then donated to various charities. They have collected over a million dollars (my contribution is 17 cents).

Luray Caverns

So, after almost six months in this area, I finally made it to Luray Caverns. It was amazing! I would highly recommend it.


A few shots from inside the caverns

Pluto's Ghost

Apparently, they named it Pluto's Ghost because Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld and it's a white rock formation (which stood out from the darker rock around it).

The Stalacpipe Organ

This organ literally plays the stalactites! Stalactites make sound when they are hit - they make different tones, depending on the size. The organ is connected to 37 different Stalactites with different tones. It played A Mighty Fortress is Our God. That was truly the highlight of the tour for me!

Fried Eggs

These were formed after two Stalacmites were broken off in the 1920s. They really did look like fried eggs (as you can see).

Rambles and Brambles

The Rivanna River Trail has become a favorite of mine. Several nights a week you can find CJ and me hiking somewhere along it - I mean, there is not much else to do in sleepy Charlottesville! As a kid, I used to watch The Waltons, and I remember that they would travel into "the city" (i.e. Charlottesville) when they needed something that couldn't be purchaced on Walton's Mountain. But even in that show, Richmond was the larger, more sophistocated city of the two. But in this NYC girl's eyes, even Richmond looks like a little podunk town. However, I am learning to appreciate a bit of country living... learning to enjoy the simple pleasures (or at least that is what I often hear them called)... milk cows grazing in the fields, cylindric hay bales scattered across green meadows, brightly-colored insects that apparently kill the Ash trees (a post for another time), old barns whose paint is chipping and roofs are sagging, the sound of water tripping over stones on its way downstream, and little red berries that I seem unable to identify (but I think may be wild straberries, or somehow related).

The aforementioned berries

A home for the homeless

We came across a couple of homeless gentlemen on a recent hike. They had quite the set-up, so I thought maybe they were just Freegans. I am not quite sure what was up with the two lawnmowers and the edger (doesn't seem like there would be much need for that in the middle of the woods!).


CJ, hiking

When the brush got rather thick, we began question how far we should continue on the trail.

The Rivanna River

Then we came upon a lovely clearing with a bench, overlooking the river. Score!

All in all, it was another lovely evening in little C-ville.

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?

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...

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. =)