A Night at the Movies

This past weekend, Ward and I went to a drive-in movie.  I had never been to one before and a few years ago when I decided that I wanted to try one, they were almost extinct.  But the pandemic has changed that. Some very enterprising people in a nearby town set up a drive-in at the local fairgrounds. 

On an impulse, we loaded the car with sandwiches and popcorn on Saturday night and headed out to fulfill one of the things on my bucket list. Having never been to a drive-in, I only knew what I had seen in the movies. However, Ward remembers going a few times as a kid. His family had a station wagon and after the first kid friendly movie of the double feature played, the kids were supposed to go to sleep in the back while their parents watched the next movie. One night he remembers his mother was upset with the content of the second movie and told the kids to turn around and not look at the screen. Well, that got Ward's curiosity up and he watched every chance he got. He wasn't sure what his mother was concerned about, but he knew it must be good.

 So my vision was cars lined up in rows watching a movie. Well, it didn't quite work like that. While the cars were in a row, they only used every other space so each car had clear space around all four sides. And they asked if you wanted to be front facing or tailgating.  We hadn't even considered that option. As it turns out many of the cars had their backs lifted and sat outside their car in lawn chairs while listening to the speaker in their car during the movie. Before hand, there were several picnics going on,  but everyone stayed close to their group. 

All of that was well and good until the movie started and the raised car backs were blocking my view. However, that was only a minor problem which Ward fixed by adjusting the car slightly. And I say minor compared to what happened when we tried to leave after the first movie. Our car wouldn't start.

Some how the immobilizer got activated and it did its job. Our car was immobilized. Our first thoughts were how were we going to get a tow truck into the middle of the lot where we were parked and how that would totally disrupt the movie for all who were watching. But it didn't come to that. After numerous phone calls, a visit from AAA, and help from several security guards, we got the car running. Not before the AAA person said that he couldn't fix it and had called a tow truck. Luckily we were able to cancel the truck before it arrived. So all's well that ends well.

So what did I think of my first drive-in movie experience? It was enjoyable and I would do it again. The best parts were the people involved. First was the group who made the venue happen. They used the otherwise vacant fairgrounds to bring safe family entertainment to the area not to mention work for local food trucks.  Next was the very helpful staff that got our car started. They searched the internet on their phones for hints, radioed one another for advice, and didn't give up even when the person from AAA essentially said it was hopeless. And with all of that, the big screen movie wasn't too bad, either.

A Change of Scenery, Day 4

 Dolly Sods

Today we ventured out to Dolly Sods. We had done a fair amount of driving on Tuesday, so we wanted to stay relatively close to home. Dolly Sods is only about 1 1/2 hours away from the cabin, so that fit the bill. However, what we failed to realize was it was 1 1/2 hours away from the edge of the large Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. It took a lot more time over gravel roads to reach some of the hiking trails we had in mind. But the extra time was rewarded with beautiful views, once again. I've shared some of our photos from the day below.

The Dolly Sods Wilderness Area encompasses several different kinds of topography and plants brought about by a combination of nature, over-logging, and fires.

Some of it is a bog and has plants that are found usually much further north. 

Freezing and thawing during glacial times created large "rivers" of rock.

Dolly Sods was used for mortar and artillery training during World War II. It was supposed to prepare the soldiers for fighting in Northern Italy.  There were several warnings posted to be on the lookout for shells that might still be around and possibly live.

The Sods, or open mountain meadow, is the highest plateau east of the Mississippi at 4000+ feet.

As we saw at Spruce Knob, the prevailing west wind here is causing flagging of the trees. You can also see the numerous weathered Pottsville Sandstone boulders.

We could see at least six ridges in the distance.

This area forms part of the eastern continental divide. Rivers west of here flow into the Mississippi and rivers east of here flow into the Chesapeake Bay.

A Change of Scenery, Day Three

Ward and I are on a little vacation, i.e., change of scenery, in WV. The vistas are splendid in every direction in the Allegheny Mountains where we are. However, today we visited two geographical areas of note among this scenery. One was Spruce Knob, the highest point in WV at 4863'. The other was Smoke Hole, a long canyon formed by South Branch of the Potomac. Ward remembers camping there as a kid and wanted to explore it again. Below are a few pictures from our day.

Spruce Knob is in the Monongahela National Forest and has several hiking areas. 

 

This was one of the views from the road we were driving to the top. Goldenrod is in bloom everywhere and is quite beautiful. However, come to think of it maybe that's the reason my allergies have been acting up.

Often, the peak is shrouded in clouds. Today however, there was only one direction that our view was obscured. 

We had clear views in every other direction.

