Autumn in Albemarle

Fall is here and quickly turning into winter!

Just a short picture post today...Autumn in Albemarle County Virginia.  I am truly fortunate to live in an area that is bursting with natural beauty.

Just down the road from my house, the beauty of autumn is everywhere to be seen in picturesque Albemarle County Virginia.

Here is a map of peak dates for fall leaf-peeping in Virginia:

Fall foliage map for Virginia

Autumn Fire Wine Glasses

Hand Painted Wine Glasses

by Mystic Meadows

Mystic Meadows
Hand Painted Wine Glass
Autumn Fire

2019 UPDATE: I no longer paint wine glasses, but I am still very proud of the work I have done in the past.

Mystic Meadows
Winter Wonderland
Hand Painted Wine Glass

Historic Cumberland Maryland Part One

Hi all!
I'm spending a few days north of my usual mountain home, taking a much-needed break from the daily grind. I'm so far "out there" I don't have data service on my phone!  I'm in beautiful and historic Cumberland Maryland, about 3.5 hours north-northwest of Crozet Virginia.  Cumberland lies in the Appalachian/Allegheny mountains and is both beautiful and charming.  There is still that "small town" feel to it and in the neighboring town of Frostburg.  I have taken so many pictures to share with you but as of right now I don't have a connection on my phone to upload them.  I do promise to write a part two to this blog post as soon as I'm back home and online again.  (I'm on a friend's laptop with an ethernet connection and I don't want to go rearranging his internet protocols) Anyway, I found a great page online from the National Park Service that talks about the history of this area and there are some very cool photographs there too.

CUMBERLAND TODAY

Photo by Carter and Roque

You can link to the page HERE and I'm posting excerpts below.

The following is from the NPS.gov page about the history of Cumberland Maryland.  No copyright infringement intended.  Used for informational, educational, and historic purposes only.

HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND MARYLAND

Baltimore St., early 1900s
Photograph courtesy of City of Cumberland

"Although located in the extreme reaches of western Maryland, the city of Cumberland has found itself a center of activity throughout its history. During its more than 200 years of existence, Cumberland has been a military fort, the origin point of America's first highway, the termination point of a monumental federal construction project, a western gateway to the Ohio River Valley, the processing center for rich coal fields, and a primary link on one of America's most successful railroads. Nestled dramatically at the base of converging mountain ridges and at the confluence of Wills Creek and the Potomac River, Cumberland conforms in its layout to the rugged topography within which it is situated. From its beginnings as a British fort to its place today as western Maryland's largest city, Cumberland has always lived up to its nickname as a "Queen City."

When European settlers first began moving into western Maryland in the 1730s and 1740s, they encountered Native Americans residing between the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers. Conflicts ensued, and in 1744 the Maryland legislature purchased the land from the area's Native American's, observing they would settle "for nothing less than Blood or Money." This contract opened the area to official settlement. Germans, Swiss-Germans, and Scot-Irish from Pennsylvania quickly colonized the area. Although the Maryland legislature had "purchased" the area, Virginia and Pennsylvania claimed the land as well. More troubling to the British Empire were French traders intent on securing their rights to the land.

George Washington

In 1750 Virginia planters and English merchants established a trading house and small storehouse on land which is now the heart of Cumberland. The new trading post (later called Fort Cumberland) attracted the French, who moved south and west from their Lake Ontario forts, drove out the English traders and claimed the Ohio River Valley for France. In 1753, with tensions running high between the French and English, the Governor of Virginia sent a small company led by a young Virginian named George Washington to inform the French to leave English territory and return north. The French ignored Washington's warnings, and he returned to Virginia. In the spring of 1754, Colonel Washington returned to Fort Cumberland, this time with more men. Pushing north from Cumberland towards the forks of the Ohio River where Pittsburgh is now located, Washington's force (about 230 men) encountered 600 French and 100 Indians soldiers. An inexperienced 22 year-old, Washington did not withdraw, but instructed his men to build a fort, which he grimly named "Fort Necessity." On July 3, 1754, the French and Indian War officially began when both groups attacked the fort. Washington, completely surrounded and one third of his men killed, surrendered. Washington and his remaining troops were allowed to retreat (without their weapons) and returned to Fort Cumberland. With the loss of the Ohio River Valley, Fort Cumberland became the primary staging and supply point for the British on the colonial frontier.

