The Lynchburg Museum

The Lynchburg Museum is located in downtown Lynchburg. Lynchburg is about 1.5 hours away from us, give or take a few minutes depending on traffic.

This statue stands outside of the Museum. That's Uncle Buddy (left) and Cousin Don.

 

The Museum is located in the old courthouse. It's a good use of the structure.

 

The museum's entry price was just right. There were many things to see, read, and look at.

 

A special Civil War display was located in the basement.

 

I liked reading about the role women played in the Civil War.

The upper level housed a toy museum.

 

Hubby enjoyed reading about a local race car driver.

 

I liked looking at this old guitar, played by a local music legend.

Mother and Child: A Doe and Her Fawn

I have been incredibly blessed this year in watching the does and their fawns - and then being able to shoot video of it.

Here's another of a doe nursing her baby. I set this one to peaceful music. I hope you enjoy it.

Lost in Space

I was six years old on that hot day in July, 1969. We were outside playing - myself, my brother, and my two young uncles - when my grandmother called us in the house.

The men were going to walk on the moon.

We were lucky enough to be able to watch this amazing feat and to hear those historic words: "One giant leap for mankind." And so it was on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts stepped foot on another planet.

I was 23 years old in 1986 and driving down Interstate 581 on my way to my part-time job after taking a class at Virginia Western Community College. I was listening to the radio report of the launch of the Challenger, a space shuttle which would be taking a teacher into space.

I nearly wrecked the car as I heard the horror in the announcer's voice as he cried, "It's breaking up, it's breaking up! Oh my God!"

I was 40 years old and had the TV on while I was cleaning house. I wanted to watch the landing of Columbia, a space shuttle returning from a successful mission. I was horrified all over again as the shuttle disintegrated over Texas. I remember I called my brother to tell him to keep the nephew away from the TV so he wouldn't see the tragedy.

All of my life I have taken time to watch the rockets and space shuttles launch when they showed the events on TV - these three I remember best because thankfully, the others were quite routine. When I was young, I even though I might work for NASA, but fate had other plans. But I watched the space program with great pride and admiration.

The idea of it! Exploring the vast unknown. Moving through space and time in a way no other people ever have done before. Opening up the heavens to find - who knew what - and learning for sure that the moon was not made of green cheese. Seeing for sure that the earth is really a big, blue round ball orbiting the sun.

The space program moved the thinking of humanity forward like nothing else. It eliminated myths. It brought home the reality of how small and insignificant we really are. It gave us great inventions and changed the way we looked at ourselves as a nation and as a people.

Because of the space program, we have a progressive weather alert system complete with rather accurate and amazing radar that let's us see the thunderstorms heading our way. Because of the space program, we have water and air purification systems that allow people to breathe in small spaces and which cleanse the air in our homes and drink water from the sea if need be.

Because of the space program, we have GPS, heart pumps, better microwaves, KEVLAR, enriched baby formula, scratch and glare coatings, athletic shoes, helmets and padding, wireless stuff, video stabilization, heat protection, ... it's a long list. These and many other things came about because of the space program. They invented what they needed and then someone else took the applications and created a public use for the item. It's about as innovative as you can get.

The space program gives back about $8 for every $1 spent. The billions spent on the space program are merely pennies per person when it comes to tax dollars.

And yet there are folks who would end this program. Cut off the exploration, stop the inventions, cease the forward momentum. They do this in the name of money. Money, at this time in history, has become more precious than time, more precious than innovation, more important than life itself. Thank God this is not a morality I subscribe to.

While the space program isn't ending, this door closing sure feels like a final slam on the America I once knew. It's the feeling I get all over - let's close the doors, turn the lock, hide our faces so we can't see the reality of what we're facing, much less where we're going.

Today is the day of the last space shuttle launch. Godspeed to those on board. Thank you, NASA, for all you have given us.

Thursday Thirteen

As has been my habit this year, on the first Thursday of each month I've been making a note of the good things that happened in the previous month.

So without further ado, here are the great highlights of June!

Uncle Buddy (rear) and Cousin Kathy.

1. We had a week-long visit from relatives from Chicago. Uncle Buddy, Aunt Marjean, and cousins Kathy and Don stayed with my mother-in-law, but we helped her play hostess and went on various day-trips with them.

2. The tomatoes ripened before July for the first time ever! They were scrumptious. The idea of a tomato sandwich had us dancing around the kitchen.

3. A doe and her fawn (there's a video of them at the link) has been staying around the house, and another with twins has shown up in recent days. They are great for the video camera.

