Evolving Winchester

A recent trip to Winchester revealed a town in the midst of change. Winchester typifies an American rural community complete with an abundance of strip malls, a brick-lined historic district and an younger college crowd. This town is not only expanding in all directions, but an upscale presence has been sneaking in recently. Pictured here is the courthouse, showing a slightly different time than the church behind it.






















The Handley Library stands out as incredible moment to architecture, especially for this area. Completed in 1913, it was commissioned to architects J. Stewart Barney and Henry Otis Chapman from New York. More information can be found here: nps.gov/history/NR/travel/VAmainstreet/han.htm.


















Just an incredible building! I need to make the trip back soon as it as closed on the day I visited.

Photo published on Loudoun Yellow Pages cover

The new Loudoun and Faquier Yellow Pages book from Verizon features one of my photos. This late afternoon shot was taken atop one of the silos located on Franklin Farm. The northerly facing view shows the town of Purcellville (Virginia) in the upper right corner. The original photo was taken in October of 2007, here is the related blog post: LoudounLandscapes.com/pastoral/2007/10/vertical-hike.html.

Incredibly, the photo includes my name and the website for this blog. I must say I'm pleased that 195,273 of these are printed. Does anyone use these anymore?

Round Hill Hometown Festival

Round Hill held it's annual Hometown Festival yesterday on what was the perfect day. This well attended event brought the town together for a day of fun, music and food.
















The park filled with neighbors and friends who listened to the Loudoun Valley High band start the day off.















The pie eating contest is a town favorite. The event, held later in the day, allows various age groups to compete by attempting to devour the 2500 calorie chocolate cream pie. This little guy looks all to ready.















Mary Ruth waves to the crowd from her antique shop as they make their way towards town. It looks like the town is saving on gas with pedal power.






















Everyone enjoyed the day, including this small dog. Can you say Mogwai? :)















A future gang of Fire Department candidates.















I've witnessed many pie eating techniques over the years while shooting this event. The "evil eye" is one of my favorites. After coaching our newly elected major (not shown here) on best approaches for this event, he executed magnificently. However, he left the table in mid-eat. Folks, we need to break this one in.

Funky Shepherdstown

Shepherdstown West Virginia is an eclectic mix of old town history, appreciation for the arts and a college town. The 55 mile per hour road leading into town runs over tight hills and curves, barely supporting the maximum driving limit. The red brick downtown area is reminiscent of New England architecture with heavy mid-Atlantic underpinnings. The main drive through town is dotted with funky boutique shops, restaurants and college coffee houses. This is definitely a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon. Word of caution, some parking areas require residential permits. There are often no signs stating as such.

Rust Sanctuary

The Rust Sanctuary, located in Leesburg, is a 68 acre ecological park with hiking trails and a manor house. The property was donated to the Audubon Society in 2000 by William F. Rust. There are scheduled nature tours provided on the property where more than 100 species of birds nest throughout the year. Directions and details are here.

Touring the manor house requires reservations. I learned this while taking a peek inside and being told (in less than friendly terms) that I'm not allowed in. Gee I'm such a nice guy too :)























Surrounding the manor house is an impressive array of plants and trees. This expansive Tulip Tree was in full spring bloom. It's large branches hung precariously over a stone wall, as if trying to keep everything close.

Spring breaks on Assateague Island

Last week I explored Assateague Island, a part of the eastern shore. The southern portion of the island belongs to Virginia, the balance is Maryland. This uninhabited section of the island is home to an incredible array of wildlife, including the famous wild ponies (above). Chincoteague Island is located just to the west and is connected to Assateague (and the mainland) via a series of bridges.
















The island features asphalt trails that lead visitors through various parts of the island. As my blog readers know, I rarely follow designated trails and this trip was no exception. This photo was taken miles north of the public beach parking area. A hefty hike along a service road, over a mostly dry marsh and finally through 50 yards of dead thickets and briers lead me to this spot. There's nothing quite like an uninhabited beach. There was an incredible display of large, unbroken shells on the beach like I've never seen.

The photo below was posted for the person who left a comment wanting to see the shells. Included are pics of a seahorse and shark eggs, also found on the beach.

Goose Creek Bridge

The Goose Creek Bridge, pictured here, first came to my attention in the movie; Crazy Like A Fox. A previous post of mine describes why I feel that this film is so meaningful to those living in Loudoun County. A friend suggested that he came across the bridge . I knew I had to find it for myself. Located on Route 50 between Upperville and Middleburg, this historic bridge still stands as a reminder of days gone by. I have not come across any bridge quite like this one, it truly stands out.

Hanging Ice

I stumbled across an interesting find yesterday; ice hanging in the balance minus the water that formed it. It appears as though Round Hill experienced minor flooding when it was cold enough for the water's surface to freeze. I assume that the excess water drained quickly, leaving behind a sheet of ice hovering about three feet above the creek.

















