Life in the Slow Lane

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What in the World is That?

This week my friend Norma and I were privileged to be taken on a private tour of Ridgely Historic Gardens, an amazing walk backward in time through a mountainside property in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia.

There was a slightly ominous, ghostly apparation hanging in the garden that prompted my first question.  “What is THAT?” I asked and was surprised and delighted at the answer.

Can YOU guess what that is?

Answer to come in my next post about Ridgely Gardens and the fascinating little town of Clifton Forge.

 

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An Old New Chevy

 

There is always a sense of the past as you walk down Main Street in Lexington, Virginia.  Parts of the sidewalks are still paved with the original carved bricks and wherever you look there are restored old buildings and signs of times long ago.

Then why is it always so surprising when I come across an old car parked right there on Main?

And why do I feel I am in a time machine?

Isn’t this the most gorgeous shiny Chevy?  I am not sure of the year but I know it was “before my time.”

It is being used to advertise a local Bed and Breakfast (502 Main Street)) and if the B&B is as beautiful as the Chevrolet, I would highly recommend it.

 

 

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The Future Has Already Begun

Daily Prompt:  Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

Write a six-word story about what you think the future holds for you, and then expand on it in a post.

Traveling shopper for best of state.

The Virginia Shopper has been a Twitter presence for some time now (@VaShopperDor).  I love finding unique things to do and buy, places to go, great restaurants and entertainment across the state.  And when I find things, I retweet.

The Twitter “me” is mostly an armchair traveler and Twitter only allows up to 140 characters, so creative writing is out.

But now, the Managing Editor of a wonderful new online publication invited me to submit stories as The Virginia Shopper!  Hurrah!

I have already deluged him with articles!

So I see this as a big part of the future and the future has already begun.

The publication is Very Best of Virginia, and the Virginia Shopper’s stories are listed under “Uncommon Coverage.”

I hope you will take a look and maybe even subscribe!

In spite of this future challenge, the Virginia Views blog is right here and still a first love, so here it will stay.

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Let’s Go for a Ride!

On the Road Again

Americans, they say, have always loved driving vacations.  When my parents planned a trip, it was always to go north from our southern situated home.  And as they planned, their concern was only for distance and time.  We never knew exactly where we would sleep en route and we just took our chances.  And Mom packed picnic fare “just in case”, with her famous hard boiled eggs, oranges, and yummy sandwiches and cookies for dessert.

Dad would spread out his maps on the kitchen table and mark off how many miles he thought we should go before watching for a place to spend the night.  “Keep your eyes open now,” he would say, “let’s find a good place to stop!”  Computers, cell phones, in-car t.v.’s and GPS systems were non-existent and in fact, never heard of and if there were any chain motels, they must have been few and far between because we never even thought to stay there or to book anything in advance.

I Remember Tourist Cabins
Like This!

When my brother, Steve, and I became cranky and tired of the eternal hum of the engine and being hot and sticky from riding in a car with no air-conditioning, or hungry and thirsty and eager to run and explore, our parents knew it was time to look for a tourist court/camp/cottage where we could rest, play, dine and hopefully, get a good night’s sleep.  Dad liked to get started at 4AM, so we all had to go to bed very early!

Yesterday, my husband and I drove on  U.S. Route 11, now a country road that was once a main north-south corridor and even now goes all the way from Louisiana to New York.   Once a bustling, commercial thoroughfare with an abundance of  shops, restaurants, gas stations and tourist camps, it has long since been replaced by a high-speed Interstate Highway System.  But like a Ghost Road, the highway holds secrets of the past, and if you take the time to look left or right on this ancient byway, you will see numerous remnants of another era.

Every time we take this route, I marvel at the old tourist courts along the way.  They are the kind where my family used to stay when I was little.  There it is again – the big main house where the owners lived and their little cabin-offspring spread out and waiting for occupancy.  Oh, how they represented mystery and adventure!

“What about stopping there?”  “How about there?” my brother and I would cry.  “That place looks great!”  We never did stay at the one that looked like a big teepee with little teepees around it.  But, eventually, Dad would pull in somewhere and we would eagerly inspect our overnight home.  I remember once we spent the night at a pine paneled little place with squeaky beds and linoleum flooring.  That evening my little brother and I stepped out the door of our private oasis to a world of fireflies and hundreds of tiny leaping frogs!  How exciting can you get?

An Abandoned Gas Station

Those old travelers’ courts were still in evidence as my husband and I drove along our Ghost Road. Some are vacantly hollow and crumbling like abandoned bee hives.  Others, though painfully small, seem to be occupied by young families.  There are many lovely homes along the way and parts of the old road have been designated a Virginia Scenic Byway.  But, every now and then a “Diner” sign reminds me that we might have stopped there once long ago. Or look, there is an idle, rusty gas pump that has ceased fueling anything but my imagination. Did we have a meal at that diner?   Did my Dad stop here for gasoline?  Did we stay in those cabins?

Let’s go for a ride!

Country Tip for City Dudes: 

When traveling Virginia Scenic Byways, look left and then right for the crumbling remains of another era.

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