An Unplanned Adventure

   Between the bookend events in Virginia this trip, Drew's graduation from Blacksburg High and our teen sitting stint beginning on 6/6, we caught a beautiful unplanned day and decided to make an exploration upcountry.

   Beginning at the juncture of US 460 (the main route into West Virginia from Blacksburg) and Virginia State Route 42 into New Castle, we drove the 40 miles or so of this scenic, two lane roadway  on a "chamber of commerce day", blue sky, puffy white clouds and lots of green grass.

   A day or two earlier, we had been in Newport, a village on 42 right off 460, and so I use a shot from that day to begin our odyssey. A 1916 covered bridge only used for walking these days.

   We were cruising along, just enjoying being out together, when my wife said to me, "you may not have noticed, but we just passed a really pretty church that looked like a good picture". I had noticed the building and I did turn around and retrace my steps back south.

   Parking a little way from the church, I took a couple of shots. Level Green Christian Church, established 100 years before we were born, in 1836. A neat church in a pretty setting. The main structure of the church dates from 1896 with subsequent additions in the mid 1900s.

   While standing at the car thinking about what kind of folks had attended this house of worship for all these years, I happened to look west up the nearby hill and noticed a cemetery at the top of the rise. There was a cemetery behind the church, so this must be a community one. Could I find a way to the top?

   Driving a short distance south, a sign proclaimed Williams Cemetery standing next to a farm road going west. Right away we were confronted by an old house, no telling what the age. It must have been some home in its day.

   The double track roadway went by the house and then began its rise toward the cemetery. After stopping to open the gate, we traveled to the top to find a well maintained acre or so of hilltop. With a view across and up and down the valley, it was a reverent spot. We spotted graves from the middle 1800s all the way to 2019. And what a view!

   Returning the the highway, we spotted an older car in the weeds beside the track. My question was "what was the make of the car and how old was it?" Check the Malibu on the steering wheel.

   Stopping to take a shot of the barn in the field near the old house, I trudged into the hay field and took a few shots. From its appearance, it looked to be still in use, at least for storing hay.

   Coming out of the field, we noticed a couple on the road with backpacks. Chad and Laura were thru hikers on the Appalachian Trail and had begun their trek at the trailhead near Springer's Mtn. down in north Georgia, and were walking to Maine. They had covered 600+ miles to this point and had a heap more to walk before they reached their destination 1500 more miles north. We wished them God Speed, and they walked out.

   The views on Route 42 were so pleasant, that we almost forgot why we were there on that day. There was a courthouse at New Castle, county seat of Craig County, and almost reluctantly we continued north.

   A few miles from the town, we spotted a historical marker and stopped to read:

   Eastern Continental Divide as you can read.

   From an overlook, we could see New Castle below.

   What began as a courthouse trip, gave us much more than we bargained for.

   But, while I sorta doubt it will be a cover story in Southern Living, for a couple of retired people, it turned out to be a picture perfect day.

   And we got pictures of three Virginia courthouses:

   Giles County, founded 1806, located in Pearisburg.

   Craig County, New Castle.

   Botetourt County, in Fincastle.

   What a Day!

Who Cares?

Who cares if the day is cloudy or sunny
If we are in or out of the money.....

Birthdays don't get any better than this:

Boiled custard in the fridge courtesy of my Sweet Wife.

For You Doubters Out There

   You said it could not be done, but here is the truth in an original photo.

   Silver Medalist (in unaltered or photoshopped photo)

Jack Painter and Myself with two ladies from the sponsoring agency.

Paddle Rattle Pickleball Tournament

   Today was an epic day in the annals of old men's Pickleball.

   My very first Pickleball tournament…and a Medalist at that, but this story deserves a slight bit of background, before the awards are handed out.

  First of all, you all know about this sport because I have mentioned it before, and I also put a picture of two couples playing (even though I did not know who they might happen to be), on my Fb page.

   I also place in this post, a picture of the Pickleball court, so you might get a mental picture of the scene of action. Smaller than a tennis court, with an area between the service court and the net, called the kitchen which has all kinds of special rules.

