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Early in the Season

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Here in Southwest Virginia, we are just starting to see some color in the trees and underbrush. Heck, the flowers on my patio are still going strong – lucky me!  This past weekend I was able to spend some time on the bike, and on foot, and captured just a bit of our early color.

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Don’t you think that my freshly washed and waxed bike fits beautifully in with the fall colors?

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After 2 months of riding in rain and on dirty roads, my sweet bike was long overdue for a clean up.

How is the seasonal change looking in your part of the world?

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Gaslight

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My contribution to Monochromia this week.  I’m telling ya’ll, participation in this blog (what an honor) challenges me, my creativity and my ability.  Phew!

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BUT! Challenges make us stretch and grow, so I’m keeping with it!

(can you see the unplanned surprise in this image?)

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Colorful Moments in Charlottesville

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Weekend travel for other than pleasure?  Make the most of it!

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Whether walking the grounds of The Boars Head Inn,

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Or exploring the downtown walking mall,

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Be on the lookout for the bright and the beautiful

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and enjoy those free moments.

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Wine and Roses

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Our local wine and beer shop, Barrel Caves Wines, devotes one evening every month to women. The Divas gather for wine and tapas and friendship, and my camera is alway ready to capture the fun.

Kathy makes sure that the flowers are fresh,

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the food delicious,

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and the wine chosen just for us.

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This particular night offered an extra treat. As we walked out the door, feeling relaxed after another great evening, we were treated to this gorgeous sunset.

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Not a bad way to support local business!

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Fenceline in Monochrome

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For this week’s post on Monochromia, I wanted to show sunlight … it seems as if we haven’t seen alot of that this summer.

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It truly was a beautiful evening.

Have you visited Monochromia yet?  Please do so soon and check out the work of photographers from around the world!

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Poker Run

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The 8th Annual Layne Creed Memorial Ride was held this past Saturday in Mt. Airy, North Carolina.

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(photo credits Layne Creed Memorial Ride)

You may remember that I wrote about this ride in 2012.  Check out this link to learn about Layne Creed, his family, and the reason behind the ride.  Over the years, the Memorial Ride has raised well over $55,000 for local EMS, the Surry Community College, and the Children’s Center of Surry, which is where all of this year’s proceeds will go.  In honor and memory of Layne Creed, this memorial ride has become a favorite of North Carolina and Virginia bikers, and has done incredible things for the community that Layne called home.

Each year a group of friends rides down from Virginia, and this year we were geared up for rain.

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As always, the Poker Run starts at 13 Bones in Mt Airy, NC, a local restaurant known as much for their charitable donations as they are their good food. A  poker run is an organized event where motorcycles (or boats, cars, bicycles) and their riders visit five checkpoints, drawing a card at each one. The one with the best poker hand at the end is the winner … although really, it is the children that are the winners.

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A new checkpoint in the ride this year was Round Peak Vineyards.

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As is obvious from the photos, the clouds threatened rain all day long.

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Luck was with us though and we rode on dry roads.

The donations are still coming in, but the last I heard, around $7000 was raised.  An incredible amount of time and energy is put into the ride each year, but the Creed family gladly does it to benefit the children of Surry and Yadkin Counties …

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(photo credit Velvet Creed Leonard)

… and in honor of their loved one, Layne Creed.

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You can visit the Layne Creed Memorial Ride on Facebook and see lots of photos of bikes, riders, and fun!

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Between a Wall and the Sidewalk

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Even though I was balancing my camera, a plate of Stilton Cheese with Lemon Zest, and most importantly, the first Lemon Tart I’d ever made, I was distracted by this bright yellow flower growing out of the sidewalk.  So, you know I just had to put everything down and shoot.

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 After all, yellow was definitely the theme of the evening.

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Monochromia

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The image of this intriguing old stump is my contribution to Monochromia this week.  Pop on over if you get a chance and if you didn’t know it already, you’ll learn that I’m a tree hugger (like you didn’t know that already 🙂 ).  As Joe always says, if you love B&W images, you need to check out Monochromia.

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And We Breathe

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The women rush through the kitchen door, hands burdened with bags of food from a quick run to the store, and faces burdened with the cares and worries of the day.  Each one feels sure she is the only overwhelmed one in the group, but very quickly realizes that she is not alone.

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The house is cluttered with the detritis of the week … piles of mail on the table, various pairs of shoes scattered about on the floor, books perched on every surface … but the porch chairs have been brushed clear and the table tops are clean.

The food is quickly laid out on the table,

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flowers placed in a vase,

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and the candles are lit.

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The talk that initially bursts forth after being surpressed all day eventually calms, and the women begin to relax, surrounded by friends who know and understand.

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The porch offers a welcome respite from the world, even if temporary.

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And we breathe …

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Ride to Paint Bank

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The meet time for the ride: 10:45.  The destination: Paint Bank, a small community in northern Craig County, Virginia.

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The train depot dates back to 1909, when Paint Bank was the final stop of the Potts Valley Branch line of the Norfolk & Western Railway, which was expanded during the mining boom of the early 1900’s.

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The lodge features a master suite, and 4 guest rooms each with private bath, and a gas fireplace.

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The caboose has been renovated into a queen bedroom, complete with it’s own bath.

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The Depot and the other buildings in Paint Bank have been beautifully renovated and visitors can shop in the General Store, eat in the Swinging Bridge Restaurant (which really does have a swinging bridge inside it), and explore the water powered Grist Mill.

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I’ve ridden to Paint Bank several times through the years and it’s a great place for a stop along the way.  Someday I’ll have to stay the night!

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It was a misty ride back over the mountains towards home, but despite the dark storm clouds only a few of the 160 miles we rode were truly rainy.  Another fun ride in the books.

And oh yes!

The best sign I saw along the road today was in front of a church: “Noah should have slapped those 2 mosquitos”

🙂