This is where I went today!  Cool beans!

Cabin that served as George Washington's headquarters
Photograph by Kathleen McKenney, courtesy of City of Cumberland
The fort, and later the city, derived its name from the Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II of Great Britain. After British General Edward Braddock led another disastrous foray into the Ohio River Valley, George Washington served as commander of the Virginia troops during the French and Indian War, and spent a considerable amount of time in the Cumberland area. The cabin that served as his headquarters is the only building to survive from the Fort, and has been moved to Riverside Park. Washington's service in the area was important, because he became convinced that expansion west into the interior of North America and the Ohio River Valley came through Cumberland's valley. Washington later started a company (which failed) to make the Potomac River navigable between the Atlantic Ocean and Cumberland.

GROWTH OF THE CITY

In the years between the end of the French and Indian War and the beginning of the American Revolution, Cumberland grew as a town, was designated the seat of the newly created Allegany County, and was poised to become a major artery on the edge of the American frontier. Following the American Revolution, land hungry settlers began to push purposefully past the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. Cumberland grew slowly, until the much anticipated Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad arrived in the mid-19th century. These improved transportation routes, along with the increase development and trade opportunities they fostered, transformed this small town into the largest city in Western Maryland.

C&O Canal boats awaiting another load of coal, circa 1890 Photograph courtesy of City of Cumberland, from the collections of the Allegany County Historical Society

Coal mining quickly became the most important industry in the Cumberland area. Some of the richest beds of soft, bituminous coal in the country lay within the hills and mountains of this region. After the Civil War, coal became one of Maryland's chief products and exports. Coal from the Cumberland area fueled the state's mills and plants, steamships in Baltimore's harbor as well as the US Navy fleet, and was traded to buyers from London, Brazil, Egypt, and beyond. Primarily Scotch and Welsh immigrants provided the labor force for these mines, immigrating with their families for the opportunities America offered. In the Cumberland region, miners escaped the indebtedness to the mining company that plagued miners in surrounding states. The company store system, in which miners were forced to purchase all their supplies and household needs from the mining company, was outlawed in Maryland in 1868. A comparatively high proportion of miners were also homeowners, as local mining firms found it more profitable to sell houses to their miners, than establish "company" housing. Cumberland's coal mines were constructed with horizontal shafts, far less dangerous that the vertical mines of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Still, Cumberland's miners blackened from head to foot when they emerged from a mine at the end of a day knew that the carbon-filled air, which corroded the lungs overtime, would lead to an early death.

Cumberland as represented in a 1906 map by Thaddeus M Fowler Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, G3844.C9A3 1906 .F6

Various manufacturing plants were established in Cumberland, because of its proximity to sources of fuel and raw materials and its position on major transportation routes. Cumberland blossomed as a result, the downtown commercial area thrived, and impressive residences built around the city reflected individual prosperity. The city became the economic center of the region. Rural farmers, industrial workers and miners traveled downtown along with successful industrialists, businessmen and county officials. Glass manufacturing played an important role in the growth of Cumberland from 1880 to 1930. The Warren Glass Works Company located in South Cumberland, and the Cumberland Glass Works located at the west end of North Mechanic Street, were established in the early 1880s and would become the two major glass making firms. The industry used local coal as an economical fuel, and native pure silica sandstone in the making of the glass. At the peak of production around 1920, well over 1,000 people were employed in the glass factories and decorating shops. The onset of the Great Depression, coupled with the destruction of seven factories by fire dealt the glass industry in Cumberland a fatal blow. Recently, however, a glass decorating business opened in the city, using some equipment from the former companies.