   We played indoors today, which was fortunate because it rained hard most of the day.

   Back this past Tuesday, a friend came up to me, saying that his partner had to back out of a tournament, and he needed someone to sub for him. Could I play this coming Saturday (today)?

   Checking my social calendar, I could, and so I showed up this morning at 9:15 ready to show how much I had learned in these past couple of months.

   At 10:30 or so we hd our first match, absolutely crushing our opponents by the score of 15-6. We felt good about our play and our chances for a medal.

   Then shortly thereafter, we suffered a defeat of our own 15-1, and our record dropped to 1-1 in our bracket.

   One more match in the preliminary round, and it was a close set, but we again lost 15-9.

   Now we are 1-2 and seeded 3rd in the double elimination finals coming up later in the day. The first two seeds will medal and the others will go home empty handed.

   Bear in mind that we finished the prelims around noon, and did not get to play the finals till around 4pm.

   Also bear in mind that we were seeded 3rd in our group based on skill level (we were in the  3.0, the lowest group playing today).

   One other thing, there were 4 teams in our group. We had beaten one badly, been solidly shellacked by another and played the last team close. Our chance for a medal rested on defeating the 2nd seed to get another shot at the #1 seed.

   When our final round came around finally, the #1 seed had to play #4, but then we learned that #4 had gone home after being beaten by all three other teams in the group.

   Next was our game against the #2 seed, and we felt good, knowing we had not been beaten badly by them, and knowing also that we had not played our best game.

   Then, the unbelievable, the #2 team had to leave, and that left only the #1 and us. Could we improve our game and wrest the gold medal away from them. They were good, and, I think, should have been a group higher in the ratings, but it was up to us to bring our A game and show them how it is done.

   We did improve, bringing our B- game and got trampled 11-3, 11-3.

   Actually it felt pretty good to score 6 points on them, and become a silver Medalist in this our first tournament.

   At the end of this day, we knew there had really only been two teams left in our group, and we finished last, but the story is of a silver medal around the neck, and we won't embellish the story any farther.

   At 82 I am only too happy to be able to play.

   Wait till the Family Cornerstone tournament comes around next year.......Gold Baby

Another Wedding Vow

   Back in January, while we were planning our small wedding, and not knowing which of our children and grandchildren would be able to come to Chattanooga (all of our kids and their kids live elsewhere), we decided to make sure that those who could not attend would be our first priority to visit when we married. We both wanted the family to get to know the new spouses, and for Carolyn and I to meet us with both parents and kids of those we had not been with.

   On Carolyn's side of our family, we had been to Becky's in Atlanta, and B.J. and Beth's in Buford before Easter rolled around. Also while we were in St. Simons, we visited with Alan and his kids while they were on Jekyll for a wedding.

   Likewise on my side, trips had been made to Arkansas to see Donna and her family, and to Carolina to be with Dwayne and Karen.

   That left Rush and Joan in Nashville and Doug and Dawn in Virginia.

   We needed to be in Arkansas again for Archer's senior concert on 5/2, so we made plans to see the Virginia and Nashville people before we went to Conway. I asked Doug and Dawn the best times to see their kids in action and agreed to come on April 26 and leave on the 1st of May.

   Not to waste all those miles of travel, plans were made to make some courthouse visits as they presented themselves.

   A newspaper story in the days before leaving Chattanooga presented us with our first planned stop.

   The historic courthouse in Loudon, TN had sustained damage from an accidental fire, and we wanted to see the spot. There was speculation that this building would not restorable and would have to be torn down and this could be our last chance to see any of it.

   Then on to Blacksburg where a full calendar awaited us.

   First up was Laken's volleyball game. She is really a good player and does her best to lead the team, but the school is small and her supporting cast is very young and there is a lot of inexperience.

   Saturday was David's baseball game up in Pembroke, but sadly it had been cancelled before we arrived. We enjoyed the ride through the mountains regardless.

   Sunday was church with the whole family, followed by their traditional pancake, egg and sausage feast for lunch. Not bad at all and brought on several naps in the afternoon.

