ALASKA Day 1

Getting to Alaska from Virginia takes a while.  We flew from Richmond, VA to Chicago to Seattle to Anchorage.  I believe our travels lasted about 14 hours before ending up in Wasilla at the doorstep of Boone's niece.  There was some catching up to do for the family.  I am new to the group so I really had to pay attention to keep up with the conversation.  The bed caught my tired fall when we finally retired for the night.  The next morning we had a hardy breakfast before heading out to the Midsummer Garden & Art Faire in Palmer, Alaska. This is my kind of thing for sure, but the main draw for us was to hear our host, John Cook, perform.  Check out his Facebook page when you get a chance.  Look for John Cook in Wasilla, Alaska.




Nothing like live music outside.  The weather was perfect.  We also did a walk about. Love the bark on this tree...yes, we are easily entertained.

There was plenty of dog watching.

There was food, of course

And ART!  We struck up a conversation with artist Teri Loyer (see her Facebook page at Totally Photo Design) and discovered she is planning a trip to the east coast this Fall.  She mentioned Humpback Bridge is on her list.  Hello!!!  Next thing she knows, she has an invitation to stay with me.  Her itinerary took a sudden change.  She gifted me this picture in anticipation of her visit to Virginia.  Serendipity.  Love it.

Later that evening we went to the Moosehead Saloon to hear John perform again.  Another musician joined him on the stage to sing a song John wrote. Beautiful.

We had so much fun hanging out here with family.  There was actually a Route 66 sign in this bar that matched the hat Boone wore!

Fabulous day. Let go the magic.

ABBA - A Tribute To Their Music

We attended the performance of Abba Tribute on Wednesday at the Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge, VA. It was great hearing those songs performed live again. Remember Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Fernando, Take a Chance on Me... Some moments of our past SHOULD be relived.  Thanks for the music.

Visiting Alleghany County High School

Dolly needed some exercise. Our old high school, aka Alleghany County High School, has a nice football field that is not being used for anything at the moment. So after some discussion and noting that the field looks pretty good, Dolly decided to run.



I watched and reminisced about the wonderful years that ended when I graduated in 1969. Things have changed, but much is the same.  Memories brought things to life again.
I could hear the chant of some of those old cheers. The ten, the 20, the 30 yard line...



It was a time when we marched to the beat of a more youthful drum. I remember the beat.
(Mr. Boone here still has a pretty good drum.)

Those of you who attended school at ACHS will remember the Country Club and golf course next to the school.  The club house is now a private residence.  I do not know who owns the land the course was on, but it has been turned back to Mother Nature.









It sure makes for a nice walk.  And if you are up to it and your drum roll is still strong, you might even consider jogging.  Warning: the old cart path is tempting, but the ticks are terrible. Something else caught our eye.  There is a tree stump near the entrance to the school that has some great growth on it.





I enjoyed the opportunity to go back in time and to see how things have changed.  Then there is the now, which is nice, too.

Visiting Friends In The Mountains Of NC

Boone's friend Harvey organized a get together at his and Audrey's home in the mountains of North Carolina so the men could have a couple of golf outings. I was delighted to be invited.  Mostly we hang out on the glass enclosed porch where the view is wonderful and the feeders provide constant bird activity.

The men had two golf days and did other things that men do.

Like grilling...

Holding manly poses...

And making sure the ice in the cooler is just right...

It wears a man out...

I enjoyed the company of these ladies (all 3 of them).

I was so surprised when I walked into this antique shop to see this plate...just like the one I have that was given to my mother when she was first married.

One day all 7 of us piled into a vehicle for a day up in the Highlands and stopping off to explore interesting places along the way.  Virginia is not the only place that has had a lot of rain.

I hope this short video works for you....

Each evening, from that porch I told you about, we watched Nature.

Harvey has a deer feeder that shoots out corn for the deer according to the times he has set for the automatic spray. We were so excited one night to watch several deer playing in the field.  They did eat a little.  There is always the hope that when the deer hear the feeder spraying the corn in the evenings that they will come running. Kind of like these guys do...

We all thought it was hilarious as we watched each night just in case the deer would appear again.