The entire scene was a fascinating landscape of shapes and angles. It was worth getting muddy on the way to work for this shoot.

Skateboarding a crime?

The Blue Ridge leader reported the following today:

"Several skateboarders were skating in the 700 block of E. Main Street. Parents were notified".

Since when is it a crime to skate? As an old school boarder myself, I was shocked to read this. I'd rather see our youth participating in a sport than being bored and looking for trouble. I think the town of Purcellville needs to lighten up.

March 14 update: The Blue Ridge Leader reports this: "Parents were notified that youths were skate boarding at Blue Ridge Middle School." Folks, we obviously have an epidemic on our hands. Has Homeland Security been called?

July 28: There is an effort underway to build a skate plaza / park here, called the Purcellville Skate Project. Visit this site to learn more and get involved: pvilleskateproject.com

Route 7 sunset

Sunset as seen from the Blue Ridge can be breath taking. This photo was taking from Route 7 as it passes into Clarke County going west. The winter sky is lit up with natural light of the season as the day draws to near end.

I stopped near this location recently to shoot fog rolling over the ridge, it was raining. My truck was parked next to the highway with the flashers on. I was touched that two people stopped within five minutes time to offer help, they thought I was broken down. What a great community this is.

Barn and pond

This photo was taken in the recent Franklin Farm series. The tranquil setting features one of the many barns and ponds located on the property. This particular setting sits between several rolling hills. It would not be difficult to sit here for hours watching the day go by.

Streaming leaves

A chilly stroll along the Shenandoah River produced this photo. Fall leaves can be seen sitting at the bottom of the river with a reflection of the tree that produced them.

What lies beyond human sight

I recently pointed my camera upward toward the night sky and experimented with long exposures of the stars. What I saw in the photos amazed me. While I expected to see the streaks of "nearby" stars, I was not prepared for the tapestry that lay behind them. The entire photo was filled with tens of thousands of stars that can't be seen with the naked eye. I knew they were there, but had no idea my camera could capture them. This five minute exposure shows only a portion of the entire photo.

Leaves fill the air

Recent strong winds blew remaining leaves off the tress near my house. The air was filled with multi-colored leaves that swirled all around me. It was a sight to behold!















This photo shows leaves filling the sky as the wind blew them high above the tree tops. I can't say that I've seen this happen before. This moment would have been so easy to miss. In photography, timing can often be everything.

Book signing December first

I will be at the Round Hill Art Center on Saturday, December 1st to sign copies of the Lure of Loudoun book. The open house event runs from 11 AM - 3 PM. Framed photos from the book will be available for viewing and purchase. One of the authors, Noel Grove, will also be present for signing. Click here for directions

Where the roads converge

Dirt roads are entirely underrated. They are usually free of heavy traffic, they can lead to unexpected finds and are relaxing to navigate. Unlike asphalt, traces are left from every creature who crossed your path. I like to think of it as a cross-species journal of sorts, entries are left in the form of foot prints.

Dusk at Franklin Farm

This photo was taken at Franklin Farm as the sun was setting over the ridge. Walking distance from the silos shown in the last post, this shot was taken later the same week. Sunset during fall often provides softer light with hints of graduated colors.

Loudoun experienced first snow fall of the 07-08 season on Thursday morning. Driving along Route 601 from Clarke to Loudoun county was a bit of a white out. Nothing stuck, but what a sight to see in early November.

Vertical Hike

Last night I did my annual hike up the silo owned by Farmer James. It was windy and cold, but well worth the 85 foot ascent. You may recall the inaugural vertical hike posted July of 2006. The whole landscape lit up with color as the sun inched closer to the Blue Ridge. This north facing shot reveals the town of Purcellville in the upper right. You can see the amount of development that occurred between then and now by comparing the photos.


















The silos in question. The one on the right is the little one. The one on the left was climbed to capture the photo above.

Lure of Loudoun Book Published

After working with the Loudoun Museum for nearly two years, the Lure of Loudoun book has finally been published. This book features about sixteen of my color photographs, many of which are featured in this blog. Most are shown in the beginning and end of the book as well as the back cover. The book can be purchased at the Loudoun Museum and many of your favorite Inn's and Libraries throughout Loudoun County. It's a 300 page hard cover book filled with incredible data, history and tales of the county. All of my photographs were donated in support of the museum.

Update: The book can be ordered using this form: http://loudounmuseum.org/book_order_form_2010.pdf. 

Rocking stories

Old handmade items have a certain allure. In this day and age of franchises and homogenous products, human effort starkly stands out as something to behold. This rocker rests on the porch of a civil war era home. If only we could hear the stories it could tell.