   There was even a sentimental visit to the popular 1916 covered bridge up the highway in Newport, always a handy photographic place for us lowlanders.

   Monday morning Carolyn and I walked around the Virginia Tech campus, going to the Drill Field and visiting the Memorial for the 32 students and faculty who had lost their lives in the 2007 shooting on campus. The spot sits on the Drill Field in front of the Administration Building

   We also found the basketball arena open and went in for a look.

   Monday afternoon's scheduled event was a soccer game for Lucy. They won big, the weather was great and much fun was had by all.

   That Lucy is one fast girl even dribbling the ball down the field toward the opposing goal.

   Tuesday was a treat for us as we had lunch with three of the men in our "Boy's Club" when Mayre and I lived up there in 2005 to 2008. Carolyn got to meet the men that I had talked about and the wives also. Mexican food and fellowship on Main Street.

   Tuesday night was Caroline's choir program at the high school. As you might expect from a Bowman child, she was outstanding and had one of the solo parts.

   Caroline's part came first on the program, and we were able to sneak out to catch an inning or so of David's baseball game, which was taking place on the field behind the grammar school right next door.

   Before we leave the Virginia part of this journey, you may be wondering about Drew, the graduating senior of the high school in late May. Well, he had a bike race on Saturday, two hours up the Interstate, so Doug went with him while we took care of other things.

   Not to fear, we will be back in Blacksburg for graduation in late May. Pictures to follow then.

   Wednesday found us on the way to the Nashville area. Whoever found that property out in the woods, must have had to build the cabin because they could not find a way out. But what a spot it was, with a small lake out back that made you want to just sit back and enjoy nature and solitude for a long while.

   May 1st just happened to be Rusty's birthday, the big Six Oh, and Joan proceeded to serve us a meal fit for a country king, or at least one that called for a clean pair of overalls.  Rusty had requested this menu, Meat loaf, Mac and Cheese casserole, Squash casserole, Green Beans, and Apple Cobbler for dessert. Man alive did we chow down.

   Wildlife showed up for the celebration with a wild turkey sprinting down the drive and a visiting mouse who decided to come down from the loft on the stair rail. Sorry no pics available, they were both too fast.

   Thursday saw us back on the freeway heading west toward Conway. We could afford no time for courthouses as our schedule called for a quick meal at supper before Archer's concert at 6:30. I want to tell everyone, "This boy can sing". he received the outstanding senior choir award. Archer is back row left.

   My first thought as Archer sang and received his awards was that his Grandmother would be so proud of him, this autistic boy who has grown up to be an honor student, singing star, and will be going to college in the Fall. Who could have predicted all of that?

   His parents deserve a lot of credit for the way they have worked with and raised this young man. They were justifiably proud as we all were.

   Friday brought family time around the table with Noel's delicious dinner and several board games. Cady Gray and Archer had to scheme together to let Papa and Grandy win a couple of games.

  Saturday arrived and we again hit the road, through the whole state of Tennessee, 11 hours on the road with a little rain, and a few courthouses.

   Five stops in all, Lexington, Decaturville, Linden, Hohenwald and Columbia. Only one picture here so as not to bore anyone who has gotten this far. Maury County Courthouse in Columbia.

   But one little incident deserves some ink. We stopped in Linden for the courthouse, a nice 1868 building that had replaced a wooden structure twhich had been burned during the Civil War by the D--- Yankees, and decided to grab a bite also. Linden is a town of around 1,000 souls and only one such spot open on this Saturday afternoon----"Dimples"---a combination eatery and eclectic wall to wall "stuff for sale"shop.

   Kevin and Renee, transplants from Nashville, 20 some odd years ago, fixed hamburgers, told stories, asked questions, and generally filled an hour of our time. He had played in the band at The Ryman Auditorium for some years and knew all the country music artists. We will remember that spot.

   We arrived home, tired but pleased that we had had those times with family, and the time in the car, long as it was, to be together with each other, telling our own stories, too.

Too Soon Old......