INDUSTRY

Cumberland Brewing Co. during the 1900s Photograph courtesy of City of Cumberland

Breweries existed in Cumberland as early as the 1870s. The Cumberland Brewing Company, which operated on North Centre Street until the late 1950s, was established in 1890. The German Brewing Company started in 1901 on Market Street and operated until 1974 when it closed its doors, marking the end of an era of local beer production.
As coal production diminished in the first quarter of the 20th century, the auto-industry moved into Cumberland and promised new jobs for former miners. Kelly-Springfield Tire Company came to Cumberland to manufacture tires in 1921. At its peak the company employed well over 2,000 people. Of the area industries still operating today, two date back to before the turn-of-the-century. Westvaco, now Allegany County's largest employer, was founded in 1888. The Luke Mill, which employs about 1,950 Tri-State area residents, is continuing its $250 million improvement program. A new wood yard and administration building are the latest additions. Cumberland Steel Company, now operated by George Wyckoff, was established in 1892 by the McKaig family, whose Greek Revival mansion still stands on Washington Street."



Travelling to Cumberland?  Check out this Trip Advisor page with links to other local attractions and hotels.

Able to view PDF files on your device?  Click HERE for a great booklet (with pics!) about Cumberland, George Washington's First Headquarters, General Pershing and much more!

O is for Over It, and other expressions

I realize it is past April and the official challenge is over, but hey, I don't like to leave things half-assed so I've decided to finish the alphabetical postings.  Here we go with O.

"Over it."  Probably my new favorite saying.  It can be used in a variety of ways too.  Versatile little shit, huh?

Examples:

"I am SO OVER dating men!"
"Relationships SUCK.  I'm so over it!"

Pretty much anything I'm fed up with, I say I'm over it.  It's really pretty positive too when you think about it. Sure you're cussing and yelling, but you're not focused on the problem, you're OVER IT!.

 A similar word I like to use is "Done."  As in, "F*ck it, I'm DONE with men!".

I also use "done" when I'm ready for bed.  "Goodnight y'all, I'm done."

Sooooooooooooooo, goodnight y'all, I'm DONE.

j is for migraine; a to z blogging challenge

#AtoZchallenge

j is for migraine

shhhhhhhhhh, please be very quiet...i've got the lights turned down low, the fan blowing, and i'm curled up in bed with my kitteh and my favorite pillow...

yes, i have the dreaded migraine.  please be kind.  i've tried to think of something to write about but it's really beyond me today.  i apologize.

instead, i'm being truthful with you and i'm going to post some random stuff and pictures for you to look at.

i'll be back tomorrow.

blog on with your bad selves.

oh and don't slam the door on your way out.  thanks.


my dream home

#AtoZchallenge
Photo from applachianwoods.com
dream house

Appalachian Woods website.

Antique Hand Hewn Log Cabin

Stuarts Draft, Virginia

with wide plank Antique Barn-board Oak and Wormy Chestnut flooring

i love owls

#AtoZchallenge
Photo by National Geographic
No copyright infringement intended.  Used for educational purposes only.
Northern Spotted Owl.
#owl

National Geographic website.


something i just read and learned...

evidently, one may now travel to Cuba...  click on Cuba to go to the national geographic site for tours...it's just under six grand...(really? really??)



here ya go...
how to mix a good drink...click here for drinksmixer.com
you're welcome...

oh, you may need this later:  hangover cures



that's all i've got...

see ya tomorrow.

tammy

F IS FOR FINALITY; A to Z Blogging Challenge

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F IS FOR FINALITY

Originally, I had planned on a different subject to write about today.  I heard some very sad local news that touched my heart, and I was moved to write this instead.  

Today's post is inspired by the tragic death of a local man, Carroll Herring.  Mr. Herring was simply walking across the road to put the flag up on his mailbox when he was struck not once, but twice, by two different vehicles.  Both vehicles left the scene of the crime.  

