For Labor Day weekend, we rented a nice little place near Reedville, Virginia, on Hull Creek, just off the Potomac.  It was a perfect location and the weather was cool and sunny.

After watching Auburn beat Baylor, I slept on the Sleeping Porch, getting the best night's sleep in a long while.

Saturday was a watersports and photos day, after a trip to Reedville for coffee.  I spent most of my time watching for Osprey.  We watched SEC football games and played cards in the afternoon.

We took our first trip after the Nonsense to visit our soldiers.  I love where they live, and I'm looking forward to exploring the place when I'm feeling a bit stronger.

This trip, we went to the Washington Sailing Harbor to satisfy my need to get out and about, and for sailboats.

Our visit also turned into a Foodie Trip.  We ate at Vaso's, a neighborhood restaurant, and ordered food from three sandwich places.  My son-in-law and granddaughter joined me at The Turkish Coffee Lady for Turk Kahve and Borek.

Hugging the Patomic, with endless Sidewalks, wall-to-wall Brownstones and Townhomes, four-way Stops on every corner, more people walking dogs than I have ever seen, clean, safe, this is City Living at its best.

I've wanted to see the transportation museum in Roanoke since we first moved up here from El Paso.   We would drive by Roanoke on the way home to Alabama, unwilling to extend the seven-hour trip by visiting.

Looking for something to photograph and to get out of the house, I decided today was the day.  

I'm certain Kady was happy to have me out of her house for a bit.

The museum is worth seeing, especially if you're a Railway Kid.  It could use some cleaning for photographers.

While visiting CE and SGM in Maryland,  we also visited beautiful Winchester and attended Luckett's Spring Market.

Oldtown Winchester is simply gorgeous.  It is a vibrant walking mall full of businesses, shops, cafes, and restaurants.  I could have spent most of the day there, but my time was not my own, and I still tired easily.

We stayed in a fun little place on Kent Street, The Brewhouse, not far from Old Town, one block from the old train station.  The place was comfortable and close to Pizza Delicious, where I had a fantastic White Pizza.

The market was fun, filled with antiques, flowers, artisan products, and thousands of friendly people.  I enjoyed browsing the food trucks, settling on Street Tacos.  This event was amazing.  We got Early Bird passes to be there on the first morning.  Hundreds of people did too, forming a line for the gates to open at $55 a head..  By Noon, there were thousands of people there.  It was a small city and a target-rich environment for my camera.

The uppercrust of Georgian Society has tried to subplant little Tubee Island to make Hilton Head the preferred vacation spot.  What they left for us mere mortals is a quaint and uncrowded (at least it was the first weekend in May) little spot with an undeveloped beach town vibe.

Perfect.  It reminded me so much of 1960s Panama City Beach.

We stayed at the refurbished Fort Screven's Barracks #1, which I highly recommend.  It was beautiful, quiet, and well furnished.  The beds and showers were great!  Take your Keurig.

Sadly, I had dropped a jack on my foot two days before leaving (not a smart thing to do while on blood thinners and chemo), so the walk to the beach was problematic.  So is parking on the Island.

I was able to drive to North Beach each morning for sunrise.  Parking is free until 8 AM, and I could park right next to the boardwalk.

This is NOT my favorite beach, but it is the closest.  I can drive there in a few hours and get my sun, sand, and surf hit.  The place is overcrowded most of the summer, but April is not bad . . . after spring break.  Given the time, I would always rather go to the Gulf Coast.

I got up at 6 AM, just to get the shot below.  Thanks, Bird.  Thanks, US Navy.

This is my new place of quiet and solitude.

If you have never been to Back Bay, make it a priority.  Just a few miles south of Virginia Beach, it is a beautiful bit of the coast, well protected by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.  Here you can walk miles along the beach and never see another person.  Wildlife abounds in the freshwater bay, among the dunes and vegetation, and along the ocean.  I saw cormorants, ducks, redwing blackbirds, osprey, a snowy egret, turtles, gulls, and pipers.  The Pelicans flying up the coast in large formations stole the show.

As I walked the area, I imagined that this must have been what Virginia looked like when the first settlers arrived at Jamestown.

If you are looking for a quiet place to unwind, this is it.  Bring your bike, a light jacket, bug spray, and sunscreen.  And . . . your camera.

I love it here.  It has so much to offer and it is the perfect launching point for exploring the Outer Banks.  My Family loves it here.