4. I spent time doing research for my thesis, which I must write in order to finish my master's degree. I have a had a good time doing this.

5. Classes resumed for summer session. I am in class two nights a week, and loving it.

6. I lost six pounds in the month of June.

7. I exercised for at least 2.5 hours every week in June.

8. I read Dante's Inferno, Thomas the Tank Engine, Grimm's Fairy Tales, and the Arabian Nights. I also read the short story The Monkey's Paw, which I highly recommend reading if you somehow missed it in English in high school. If you suspect I did this all for class, you would be right.

9. I had a birthday in June, and grew another year older. I am not yet 50 but I can see those numbers heading down the track in my direction. However, I had a terrific day.

10. My husband gave me a color Nook as my birthday present.  It's a neat little device. At the moment, I am more entranced with the idea of downloading classics from Project Gutenberg than I am with purchasing new novels, but I can see where the thing may have its uses. I do not think, though, that e-readers will completely eliminate books. I do think they will put a dent on the profitability of publishing.

11. Other birthday presents included a gift certificate to the Swinging Bridge restaurant in Paint Bank and a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.

12. My niece, Zoe, had a dance recital, and I spent four hours on a Saturday watching young girls dance and whirl around the stage at the Roanoke Civic Center. I was pleased that I was able to see my niece's talent. She did a fantastic job.

13. My husband also had a birthday this month. He's on the other side of 50 and he is a great fellow. I am honored and humbled to be his wife.

Lots going on in June! I could have listed a few more good things about this most recent month. I hope I can say the same about July!




Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 198th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

It's a System of Justice, Not Trial by Media

Yesterday in a highly publicized case, a mother was sent home a free woman and not charged with killing her child.

The media has been all over this particular trial. I don't know why, exactly, as I did not follow it at all except to see the headlines. However, I do know that each year, 300 children die at the hands of their parents. Many of those parents are convicted.

Some are not.

Why this case stood out and others don't is a mystery to me. Where is the outrage for these other kids?

Anyway, people all over my facebook page are indignant and calling the American justice system a failure.

They weren't at the hearing. They didn't hear the evidence. Really, their judgment and perception matters not the least, though the media would have them think otherwise.

However, it's called "reasonable doubt" and obviously the jurors had some doubt regarding the evidence that this mother murdered her child.

The legal system did not fail. It worked just like it is supposed to.

Would these folks rather see the mother found guilty and murdered in the gas chamber, only to find 10 years from now that the guilt lies with someone else?

Would they be outraged, then?

Books: Tomb of the Golden Bird

Tomb of the Golden Bird
by Elizabeth Peters
Read by Barbara Rosenblat
Copyright 2007

I am not an ardent fan of Peters' Amelia Peabody series, but I did enjoy listening to this book. Fortunately, Peters is a good writer, so I didn't have to have the background of other books to keep up with what was going on and who was doing what.

The year is 1922, and a great discovery is about to take place in Egypt. Unfortunately, the discovery will not be made by Amelia's family, and her husband, Emerson, is most unhappy about this. When Howard Carter finds the tomb of King Tut, Emerson goes off the deep end and utters words most foul. In so doing, he gets himself and his family totally banned from the excavation.

But never mind. Emerson's brother, Sethos, turns up, and where Sethos is, there is always trouble, for he is a spy. Soon the reader is happily involved in a world of intrigue and speculation, and only Amelia can sort out the issues and set things right.

Peters continues to crank out these Peabody books, to the delight of her fans. If you're looking for an interesting and different sort of mystery, you might wish to check this series out.

Happy Fourth of July!

The National D-Day Memorial

The National D-Day Memorial is located in Bedford and is about an hour's drive from me. We visited the memorial in June when relatives were visiting us.

The National D-Day Memorial is a remembrance of June 6, 1944, when Allied Forces participated in the Invasion of Normandy during World War II.

The Memorial is in Bedford because, per capita, Bedford lost more soldiers on D-Day than any other community in the United States.

The entrance to The National D-Day Memorial

We were there on Flag Day.

The many statues depicting the Normandy landing are among the finest features of the Memorial.

This is a depiction of the beach landing during the Invasion.

 The statues are extremely well done.

 More statues.

A small airplane recognizes the contribution of the Air Force.

Numerous plaques spell out details of that fateful day. There are also plaques which name every US soldier killed on that day.

This statue in particular grabbed my attention. The detail on this was incredible.

This story of the Chad Valley Toy Company in England was quite interesting. The toy company during the war created a method of mapping that allowed the maps to be shipped in parts, like a jigsaw puzzle.