According to a local man, Mr. Herring was hit at a high rate of speed and thrown into the air.  He landed in the highway where he was struck again by a different vehicle.  Both vehicles left the scene but Albemarle County police were able to track down and return one of the drivers. The other driver still remains at large. 

From local news sites:

"Police are actively looking for a second car involved in the crash that apparently also left the scene. The county's Crash Reconstruction Team describes it as a white Saab with moderate front-end damage." 

"Anyone with information that can help police is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 434-977-4000."

Carroll Herring was a 71 year old farmer and lifetime resident of the small rural town of Crozet, Virginia, which is where I reside. He loved growing an extra large garden and sharing his produce with the less fortunate.   I didn't know him personally but I do feel the tragedy of his senseless death.

My purpose today is just to remind you that nothing is promised or guaranteed in this life.  You should always be mindful of your own mortality.  Not obsessively of course, but everyone should really LIVE in the moment more frequently.

Too often we get caught up in plans for "tomorrow" and "next week" and "in five years".  Let me tell you something:  You might not be around for that.  I'm not trying to be a pessimist   Not at all.  I just think we should all seize each moment, NOW, and milk out all the happiness we can in the present.  Future plans are okay, but don't put off something you enjoy or love. 

Here are some of my other thoughts on Finality: 

Make each day count.

Jack Dawson, from the movie "Titanic", used that as a toast when he dined with Rose in the  First Class dining room.  I am a firm believer in that mantra.  

Do something you love, every single day.

Tell the people you care about that you love them.  Now.

Don't go to bed angry.

Smile. Often.

Help a stranger, no matter how big or small.  I'm a huge supporter of Pay It Forward.  Whether  it's a cup of coffee or a tank of gas. 

Perform random acts of kindness whenever you can.

I dedicate this blog post to the memory of Mr. Herring.  May his family find justice and peace in this tragedy.

Blessed Be to you all and thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  Comments are always welcome and I enjoy responding to all of you.

Photo from accidentin.com and CBS19 websites.  No copyright infringement intended.  Used for illustrative and artistic purposes only.  I honor his memory with this post.

Falling Into Winter; NaPoWriMo Day Three

FALLING INTO WINTER
Color
The leaves change
Die
And fall
Winter comes
Cold air whips
At the windowpanes
Hooving through the cracks
Sweaters boots
Gloves scarves and hats
Steaming mugs of coffee or chocolate
Sipped around a roaring fire
Wood chips everywhere
Scattered across the floor
Kitties doze lazily near the hearth
Safe and warm and loved
Snow
White and sparkly
Soft as cotton
Cold like ice cream
It falls all around me
Blanketing the earth
With a quilt of white beauty
Everything is silent
Hushed

#NaPoWriMo

#NaPoWriMo

B is for Back Roads; Blogging A to Z Challenge

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B IS FOR BACK ROADS


I love Virginia.  Virginia is home.  I've lived many places in my life but none quite so lovely, so peaceful, so downright BREATHTAKING as "my" Virginia.  I live in a magical, rural area between the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains. Here, there are thousands of back roads.  We don't have freeways, expressways, turnpikes or toll roads.  We have "the Interstate" and "all the other roads".  Don't get me wrong, we do have pavement, but life here is slower, friendlier, and gentler.  Reminiscent of days gone by.

(I've included a lot of links in this blog.  Please feel free to click on them if something interests you.  Each link opens in a separate page so you won't lose your place here. If a link is broken or malfunctions, please let me know! I've done my best to test them all out. They aren't wiki pages either, I've tried to find things of real interest to link to.)