I enjoyed my time on Hatteras but Hatteras is a place that needs some love.  The beaches are eroding, the infrastructure is in shambles, and the houses are all in peril.  It is as if everyone is either barely holding on or has completely given up.

That is understandable; they lose every time a hurricane or tropical storm hits the East Coast.  This is a place to see before it is gone.

Kady and I were there for a buddy's wedding and stayed in The Cape Hatteras Bed and Breakfast.  We had a fine meal at The Captain's Table.  I highly suggest both.

I appreciate this little place.  It is quaint and quiet, and you can only get to it by ferry.  

I haven't been back since Hurricane Dorian's 7-foot storm surge swept across the whole Island, but I'm hot to go.

Kady and I spent a day wandering around the island and having lunch at Howard's Raw Bar and Restaurant.  Pretty Great Place.

Ocracoke was much better kept than Hatteras back then.  I'll bet they recovered nicely after Dorian; there is a lot of pride there.

I went to the camera museum in Staunton, my first solo trip since my surgery.  The "museum" really isn't one.  It is more of a horde of film cameras and equipment.  The guy has too many cameras on display, a clutter of great cameras, loosely categorized by type and make, but indecipherable in their presentation.

H's informational graphics are amateurish.

He needs to do more with a lot Less.  I would love to help him, but the man irritated me so much that it was only a fleeting thought.

Still, it is worth a visit, and Stanton is always photogenic.

I haven't spent a lot of time in Wilmington or Wrightsville Beach, but hope to, soon.  I have good friends there.  The last time I was there, was to bury a big VMI Alum.  I took a few Cadets to "show the flag."

After the service, I turned the Cadets loose on the town and went out with Ken and Alice.  They took me to Elijah's, a restaurant on the riverfront.  Amazing.  I had the best crab cakes there I have ever had.

Go There.

Places don't come any more adorable than Middleburg, Virginia.  Main Street looks like something out of the 1700s, were it not for the cars.  It's "picturesque."  Yeah, that's it.

We're staying in a quaint little cottage just off the main road.  I love it.  Kady and I had it all to ourselves last night.  AJ, CE, and SGM came in this morning.

Parking downtown is plentiful.  The shops and restaurants are fun.   I like their coffee shops and their Mexican restaurant.

Along the main drag are three little battlefields, part of the Gettysburg Campaign.

I could live here.  I'd need a polo pony or some foxhounds.  Maybe a tweed cap.  And Money.  I'd need a lot more money.

Scout and I took another trip to the state park along the Maryland side of the Susquehanna River this morning.  Today was cooler without all the bugs.

He was a good boy, letting me stop to take photos.  I remembered my Camera this time.  I shot in Digital Monochrome.

We stayed around the old mill and the Carter-Archer House, but walked a little over a mile up the road that parallels the river and canal.

While puppy-sitting granddog Scout in Maryland, I drove up to Pinnacle Overlook in Pennsylvania.  I packed the car with Scout, my camera bag, tripod, and walking stick, but I forgot my camera.  I don't know why or how.  Old Age?   I brought my GP6 and a point-and-shoot, so I didn't turn around.

The view was nice from up there, though if PA doesn't do something about the Stink Trees (Ailanthus altissima), they'll block it in no time.  The river was brown from all of the rain from Hurricane Debby.

Scout and I walked a few trails, but it was too hot and humid for much.  This place would be a nice place to picnic.

Built between 1850 and 1858 by Irish immigrants and engineered by French engineer Claudius Crozet, this mile-long railroad tunnel through the Blue Ridge Mountains is now a favorite biking and walking location.  The first time I saw it, it was so uninviting that we took a few photos and walked back to the car.  The people of Waynesboro have done a great job cleaning it up, shoring up the west entrance near Afton, and building a raised walking surface with drainage on either side.   They've built parking and positioned port-o-johns on either end.

Wear a water-resistant jacket and shoes.  Take a headlamp.

This beautiful main street community. is in the Shenandoah Valley, just over the Blueridge from us  I got to know the town well when I was teaching ROTC and helping out with Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership.  My Daughter went to college there.

It's worth a visit, especially during Harry Potter Days.

Go West Old Man

One of my first trips in retirement was Out West for three months.  There was so much crazily beautiful scenery out there, that it became overwhelming.  I was quickly tired of red rock formations.  But there are other interesting things to see . . . and we did.

Would I ever live out there?  No.  I prefer green. . . . hardwood trees, lush vegetation, and water.

One of the coolest places in America,  I love the Riverwalk and must visit the Alamo every time I visit.