This is a mosaic of one of the maps the Chad Valley Toy Company created. It is on the ceiling of the folly below.

 I think this is Dwight D. Eisenhower but I am not positive of that and I can't read the plaque in the picture.

 From the far left, my husband, Cousin Don, and Uncle Buddy, studying the many plaques with information about the war.

From far left, Cousin Kathy, Aunt Marjean, and Mother-In-Law Eunice as they study information about the Normandy Invasion.

The Memorial from the rear.

Visiting the Dead

When the relatives were in back in June, we visited two cemeteries in Fincastle.

They are old cemeteries and the history buffs among us enjoy walking through the gravestones and reading them.

Godwin Cemetery is at Fincastle Methodist Church. Many of our relatives, including my husband's father and his grandparents, rest in this graveyard. The other cemetery is located at Fincastle Presbyterian Church. This cemetery has Revolutionary War heroes buried in it.

While wandering cemeteries may seem ghoulish, it is a great way to learn history and take a peek into the culture of a time long passed. I highly recommend it.

Monuments at Godwin.

 

More monuments at Godwin.

 

Fincastle Methodist Church in the background.

I reckon I'll spend eternity near that tree trunk up there on the upper left. This is also Godwin.

Some of the best views in the area can be found from atop the hill at Godwin Cemetery.

 

Crypts at Fincastle Presbyterian cemetery.

The interesting stone of Robert Figgat. Regular readers might remember I wrote about Nanny Figgat a few weeks ago.

This is a monument for George Neville, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Botetourt, who died at age 33.

Thursday Thirteen

Monday is July 4, which is the day Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This document proclaimed that the geographic area and its people, now known as the United States, would no longer be a part of Great Britain. It was signed in 1776.

After a period of time - over a decade - the US Constitution was implemented, creating the framework for government.

I happen to be a fan of government. I think government does very good things, and is quite necessary in order to ensure law, justice, and a semblance of equality. Yes, there may be problems in some areas, but it is not the evil that some make it out to be.

Our government is made up of you and me. Government workers are our neighbors, our friends, our spouses, and our children. All they are doing is trying to earn a living and help out their communities. They are not villains.  They have cookouts on the Fourth of July, too.

So in these days when it is fashionable to blame government and bash government workers, I offer up a short list of 13 things I think government does well. Please note this list could actually be longer!

1. Builds roads and bridges. We can't even afford to pave the driveway, much less create roads. If the roads were private and we had to pay tolls, how much more than what you pay in taxes do you think you'd eventually pay out? And if the roads were just ruts and not kept up, how much more would your repair costs be?

2. Police officers, firefighters, and emergency service workers are paid for with tax dollars. They are there to assist, aid, and keep the peace. These are dedicated men and women who want only the best for you and yours.

3. The US Postal Service delivers our mail. Even at 44 cents an envelope, it's still not a bad deal.

4. Thanks to government oversight, we have some modest assurance that our drugs and medications are relatively safe. Personally, I think this needs more regulation and more eyes and bodies to make this a better service, but I am glad something is in place to help ensure that my blood pressure medication doesn't kill me before I'm ready to go.

5. The courts, laws, and judges are in place through our tax dollars and are a part of the government. If nothing else, this at least guarantees us a fair hearing when we are wronged or have done wrong.

6. Social Security. This is a great program and it keeps millions of people from dying prematurely every year. I have read many older newspapers through my work and research. Old people used to end up in something called the poor house, or they'd simply starve to death in the streets, before Social Security was put in place. Is that really something we want to return to?

7. Water and sewer infrastructure. Thank goodness for these items, which keep water supplies healthy and have cut down on diseases. Without sewer, waste would be dumped in the streets as it used to be in days long forgotten. How would you like to wade down Main Street through piles of human filth?

8. The Center for Disease Control. This is important in order to keep things like HIV, tuberculosis, whooping cough, and other killer diseases under control and in some cases eradicated. Without government funding, would these diseases ever be cured or controlled?

9. Public education. Say what you will about public schools, the best thing about public education in this country is that it is available to all. Anyone can attend school and learn to read, write, and do math, regardless of race, gender, or religion. It is one of the country's greatest accomplishments.

10. The Freedom of Information Act. FOIA laws, also known as Sunshine Laws, allow you and me to learn what municipalities from the lowliest town council to Congress are doing when you're not at the meeting. Thanks to FOIA, government has to be open and honest, and the laws are in place because government listened and thoughtful people realized the importance of open information and dialogue.

