Friday

Well we headed out Friday morning for N.C. after spending 5 days with youngest sister Dee and husband Mike in their Woodstock, Va. home. We had a grand time despite the reason we were there as our dad was being treated at the VA hospital in Washington, D.C. for a triple by-pass heart operation. We learned Friday morning the doctors had taken out the breathing tube and that he was sitting up and doing what he liked to do best and that is to tell stories and jokes. He still has a mind for dates, places and things.

We headed out around 9 AM after a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit as we need to get back to some sensible eating after eating at the hospital a couple days, fast foods and of course over indulging at Dee and Mike's. They were so gracious to put up with us for 5 days and even sent some home grown tomatoes with us as we left. Dee told us about a Mennonite community just south of Harrisonburg called Dayton, so we thought we would check it and we did.

There is a huge farmers market with everything from "what nots" to fresh bakery, meats, deli, canned goods. We purchased a couple different loaves of breads(back to sensible eatin')and while Nancy was shopping and looking at all the curios I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who first asked where we were from. He was knowledgeable of the area as he grew up there eventually helped along with 2 other fellows to author several volumes on the Civil War. They were for sale at 49.95 each but he was most interested in my history as well and was taken back that I served in Vietnam and was in law enforcement for 30 years and that I was from "down" the valley in Winchester. We must have talked for 30 minutes or more and then another local fellow came in who joined in the conversation and I learned neither of these guys had ever left the area. Both of them knew all of the local history especially regarding the battles and local lore about what happened in the war, but hung on every word about my travels an experiences. Mr. Rhodes handed me a small pamphlet as I left and then I realized he was a co-author of these civil war books. I want to go back and visit there again. Most of the clerks there were in the traditional Mennonite dress and he himself was Mennonite but only in ethnicity and not as a religion.

We headed on south into a small town called Bridgewater, Va. and the first thing we noticed there were lawn chairs lined up alongside the road for blocks with no one sitting in them. We spotted a motorcycle officer directing traffic when a large group of old time tractors were crossing the road and learned there was to be a parade later in the evening(now this was 10 AM) of tractors, fire trucks etc. as there was some type of festival. Wow, people had staked out their spot on the parade route the many hours before to insure they had front row seats. We headed out of town and realized if we didn't use the interstate we would be forever getting back to the cabin, as it was after 4 PM when we finally pulled in.

We made a stop in Salem, Va for lunch and gas then at the farmers market in Hillsville before a stop at Lowes and Wal-Mart in Galax, Va. The temperature had dropped down into the 60's by the time we got home and Nancy was donning a sweatshirt. After unloading and turning on the water pump and water heater we headed out for a mountain top hike. Wow was it ever good to see familiar surroundings, but no people as the community on top were gone. We cut the hike short as it started to sprinkle so to avoid getting wet, needless to say it didn't last long but did start up again around dark and rained lightly all night and it's raining as I write this post on Sat. morning. Looks like is going to be an inside day but we needed the rain as our "mountain mom" Helen stated we had little or no rain and its was the hottest it's been all year while we were gone. They had the same weather we did in Winchester on Monday and Tuesday where the temps soared to triple digits.

Well I will post a few pics from Thursday and Friday as we get ready to eat sensible(Mennonite bread). We spoke with the family last night and all is well in Florida. I pulled a few cukes, squash and the lettuce made it through the drought. I also picked a quart of wine berries before it rained me out so with what I have frozen I want to make a gallon of vino. Thanks again to all who remembered us in their thoughts and prayers as Paw Paw's condition was critical at times because of his age but the doctors said he was "stoic" and had a very strong heart, probably due to lots of hard physical labor most of his life. LATER