Take Off at Big Spring

 One minute everything is still and quiet...just swimmin' along on a beautiful day.

Then, without a hint, we have take-off with ripple going every which way.

This post is linked with

http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.ca

http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Views from our Neighborhood Track

Views Taken Walking Track at Former Highland Belle Middle School

Now COW ~ Central Office West for Rockbridge County Schools

SOOC

This post is linked with Skywatch Friday and Scenic Weekends.

Sandy Has Arrived in Rockbridge County and Here on the Creek

                  I took this as I was leaving for work this morning. It had rained all night, and it was dark except for the spotlight on the roof over the front porch.

 I hadn't been at school too long when Buddy sent me 

this comparison of Irene and Sandy from the internet. 

The difference in the two storms is stunning.

 Buddy took this picture around 10:30 of the ominous sky over the mountains. 

He was on his way home from town.

I snapped this picture at 3:40...was on my way home from work, and it was pouring rain. Usually I can see the 3 airplanes which are parked here and all the mountains in the distance, but not today. 

After stopping to deliver and pick up the school mail, I noticed what looked like waves on the lake formed by Big Spring. Always it is calm as a cucumber...but not today. I couldn't believe my eyes.

A few minutes later I saw Buddy running along side the road. He is like the Ever Ready Bunny...

he runs no matter what the weather, and he keeps going and going and going. 

When I slowed down, he snapped this picture. 

We were totally socked in .

Now, it is 38 degrees outside. The winds are howling, and the tree branches are blowing back and forth and up and down. It is still raining. I just now received notification that school has already been called off for tomorrow because of the miserable conditions. The big questions now are: 

1. Will we awaken to snow everywhere

2. Will we still have power

3. Will the tree beside the bridge still be erect or will it be across our bridge.

Hope all of you bloggers from here to Maine and west are safe and still have power. The TV reports are frightening. Please be careful. I am so thankful we are only dealing with the wind gusts,
some rain, and maybe some snow. 

This post is linked with Our World Tuesday.

A Very Smokey "Big Spring" ~ Part II

 Here is Part II of my photos from Big Spring here in Rockbridge County. I hope you enjoy them. All the skies which are gray are caused by the forest fire very close to our house. IF you are curious to see the pictures from the first installment here is the link:

http://climbingthedigitalmountain.blogspot.com/2012/04/big-spring-rockbridge-county-virginia.html

These three  all shots of the old building where they brought the cows before sending them off to the slaughter houses. The original signs are still hanging.

 This is the small old barn across the Big Spring lake.

I love the fact they the owners who built this new barn put an old timey porch swing on the front.

They are LOTS of wood still cut and ready to burn, but we did have a cool winter this year.

Another side view of the new barn.

This was taken across the road from the new barn. The sky and the building are beautiful. You can see the old homeplace in the distance. It was taken on a different day from the others.This is the one shot of the whole batch that shows a gorgeous sky. The other are consumed with the smoke from our mountain forest fire which came way tooooo close to out house. The Rich Hole Fire is still only 30 %under control. My post before this one tells a bit about the 5 different fires. 

 This is a better shot than the one in my post last week. It shows how the lake wraps around the back of the house. Look closely and you will see their chairs overlooking the water and cows grazing on the other side. The interstate (I-64) that had to close during the fires earlier this week is in the background.

 I went back with Eloise to get this shot of the house. It is much prettier here than last week’s  picture. It is one heavenly place to live.

This post is linked with:

Barn Charm

Sign, Signs

Skywatch Friday

Big Spring ~ Rockbridge County, VIrginia

Big Spring is located about 5 miles from our home and the property is adjacent to the old Highland Belle Middle School where I taught for years. It is now the central office for our county school system, and I go there each day to pick up and deliver the mail. Pretend you have just gotten the mail for the day and are walking out the side door of the school into the parking lot. Stop...stand there...and look straight ahead. This is what you are going to see....UNBELIEVABLE...Big Spring as the fog is lifting and the sun is rising on a winter morning. It is one amazing and beautiful sight, and it changes every single day. These pictures are all a part of the collection I am putting together to give to my friend, the school’s superintendent , when he retires. I taught his sons a LONG time ago.

 Drive out the driveway, turn right, and drive just a bit and you will see this mail box on your left...I know, I took it from the other direction just to confuse myself :-)

Drive on a wee bit past that mailbox and you will see it....Big Spring. It looks like a big lake and is fed by a natural spring. Between 1998 and 2003, Nestle’s Waters, the parent company of Deer Park Water tried to purchase the property for the production of Deer Park Water. Nestle started bottling water around 1844. The output of the spring is 3.3 millions of water per day. Well, we all rose up and fought with every breath we had. It went on and on, but finally we WON! It is still privately owned, and the new owners are fixing up the entire farm and have built a wonderful new barn. I am saving those photos for Tricia’s "Barn Charm" on Monday.They have also built a little dock and have canoes which you can see in the photos.

 {Nestle started bottling water around 1844. Deer Park was founded in 1873, and was formerly known as the Perrier Group, the top bottled water company in the US.}

Drive past the old vintage weighing barn (I am saving that, too) and the beautiful new barn, and you’ll see the “mini-fence” and this little building with the other end of Big Spring behind it.

Then, just to the right and up the hill a bit is the old homeplace which the new owners have completely renovated. The lake wraps around the back of the house and can be seen from I-64. I am hoping to get a better shot of it before I post the fabulous new barn and other vintage structures.I just wanted you all to see the pretty old house up on the hill. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be to awaken in the morning and look out upon that gorgeous body of water.

If you haven’t figured it out already, Bud and I live in a beautiful part of VA. There is no shortage of wonderful sights to see or hikes to take. I feel very fortunate to have lived 22 years a block from the Atlantic Ocean on the island of Palm Beach, Florida, 18 years in Asheville, North Carolina, which is surrounded by the Smokey Mountains, and 33 years in Lexington, Virginia, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This post is linked with:
Skywatch Friday
Friday Fences 

Sunrise at Big Spring

When I used to walk out the door of my old country middle school, Highland Belle, this is the lake I would see. It is known as Big Spring. Now, that Highland Belle is the Central Office for the Rockbridge County School System, I get to see it at sunrise as I am picking up the mail to drive it to work with me. Last week I had the special treat of being there just as the foggy haze was beginning to lift from over the lake. These are SOOC.

This post is linked with Watery Wednesday.