Back roads have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  There is something magical about cresting a hill, winding around a turn, and seeing things like this: 

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Rolling Hills of Albemarle County, Virginia

March 2013

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Farmland and Hay, Albemarle County, Virginia

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Farmland and Mountains, Albemarle County, Virginia

Albemarle County is the setting for the old TV show, "The Waltons".  Earl Hamner, Jr. wrote the book that was eventually turned into the series.  Earl would have been John-Boy in the show, the one to whom everyone said, "Goodnight".  He is the child that grew up on the show and became the famous author, writing about life on Walton's Mountain (published in real life as "Spencer's Mountain").  If you come here to visit, you can go to the original Walton's Mountain and walk through the Hamner's home.  It's so nice to watch that show and hear them talking about "going down into Charlottesville" and so forth.  Most of the series, sadly, was NOT filmed here on location.  Hollywood may try to copy Virginia, but us locals know our mountains!  Still a wonderful show.

 On one recent drive, I was able to snap a picture of this very cool art studio/gallery by the side of the road. 

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Unique Art Studio, Albemarle County

 I had to pull off the road to grab this amazing twilight photo showing the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains near my home.

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Twilight in Crozet Virginia

 Coming down my long and winding gravel driveway, I caught a breathtaking sight of evening fog rolling into the nearby woods.  I snapped this pic and just put a sepia filter on it for added effect.  This is one of my all time favorite photos.

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Evening Fog, Crozet Virginia

This gorgeous lake is not far from my house either.  My friend and I take her dogs out to run and play a lot in the evenings, so I am lucky to capture sunsets and twilight shots like this one, another on my personal favorites:

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Twilight by the Lake, Albemarle County Virginia

Sometimes, you see things that make you get out of the car and walk down the road just to grab a photo, like this historic home that was on the market for sale.  I've forgotten the name of it but it dates back to the 1700s.  I love the stone wall!

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Historic Home for Sale, Crozet Virginia

If you can't tell already, I'm a huge history buff!  (Nerd Girl Alert!)  Living here in Virginia, I am blessed to be surrounded, literally, by history.  This marker honors the birthplace of Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame, who was a personal friend of President Thomas Jefferson.  (Jefferson is a native Virginian and his home of Monticello is a MUST SEE when you come to the area.)

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Birthplace of Meriwether Lewis, Explorer of the West

 Art abounds in Albemarle County and you'll see plenty of unique pieces if you take the back roads.  Things like this:

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Folk Art outside of Artist Cottage, near Crozet Virginia

That piece of folk art was in the yard of this very interesting home near Crozet:

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  Unique Artist Cottage, near Crozet Virginia

More Civil War history here in the mountains of Virginia.  Commemorative sign regarding Stonewall Jackson's war campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.  

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Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Civil War Battlefield Site, Albemarle County Virginia

Returning home on a snowy day in March, this is the beauty to which I am greeted:

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My Snowy Road, March 2013

I never get tired of these views...and I hope I never will.

So there you have it...the beauty of taking a back road.  Go out and find your own back roads.  Don't forget to take your camera.  You'll be glad you did!

#AtoZchallenge

All photos taken by Tammy Petry.

Dog photographed by permission of owner.

Back Roads and Life Lessons

Photo courtesy of "Traveler On the Backroads" 

http://www.facebook.com/TravelerOntheBackroads

I wrote a brilliant post last night which was inspired by this photograph. Somehow, between "Publishing" and "Posting" it got lost in the ether.  So, now it is morning, I have fresh, hot coffee, and I'm attempting to resurrect a bit of last night's wit and genius.  I may not recapture the exact phrasing, but I think I've been able to express my overall train of thought. 

Life lessons and back roads.

