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May 4, 2014

An Impromptu Fuzzy Road Trip

Every now and then opportunities come along that you just can’t pass up.

I’ve been friends with Rachael (aka Fuzzy) for quite a few years. We met through her blog, Fuzzygalore.com – A Girlie Motorcycle Blog, and have been following each other ever since.

We have a lot in common. First and foremost, we’re girls who love to ride motorcycles. We’re also Moms, wives, photographers, fans of roadside oddities, etc. Getting to know Rachael on-line over the years, I always felt like we were kindred spirits.

Saying she’s famous would probably embarrass Rachel, so I’ll just call her well-known throughout the moto-blogging community. She’s got quite a following. So I was always afraid she’d think I was some weirdo Internet follower/stalker. LOL.

We’d tried meeting in person several times over the years, but for various reasons those plans had been thwarted. So, when I got an e-mail from Rachael saying her and her husband, Kenny, who I also felt like I sort of “knew” through her blog, were going to be in Romney, the town near our WV Place, I knew I had to jump at the chance.

I didn’t want to jump too quickly, though. Dare I hope that it would really happen? I had an unpredictable work project that could have made it difficult. And the weather this past week was horrendous, what with the monsoon rains we experienced. So I tried not to get too excited. I figured if I made definite plans, Fate may intervene. It always seems like the more I look forward to something, the better the chance that it won’t come to pass. Know what I mean?

That’s why few folks aside from Rachel, Kenny, Mike, and me knew of my plans.

As luck would have it, Fate was on our side this time. My work project was completed as scheduled, which meant I was able to take Friday afternoon off and head out to West Virginia. I was REALLY looking forward to it.

Friday was a fabulous day for a ride. The ideal scenario was for me to get to WV in time for dinner with Rachael and her crew. Then ride with them on Saturday.

Here are some sights from my Friday ride.

2_sights — Colorful restaurant in Linden, VA – The Apple House

The Apple House, in nearby Linden, Virginia, is supposed to have good food — especially doughnuts. I stopped there to grab lunch, and dessert, but it was pretty busy and I didn’t feel like waiting. I’ll get back there one day. If for no other reason than to buy one of their t-shirts.

Since I had some spare time, I decided I should stop at Dinosaur Land, a nearby-ish roadside attraction I’d never seen. In fact, I hadn’t even KNOWN about the place before one of Rachael’s road trips through the area.

6_sights — Way-cool Entrance to Dinosaur Land

There are various ways to get to the WV Place from our home in Virginia. But I was hoping that the Redbuds were still in bloom along US-50, west of Capon Bridge. I wasn’t disappointed.

I made it to the WV Place pretty much without incident. And I was happy to see the WV Place still standing. The inside is still a mess, but there’s no sign of mold anywhere — yay!!! — there’s still a decent amount of propane in the tanks, and there was some hard apple cider in the fridge.

I putzed around there a bit, then headed into town after connecting with Rachael.

9_sights — View toward Romney from just inside our community.

I was so happy to finally meet Rachel and Kenny, that I didn’t think to take pictures. Can you believe it!?! The three of us did have dinner together. And we made plans to meet up the next morning. I was anxious to get back to the WV Place before dark. Two miles of gravel road, lined by cliffs in some spots, through woods heavily populated with deer, is not a place I want to be after dark with no streetlights and weak motorcycle headlights.

Rachel and Kenny trusted me enough to lead them on a ride. How about that? The challenge was to plan a route with good roads and some fun/quirky stuff I knew Rachael HAD to see. It took some thinking, but I think I came up with a pretty good ride.

We planned to meet at the entrance to my community. When they arrived, I was tickled to see they’d brought a friend along. Mark, from Boston. I never got his last name. Sorry, Mark!

Our first stop was the Oldtown Low Water Bridge, one of the few remaining privately owned toll bridges in the country. It’s such an odd, quirky little bridge, I knew they’d love it.

Oldtown is actually in Maryland. I forgot to mention that to my riding buddies yesterday.

From there, we doubled back about 15 miles so we could hit one of Mike’s favorite roads, CR-3, also known as Springfield Pike, Slanesville Pike, AND Springfield-Millesons Mill Road. Route finding in West Virginia is a challenge. We did a quick detour on WV-29 so Rachael could capture a shot of this Mail Pouch barn to add to her collection. I’d forgotten to tell her it was coming up, so she was tickled.

13_ride_day — Rachael taking a picture of the barn. The very vocal cows were a bonus for me.