The other Missions and the Historic Home District are also well worth seeing.  The National Shooting Complex is World Class.

One of our favorite little towns around Charlottesville is Gordonsville.  Clean, pretty, quaint, and friendly, it is a pleasure to visit.  We often drive through the Virginia countryside just to eat at the Bar-B-Q Exchange.

The girl loves to shop there. I enjoy the little main street park and the buildings and houses.

Kady and I took a weekend vacation to Ashville and visited Biltmore while we were there.  I could absolutely live in Ashville NC.  It is a cool town and the scenery rivals Charlottesville's.  We stayed in a super nice hotel that we both loved.

The estate is something to see, but don't carry much and wear your running shoes.  I recall my Fitbit saying that we walked about 5 miles.  I was only disappointed that I couldn't go into the gun room.  Not OK, Biltmore.

Just south of Charlottesville, is the little town of Farmville.  It straddles the route taken by The Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army, fighting their way to Appomattox.  Along US 460 are the battles that sealed the Confederacy's fate, Five Forks (called the Southern Waterloo), Sailor's Creek, and Highbridge.

I've been talking about renting a cabin since the day I retired.  Kady surprised me by renting this place for a week.  If you are looking for a place to unplug, reconnect with nature, and have a lot of quiet time, this is your place.  

Situated on fifty acres in rural Virginia, it is quiet here, almost spooky.  There are trails but you aren't going far.  The trail to the River and back is a workout.  There is no cell reception but the WiFi is decent.

The Cabin is nice; perfect for a couple.  The bed is comfortable and spacious, the fireplace and living room are nice, and the kitchen has everything.  They supply a nice assortment of coffee for the Keurig.  The back porch faces East for nice Sunrises,  We didn't really use the TV or the Fireplace.

We appreciated the quiet beauty of the place, but it was no big change to our normal at-home existence.

The AirBnB link for this place is here.

Our friend SS has a nice piece of land in Tennessee where he is refurbishing an old farm house and raising a few cows.

It is a quiet and beautiful place.  Wildlife abounds.  I get to feed the cows, ride the Gator, and drive the tractor.

We enjoy going there to live a bit of farm life.

Kady, wanting to do this trip for the longest, bought tickets, and off we went.  I didn't think It would be much, but I changed my mind when we got to the site.  The amount of work and artistic ability it took to make these busts is astounding.

Created by Houston artist Davis Adickes, they were displayed in President's Park in Williamsburg until 2010 when the park was sold and closed.  Howard Hankins moved them to his family farm for safekeeping.  Many of them show signs of the move and are in pretty sad shape . . . which makes them more interesting to me.

If you'd like to see this, google it first; there are rules.  Wear your Wellies. 

Thomas Jefferson pointed his friend James Monroe to a tract of land near Charlottesville, Virginia.  Monroe bought 1000 acres in 1793.  He settled his family there in 1799 and lived there, sporadically, until debt forced him to sell it in 1825.

Much less visited than next door Monticello, it is a beautiful property and seems a world away from the bustle of nearby C'ville.

I've never been to a more quiet and serene historical site.

Kady sent me there to do a Tree Walk with a Certified Naturalist, probably to get me out from underfoot.  The walk was informative and fun.

Afterward, I walked the ground for photos.

I'm on a quest to visit all of the Virginia presidential sites.  I had been to Montpelier before but that was for a ceremony and I was working.  This day, Kady and I went together and strolled the grounds, early, before anyone else arrived.  It was a solid plan.  We didn't do the house.  The grounds and surrounding forest are beautiful, protected, and quiet.  Thanks to the DuPont family and a number of benefactors, the place has been preserved and renovated.  Ms. Annie duPont saved the Garden and it was my favorite area on the grounds

If you are visiting Charlottesville, you need to put Monticello on your To See List.  The place is clean, quiet, scenic, and instructional.  The people who work there are helpful, polite, and friendly.  They do an amazing job of preserving history while telling the whole story.  You will come away from the place a  better American and convinced of Thomas Jefferson's genius.  I suggest doing the self-guided tour.   There are plenty of people around to ask if you have questions.  Spend most of your time in the house, but don't miss Mulberry Row.

Ah, The Keys. The place inspires me;  I take more photos and write more stories while I'm there.

During our last trip, I searched for Papa's Key West.  I visited all the Hemingway haunts and toured his home, taking photos along the way.