There is a prevailing western wind that is causing 'flagging' of the red spruce, meaning branches growing in the direction of the wind. You may have guessed that the predominance of red spruce growing there gave the peak the name of Spruce Knob. 

Spruce Knob is held up by the Tuscarora Sandstone, and boulders and outcroppings of it abound. 

Besides goldenrod, we saw other wild flowers along the trails.

Under the spruce trees is a blanket of rocks and moss. Quite lovely.

Before we left the area, we found one last treat--a goldenrod crab spider in the parking lot.

We drove through the canyon enjoying the scenery along the way.

We saw numerous outcroppings of the Oriskany Sandstone along the river.

We hiked along the river where we saw foundations of old homesteads.

As is typical in the fall, the river level was low. However, that made it ideal for rock play. Unfortunately, the river rocks here were too rounded for good skipping but making big splashes was almost as fun.

(Tuesday, September 15, 2020)

A Change of Scenery, Day One and Two

Ward and I are spending several days at a cabin in WV for a change of scenery to hopefully refresh from what is turning out to be a very long year. The cabin, courtesy of Miss Landers, is in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern WV.  If you want, you can follow along with our getaway.

 

On Sunday we drove to the cabin that is nestled in the woods and has all of the comforts of home.

It is located above the valley (The Trough) of the South Branch of the Potomac River. The river provides rich farmlands. We're looking down from a mountainside and the blankets of green that you see in the picture are cornfields.

On Monday, we took a walking tour of the nearby town of Romney. I'll show you a few of the 20 sites we visited. 

The earliest evidence we saw of people in the area was a Hopewell Indian burial mound--the small hill on the far side of the gravestones. This one has never been opened, but research from similar ones suggest that it was constructed sometime between 500-1000 CE. Other graves in this cemetery range from 1700's to present day.

Taking a huge leap in time, on the outskirts of town, we saw a replica of a stockade that Joseph Edwards built in 1755 to protect his farm during the French and Indian War. The real stockade is close by and undergoing an archaeological dig.

A few years later the first house in town was built circa 1760 just before the town was incorporated in 1762.

The Romney Literary Society was formed in 1819 and by 1850 was a large public library. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1862 during the Civil War.

And speaking of the Civil War, Romney changed hands between the Union and Confederate Forces 56 times from 1861-1865. In 1863 it became part of the new state of WV. This house built in 1850 served as Stonewall Jackson's headquarters for a time.

On a nearby hill, the Union forces built the Fort Mill Ridge Trenches. Present day, these are located in a beautiful hardwood forest.

Built in 1846 as the Romney Classical Institute, this became the state's school for the deaf and blind in 1870. Classes were in session while we explored the grounds.

And speaking of present day, we saw several of the Little Free Libraries around town. They had food, books, and one was even dedicated to hygiene products. 

The last stop of the day was the Dairy Queen for a Oreo Blizzard. Recently I discovered McFlurries from McDonalds and wanted to compare them to DQ Blizzards. You know, all for collecting data in the name of science. With two data points in, Ward and I both prefer the Blizzard.

(Monday and Tuesday, September 13,14, 2020.)

It will all get done.

 I'm tired and cranky. I could come up with several reasons for this, but some days just turn out that way. So what am I going to do about it? Well, instead of dwelling on the negative stuff, I'm going to try to focus on getting ready for the trip we're going on in the morning. Miss Landers has a cabin in WV where Ward and I are going to stay for a few days with hopes of working puzzles, reading, and hiking. At first, it seems frivolous to be talking about getting away for nothing more than a change of scenery when others are fleeing from fires to save their lives.  But if nothing else, the fires in the west have taught us to live for today because tomorrow things could change in an instant. And that means making the most of this little trip we're going on.

But as you may have noticed, I am writing a blog post instead of getting ready. Well, that's procrastination pure and simple. But it will all get done. It always does.

In the meantime, here are  pictures of what I've seen around my yard this week. Exploring the plants and critters that live around me is a sure fire cure for my crankiness. (However, it's not helping the procrastination too much.)

One of our crabapples has started to bloom. The very hot and dry July may have had something to do with this.

This bunny has been living in our yard all summer (and enjoying our vegetables). I think it prefers our yard over others because we're the only one around without a dog.

It's cricket season again. 

I repotted our fig tree this summer and it has rewarded us with five figs. The previous record before was one.

All of the vinca around the caladiums were volunteers. That makes me happy.

This cabbage moth took some time away from eating our brussel sprouts to visit this cosmos.

We have several swallowtail butterfly caterpillars feasting on our carrots. 

The yellow cosmos have done very well this year, but not one of the pink ones has bloomed.

Depending on the internet situation, I may report in next week from our vacation.

Until next time...