From there we headed back to what looks on the map like a continuation of the road we’d been on, but is actually a different road with multiple names, of course, depending on what map you use and/or where you enter the road. It’s know as Cold Stream Road, CR- 45/20, Springfield Grade Road, AND CR-15. Really.

After stopping for gas, we continued southward on CR-14/Cacapon River Road (also Capon River Road) toward Wardensville. We stopped for lunch at the Star Mercantile (see my previous post if you want to read more about the restaurant).

After lunch, I took them on Old US-55, not an easy road to follows as it wends its way around New 55, which is a great motorcycle road, even if there are almost always bits of gravel to dodge. Oddly, New 55 is now 48/55, but all of the signs pointing to the highway say “to 55”, which is what makes the old road so hard to follow.

Once we reached the end, we turned around and jumped onto New 55 so we could stop at a scenic overlook.

Then we headed to North River Road to visit my favorite herd of Oreo cows.

16_ride_day — Oreo Cows of North River Road

The locals sure got a chuckle out of seeing four motorcycles parked along this country road while four riders look at this herd of cows. They had to be thinking, “What? You’ve never seen cows before?” They probably just take their Oreo cows for granted.

17_ride_day — Kenny and Rachel, communing with the cows.

Then it was off to Grassy Lick Road. I’d told Rachel about that road repeatedly. Of course, I’ve mentioned it in my blog before, too. She’d tried, unsuccessfully, to find it on Friday.

So, when we finally did get to the south end of the road, there was a guy in a pick-up in front of us toting his large pig in a trailer. What an odd sight.

I’m sure my followers were wondering why, shortly after the pig guy turned off, I led them off of Grassy Lick Road. Until Rachel saw this little barn, which I’d also forgot to mention we’d be stopping to see.

20_ride_day — My BMW F650GS, Rachel and Kenny’s Triumph Tiger 1050s, and Mark’s Yamaha Super Tenere.

FINALLY, it was the time to run Grassy Lick. It’s smooth, fast, full of alternating twisties, and a couple of nice sweepers.

They loved it, just as much as we do. Which is good, considering all of my hype. LOL.

My favorite pic from the day was captured by Kenny (I think). Or Mark. Unbeknownst to me, he’d captured me following Rachel across my favorite bridge. How cool is that? Thanks to whoever shot this one. 🙂

bridge crossing — Rachel and me crossing my favorite bridge.

Rachel and Kenny are just as awesome in person as I thought they’d be. Mark was a great riding companion, too.

Hopefully, we’ll get to ride together again one day. Maybe next time, we’ll be able to plan far enough ahead so Mike can join us.

He did get to meet them briefly, but that’s another story…

Thanks again, Fuzzmops, for the excellent riding day.

April 19, 2014April 19, 2014

This and That

I’ve gotten really bad about posting regularly. Even worse keeping up with friends’ blogs. I blame it all on the smart phone and how it’s changed my routine. Back before I had a smart phone, I’d have my computer on my lap in the mornings. Now, I use my phone for morning entertainment as my brain slowly warms. I can read blogs with it, of course, but I can’t always comment successfully. That frustrates me. So I wait until I’m in front of the computer to read blogs. But time gets away from me and, before I know it, a week or two may pass. Time just goes by WAY too fast. Sigh…

It’s mid-April and gardening season is upon us. Riding season, too. Sort of. Our strange weather continues. Although Hubby and I did get out for a ride last Sunday (April 13), temps dropped back into Winter range. It’s warming up slowly, but yesterday, a holiday for my employer, it was still in the mid- to upper-40s in the morning, so I didn’t ride. Instead I ran errands.

I did multi-task a little bit.

Visited a National Park

You know that smart phone I mentioned? I have a cool app — Passport to Your National Parks phone App — that let’s me make a checklist of national parks I have visited.

For those not familiar with the parks passport, it’s actually a passport-like booklet that…

…makes it easy to learn about and explore all of our national park sites. The Passport® to Your National Parks includes maps that are color-coded for specific regions in the country, pre-visit information, illustrations and photographs. It also includes a free map and guide to the national park system.

Spaces in each region are designated for you to collect rubber stamp cancellations at each national park site you visit. The cancellations, similar to those received in an international passport, record the name of the park and the date you visited.

It may sound a bit geeky, but it’s a great way to keep track of not just the parks you’ve visited, but when you have visited them.

Anyway… the other day, after creating my list of parks, I realized I’d only visited three of the 16 parks listed in Virginia.

And the closest national park — the Manassas National Battlefield Park — is one I had NOT been to. It’s 16.24 miles from where I sit. How bad is that? I’ve driven through it many times, since one of the major routes to DC and points north cuts through the park, but had never stopped.

