Looking at the Massanutten Mountain

Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA, is located just to the west of the bottom end of the Massanutten Mountain. This past weekend, the weather gave some interesting photo opportunities for the mountain. The first photo is of the very southern peak, the highest of the range which was at that time shrouded in clouds.

Tallest peak of Massanutten Mountain, near Penn Laird, VA, USA  (31-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

But check out how the same branches looked an hour and a half later.

Massanutten Mountain range just north of the peak, near Penn Laird, VA, USA  (31-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

From our house we wee the Massanutten Peak from its west side with an interesting encroachment of industry.

West side of the tallest peak of Massanutten Mountain, Harrisonbuyrg, VA, USA  (1-Apr-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

But check out how the same branches looked an hour and a half later.

West side of the southern part of Massanutten Mountain, Harrisonbuyrg, VA, USA  (1-Apr-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

For more information on the trail on top of the Massanutten Mountain, check our this site:
     http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/Massanutten-VA.html

More Snow. YES!

One week after the last snow on Sunday and Monday, we are getting more snow! Here is a photo of our flowering plum tree as the snow began soon after 3 p.m.

Snow beginning on our flowering plum tree, Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (24-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

But check out how the same branches looked an hour and a half later.

Snow on our flowering plum tree, Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (24-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Well it looks like the trees were not quite ready for more snow, since this one was close to opening its blossoms. It is awesome seeing the snow again, but I'll also enjoy the flowers of spring.

More Snow, a Sunrise and a Sunset

Last Sunday and into Monday, we had more than three inches of snow laying on the ground. Now this Sunday (tomorrow) there is more snow in the forecast, but less than an inch. Below is how the snow began on Sunday.

Snow on our porch railing, Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (17-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

I have not seen too many interesting sunsets recently, but last evening the sky was rose-colored.

Sunset, Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (22-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

And this morning, there was a slightly different set of colors--more orange.

Sunrise, Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (23-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

So if the old saying proves correct ("red in the morning, sailors warning"), maybe we will get some snow this weekend. I still do like snow.

Is Spring Coming Soon or Not?

As I look at my woodpile, I wonder how I could be so neat! (Many persons wonder about the organization of my desk in our study.) But I also ponder whether I am expecting more cold winter weather or if spring might be around the corner.

My woodpile, Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (16-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Is the greening of the grass and bushes more operative, or is the size of my remaining woodpile more indicative?

I-81 Exit 200

For my wife, Elsie, and me, Interstate 81 has the allure of the Route 66 has for some others. So whether we are heading north to the Lancaster County area of Pennsylvania or south to Christiansburg, Virginia, we know many of the exits and which have good fast-food, gas and clean restrooms.

Exit 200 along I-81 in Virginia is such an exit. We like to take a break here and get a breakfast-to-go on our way to Christiansburg Mennonite Fellowship (one of the churches I serve as overseer). At this exit, the fast-food restaurant, convenience store and gas station are housed in a Cape-Cod-like structure. But the modern must also coexist with good old Southern hospitality. There are rocking chairs on the porch, and they are used. (OK, no one sits on them too often in winter.)

Modern convenience meets old-fashioned hospitality, Fairfield, VA, USA  (10-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

And the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from there still showed some remaining snow from the storm four days earlier. If you live in Virginia or North Carolina and have never travelled on the Blue Ridge Parkway, consider doing so on a slow Saturday or Sunday or stop and take a vacation at the many interesting tourist and naturalist spots.

Snow on the Blue Ridge Mountains, Fairfield, VA, USA  (10-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie is now ready for spring since we had our big snow, but I'm now sure about that. Can we have one more big storm?

In the Dark AND Not

It started last evening a bit before 9 p.m. EST, and by 10:15 we had an inch on our deck. The air temperature had risen to about 48^o F during the day, so the first bit of snow melted until it cooled road surface to below freezing. There is something awesome about snow falling in the quiet of the night lit only by the ambient light from houses and distant street lights.

Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (5-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

By this morning at 7 a.m. EST, there was a foot of snow on the ground and an additional 5-9 inches forecast for the rest of the day. 

Harrisonburg, VA, USA  (5-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

As I told my extended family via email, now if only I had some job that I had to stay home from. But being retired is still a special place to be in life.

In the Dark OR Not

While Elise and I were at the conference this weekend, I was impressed with the interplay of low light outside the building we were meeting in as compared to the light playing through the windows.

Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center, near Williamsburg, VA, USA  (1-Mar-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

This is a subject I may have to revisit in more detail and from different perspectives. 

--©2013, Richard L. Bowman