Lee Chapel

 

(Note:  This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)

Over thirty years ago my family took a camping trip wit my parents to Washington, D.C. and Virginia.  Among the places we visited was Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.  While there we saw the Lee Chapel on campus.  The chapel was designed by Robert E. Lee when he was the president of Washington College after the Civil War,  His university  office is in the basement of the chapel, as are the tombs of General Lee and his family.

This image was originally a slide which I later digitized.

 

 

 

 

Thorofare Gap

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

When My Beautiful Bride and I are on Skyline Drive (or the Blue Ridge Parkway) we never make quick progress since we stop at most of the overlooks we pass.  But the views of the mountains and the sky always seem to beg for some attention.  This picture was taken this past August at the Thorofare Gap Overlook on Skyline Drive in Virginia

O Shenandoah

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I celebrated Betsy’s birthday this year by going up to Virginia along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyland Drive.  One of our favorite places when we are in that part of Virginia is Skyland Resort, which is right on Skyline Drive.  From the balcony of our room we were able to look down into the Shenandoah Valley.  This is the view we had one of the mornings we were there.

Lake Abbott

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I celebrated her birthday this year at Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  This is the view we had from our room of beautiful Lake Abbott.

Sunrise on Skyline Drive

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

There are some advantages to getting up before dawn in order to get on the road early for a trip home.  That is exactly what Betsy and I did when we left Skyland on the Skyline Drive in Virginia for our trip home after celebrating Betsy’s birthday.

Getting up while it is still dark is not my favorite thing to do (I did enough of that before I retired!).  But getting up that early did provide some benefits, one of which was this view of a beautiful sunrise seen from Thorofare Mountain Overlook on Skyline Drive.

Virginia Mountains

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I traveled to Skyland, along Skyline Drive in Virginia, to celebrate her birthday.  We’ve been there before, and have always enjoyed the scenery.  This year we enjoyed the mountains so much that we walked to the restaurant for our meals.  This is the scene we enjoyed on our way to breakfast on August 3, 2017.

Mabry Mill

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Mabry Mill (milemarker 176) is reported to be the most iconic — and photographed — structure on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It’s easy to see why it is so popular with tourists and photographers.  Betsy and I stopped there on our way home from the Peaks of Otter in September, which is when I captured this photo.

Cahas Mountain Overlook

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Earlier this month Betsy and I took a couple of days off to drive up into Virginia in search of some cooler temperatures and some relaxation.  We got onto the Blue Ridge Parkway as soon as possible and enjoyed this view from the Cahas Mountain Overlook in Virginia.

Great Falls of the Potomac

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I have wanted to visit the Great Falls of the Potomac for several years, and we finally got the chance to get there a couple of weeks ago on our trip to Virginia and Maryland.  This panorama is made up of two photos I took while visiting Great Falls.

The Governor's Palace

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

There are some advantages to visiting Colonial Williamsburg in September.  The crowds are definitely thinner, and that beautiful blue sky above the Governor's Palace is a definite bonus.

Devil's Backbone

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

The Blue Ridge Parkway is an enchanting drive any time, even when the weather is not perfect.  We drove the Parkway in 2010 to celebrate Betsy's birthday, and stopped at the Devil's Backbone Overlook in Virginia.  The Devil's Background is almost lost in the distant clouds, but the valley below is still beautiful.

Rakes Mill Dam

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it. Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I found this dam at the site of Rakes Mill while driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. The miller, Jarman Rakes, allowed customers, and only customers, fish for brook trout in the mill pond while their grain was being ground.

Morning in the Mountains

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it. Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

I captured this wonderful sight on an early November morning last year at Hazel Mountain Overlook on the Skyline Drive in Virginia. The day started very foggy and cloudy, but as the sun came up it started to break through the fog and clouds. We came upon this sight a few minutes later.

Headforemost Mountain

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it. Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

We were driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway early one morning last month through patches of fog and mist. The fog had lifted around us when we came upon the Headforemost Mountain (I have no idea how the mountain got that name) Overlook. From our vantage point we could look across at the mountain, which seemed to be floating above the clouds.

Morning Reflections

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it. Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

I captured these early morning reflections at Abbott Lake in the Peaks of Otter along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. We were treated to this view from the balcony of our room at the lodge in the park.

Cattails at Abbott Lake

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.)

I took this picture of cattails on the shore of Abbott Lake when Betsy and I were at the Peaks of Otter Lodge in Virginia for her birthday this past August.

A Meeting in Appomattox

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.)

American history teaches that General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. General U. S. Grant in the parlor of the McLean House in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. The two met briefly again the next day at this site along the lane between the two armies.

Battery 5

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.)

The mound near the trees in this photo is Battery 5, part of the Confederate lines at the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864 - 65. It's hard to imagine that a scene where so many men were maimed and died could be so peaceful and serene today.

Colors on Monday: Black

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.)

Jen at Unglazed is hosting a mini meme, Colors on Monday. This week's color is Black.

I had to do some searching to come up with photos with black in them, but I decided I would post this picture of a black bear that Betsy and I saw as we were stopped at an overlook on Skyline Drive in Virginia. The bear was quite a way below us on the side of the mountain, but I was able to get this picture with my telephoto lens.



About half an hour later traffic on the road came to a halt as a Mama bear with three cubs meandered along the road before crossing it. Betsy was able to snap this picture of the family before they disappeared from view.



But my favorite picture showing the color black is a picture of my Beautiful-Bride-to-Be. This picture was taken about a month before we got married. We had taken my parents to Barren River State Park in Kentucky.

Jackson's Headquarters

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.)

This house in Winchester, Virginia, was the headquarters of General Thomas J. ("Stonewall") Jackson, CSA, during the winter of 1861 - 62. At the time Jackson was in command of the Valley District of Virginia.