I had to go to Manassas yesterday anyway, so I decided to stop at the park. I didn’t want to spend much time there, I just wanted to, 1, be able to say I’d been there and, 2, grab some info to plan a future visit.

I did walk around a bit after my stop at the Visitor’s Center. It was a bit cloudy and cool, and I had things to do, so I didn’t linger.

MNB2_IMG_1493 — Stonewall Jackson Memorial

MNB3_IMG_1496 — View from lawn at Visitor’s Center

The view is nice and, I thought, impressive. Looks like it’s out in the middle of nowhere, right? It isn’t. It’s right on the edge of Northern Virginia, one of the most densely populated regions in the US.

If you click on that image of The Stone House, you’ll get a bit of history.

Passports are typically sold at park bookstores. You can buy them on-line, too.

Now that I’ve been to Manassas NBP, I can say I have visited 66 US National Parks. But there are many more to see…

Shopped at Costco

I’d been meaning to visit Coscto for weeks. It’s not close (about 20 miles away) and is usually very crowded. I try to time my visits for off-peak hours, but never seem to succeed. I didn’t take any pictures, though.

Visited a Garden Center

No pics there, either. I must be losing my edge. LOL. I did buy a few perennials, though. Most importantly, I got the info I needed to schedule a delivery of mulch. I even ran into a friend who might be willing to install it for me. Oh, happy day!

Now I just have to get everything planted so it’s in the ground before the mulch arrives.

Miscellaneous Stuff

I’m glad Spring is here. It’s so nice seeing colors again. Here are a few pics I captured this past week.

Warrenton’s Old Courthouse bathed in golden evening light.

One of my favorite old buildings on Ashby Street in OTW.

Photoshopped image featuring my frog planter.

While we’re on the subject of pictures, this shot from a friend’s blog post made me chuckle aloud with delight…

Bob lives in British Columbia, outside of Vancouver. This shot is from a camping weekend of his last September.

That’s it for today. I have GOT to get busy. I need to visit the Farmers’ Market and a nursery center or three. And then I have to start digging. And weeding. Sigh…

March 30, 2014March 30, 2014

On a Creative Streak

I’m quite happy to report that I’ve been busy creating stuff again. For the longest time, my creative efforts were hampered by the mess in my craft area. The image below shows a bit of that. It got worse, however, shortly after that picture was taken as all of the boxes and other stuff that were in our storage area were moved into my crafting space after we had a water leak.

While I am still working on clearing out some stuff, I did manage to organize the space enough that I could start using the space again.

There are quite a few projects in my furniture-painting queue. But I had some sewing projects to tackle, too. The sewing projects were a bit more time-sensitive. A co-worker recently had a baby and a friend’s daughter is about to have a baby.

I could have just bought gifts, but I wanted to make something for both of them.

I was torn, though, because not everyone likes home-made items. The younger set, in particular, seems to be more choosy when it comes to stuff like that. And that’s fine. We all have different tastes, right? But I’ve always treasured items that were made for me. Because I know lots of thought and love goes into creating stuff, whether it’s a painting or baked goods, textile crafts, etc. And I figured I’d enjoy making the gifts even if the recipients ended up not really liking them. So I decided to make utilitarian baby play mats. Those things you put on the floor for immobile infants.

The first one was for my co-worker, who had a baby boy.

I went the more-traditional route with the frog-themed play may. I alternated some nine-patch blocks with blocks of frog fabric. The backing is flannel. I made and used a binding strip for the edges and did some simple machine quilting around the edges of each block. Once it was finished, I popped it into the mail.

I got an e-mail from her recently that made my day. It said…

I absolutely love the quilt you made for Ryder! Hand made gifts are the absolute best. Thank you so much for taking the time to quilt so much love in one blanket!

Wasn’t that a sweet message?

I really struggled, mentally, over the other play mat. I know for a fact the Mom-to-be isn’t a traditional girl. A baby-colored mat in pale pinks, blues, and yellows may have made her vomit. And I didn’t think she’d like traditional quilt blocks either. So I opted to use a free-form approach, randomly placing subway tile-shaped blocks in rows. As for colors, I thought back to her wedding. The invitation, attendant dresses, and reception decor used a very vivid color palette. I figured she wouldn’t have chosen those colors for the wedding if she didn’t like them.

The pink floral fabric is the girly touch I added, knowing the baby is a girl.

I used red flannel as a backing and self-binding (folded the backing material over and sewed it to the quilt top). I was quite pleased with the end result.

