The Search for the Meaning of Something

"The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about."
Winnie The Pooh

So as one of the great philosophical minds of our time did so shall we.........Ponder the meaning of whatever for no particular purpose in the hopes that we may too discover something that we were not looking for in the first place. So let our great journey begin!


An Auspicious Beginning to Our Trip
Sunrise in King George County. This moment could not be missed. I pulled off the road, got out of my car, took along my coffee and donut and enjoyed the show.

What Lay at the End of the Road?

Westmoreland County. Had to fight the urge not to find the answer to the question but I had to be in Heathsville by 8:30a.m. On this day I had to choose the road more traveled. But there is always tomorrow......

View from the passenger seat of life
Perhaps too long
I've sat
in the passenger seat of life,saying I could
see the world
just as well,
even from the back seat.
Time to turn
the ignition on myself,
pop the clutch
push off in first gear,
then coasting in neutral,
turn the corner,
and roar into overdrive.

Mother Nature Struts Her Stuff
Again what you see is what I saw in King George County. The colors of fall in Virginia never cease to amaze me. Mother Nature can be a real eye turner. Anyone got her number?

Remember When Gas was Less Than a Dollar?
Hyacinth, Virginia. The gas pump is for Texaco Lead Free gas. Texaco started selling lead free gas in 1974 when a gallon cost around 53 cents. Based on the ads in the window and the condition of the building the 70's was probably the last time gas was sold here. At one time this building probably housed a small grocery store, possibly the area post office, as well as the gas station. It was probably also one of the social centers for the area. A new "Quickie Mart" is a few hundred yards down the road.

An Old War Horse
The early farm tractors had all metal wheels. Rubber wheels came into use in the early 30's. This tractor looks to have been a late 30's early 40's model. No idea of the manufacturer. Today it sits rusting off Rt. 3 in Westmoreland County.

This is Rural Virginia
I feel sorry for those of you who stuck in offices while I get to enjoy scenery like this in Northumberland County. I can picture a Norman Rockwell moment inside.

A Final Resting Place on the Side of the Road
Westmoreland County. This small cemetery sits alone. There is not a church or home nearby. The names on all the markers have been worn away.

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.

Mary Elizabeth Frye

Quonset Hut Decked Out for Saturday Night

The former John Deere store on Rt. 203, Westmoreland County. Not many of these still around. The name comes from their site of first manufacture, Quonset Point, at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island. They were all the rage in WWII. Add some cinder block, some green highlights and you still have a rather ugly building. But it is a rather interesting ugly.

The Limits of Knowledge

Somewhere outside Doswell. Don't know what it is, what it was used for, or when it was used; but I do know I find it interesting.

I'll Let Frost Explain It

Tree At My Window
Tree at my window, window tree,
My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn
Between you and me.
Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground,
And thing next most diffuse to cloud,
Not all your light tongues talking aloud
Could be profound.
But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,
And if you have seen me when I slept,
You have seen me when I was taken and swept
And all but lost.
That day she put our heads together,
Fate had her imagination about her,
Your head so much concerned with outer,
Mine with inner, weather.

"Lost Satellite Reception"
A common phrase from my Garmin when traveling the back roads of Louisa County. So you drive around till you are told to, "drive 6/10s of a mile and turn right." Or something like that. It is amazing what one finds when you aren't looking for anything in particular. Looking from a bridge across an unnamed stream on an unknown road at a bridge leading somewhere else.

Light, Color, a Story, and Another Warm Blooded Mammal

“After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it? This is how I answer when I am asked—as I am surprisingly often—why I bother to get up in the mornings.”
Richard Dawkins

Been a busy few weeks on a number of fronts and photo ops have been few and far between. The reason I took the following photos was more related to lighting and color as opposed to any specific object or scene. I have also thrown in a thought provoking photo, an abandoned building with a story, and, to keep a few of you happy, another warm blooded mammal..........


Narnia Before the Fall
Near Hurkamp Park in Frederickburg. This scene reminded me of C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The lamp post where Lucy first meets Mr. Tumnus. Also liked the coloring and lighting. Late afternoon.

Let There be Light

"So much the rather thou Celestial light
Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers
Irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence
Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell
Of things invisible to mortal sight. "

Mother Nature Makes an Appearance
The corn has been harvested and flowers have begun to spring up in the fields.

Light vs Darkness

The sun is setting behind me and setting off the fall colors in the trees. And in front you can see the storm coming in.

Welcome to Louisa
Like most towns here in Virgina they have a welcome sign which includes the fraternal organizations and groups that have chapters in the town. Lousia is typical of a lot of towns with groups like the Future Farmers of America, 4H, the Ruritains, and VFW. What caught my attention were the signs for the NAACP and Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Light & Color
Just liked the colors and lighting here. This house is located only a few blocks from mine.

Somewhere in Louisa County
I turned off my Garmin and made a right turn and then a left one etc. Don't know what road I was on when I took this photos. I thought it was interesting with the sunning blue sky contrasted by the storm front coming in from the left.

A Story
This abandoned store is located just outside the town of Louisa. Just behind where this photo was taken is another house that had been badly damaged in a fire--thus my reason for being in the area. The owner of the house is an elderly gentleman who was raised in the area. On asking him about this small building he told me that it was a grocery store that his family had owned. In 1941 he, his two siblings, and his mother, who was expecting, ran the store and lived in a back room. His father had left to go to Washington D.C. to look for work and they eventually moved up there with him. I was told that there had been to gas pumps in front with glass containers on top where the gas was pumped into and then drained into gas tanks.

Mirror, mirror, on the River.......
Late afternoon on a fall day along the Rappahannock River. I'll shut up now....

I Swear Its Not Been Enhanced
Driving back through Lousia County on Rt. 208 I drove by this cemetery. The light from the setting sun created the coloring on the leaves not Photoshop.

The Warm Blooded Mammal of the Week
Meet Morrison the family mutt. Our son Brion brought him home as a puppy before shipping off to Afghanistan. Mom and dad took on dog duties while awaiting his return and the fulfillment of his promise to take the dog off our hands. About three months into our son's deployment my wife Cindie had had enough and we walked the dog down to the SPCA to put him up for adoption. We were told we would be contacted when a home for Morrison became available. When the call came a week or two later it was not returned. When our son returned Morrison was no longer his dog but rather Cindie's dog. Today he is about 90lbs and where Cindie goes so goes Morrison. And yes he is on the bed! My side of course.