Artfest 2022

"An Earth without Art is Eh.”

Sunday was the outdoor art festival in Woodstock. The temperature was hot but I ran into a number of people that I know. Ann was selling her fabric art, and blogger Dawn was taking pictures.

In addition to art booths, there were musicians, food vendors, and even a dunk tank. There you could prove your skill at hitting a target, which automatically dunked a person into a tank of water.

I bought two very small pictures. I was very tempted to buy something larger but I don’t think I have space on my walls.

Dumpster Crows

Mt. Jackson, VA

These crows were sitting on a dumpster. When I stopped and rolled down my window, they all flew off except one. They may have been sampling Chinese food thrown out by a nearby restaurant.

Crows are said to be intelligent birds and they have adapted to living around people.

 

June Farmscapes

• The Barn Collective
• Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

(Watercolor/sketch effect by BeCasso.)

Mural by the Tracks

Monday Murals: Harrisonburg

This mural is signed by Tyler Kauffman. It has a bicycle, a road leading into town, and the mountains that surround Harrisonburg. On the far right are the words, “There’s no place like.”

The mural was commissioned by Nest Realty, which published an article about it.

Minor Rant with Collage

I suppose there are people who feel pretty contented and happy. Perhaps their bodies are full of serotonin and other feel good chemicals, and the world’s problems don't weigh them down. That’s not me.

Assembled using PhotoCollage for Mosaic Monday

I realize my parents went through worse times, for they lived through the Depression and World War II. But here I am, facing old age and probable infirmities while realizing that humans are still cruel, greedy, and destructive. 

I don’t usually rant or complain here. But I know a lot of people are feeling the same way and I don’t want to pretend to be a Pollyanna while privately muttering, “What the hell is wrong with people?!”

Purple Cow and Other Critters

The purple cow is far from being a cat, but I am submitting it to the Caturday Art blog hop. For Saturday’s Critters, we’ve also got a squirrel and a really cute dog.

More Views, Seven Bends State Park and the River.

North Fork of the Shenandoah

Black and White Weekend 

This week I spent some time volunteering for the Friends of Seven Bends State Park: helping at the Father’s Day event in Strasburg, attending a committee meeting, and distributing fliers.

These scenes are from the Hollingsworth Road Bridge and inside the park. The flowers are near the play area, which is not quite open yet.

Brother Against Brother

Front Royal, Virginia

"The First Maryland Regiment, U.S.A., was part of the force holding this town when it was attacked by Stonewall Jackson, May 23, 1862. With Jackson was the First Maryland Regiment, C.S.A. The two regiments were arrayed against each other."

Near that sign is a plaque summarizing the Battle of Front Royal.

"May 23, 862, General Jackson surprised General Banks’ forces in and around Front Royal, capturing many prisoners and army supplies and forcing Banks to flee in disorder out of the Shenandoah Valley into Maryland. This was the first move in Jackson’s celebrated ‘Valley Campaign’."

I've shared posts on the Battle of Front Royal before, including a reenactment. 

I was in that town on a couple of errands, including signing some papers in a business that displayed a cute doll house.    

 

A Few Birds in Woodstock

I hear more birds than I see, and sometimes I see them but don't identify them, like this bird on a tree.

The guineafowl wanted nothing to do with me. I've seen them in the state park before, and I assume they belong do a nearby residence. These birds were native to Africa and domesticated.

I finally got pictures of a killdeer. There it was, bopping along in someone’s front yard, nowhere near a body of water. It is a type of plover.

Wild Bird Wednesday / I’d Rather be Birdin’

 

Sunflower Art and Busts

Warehouse Gallery, Luray

Right now we all know why sunflowers are so popular, but for someone who happens upon this post ten years from now, I will explain. The sunflower is a symbol of Ukraine, a country currently under attack by Putin’s Russia. People in the free world feel sympathy for the Ukrainian people and wish to show solidarity with them.

Several sculptures of head and shoulder portraits were displayed in the gallery. I decided to photograph them using portrait mode on my iPhone.

Drumming at the Warehouse Gallery

Luray, Virginia

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

 

Views of the Homestead Farm Market

I brake for murals!

 

I was delighted to spot this lovely sunflower mural near Winchester. It’s at Homestead Farm Market. Let’s look around. 

Mosaic Monday / Murals / Blue Monday

Weekend Recap

I had a busy weekend and I'm tired. But first, let me wish all the dads a Happy Father's Day!

On Friday I made an unscheduled trip into Fort Valley on behalf of Lynn, who had injured her ankle and could not go out to pick up an antique radio that she won in an online auction for $8. It wasn't that far for me and the location was a nice old farm. And as a bonus for my good deed, I saw a bald eagle flying over Fort Valley Road. It's the second time I saw one there and again it was not possible to get a picture.

After that I did some shopping in Herndon, which is a fairly long drive from home. I had tried to avoid it but could not get the items online.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Basye taking pictures of an event at the library. I used to do this ten years ago when we lived up there, but after moving to Waterlick it was too far away. Now that I live closer, I was glad to accept Mona’s invitation to do this again.

She had not conducted the children’s programs during the worst of the pandemic but at long last she organized a special event: members of the college league team from New Market came to share their love of baseball with kids. 

The ballplayers read some baseball stories to the children, went outside for some kid-size practice, and enjoyed snacks. It was great fun!

Then today I helped to staff a table at an event in Strasburg. I helped the Friends of Seven Bends State Park give away stickers and brochures and publicize classes. Fortunately it was a beautful day. Next to us was an exhibit for North Mountain Animal Rescue, and their exhibit was very popular, for they had animal ambassadors to show to children.

Rescued Parrot

Nice Dog, Canada Goose

This dog was cute and well behaved so I took a couple of pictures of him. The second one has a special effect added using BeCasso on my iPad.

Caturday Art / Saturday Critters

The goose may be trespassing but he doesn't appear concerned.

Recent Scenes, Seven Bends State Park

Yesterday I showed you some scenes from the park and today I have some more.

I stopped by there on Monday and took some pictures of flowers, the river, and a fishing class for girls. These are all scenes on the old Camp Lupton section of the park.

See the Friends of Seven Bends State Park page.

Oh, I wanted to mention that I've been having problems with comments not showing up. Blogger has been indiscriminately marking them as spam and even though I read them in my comments list, they were not showing up under the posts. So until they fix this, I need to check my spam folder every day and click the checkbox and publish them.

Here is an interesting sky that I saw yesterday after I took a picture of the sign to the park.