Next time, I'll be looking for Seamus, Gumbo, Jojo, and Savannah.  The first stop will be The Meteor on Francis Street, then Gumbo's Bar at Coconut Mallory's, and The Morisol Factory on Julia Street.  

I have a long list.

I need about a week on the big island, soon, so that I can bar-hop and not worry about driving US-1.

No doubt, this is one of my favorite cities.  I've been there numerous times, visiting friends, for St. Patrick's Day, and when my daughter lived there.

I've never had anything other than a Great Time in Savannah.  Around every corner is something interesting.

I've been here twice and have not photographed it.  There are good reasons, but I need to go back and take care of this.

I could live in the Low County but it is far too hot and muggy for Kady.

Pat Conroy is one of my favorite authors - My Losing Season, The Great Santini, South of Broad, and The Lords of Discipline.  He came to VMI as a guest speaker, one of the best I ever heard there.  I got to tour him through VMI Barracks.  Basically, I TOLD everyone I was leading that tour.

While we walked around, we had a good long talk.  As I assume he was always wont to do, he began talking about his home in the low country of South Carolina.  He asked me if I had ever visited Beaufort.  When I said no he made me promise that I would visit.  "When you do, come see me."  I forget when this was.

Pat passed away on 4 March 2016,

At my earliest opportunity, on 7 August 2016, I went for my promised visit.  It took me a while to find him.  In a small, non-descript cemetery I found his site.

Family, friends, and fans had lined the grave with pinecones and left meaningful trinkets at his headstone - a small basketball (from one of his Citadel teammates, maybe), pencils ( a shoutout to writing his novels in longhand), seashells (prince of Tides fans?) . . .

I apologized to him for being late.

I loved his little town and plan to return for a longer visit.

My family Loves Farms.  When we can, we all go together.  When we can't, Kady and I go alone.

We usually try to go to a place with pumpkins, farm things for little kids to do, hayrides, and Corn Mazes. We love doing Corn Mazes.

Before Halloween is best, but some years we don't get to one until November. The girls come home with pumpkins to carve and for decoration. I'm always hunting for good Apple Butter and interesting things to photograph.

Jay and KS like real Christmas trees, so, some years, we go to Tree Farms.

My favorite is Belvedere Plantation, near Fredericksburg. 

May 2018 off SR 1002

Crabtree Falls is the longest waterfall in Virginia or some such.  It cascades down a mountain for about a mile and drops 1200 feet.  There is a trail where visitors can follow the falls from top to bottom.

I suggest parking at the bottom and walking up so that you can walk down when you're tired.  It is a good workout.

Worth it!

The Parkway is one of my favorite drives and favorite places to photograph.  It is beautiful up there and much less crowded than Skyline Drive.

I took these at Raven Roost Overlook at milepost 11, south of I-64. 

Kady advised me the night before to pack my camera and be ready to go the next morning.  "We're going to see Ginkos."

I love these Kady Trips.

We ended up at Blandy Experimental Farm, The State Arboretum of Virginia.  They have a large stand of Ginkos there and Kady had been monitoring the leaves, getting us there just before they fell.  Perfect Timing!

On our way home, we visited Historic Waterloo Bridge before they tore it down.  Happily, the community rose against the plan and saved it.  Mosby used this bridge during the war.  It's said that if you visit the bridge at night you can hear his cavalry riding across.

Kady called.  She was lost and her map app wasn't working.  (Probably Apple Maps)  She said she was somewhere close to Crozet Virginia.  I asked which way she was going and she didn't know.  It was afternoon, so I asked where the sun was in relation to the car.  It was behind her so she was going East.  I told her to turn around, stay on the phone, and drive to the next intersection with a highway sign.

From there, I gave her detailed directions back to the Interstate.

When she got home she told me of all the fun things she had seen.  We went back the next weekend, cameras in hand.

An easy drive from my house is one of my favorite places to walk, The Ivy Creek Foundation natural area.  This is a track of land protected by a private foundation with miles of well-marked trails, an old farm, a butterfly garden, a bird-watching station, and a training classroom.

I go there often, hunting for things to photograph.  It is well worth the trip to Charlottesville just to hike the trails.

When I retired, we moved to C'ville.  It is quaint, large enough to have all the amenities, small enough that we don't have the problems of Richmond and DC.

This is a foodie place with more restaurants than you can shake a stick at.  The music scene is solid, including a few street performers, like ole Ricky here.

There are paths and trails all over the place and we are surrounded by battlefields and mountains.  We're a three-hour drive from the beach.

