Exploratory

3 September 2011 James River Heritage Trail

Sep 4, 2011

This Rail-Trail outside of Lynchburg had everything: river, bridges, island, trains, and this massive tunnel–about 100 yards long or more–cut right into the rock. It was awesome. Also awesome was that Sam rode her own bike the whole time (9 miles), I didn’t fall down, we didn’t get rained on, and we just happened to …

14 August 2011 The Three Little Kittens

Aug 15, 2011

Sam thought she could remain at her grandparents’ house if she pretended to be a kitten.

13 August 2011 Sam and Sunny

Aug 14, 2011

Of course the kid who ADORES cats appears to be allergic to them. :-(. But Sam doesn’t let the sneezes get in the way of kitty love.

12 August 2011 Mom-Mom’s Garden

Aug 13, 2011

11 August 2011 Japanese Maple Arabesque

Aug 12, 2011

10 August 2011 Meet the Kittens

Aug 11, 2011

7 August 2011 Sam in Little Fisher’s River

Aug 8, 2011

While AC and I packed up to leave, Sam spent the morning digging out the branch, rearranging rocks, and planning a “bath” for a spot just downstream from where we gather water to boil for washing dishes. When it was time to go, she did not want to leave. Just before bed this evening, she said, “Mommy, for my birthday, …

6 August 2011 The Shack

Aug 8, 2011

It was hard to choose one photo among the many I took today. Candidates included Sam scooping water from the branch, AC helping Sam shoot an arrow into the hill with his boyhood bow, and AC chopping grass with a swing blade, moments before he sliced up a hornet’s nest (and told us to run into the house!) In the end I …

5 August 2011 The Road to the Shack

Aug 8, 2011

When AC first took me up to the Shack–his family’s rustic retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southern Virginia–I was prepared for bumpy, dirt roads. I was not, however, prepared for hurtling up through a tunnel of rhododendrons so dense and thick and narrow that the branches scraped and squeezed the side of the …

24 July 2011 Crozet

Jul 24, 2011