Donkeys and Friends

Rockingham County, VA

 

I took these pictures three weeks ago. Most of the leaves have fallen now.

Autumn Day in the Valley

Although I am not an early bird, my dog likes to get up at dawn, and sometimes before. He does not understand that daylight savings time ended and most folks are sleeping a little later.

After we take a walk first thing in the morning, I like to spend some time at home, checking messages, catching up on tasks, and so on. I like to get out in the afternoon, even if it’s just to ride out to the dog park. Sometimes I vary the route to to look at the scenery.

Water Thursday / Skywatch / All Seasons

The fall colors are bright, even though we are still in a drought. There’s been just enough rain to keep the grass green.

 

A Wren and East of Edinburg

The carolina wrens have returned to my yard. I heard one singing and there it was!

 I'd also like to show you a couple of scenes from Edinburg last week. The first is a view from the bridge on Edinburg Gap Road. 

Just east of there is Lost Bottoms Farm. This was before the recent hard frost that nipped the pretty flowers. 

Llamas, Goats and More

The Farm at Court Manor

Last weekend I posted some pictures of the round barn at Court Manor. I took so many pictures that day! Here are some of the friendly animals that I met. The llamas were adorable.

For a place that was only open for one season on weekends, they really go all out. Here we see the duck race, with multiple pumps and troughs.

My friendly animal at home managed to stay by himself while I was on this adventure. He is gradually conquering his separation anxiety. I left him again yesterday while I went to the pharmacy for a booster shot, and he did very well.

Here is a picture of Charlie with added color from a Picsart filter.

Discovering Sweet Run State Park

Loudoun County

I read that a new state park was open near Purcellville, so a week ago I went to check it out. I ran into heavy traffic on Route 9 because it is the detour for 340 in Harpers Ferry, which is closed for rock slide repairs.  Other than that, the ride was pleasant. 

I came to the Sawmill Road entrance first. It is basically access for horse trailers, but the road looked splendid in fall colors.

I drove back out to Harpers Ferry Road and found the main entrance to the park. The property was obviously a farm at one time. There is a restored farmhouse among other farm buildings.

I was a little puzzled by some things that were new. Our local state park was basically undeveloped when it opened, but this one is farther along than ours already.  Then I saw a sign that explained it.

The property was improved by the Robert and Dee Leggett foundation as the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship. 

Sweet Run State Park

The Round Barn at Court Manor

For years I wondered about the round barn and the other unusual buildings that I could see from Interstate 81. Perhaps you have seen them between New Market and Mauzy. They do not look like normal farm buildings.

Last year I read that these buildings were once part of a tourist attraction called Zoorama. It opened in 1959 and featured a variety of animals. It thrived for a few years, but then I-81 was built and the main flow of traffic bypassed the Valley Pike and the entrance to Zoorama. It closed and the buildings fell into disrepair.

Now the farm is coming back to life as a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, and event venue. Today was the final day for the pumpkin patch and I went there out of curiosity. 

I’ll save the animals for another post because I really don’t care for long posts. (My eyes get easily fatigued from reading, a problem that I first noticed when studying college textbooks.) I took about 100 pictures, but don’t worry, I pared them down.

My admission ticket was reasonable and I paid two dollars extra to visit the round barn, which featured fun activities for children.

Someone said it had once been used for horse shows. It looks well-suited for that.

Barns / Mosaics / Sunday Best

I did a lot of walking. I wanted to view the other old buildings that I have glimpsed from the interstate.

I can’t resist showing you a few animals, because we don’t see zebras around here very often.