The people are mostly nice, though a little self-righteous.  It is a rare weekend when they aren't marching for some cause or another.  Bless their Hearts.

Little Lexington - so quaint, lovely, quiet, and, after eighteen years, so boring.  

While VMI used me up, I did the same to Lexington. It has great little shops, cafes, restaurants, and parks.  The Chessie Trail and Woods Creek trail are both fun.

I saw it all, over and over.

Restaurants I Recommend -  Foothill Mama's BBQ, Lexington Coffee Shop, Nikko's Grill, The Palms, Matsumoto Sushi, Pure Eats.

The place I miss most - Muchacho Alegre an eclectic Mexican experience, with the best Steak in Lex and the best Fish Tacos I have ever had.

Fun Shopping - The Victorian Parlor, Shenandoah Attic, Pumpkin Seeds, and Artists in Cahoots

See the Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, VMI Museum, Reeves Museum of Ceramics, and Lee Chapel.  Take a ride around town with Lexington Carriage Company.

The Little Apple and I are friends.  I love it there and became a huge fan of the prairie.  Cooper, Kady, and I took long walks there and never tired of it.

I did my Physical Therapy there after shoulder surgery and credit Mattis Rehab for my recovery.

The town has walking paths and parks everywhere.  The people are friendly and active.  There are plenty of decent places to eat and quaint little coffee shops.

If the kids ever have to return to Kansas, I hope they go here.

I had to spend way too much time here when my soldier attended Command and General Staff College.  The people are nice, but this place is crumbling to pieces, bit by bit.  The town's infrastructure is wonky.  There are sidewalks everywhere, going nowhere.  Just try to walk around a block.  Your sidewalk will always end.  There is trash EVERYWHERE!  The roads are potholed, the stores are mostly empty, and Downtown is dead. 

All of this is understandable, knowing that Prison is the main industry.  Who wants to live in a prison town unless your loved one is incarcerated or the Army makes you live there for a year (which is the same thing)?

 If you live in Leavenworth, you drive to Kansas City for a good time.

Chosen by the Division Command Sergeant Major to represent the 82nd Airborne in the British Parachute Regiment, the family and I spent two wonderful years in England. That was a good deal.

When I was home, we spent our free time traveling around the countryside and back and forth to London.

I saw Scotland and Wales, but not Ireland.  The State Department wouldn't allow me to go there.  The Paras are not looked on kindly there, and no one, including me, wanted to chance a mistake.

Who gets paid to tour the UK?

In 1989, I was assigned to The British Parachute Regiment.  The Paras thought I was there to travel with whoever was going somewhere nice.  One of my first trips was with B Company, 1 Para, to Cyprus.  We trained hard and played harder . . . for six weeks.

I took sailing classes, spent loads of time on the beaches, scoured the ruins, bars, and restaurants, and generally had a super time working on my tan.  Thanks to my Mates - Rand, Steve, Spike, Andy, and Claire, this was, by far, my best military trip of my career

Does it look cold in this photograph?  It should; it was 20 degrees below zero when I took it.

The Scouts jumped into Anzio DZ, Petawawa in January 1982. We were there for a 28-day exercise for which we were completely unprepared and ill-equipped. The Jump was a horror story.

The Exercise was 50 miles from North Bay.  At Night, the temperatures dropped to 45 degrees below.  

The Canadian Commandos took good care of us, distributing the Scouts among their platoons, issuing us their cold-weather gear, and teaching us their ways. It was still miserable.

Ask me if I want to go to Canada in the winter again.  Hell, NO!

I don't know why I'm including this place. I was sent here to attend the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA).

My time here was unhappy.  Billed as Great Family Time by the Army, we were encouraged to bring our families, and then the school piled on the work.  I hardly saw my family.

The school was a gigantic waste of nine months.

I tried to find things to enjoy.  I visited the local Missions, but they are in such sad states of disrepair, my visits only angered the historian in me.  I enjoyed running in the desert, but the school forced us to do organized PT, dumbed down to the National Guard Leg level.  Our housing was 1950s Airforce Quarters, roach and Black Widow infested, cooled by a swamp cooler, which didn't work.  I became the resident expert in the community for repairing these.

My kids were sent to subpar schools.  There was even a riot at my son's high school.  We couldn't even find a decent Mexican restaurant.

I still hold a grudge.

On our trips out West, I always insist on driving Straight through El Paso.  The only truly nice view of the place is in the rearview mirror.