The Painless Dentist.

The view during a root canal. (The plaque on the window says "Painless Dentist" and it's true!)

Look! I got a present!

See? Somebody loves me!

Bird docking.

New wheels.

I went for substance, smooth ride, and more room. Lovin' it!

Crazy Sky!

Balloon, anyone?

Random

Late autumn road

The View from Mill Mountain

First hard frost of the season

Autumn in the mountains

A Star on a Hill

A shining star. A beacon of light. Build it and they will come. Lots of phrases for a huge lighted star on a mountainside. It's still cool.

Aliens have landed

No color correction.

Nosy cat.

Ooey Gooey Magenta

The ink has soy in it, so it doesn't dry out. It's slathered on the rollers, paper is run through, and the image is transferred from the red (magenta) plate to the paper. It's repeated for yellow, cyan and black creating 4-color, or full color, printing.

Downtown Clarksville again

Clarksville usually makes a good subject.

Day Trip

A mural on the back wall of a storefront in downtown Henderson, North Carolina.

And a shot of the historic firehouse that is depicted in the mural above.

The morning commute.

On the Farm!

Typical southern Virginia farm.

Downtown!

On a hot summer day after all the stores have closed.

Dinner Time!

Hey, Hay!

Along U.S. 58.

Along the Road...

As I was whizzing past...

Beware!

I guess this display is supposed to keep people from entering the driveway. Congratulations! It worked.

Tobacco: The Weed that Made Virginia Famous

It's that time of the season again. Time to start pulling. All the crops are looking pretty good this year. It's what this county is famous for.

Flowers and Picket Fences

See? It's not such a chore to go to the Post Office when this is your view across the street!

Whittles Mill

Or what's left of it, anyway.

Funnel Cake Anyone?

This is just the tail end of Lakefest! There are 5 more blocks of it behind me. I just like this picture because you can see the actual lake in the background! I only bought 4 things: a pet memorial stone for Monroe's grave, a Bloomin' Onion for Mom and some presents that I can't mention here on the off chance the recipients stumble onto this blog! Oh, I wanted to buy more...

For more pictures, go here!

Look! Up in the sky!

It's always a clue that Lakefest is upon us when hot air balloons appear in the sky over Clarksville and it's surrounding countryside. There were balloon rides for kids last night, as well as this sunrise balloon show this morning. Tomorrow, the real festivities begin!

Graduation Day

Jake and his Marine recruiter. He's heading to Paris Island in August.

Cypress House

The Cypress House on Caroline Street in Key West. Unfortunately, it's no longer made of cypress.... oh well.

Come Sail Away

More of the Key West gallery.

Color & Shade

Looking up into the branches of a Royal Poinciana tree in Key West. This tree was like nothing I'd ever seen (since I'd never been to South Florida before) but it's probably the most gorgeous tree ever! It is named for Phillipe de Longviliers de Poincy, who introduced it to the Americas in the 1600s (it's native in Madagascar). It is rumored he planted the tree on all his holdings so he would know which islands were his from offshore.

Corner of Greene and Duval

The famous (or infamous) Sloppy Joe's has been at this location since 1937, but began its history the day prohibition was repealed - December 5, 1933. Joe Russell, the bar's founder, was a charter boat captain, rum runner and buds with Ernest Hemingway. He was the model for Freddy, the owner of Freddy's Bar and captain of the Queen Conch in "To Have and Have Not."

Sloppy Joe's is open 365 days a year, 9am to 4am (noon to 4am on Sundays.) Don't miss the live Duval Street webcam outside the front doors. And check out their website for other cool stuff.

Red, White & Blue Over Key West

These aren't the only colors that have flown over Key West. In 1982, Key West "seceded" from the U.S. in protest to a U.S. Border Patrol roadblock which destroyed tourism. The island inhabitants declared themselves the Conch (konk) Republic and surrendered the next day. The protest worked, the roadblock was re-opened, but you can still buy flags and passports as souvenirs.

Flyin' the Friendly Skies

East Coast skies in June.

Colorful Pathways

This is actually a pedestrian and golf cart road on the grounds of the Coral Bay Resort at Islamorada (mile marker 75.5). My cousins used to run the place, so we stopped by there on our way to Key West to see what the place was looking like since they left. This stretch of U.S. 1 is flanked by resort after resort, but you can't get a feel for any of them from the road.

Another Way to See the Sunset

The Oldest House in Key West

I was only in Florida for 5 days but since there isn't much going on in Clarksville, expect to see many of my Florida pictures appear here in the next few weeks.

This is the oldest house in Key West, built in 1829. The Old Island Restoration Foundation says this about the house:

The Oldest House in South Florida ... incorporates the influences of colonial architecture found in the Caribbean and New England. For decades, it was the home of Capt. Francis Watlington, his wife, and nine daughters. Watlington was a Customs Inspector, Lightship Captain, harbor pilot, and “wrecker” – one of the Key West salvagers who raced to ships run aground on the reefs, rescued their crew, and benefited from the cargo aboard. Watlington operated the schooners Blackhawk and Caroline as a salvager, and later ran the supply line to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas.

Sunset at Mallory Square

Tourists gather at Mallory Square in Key West to watch the sunset, or the trained cats, whichever you're into. Or maybe they just like the boats and frozen lemonade! Who knows.

Royal Palm Way

Looks like something out of CSI: Miami, eh? Nope, just West Palm Beach. It's hot here!

After the Storm

The duel of the warring clouds
Hath ended with the day;
Their scintillant, electric blades
Have ceased their fearful play;
The pent up fury of their hate
Hath found at last release,
And o’er the tempest-stricken earth
- John L. Stoddard

Stop and Smell the Roses

People say roses are hard to manage, but this neglected rose bush at the rental next door seems to be doing okay on its own.

Working for the Weekend

Since my cousin's service won't be until the end of the month, Mom and I could still head to Afton like we'd planned. Here is the creepy pool with the mountain view.
I found the people in Waynesboro to be not so friendly, so we hightailed it out of there on Sat. I got this nice shot of the James River.Scottsville is a quaint, little colonial village situated right on the river. It was small, but hugely historic. You can just imagine how booming it was in the 18th Century.
An example of the colonial architecture in Scottsville.Love this one!

Timothy Allen Nash
August 8, 1960 - April 23, 2008

I can't believe I've only got a handful of pictures of my cousin Tim who died yesterday (and I didn't take any of them). Even this one is him as a teen.

We were kindred spirits. I'm going to miss him.