DRIVING AROUND THE OTHER DAY...

 we found ourselves on a road we rarely frequent. It was like driving along it for the first time. I am always interested in the architecture of the various homes we see and I took a few photos. Some were quite big, some quite small and others falling down. There were a couple of churches.  

It was a pretty blue sky that day as you can see. Below I didn't get the whole building into frame. I changed the settings on my cell phone which made them narrower. I thought I would get more of a panoramic look to my photos but didn't take into account I needed to be further back from places. I took this while driving along on the passenger side and couldn't stop because of the traffic following us. I kept missing bits!

The abandoned places, once someone's dream home, always interest me. I wonder who the people were, when was this built? What kind of lives did their occupants have, happy ones hopefully.

Here is a closer view.

And then we get places like this.

and a very English looking home that could have been near the village I originally came from, except that it would have been an all-white exterior with those black beams.

I had a very enjoyable time looking at all the different places.

This was the last photo. I took others but they came out not so good, blurry, cut off in places. I'm glad I got these as we weren't able to stop once, just kept clicking and I straightened a few.

It is 75°F (24°C) on May 6th, 2026 and a bit rainy but I am happy for the extra warmth. Gregg is with our son. I decided to stay home today. We are going off to Costco tomorrow to look at glass frames. I'm looking forward to that. Yes, I'm excited to go to Costco and I see the humor, but I do like looking around that place. I won't get much further than the eye department. By the time we finish in there I will be glad to get home, which always seems to be the way these days. I am eager to get my corrective lenses though.

I hope you are all having a good week so far, 

and thanks for visiting.

ON THE WAY TO THE GARDEN...

 On the way to the garden on Tuesday, we pass an old, abandoned house. One other spot driven by recently, we were surprised to see that that home had already been leveled. This was the second home in a month. I managed to take a photo of the previous place. The next day it was gone. I have been trying to get photos of all the ones in our area, and beyond. Seeing them for all these years in this state of disrepair, I have gotten used to these old homes. A lot of them look like they are just going to fall right over but I always wonder who lived there, thinking this was once someone's dream. What stories those old walls could tell.

My dear other half reminded me that there was another coming up in a few miles. It is hard to slow down as there is always a lot of traffic (the photo above is a cropped version of the first). When he said we were about to drive by, I already had the window rolled down, the strap of the phone wrapped tightly around my wrist and was ready. A 'someone's-one-time-dream-home-taken-on-a-fly-by' photo. It has been in this state for as long as we have lived in the area, and that's been for over 30 years plus. The house must have been built when the road was little more than a narrow country lane, long before this heavier traveled route appeared. I guess someone finally sold the land. We have an abundance of farmland that has been in families for generations, that have gone to the building companies. We often surmise a parent passed on and the children decided it was time. Land is always considered a premium right? 

I wonder what will be built in its place? Gas stations are going up everywhere, or more homes. I will be paying attention.

A few miles on we saw police officers on motorcycles going in the opposite direction. There must have been a dozen or more. A little further on we came across these guys. I thought they looked really sharp. As you can see by their short-sleeved shirts it was a warm day. We wished them well as we passed by.

So, from old, abandoned buildings, to motorcycle police officers. Next time it will be flowers from the garden.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

GOSIA'S FENCES AROUND THE WORLD

I wanted to start off by thanking you for visiting me and leaving these lovely comments.  I also want to thank all who have become followers of my blog. I see on my side bar that I have a few new also.  Welcome and I wish each and every one of you to stay safe in this very surreal time we are all going through, in every part of the world.

My fences this week are from a Sunday ride in the Virginia countryside a few years ago.  We came across this old shell of a home that was off the beaten path.  

 What stories those walls could tell.

The brickwork was grand and I imagined living in this home when it was first built.  Even in its present state I thought it beautiful.  I was also happy for the fences so I could join in Gosia's meme this week.

If you would like to see other Fences Around the World, or join in with your own, you will find the link here.  

Thank you for hosting Gosia and thank you all for stopping by.  As always, take good care of yourselves out there.

A SHORT TRIP - MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

(The Red Fox Inn, Middleburg, VA)

Last Friday we drove to Middleburg.  The last time we were there was two years ago with my brother-in-law.  He was visiting from Germany.  We took him to a favorite place, The Red Fox Inn. 

We had this in mind when we walked through the door, only to find out they no longer do lunch.  We were disappointed at first but while we waited for a person to get off the phone and seat us, or so we thought, I quietly took a few photos.  