When I showed it to Hubby, he even commented that the colors were awesome, just like the colors on her invitation, which he really loved.

Here’s a shot of the wedding dresses. I got all but the dark blue color. The reception was full of greens, not shown here.

Having no clue what else to get, I asked my friend Ashley, a young Mom, what would be a good shower gift. She gave me a whole list of essential supplies. She also said I should put them in a reusable basket or something.

Her basket suggestion made me laugh, as I’d already decided to decorate an old tin for that exact purpose.

Painted tin with decoupaged angel and red flannel trim.

I painted the tin with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Of course. I added the angel using decoupage. The flannel trim is attached with glue.

Image decoupaged onto the floor of the tin.

I used decoupage to affix the images (above and below) to the interior base and bottom of the tin.

I thought the quote to be appropriate. Especially since the Mom-to-be is a teacher.

Turned out pretty cute, right? I couldn’t resist adding the frog wash mitt. LOL.

The Mom’s reaction when she saw the play mat was priceless. She actually gasped and said, “Where did you find this?!?” She was shocked when I told her I’d made it and immediately ran off with it to show her Mom.

I think she likes it. 🙂

There was so much going on, I never got to ask if she recognized the wedding colors. Not that it really matters. I’m just happy that she likes it.

March 23, 2014March 24, 2014

Saturday Ride and Visit with New Friends

I’ve said this before, but I have to say it again because it really IS true… I meet the coolest people.

Several months ago, my friend Janet hosted a ladies craft night. One of the people she invited, who’d I’d never met, was Connie. I took an immediate liking to Connie, who’d just come from helping with a Greyhound Rescue transport. As we chatted, I discovered that she lives in a really old farmhouse, had restored the barn on the property, is in the process of restoring the house, paints furniture, loves dogs, etc. Sounds like my type of gal, right?

Connie has a blog, too (more on that later). After reading her blog a few days later, I was even more intrigued. I was also determined to pay her a visit one day. Unfortunately, Connie, who describes herself as “a Certified Rosarian, a Master Gardener, a carpenter, a remodeler, and a dreamer,” lives further away from Warrenton than most of the ladies I’ve met and talked about here. So I haven’t really had a good opportunity to visit.

Fast forward to yesterday. We got another decent Spring day. Temps were forecast in the 70s. After Hubby told me he had workshop stuff to take care of, I decided to ask my new pal, Dottie (who got a motorcycle for Christmas and recently obtained her motorcycle learner’s permit) if she wanted to go for a ride. She readily agreed.

In a moment of brilliance, I asked Connie if we could pop in for a visit. I was thrilled when she said, “Sure!”

One of the first things I told Dottie, when she started talking about getting a bike, was the importance of proper gear. I used to be one of those people who wore a t-shirt and jeans to ride. And a helmet, of course. I NEVER ride without a helmet, even in states where it’s legal. Thank goodness I came to my senses about protective gear, too.

ATGATT stands for All The Gear, All The Time. It isn’t always comfortable, or convenient, but it’s safe.

After snagging a few pics at Dottie’s house, we headed into the town of Remington for lunch.

I was super tickled to see fried pickles on the menu. I was even more tickled when Dottie introduced me to our waitress, Flo. How often does one get to eat in a cute little corner store/deli that offers fried pickles served by a gal named Flo?

As we ate, we planned our route to Connie’s place. I forgot to tell Dottie about a critical photo op, so she thought I’d missed a turn. Really, I just made a slight detour because I needed to stop for a pic with the local Giant Roller Skate.

At first, when I told Dottie why I’d stopped, she thought I was nuts. But she got into the spirit pretty quickly and joined me for a selfie with the giant skate. She even posed for her own picture with the large, four-wheeled footwear.

I’ll have to get her to Dinosaur Land next (I still haven’t been there). I’m sure she’d enjoy the Farnham Colossi, too. 🙂

After that quick photo stop, it was on to Connie’s in Hartwood. If you visit Connie’s blog, you can read all about her passion for roses (Hartwood Roses), historic house (built in 1848) and barn restoration, greenhouse (made largely from recycled materials), pets, etc. She paints furniture, too.

I never did get a full-on shot of the front of the house, but you can see that on her blog. I did grab a few nice images, though.

Winnie (recently rescued, elderly teacup chihuahua)

Maggie (she likes to reach out and touch visitors)

Connie showed us around the house and yard a bit … AMAZING … and we saw some of her in-progress painted furniture pieces. We met her husband, Steve, briefly, too. We were going to go see the barn, too, but ran out of time.

