3-30-16 ~ Hikers Heading out on the Appalachian Trail

"In every walk with nature one receives more than he seeks."

~John Muir

Monday morning I left the house at 6:30 to drive back to Crabtree Falls to pick up two hikers and drive them 50 miles south to the James River. It was a gorgeous day with lots of very wining roads and a bit windy. Spring was popping all over. 

The redbuds were in bloom.

This redbud was across the road from where I was parked. In order not to have the asphalt in the picture, I aimed my camera up a bit. Unfortunately I cut off a little of the trees, but I was able to get the top of that hill and some awfully pretty little clouds. 

This is the long railroad bridge at the James River. The background is the AT going South.

 My hikers were heading North.They had driven from Michigan to hike this section.

 This is the trail going North with a footbridge connecting it to the south side.
The hikers do have to cross the highway.

 Here they are heading off with heavy packs on their backs.

I will pick them up atop Afton Mountain on Monday or Tuesday

and drive them back to their car at Crabtree Falls.

I just couldn't resist taking a picture of this tire propped at the side of the river. 

Maybe someone left it for another to take it for some tubing on the James.

That is REALLY fun!

3-29-16 ~ More Pictures from Crabtree Falls

"There is a waterfall in every dream.  Cool and crystal clear, 

it falls gently on the sleeper, cleansing the mind and soothing the soul."

~Virginia Alison

All of these pictures were taken by Buddy because I was afraid to get too

close to the water for fear I could lose my balance and fall.

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3-27-16 and 3-28-16 ~ Easter Eggs and Hike up Crabtree Falls

Easter 2016

Gene, Patti, Eloise plus a friend and her two children came to the house for our traditional Easter egg dying weekend. This year all of the eggs were naturally dyed. We used onion skins, turmeric, small leaves from the yard wrapped against the eggs and tied in with panty hose, silk ties also wrapped in panty hose...and left all night in the boiled liquids to which we had added white vinegar. They are so beautiful.  The one in the front to the right was scraped with little stones from the creek in front of the house. NO food coloring or commercial dyes were used.

Eloise spotted the egg in the middle of the creek.

You've gotta love the goulashes.

Yeah!!!! She got it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Easter Monday

We all went up to Crabtree Falls. Here are just a few of the photos from the hike. I will post more tomorrow. I am so tired tonight, this is the best I can do. I made it .07 mile of 1.7 miles. That was better than two years ago when I only made .04 mile. Today is was wet, muddy, and very, very slippery. My balance was terrible and my stick acting up. Bud would have to hold my pack as we were going down so I would not slip and fall. Gene and Eloise make it to the top. Mom had to go on back to Richmond so she was not on the hike.

 You can see from Bud's picture that I was looking where I was stepping trying to remember to put down my heel first.

This was my first hike with my new child's pack. It was so light and did a fine job for me.

Today I took my rest on a stump and not lying down.

These signs were everywhere, and I did not even get near them.

This is one of the few shots I got of the falls.

 This is the pipe I walked into because I was looking at the slippery ground and not ahead. I really slammed my cheekbone.

Here is one other shot I got of the falls. Tomorrow I will get

Bud's pictures from his iPhone and post them. The falls are very high and were carrying lots of water today. 

3-26-16 ~ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

"The best reason for having dreams is that in dreams no reasons are necessary."

~Ashleigh Brilliant

Beatles – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds Lyrics

Picture yourself in a boat on a river

With tangerine trees and marmalade skies

Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly

A girl with kaleidoscope eyes

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green

Towering over your head

Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes

And she's gone

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Ah

Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain

Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies

Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers

That grow so incredibly high

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore

Waiting to take you away

Climb in the back with your head in the clouds

And you're gone

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Ah

Picture yourself on a train in a station

With plasticine porters with looking glass ties

Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile

The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Ah

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Ah

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Songwriters: LENNON, JOHN / MCCARTNEY, PAUL

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

This post is linked with:

Dezinaworld15 Cheeky Challenge

3-25-16 ~ Just Some Doodling

"We used to play a lot outdoors, not in leagues,

but just in our spare time.

~Steve Yzerman

...Now, at 77,  I take pictures, doodle, and draw in my art journal.

Easter on My Mind 

Art Journal ~ Colored Pencil and Pen and Ink

Practicing Faces, a Dog, and a Cat

Art Journal ~ Watercolors and Pen and Ink

3-24-16 ~ Two by Two

Just another page from my art journal.

3-23-16 ~ A Blue Fish Sending You an Easter Kiss

"A photographer is like a cod, 

which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity."

~George Bernard Shaw

 My fish I completed in my art journal today. She's sending you all a kiss.

I used watercolors and watercolor pencils.

3-22-16 ~ When Eloise Was Only Six

"Perhaps the two greatest moments of my life were standing on the moon and being outside of the room when my granddaughter was born! We tend not to remember the worst."
~ Eugene Cernan

Enjoy Today ~ Time Flies

(mixed media from my art journal)

Precious Eloise at Age Six on a Hike in Rockbridge County

My only granddaughter will be 11 in just a few weeks.