11. Public libraries. Public libraries are open to everyone, without discrimination, and are places of learning and community. Best of all, most of them are free, making education and learning available to all. Truly, ignorance is no excuse.

12. The FDIC. This insures your money in the bank up to $100,000. Previously, if the banker ran off with all the dough in the vault, that was too bad. At least now you have a little recourse. And let's face it, not many of us has that kind of money socked away anyhow.

13. The Armed Forces. I do not approve of wars in general, but I understand the need for a defense. An army under control of this government is not supposed to turn on its own citizens. An army under control of a private company might very well do just that.

I could go on - how about the FAA, Uniform Building Codes, NASA, weather, E-911, Head Start, Extension Offices, Medicare . . .


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 197th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Festival of the Tomato

My husband had been watching the tomatoes on the vine for several days, and had declared Tuesday as the Day of the Tomato.

At lunch, he brought in three juicy, ripe tomatoes. I ditched my diet. "I shall join you in the Festival of the Tomato," I said.

I made sandwiches with mayonnaise, ham, and tomato on white bread.

We both practically danced around the kitchen holding our plates before settling in at the table.

The tomato was still warm from the sun and it blended perfectly with the cold mayo. It was juicy and we both ended up with mayo and tomato on our faces and all over our hands.

There is nothing quite like that first tomato of summer.

The Swinging Bridge

The pictures below are of the swinging bridge in Buchanan. The bridge is used for foot traffic and crosses the James River.

It has an interesting history.

This is the only such structure to cross the James River.  The bridge was initially constructed as a toll bridge by the Buchanan Turnpike Company. The toll was a nickel per person, wagon, or animal.


The bridge is 366 feet long. Some parts of the bridge, most notably the rock piers, date back to 1851, and Civil War troops used it to cross the river.

Uncle Buddy and Cousin Kathy stroll along the bridge.

The bridge, then a covered bridge, was burned in 1864 by General John McCausland in an effort to keep  Union troops from using the bridge to cross into Buchanan to burn parts of it during Hunter's Raid.

Cousin Don acting a little silly.

After the Civil War, the bridge was rebuilt, but a flood washed it away in 1877. The bridge subsequently has been replaced several times, finally becoming a pedestrian bridge in 1938.

The bridge is featured on the Town of Buchanan's official seal.

The Doe and Her Fawn

I bet you don't see something like the first few seconds of this video every day.

I shot this footage last night.

The Botetourt County Courthouse

Botetourt County's Courthouse reopened in 1975 following a devastating fire in 1970. A story about the fire, along with a picture of the old courthouse and a photo of the courthouse burning, may be viewed here.

The county's records, fortunately, were in a fire-safe room-sized vault, and saved. As a result of this fire, the Virginia General Assembly in 1975 passed the Virginia Records Act, which mandates microfilming and otherwise archiving records so that they may be stored at a second site, the Library of Virginia in Richmond, for safekeeping.

The county's courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Courthouse was rebuilt in the Greek Revival style, and this courthouse and the one before it are thought to follow plans initially created by Thomas Jefferson, though this is has not been proven to everyone's satisfaction.

The original log courthouse was built in 1772 before being replaced around 1848 by the brick courthouse that burned.

This is a monument to the Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. It was installed on the courthouse grounds in the early 1900s.

This is our cousin, Kathy, taking a picture of the painting of Norborne Berkley. Berkley was the Earl of Botetourt and a governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770. The county is named after him.

This is the courtroom as seen from the balcony. Note that the jury is seated around the judge's bench, and thus the defendants must face the jury when they are in the stand, which is the space at the far lower right of the photo.

Circuit Court Clerk Tommy Moore brought out the special books that house important historic documents so that the relatives could take a look at signatures of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Andrew Lewis, and other patriots.

Aunt Marjean has a chat with the Circuit Court Clerk about various and sundry historic issues.

It's Called Stealing

Last night my husband and I ventured out for dinner and a little shopping.

In the parking lot of Home Depot, two women and a young girl were standing around a truck. As we walked by, I overheard this comment:

"We'll get the paint and paint the bedroom, and then we'll fill the paint cans up with water and bring them back for a refund."

I was appalled. First, I could never think of such a thing as my mind simply doesn't work in that direction. Secondly, there was a child there. What are these people teaching that girl?

Then we went to Tractor Supply so my husband could purchase a new pair of work boots.

He opened up the box for his size. Inside lay a pair of boots. But not the right boots. Not even new boots.

These were boots with the tops worn completely out of them. These were someone's old boots. Either someone had walked off with a new pair of boots, leaving these, or a new pair had been purchased and the box returned with these in them.