We really enjoyed our visit and I look forward to returning. Connie is a dynamic, fun, welcoming lady. Yet another one of the very cool folks I’ve met since moving to Virginia.

I captured this last image at Dottie’s house before making my way back home.

I’m so glad we got out for a ride. Dottie did well. She said she “grew up on” dirt bikes, so I figured her transition to blacktop wouldn’t be too tough.

It got cold again today and a nor’easter is headed our way. As of now, we shouldn’t get much snow. Fingers crossed that holds true. Still, it’s going to be a cold week here in the Virginia Piedmont. Sigh…

March 19, 2014

Whiteoak Canyon Picnic

This past weekend my friend, Brad, came for a visit. He arrived on Thursday evening, but had to entertain himself on Friday as I was working. Friday evening, he, Mike, and I went to our favorite local dining establishment — El Toro! — for a yummy dinner. Saturday, Brad and I left Hubby at home — he has a project going in his workshop — and went on a hike.

Brad slept in on Saturday, so I had plenty of time to research the right hike. I opted for Whiteoak Canyon. The guidebook described the trail, which provided access to Whiteoak Falls, as not too strenuous, but did warn that the hike back up to the trailhead was a bit steep in spots.

There’s nothing like a waterfall hike to make you realize just how badly out of shape you are!

We stopped at Safeway here in town for some picnic fare — cheese, sausage, a baguette, olives, peppadews, and water — and then drove out to the park. It’s quite convenient living just 35 miles from the park’s Thornton Gap Entrance.

Temperatures were in the upper 50s/low 60s on the trail, which, in my opinion, is perfect weather for a hike.

It’s still winter, so most of the trees are still bare. The big, dead tree (aka snag) I suspect is an Eastern Hemlock. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, “Unfortunately, the hemlock woolly adelgid, an introduced insect, is taking a heavy toll on this species.” Sadly, there were quite a few snags in the forest.

Some of the deciduous trees were starting to bud.

I LOVE the sound of a fresh mountain stream.

After we’d walked a ways, we spotted a group of large boulders beside a pool, which made perfect seats for our picnic.

Downed tree full of Pileated Woodpecker holes.

It was also a good spot for some photos.

I’m not sure we ever made it to the lower falls. I’ll have to hit that trail again soon. Perhaps when the Mountain Laurel is in bloom.

By the time we’d finished eating, it was getting late. I wanted to show Brad a bit of Fauquier County and we still had to get home in time for dinner.

We exited the park at Thornton Gap, headed east toward Warrenton and then north on 522, through Flint Hill, to Hume Road. I was hoping the longhorns were out at the Marriott Ranch. They weren’t, but we did spot a small herd on Leeds Manor Road.

Of course, we had to stop for a closer look. And pictures.

After a brief bovine visit, we continued on.

It was a lovely, lovely day. Brad and I have known each other for 32 years. We don’t get to see each other nearly as often as we’d like. We’ll both treasure this weekend for a long time.

I hope you were able to get out and enjoy some nice weather, too. Barely 24 hours later, we were hit with yet another snowstorm that dumped 10 inches of the cold, wet, white stuff behind.

Come on Spring!

March 15, 2014

Hit Me With Your Best Shot — 14-MAR-2014

It’s been an interesting, but VERY busy week. Luckily, I was able to capture some images worthy of a Hit Me With Your Best Shot entry.

Work was intense this week, made more so by my taking Tuesday off to visit with my dear pals, Carol and Tracey. It was an unplanned opportunity to visit that I just couldn’t pass up. We each live in different states now and don’t see each other nearly as often as we’d like. Then, on Thursday evening, my friend, Brad, arrived for a weekend visit. I have declared this old friends week. Pics of Brad will hopefully be shared in my next enrty.

My favorite capture of the week is this one… sunrise over the Potomac at the Harry Nice Bridge.

It looks a bit industrial thanks to the Morgantown Generating Station. But the colors are still pretty, no?

I left Carol’s house bright and early on Wednesday so I could get back to my office for work. The sky was coming alive as I left her neighborhood, approaching the river crossing where I hoped to capture a fuller sky view.

Temperatures on Tuesday were in the mid-70s. It was lovely. My girlfriends and I sat outside and soaked up the warmth while we enjoyed each other’s company.

Since we hadn’t managed to get together for Christmas or birthdays, we exchanged gifts that afternoon. One of Carol’s gifts to Tracey was a book about American farmers. The cover really caught my eye.

Looking forward to more captures this week.

Check out Nancy’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot post to see this week’s other entries.