   Way back last summer, while I was visiting in Virginia, and trying to come to terms with solitary living, I was sitting in my son's home texting on my good ole flip phone. You remember how that went:

      for A hit the "1" button one time
      for B hit the "1" button two times
      for C hit the "1" button three times

      and so on, till you finished one word, then another, and another.

   Doug watched while I labored over a short text and said: "Dad, you need an iPhone if you are going to get in this century".

   So it happened, an iPhone 7+, and I was on my way.

   This new device came in very handy later on that year as I was back into long distance courting. My lady friend lived in Tennessee, and I was spending most of my time on St. Simons.

   We texted, at first tentatively, later daily, and then frequently texts and photos daily. Hooray for my new world of cell phones.

   It was great for sunrise pictures from the beach. Just a quick photo snap, then onto a text message with a small note, and send. On her end it was sleep, then a ping on the phone, and she knew I was thinking of her. A great way to lessen the 437 miles from my home to hers.

   I kept up the practice of those quick notes in the morning, even after we married in January of this year. She seemed to enjoy the attention those notes in the AM brought.

   But there is a downside to this practice:

   I left her in bed this morning while taking my phone to the kitchen and starting her coffee brewing.

   The brief communication went something like this:

   Good morning m'lady

Your horoscope for today calls for a 2 L day ....Laundry and Love 

💝

   As I went back to the bedroom, feeling brilliant because I had done something to brighten her day, waiting for her reaction as she read it, she was still in bed and her phone on the charger next to the chair. The phone was on vibrate, and, hence, no ping to get her attention.

   With a certain amount of "cool". I picked her phone off the chair and took it over to the bed, claiming I had heard a buzzing that I figured was a message for her. As I sat with her on the side of the bed, she opened the phone and read a message about possible severe weather on the way. No other message appeared. Glancing at the open phone I noticed no "1" on her message symbol.

   Uh Oh, that might be a problem. Maybe I forgot to hit the send button, or just maybe......

   But I did not dwell on that second maybe, surely not. I would not have done that!

   To be sure, I retreated to the kitchen, to look at my phone. Yes it was true, message sent to the last person I had texted with the day before. What in the world would he think?

   We had lunched with some old friends from Franklin, and I had texted him saying how much we enjoyed the time of fellowship over the meal.

   My first thought after all the realization was how could I erase the message in cyber space, and restore what equilibrium I had left.

   Alas, no eraser available. I would have to copy that first message and resend to the correct party, which I did and returned to the bedroom.

   We enjoyed a great laugh in the early morning, which was good.

   But we did not hear from the accidental recipient.......yet

   There is a moral here somewhere about being careful, I know.

   My face could reflect the bright colors of that sunrise, but maybe the other couple could get as big a laugh as we did.

   Hopefully

   Stay Tuned....

   

Spring Sprung...

   When we left for about 10 days to go to The Island, our back yard looked like this:

   The Woodlake site was, in fact, filled with more rainfall earlier in the month, but had decreased to this pond size when we left. It had been there so long this winter that it seemed a permanent fixture. Even the ducks persisted in making it their home, and it looked as if we would have waterfowl for the foreseeable future.

   Then, on the 1st of April, we came home. It seemed Spring had Sprung in 10 days time.

   The redbud down near the road was in color.

   The white jonquil was flourishing in the side bed.

   Dogwoods  lined Clark Road in full bloom.

   The Iris were beginning and looking very royal in their purple color.

   Snowballs across the street.

   Yards filled with violets.

   Phlox in the back yard.

   Even weeds (?) showed forth color in an empty lot.

   Sunlight through the Japanese maple by the garage.

   The next day after we got home, Dwayne texted that we had left Cornelius just in time, it was snowing on that Tuesday morning.

   What a joy it was to turn into that driveway with the sunlight coming through the maple. And not only that, the lake (or pond) was gone.

   Even our ducks had left for wetter pastures.

   God, in His time, had turned our rain soaked landscape into a riot of color, and we marveled again, that Spring had indeed Sprung while we were away.