Our first clue should have been that there were no other diners, but we were purposefully early just so that we would get a table before other customers arrived.  I had already picked out the table. I would ask to be seated right next to the fire.  I could feel its warmth and it felt wonderful! 

  Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men. We were shown the door, or so it felt.  Bye-bye table by the cozy fire, bye-bye peanut soup, no soup for you!

It has a lovely atmosphere and reminds me of an old English pub, but next time we will have to check on their hours.  Once outside we saw this right by the front door, but our focus was on getting inside.  I have been here many times since we moved to the area almost 27 years ago, always at lunchtime.  Ah well!

We walked up the street to Common Grounds, another favorite.  It was packed out, but we managed to find a table, and we enjoyed our sandwiches.  Below is a map showing where it is located, and also the surrounding area and then some.  Their website is being worked on, but they can be found on Facebook at this link.

Common Grounds is casual and comfy and friendly.  It took me a while for my eyes to adjust coming in from bright sunshine, and I almost tripped over a Golden Labrador, a service dog who was quietly minding her own business until I came along. She was adorable, lying at the side of one of the tables near the counter.  Our near collision caused her to look up momentarily,  and I really had a hard time not bending down to tickle her ears, to apologize.  She looked up but didn't budge an inch. She's working and I know we are not supposed to distract these very important helpers from their task, but it was hard and her lady smiled at me in understanding.  I kept my eye on her for some time as she settled back down and snoozed.  It was nice and warm inside here too, a welcome hug for those of us who had just come in from that chilly weather.

After we had eaten our sandwich we walked across the road.  The town was busy and there were no parking places nearby when we arrived, but we knew where there was a small parking lot behind the shops, and we had no problem getting a spot. 

It had also been cloudy, as you can see in the photo of the banner.  At every lamppost there was a holiday scene. 

A little later the sun was trying to peak out and the clouds were drifting away. We enjoyed looking in every window and I love the old buildings.  Many of them are made of stone.

I wanted to pop into a Christmas shop I knew, and it wasn't a long walk before we reached The Christmas Sleigh.  It is open throughout the year but I wait until the beginning of December before revisiting. The last time was with a group of friends, and we all treated ourselves to an ornament. The owner is from Germany. The shop has a German theme and its website advertises "America's Best 100% German Shop", but I noticed this time they are also selling White House ornaments.   

Though the space seems narrow, it extends back a long way.  There are racks of clothing in the last section, which I have enjoyed browsing through in years past.  Some of the ladies and gentlemen's outfits had tiny edelweiss embroidered on them, if I remember correctly. You can read an interesting story about this delicate little flower here, also more information here. When I entered the front door I saw lederhosen on display in the window, along with other very smart articles of clothing.  Added note: Since starting my post I found two very special teddy bears in my collection that have edelweiss on them. Part of my Christmas decorating includes teddy bears that I place around the house. I have collected them for years, but have slowed down considerably.  I still enjoy the ones I have, especially at this time of the year when I take them out of storage. Many are on display all year round in one of the bedrooms upstairs.  These have been gifts and have great sentimental value.  The two below were given to me by my family in Germany many years ago, and I realized that they have Edelweiss on their clothing, one embroidered and the other is a pin. 

These are two of those bears that have the greatest sentimental value.

Getting back to the shop, Gregg spotted a selection of German confectionary and he said to take a photo so that we could share it with our niece, but I already knew the rule and later he saw a sign with a few do's and don'ts and there it was, "no photos".  It was a fun browse and I could have spent another hour.  There were two ornaments purchased also, as you can see above and below the teddy bears. (I took these photos after I had added them to our Christmas tree.)

I detected a certain something in the air when connecting with the people we met, and I wondered about it. We learned at the Christmas Shop that it is Parade Day tomorrow. You can read all about that here.  We have never been to one, nor will we be going tomorrow.  Who knows, maybe next year.

For now I am enjoying all the decorations on the doors.

The child's sculpture was in front of a book store.

One last banner on our way back to the car.  This was my favorite.

Near the entrance of the parking lot we found our handsome dog. No danger of me tripping over this one.  

We also passed by holly bushes loaded with bright red berries.  

The last photo in Middleburg was from the parking lot.  

Earlier we had driven by an old abandoned house a little worse for wear.  We stopped on the way home.  

Always interested in these old places, it was sad to see it knowing how once it was someone's pride and joy.  I can still see the beauty of the home, with the old trees and weeds surrounding its walls, and imagined that a wrap-around porch with its rocking chairs had disappeared a long time ago.

One last stop at the coffee shop.  A latte for me and an iced tea for Gregg.  Not long after that we were home.  

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.