I must enjoy today because time does fly by way too quickly.

3-21-16 ~ Am Still on Break

Last Monday I put up this post, but in case some of you did not see it, I thought I would repost it today.  Many thanks all of you who have been so kind as to send me comments on the daily posts I am continuing to put up. I said I would do it daily for a year, and I do not want to miss.

I have given it a lot of thought,

 but I think it's time for me to be...

I am in the process of taking a watercolor course based upon a book I checked out from the library and a Photoshop  Artistry course simultaneously, and they are taking so much of my time I have found myself with less and less time to read and leave comments on my friend's posts which makes me feel badly. At the start of the year, I promised myself I was going to post a picture a day for all of 2016, so I am going to set them up automatically go up onto my blog for the next two to three weeks. I will look at my blog each day and will read any comments you might leave me, but I probably will not have the time to share my comments with you.

While I was looking on Google for images to use today, I saw this and thought it was so nice I wanted to share it will you all.

In closing today...here is another Blogger note from me to you. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs from the musical, Oliver.

If any of you saw "Oliver" and adored it as much as I did, here is an actual video from 1968, of them all dancing and singing "Be Back Soon". Please forgive the short commercial at the beginning. I was fortunate enough to see it in both Dublin and London, and my daughter was in the play at her school as a child. This musical happens to be my favorite of all time...so as the song says...

 Be Back Soon.

Here is the link to the video " Be Back Soon".

See you all in a few weeks.

Fondly,

Genie

3-20-16 ~ Sculptures outside the Lexington Public Library

As I was walking from my doctor's appointment across town to meet Buddy at his physical therapist's office, I spotted these new (at least they were new to me) sculptures on the back side of the library. They were a mixture of metal, wood, and paint....very interesting combinations. 

3-19-15 ~ The Daffodils at Stonewall Jackson Cemetery.

Fencing and Daffodils at Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, Lexington, VA
Note the gorgeous vintage iron fencing.

 End of Walk in front of Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, Lexington, VA

3-18-16 ~ Painting on Gesso

Weezie, Genie and John as Youngsters 

On this picture, I used watercolors, Gesso, Galatos, and pen and ink.
My first attempt at using Gesso and painting over it.

3-17-16 ~ Skipping Merrily Along

3-16-16 ~ Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary Entry ~ Asheville, NC

"The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

~Willie Nelson

While Buddy and I were in Asheville, NC, last week,

 we visited the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. 

Sadly, we did not see a single bird or a duck, 

but the scenery on an overcast morning was beautiful.

3-15-16 ~ It's Time for a Wee Break

I have given it a lot of thought,

 but I think it's time for me to be...

I am in the process of taking a watercolor course based upon a book I checked out from the library and a Photoshop  Artistry course simultaneously, and they are taking so much of my time I have found myself with less and less time to read and leave comments on my friend's posts which makes me feel badly. At the start of the year, I promised myself I was going to post a picture a day for all of 2016, so I am going to set them up automatically go up onto my blog for the next two to three weeks. I will look at my blog each day and will read any comments you might leave me, but I probably will not have the time to share my comments with you.

While I was looking on Google for images to use today, I saw this and thought it was so nice I wanted to share it will you all.

In closing today...here is another Blogger note from me to you. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs from the musical, Oliver.

If any of you saw "Oliver" and adored it as much as I did, here is an actual video from 1968, of them all dancing and singing "Be Back Soon". Please forgive the short commercial at the beginning. I was fortunate enough to see it in both Dublin and London, and my daughter was in the play at her school as a child. This musical happens to be my favorite of all time...so as the song says...

 Be Back Soon.

Here is the link to the video " Be Back Soon".

See you all in a few weeks.

Fondly,

Genie

3-14-15 ~ Tom's Barn Collective

"Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy."

~Cynthia Nelms

 1/2 Red Barn ~ Rockbridge County, VA

Red Barn ~ Rockbridge County, VA

A barn sketch of mine that I did on the way to NC last week from an old barn book I had. I did add sone bit and pieces of my own like the pathetic fencing, the doors, and the hinges and handles on them. I did it with first with a hard sketching pencil and then with pen and ink in my art journal. I actually posted this with my Sunday Sketches post, but thought it would be fun to add it here since it was a barn.

My post is linked to Tom, the Backroad's Traveller's Barn Collective.

3-13-16 ~ Sunday Sketches

"I never look at my watch when I'm sketching!"

~Karl Lagerfeld

 I have an really old barn book, so while we were driving to NC this week, I decided to look at one and see if I could sketch it. I added bits and pieces of my owllike some of the door and fences, but it is all pen and ink. I also played with the hinges and made them different from one another.

 This piece is in my art journal. I enjoy doing little sketches about love so this is another one. This one is done with watercolors, watercolor pencils, and some pen and ink.

My sketches are linked with Sunday Sketches over at Blue Chair Diary Blog.