LIFE LESSONS

I've lived in many different places over the years.  Some were good, some were great, and some were downright atrocious (Arkansas comes to mind immediately!).  Through it all, I've always retained my love for rural Virginia.  I'm originally from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and if I were a Theist I'd call it "God's Country".   For various reasons, I've moved away and come back home several times in my adult life.  I've never really been happy living anywhere else but here (Boston was a close second.).  Each time I moved somewhere outside of Virginia, I felt extreme homesickness.  At first I thought it was just an adjustment period.  When it didn't pass, I knew deep in my heart that I was longing to be home again.  I'd move home and be oh so happy, then fall into complacency and begin to take everything for granted.  Life would happen and I'd find a new adventure to carry me away again.  The last time I went on a "Grand Life Adventure" was 2009.  I won't get into the details here and now (maybe another day) but I will say that I moved from a rural area of the Shenandoah Valley to the suburbs of Little Rock, Arkansas.  Ugh.  I had lived in the mid-west back in the late 80s up in Kansas City and HATED IT.  Perhaps time erases some of those memories or perhaps I was just blinded by love.  Whatever the case, I KNEW BETTER and did it anyway.  I had multiple alarm bells going off in my head but I pushed them aside, buried them, and continued on in my blind pursuits. While I was in Arkansas, I was happy for the first three months and miserable for the last 14 months.  When the relationship tanked, I became insanely homesick.  I cried buckets of tears of Virginia.  It was so bad that when I watched Virginia Tech college football, I'd gaze at the screen hoping and waiting for the camera to pan up for a shot of the mountains.  I'd watch YouTube videos see video here of the Valley and break down sobbing.  I knew then that it was time to go home.  I'd taken for granted all the wonderful beautiful things I had grown to love about my home.  The changing of the seasons, the friendliness of the people, the local markets and shops, the smell of the earth after it rained, snow, winter, see video here wood stoves, history, the mountains.  All these things made me immensely happy and I didn't realize how much they truly meant to me.  

While I was in Arkansas, one of my hobbies was doing my family genealogy.  I got very involved in it and enjoyed looking up my heritage. I learned a lot about both sides of my family.  I was sad because I wanted to go to all the places where my family had lived, loved, and died.  I found out we even have our own mountain and cemetery in West Virginia.  (Scott Mountain if ya must know.)  

So now that I'm home, I've vowed to appreciate everything around me and to NEVER take anything about Virginia, or my life, for granted ever again.  Also, I've promised to always be true to myself.  I will never compromise who I am, what I believe, how I feel, or the way I dress, talk, worship, or vote.

I try to view everything in life as a learning experience and to take life lessons from each event.  The lessons I learned while living in Arkansas were as follows:

1.  Never EVER ignore your intuition.  If you hear warning bells, STOP.  Think. Re-evaluate.

2.  Never compromise who you are for ANYONE.  It's akin to selling your soul.  Actually, that's just what it is.

3.  Treasure your home, your ancestry, your customs, your traditions.  Be proud of who you are and where you come from.  (I fought this for many years but I am now proud to say I am a Daughter of Appalachia!  More on that later, perhaps its own blog post?)

4.  Speak your mind.  You don't have to be hateful or rude, but always be honest.  Don't suppress things that hurt you or bother you.  If you're unhappy, say so.  I wasted too much time trying to pretend I was happy when I knew I wasn't.

5.  Family is everything.  Love them and cherish them while they are here.

6.  Take NOTHING  for granted.  Ever.  I mean NEVER.  

BACK ROADS

Back roads are like the veins that carry my life blood.  Back roads represent everything that is pure and good and honest.  Back roads are my Broadway, my Beale Street, my Ventura Boulevard.  There is kindness to be found on a back road.  There's a spiritual connection with Nature to be found on a back road. 

Imagine you're walking down a country lane.  It has recently rained and there's a nice breeze blowing. The wildflowers on the sides of the road sway in the wind.  The flowers are an explosion of yellow, purple, blue, and fuchsia. You can smell the rich aroma of dark damp earth.  A butterfly flutters in front of you.  Birds sing in nearby trees.  The sun comes out and caresses your face.  The gravels crunch with each step you take.  Are you there?  Can you feel it?  These are things that move my soul.

Whenever I'm faced with a choice of taking the Interstate or taking a back road, I will choose the back road every time.

So today, I challenge you:  Take a detour.  Go smell the flowers, literally.  Find your own back road and savor it.  

Blessed Be to all.

Namaste.