Either way, someone had a new pair of boots, and I am 100 percent certain they didn't pay for them.

We flagged down a store clerk and handed over the bad pair, shaking our heads and clucking about the things we were seeing on this strange summer night.

I know that times are tough. And I know that faceless, evil corporations are the ruin of the nation, and they should get theirs. I have certainly felt that way when dealing with some behemoth company that cares about nothing but the bottom line.

But it's still stealing. And I am many things, but I am not a thief.

The Bus Driver

Last night I dreamed of Mrs. Wilson. The dream wove in and out of memory. I will tell you the memory.

I was in the seventh grade, and Mrs. Wilson was the school bus driver. She was a rather large woman with black hair. She tended toward the taciturn and I don't think she had the personality for school bus driving. But she drove the bus for many years.

We were not friends.

The bus ride for me was an hour long regardless of where I attended school. In the seventh grade, that was Botetourt Intermediate (BI), which is now called Central Academy. The bus would pick us up around 7:30 every morning and drop us off about 4 p.m. My brother, who was in the fourth grade, was at Breckinridge, and I would ride a bus from BI to Breckinridge, where we would pick up the smaller kids, then ride home. It made for a long day.

One day, my brother forgot his coat. He asked Mrs. Wilson if he could go back for it, and she nodded. He raced back into the building.

And she drove off and left him.

I yelled at her to stop when I realized my brother hadn't returned to the bus. But she did not. I turned in time to see him running out the door and after the bus, his legs pumping, his face scrunched up as he realized he would be left behind. His mouth was open as he cried out, and I thought I could hear his pleas. "Wait! Wait!" In my mind's eye, I even saw the tears streaming down his face.

Being left behind was a big deal. Both of my parents worked. Neither generally came home until after 6 p.m. We stayed with a neighbor until one of them came for us. I had no idea how my brother would get home or how he would fare. This was 1974. There were no cell phones. I was on my own, and so was he.

I cried all the way home because my brother had been stranded. And when we reached the bus stop, I laid into the bus driver.

"You are a big fat liar!" I screeched. "You said you would wait, and you didn't! You better hope nothing happened to him."

And I flounced off the bus.

I do not remember how my brother got home that day. I don't know if my parents picked him up or the neighbor went after him. In any event, he was safe.

The next day, as soon as I arrived at BI, I sought out Mr. Ferrell. He was the principal. I told him I wanted to report a bus driver. I remember the look of surprise on his face, that I would do this. He took me into his office and we sat down, side by side. He said Mrs. Wilson had interrupted his dinner last night to call and complain about me.

"I am sorry she interrupted your dinner," I said politely, "but she should not have left my brother. She said she would wait."

He told me I should apologize anyway, because otherwise I would not be able to ride the bus. She wanted me off the bus, he said. Besides, she was the elder and the grown up and I was supposed to respect that. However, he did concede that she was wrong to have told my brother she would wait and then drive off and leave him. And he said it was admirable that I loved my brother so much, and that I would fight for him.

I do not know what else transpired over this incident. Surely my parents were involved. They must have called the principal, too, not just at BI but also at Breckinridge, to complain about the bus driver who left their son. Maybe she was disciplined or at least given a stern lecture. Or maybe nothing happened at all.

In any event, when the buses came at 2:45 p.m. to pick us up, Mr. Ferrell met me at the door and he walked with me to the bus. Mrs. Wilson opened the door and glared at me.  I looked at Mr. Ferrell and he nodded.

"I'm sorry I said you were fat," I said.

And I climbed onto the bus and found my seat.

Thursday Thirteen

Positive sayings! Or, as the Halls (tm) Cough Drop wrap calls these, "A Pep Talk in Every Drop."

1. Don't try harder. Do harder!

2. Put a little strut in it.

3. Keep your chin up.

4. Hi-five yourself.

5. You got it in you.

6. Go get it!

7. Flex your "can do" muscle.

8. Elicit a few "wows" today.

9. Tough is your middle name.

10. Put your game face on.

11. Seize the day.

12. Be unstoppable.

13. Dust off and get up.

There are actually more ...

14. Impress yourself today.

15. Don't waste a precious minute.

16. Its yours for the taking.

17. Buckle down and push forth!

18. Get back in there champ!

19. Be resilient.

20. Don't wait to get started.

21. Fire up those engines!

22. You've survived tougher.

23. Don't give up on yourself.

24. You can do it and you know it.


Yes, they really came from cough drop wrappers. Now don't you feel encouraged?


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 196th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.