Friday Thoughts

It’s a sunny, warm August morning in the Shenandoah Valley with hot summer temps on tap through the weekend. Local public school children returned to classes this week in a new school schedule for Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro that begins earlier and ends by Memorial Day.

Some Friday morning thoughts….

Watching the skies: Did you see the Perseid meteor showers last night, the most prolific in 20 years? No, we didn’t either, but we all have another chance tonight for the most prolific showers in this annual event. We didn’t have artificial light issues here in the Shenandoah Valley and the skies were clear but the moon was bright enough to dim the stars. With competition from the Olympics, the meteors lost out in our attention span. Maybe we’ll check back tonight….

Watch out for the bears: If you’re heading to the Blue Ridge Mountains, keep an eye out for the black bears. Last weekend’s activity centered around the Humpback Rock picnic area along the Blue Ridge Parkway (MP 5-9) after a bear broke into a vehicle parked at Dripping Rock overlook which is a connector to the Appalachian Trail. Other reports of active bear activity caused authorities to close the Humpback Rock picnic area with trail warnings. See more here. Enjoy the mountains but stay safe out there.

Staunton area activities: If you’re heading to the central Shenandoah Valley, be sure to check out my 40 Things To Do In and Around Staunton for tips on historic areas, restaurants, hotels, and more.

Summer storm clouds over Shenandoah Valley

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Summer thunderstorms were developing over the mountains Tuesday afternoon as we drove to Fishersville to visit friends. Turning into their neighborhood, the clouds over the Blue Ridge were beginning to build …

… and a storm could be seen along the Skyline Drive just north of Afton.

A look at past Staunton 4th of July parades, cookouts at SWAC House*

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Fourth of July. It’s one of our favorite holidays and we have celebrated with food, friends, family, and fireworks throughout the years. It started when Republican friends gathered in Gypsy Hill Park to decorate and walk with the Republican float in the Staunton Independence Day Parade. After the fun of the parade, everyone would then gather at our house in the afternoon where we grilled, enjoyed fellowship together, and remembered our military men and women.

Here’s a look back at just a few photos from some of those cookouts and parades. (*SWAC House was the name given by Yankee Phil at the 2009 cookout.)

Downtown Staunton on a warm spring day

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Beverley Street, the main street of history downtown Staunton, Virginia.

Spring in Staunton

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Downtown Staunton is just made for meeting up with friends. Today was one of those days, catching up with friend Andrea at the Clocktower Restaurant on Beverley Street where we sat by the window overlooking the outdoor patio. It was hopping with some of the most recognizable faces in Staunton stopping by for lunch including former City Councilman Bruce Elder.

The 12 Days of Christmas … Day 6: Lantern Tours at Staunton’s Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The quiet of a cold December night in the Shenandoah Valley offers a reminder of Christmases past for those who came before us. The Frontier Culture Museum’s Lantern Tours offer a unique holiday experience that has become an annual event for many, a guided walk by lantern light of the Irish, German, and English farms. It was a simpler time with simpler, natural decor, and many traditions from those countries became our own as we settled in America.

Remembering the Shenandoah Valley’s Blizzard of December 2009

By Lynn R. Mitchell
(Originally published December 19, 2009)

Five years ago this week the Shenandoah Valley was hit by the Blizzard of 2009. I originally posted these photos at the time. Our picket fence and gate were almost covered with more than 2 feet of snow after the storm hit on December 18-19. (Photo by SWAC Daughter.)

December Appalachian sunset

December sunset over Elliott’s Knob and North Mountain in the Appalachian Mountains. By the time I retrieved my camera, it was beyond the moment when the sky was at its most brilliant. It still was stunning.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
December 13, 2014

2014 Stonewall Brigade Band Christmas Concert

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The sounds of Christmas will be performed by the Stonewall Brigade Band, the oldest-continuous among over 2,000 community bands in the nation, when they present their annual Christmas Concert that is free to the public.  Held on Monday, December 15, 2014, at 7:30 p.m., this band that performs every summer in Gypsy Hill Park will be at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.