5-5-5

This year July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens once every 823 years. Like all our other days, we made the most of it!

Picture from each week: (1) Bob at Goshen Church; (2)Mom, Dad & Bernice on Dad's 89th Birthday; (3) Me at Goshen Pass, Virginia; (4) Our beautiful yard after a day of work; (5) Produce from Fish Hawk's Acres.

Scenic Byways

After our ride on Cass Scenic Railroad, we continued traveling the scenic highways to Lexington, Virginia. It was 230 miles from home to Lexington, with no interstates and much of the trip through National Forest. The road was so pretty, we decided to travel back the same way we came and stop at sites along the way. In Warm Springs there was an overlook where a toll house once presided on the Virginia "Turnpike". We traveled through a gorgeous section called Goshen Pass with more overlooks and trout stocked rivers. All along the highway were rock formations and on Brown's Mountain was a geologic oddity called "Devil's Backbone" Anticline. The short definition for anticline is "an upfold or arch in rocks". It extended for 65 miles!

There were many twists and turns in the road. When I asked Bob once why he stopped, he replied that "the turn radius of the road exceeded the radius of the car". In 2 consecutive turns with a 10 MPH sign he said "that means you're going back the way you came"! The scenery was so beautiful, I never picked up a magazine the whole trip. We rode with our windows down-no air conditioning-and used less gas than we would have on interstate travel.

We also stopped at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Science Center in Green Bank where we got some fun pictures I'll save for another layout.

We'd planned on stopping at an historical cemetery further north but were delayed--for 1 hour--at literally, the worst parade ever! Here's a picture, with a caption I'll have to censor:

"The _ _ _ _ _ iest Parade Ever".

After Kids (Cass Scenic Railroad)

We came here before the kids, with the kids and now after the kids. I even took my Mom and sister here with the kids. All of the trips were fun.

Cass Scenic Railroad, WV, 2011

Digital Journaling Block (Sande Krieger "Fine China")

8-9-0

On Dad's 89th birthday, I took his first cousin Bernice and her niece Gerry to visit. Since Bernice will be 90 this month, I added candles 8-9-and 0 to the cake. When we left, Bernice told Dad, "I wish I'd met you sooner." For Mom's upcoming 86th birthday, we'll turn the "9" over!

2011

Rest Stop

We exited the interstate to get gas and instead shared a cup of coffee at a rest stop along the highway. There were walls, perhaps from an old grist mill, where we made portraits of each other--so happy.

2011

Graduation 11

Nothing makes a parent happier than when their children are happy too. Chris looked so happy, proud and relieved at his MHS graduation. We shared in the pride and excitement. After the final march, Chris wanted pictures of him with as many friends as he could locate in the crowd of well wishers outside WVU Coliseum. He ate lunch with (Uncle) David and us, then visited all day with other families and friends. 2011

Digital Journaling Block (Echo Park "Be Mine").

Change of Color

Some of Chris' favorite pictures after his high school graduation 2011. Since we live in a college town, many of his classmates will attend WVU. We called this a "Change of Color", changing from MHS Blue and Red to WVU Blue and Gold!

Digital Elements (2 Peas in a Bucket, Rhonna Fayer) (Michelle Coleman "Wild Sorbet" clips)

2011

A Charlottesville Tradition

Day 2 of our Virginia Vacation, we stayed in Charlottesville. We first went to the Downtown Pedestrian Mall. It was too hot to eat on the plaza, so we were delighted when we saw that Timberlake's Drug Store "since 1890" had a soda fountain and deli. We recreated our younger days in a by-gone era.

I have tried twice to use this Graphic 45 paper in soda fountain layouts, but it just didn't match my photos. So here's my post script!

Neither Bob nor I had strong photos from inside the store, so I added a photo shop filter (Fresco) to the larger photo to provide some contrast and accents.

2011

Inseparable

Greg & Michelle, a couple for 8 years, were apart for 2 1/2 years due to studies and work. Together again in Minnesota, they decided it's time to plan a wedding. 2011

Technique: I scanned the Fancy Pants Design "Simplicity" transparency and printed it on the background paper.

Digital Block (Robyn Gough "Nature's Touch") Digital Frame (Cottage Arts).

White Day

White Day is Morgantown High's Award Day and all the seniors wear white. Since their school colors are blue and red, and today is Independence Day, it is appropriate to make a red, white & blue layout!

Journaling: "White Day at MHS. Could it be Chris is smiling at his Mother? Anyway, he has a lot to smile about, a Promise Scholarship, which pays most of the tuition, a Mountaineer Scholarship & Top of the Mountain Honors." 2011

Helpless

Neil Young's greatest hits was the CD Bob and I picked out to listen to on our trip. We sang along and remembered all of those songs of the seventies. Talk about an imagination. . . Neil Young's lyrics are brilliant! This is my interpretation of "Helpless".

"Blue, blue windows behind the stars. Yellow moon on the rise.

Big birds flying across the sky, throwing shadows on our eyes."

Sweet Blog Award

I received this award from 2 blogging friends, Tracey-Garden of Grace and Debbie('s Scrapping Corner). Tracey makes lovely vintage layouts with lots of lace. Debbie amazes me with the work she produces in addition to driving a school bus with K-8 grade students! Thank you!

In turn, I must pass this onto 7 blogging friends:
Kelly (Creates) Kelly's writing is great like her layouts and you'll have so much fun reading her posts.
Anna C-Pictures N Papers Anna takes beautiful pictures around her southwestern Virginia home.
Amy-Little Treasures. Amy is multi-talented, knits, makes cards and scraps. She posts finds from flea markets and her pictures are lovely.
Misty-Perfectly Imperfect. Misty's work is eclectic and so creative!
Sharon-That Girl Fritchey Sharon loves music and her unique creations often use song lines to describe her family experiences.
Scrapbookertink. She has a fun blog!
Karen-KW Studio. Wait till you see the dress form she made. Talk about an artist!

Now I am to list 7 random facts about myself, so (1 from each of the decades I've lived in):
1) When I was a kid, I swam like a fish and did flips off the diving board. When we'd go to pools, the life guards would make me swim a lap because they didn't believe I was big enough to go off the board (I showed them!)
2) As a teenager, my first car was a black Chevy Impala (a 61). My friends called it the Black Pearl.
3) I met my husband in the darkroom while a WVU student taking a photography class.
4) I had my first child at 34 (married 11 years),
5) 2nd child just before my 40th birthday.
6) At age 50, I had thyroid cancer. That's a 90% curable one, but makes you live like it's your last day on earth. (That's not a bad thing)
7) And now, Bob and I are somewhat "empty nesters". Not quite (Chris is 3 miles away, thank goodness). I'm lucky to have my parents, siblings, colleagues, friends, children and so much to look forward too!

Thank you my friends!