Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Blue Ridge Parkway :: Reflections
The air was crisp on Sunday morning. Frost still covered the grass in the shady areas.
What it is, I don't know, but there is “something” about reflections in calm, clear water. An image within an image. Real. Yet not real. Seeing what is or isn't there.
Sunday morning, November 15th.Julian Price Memorial Park. Blue Ridge Parkway.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wordless Wednesday :: Sunrise
Sunday morning, November 15th.
Lenoir, North Carolina.
About 30 miles east of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Lenoir, North Carolina.
About 30 miles east of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Blue Ridge Parkway :: Brinegar Cabin
The grounds were neatly mowed. The garden was lying fallow. The cabin was locked. Peeking into the windows revealed nothing but empty spaces, except for a large object covered with a sheet. It was likely the loom used in demonstrations during the “prime” visitor season, summer.
The Brinegar Cabin, at milepost 238.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A placque at the top of the hill overlooking the cabin proclaims:
The Brinegar Cabin, at milepost 238.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A placque at the top of the hill overlooking the cabin proclaims:
The Brinegars were not famous or rich, but they were important to their families and neighbors. In 1876 Martin Brinegar purchased this 125 acre farm from Henderson Crouse, Caroline Joines' uncle, for $200. Two years later Martin and Caroline were married; he was 21 and she was 16. there were many small communities close by where the Brinegars visited their families and friends, traded for supplies, and attended church and school.
Martin and Caroline first lived in a one-room cabin that was already here. Their three children – Alice, Sarah, and John – were born in that cabin. As the family grew Martin built the cabin that stands here now. Their last child, William, was born in this cabin, but died as an infant.
The Brinegars did all the usual work of living on a farm – raising crops and animals, preserving food, and cutting firewood. Martin also made shoes for his neighbors. He was a local justice of the peace and notary public, and for many years he served as clerk for the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Caroline made clothing for her family and augmented their income by gathering medicinal plants like bloodroot, snakeroot, and black cherry bark and selling them to nearby drug merchants.
In 1925 Martin was caught in a storm on his way home from church and died from pneumonia eight days later. He was 68. The state of North Carolina bought the Brinegar farm in 1935 to become part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although Caroline had a lifetime tenure to stay in her home, she went to live with her daughter Sarah when it became too noisy here for her. Caroline died in 1943 when she was 82.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Greetings From... North Carolina
In an attempt to evade the wind and rain, I left the Richmond area the morning of Friday the 13th, heading west and south, stopping for the night in the small town of Stuart, Virginia. It had rained off and on during most of the drive. Sometime during the night, the rain finally stopped.
The next morning I awoke to sunshine and blue skies and drove the few miles west to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The good thing about driving the Parkway this time of year is that there are very few other people doing the same. The bad thing about driving the Parkway this time of year is that all the campgrounds are closed as are the visitor centers and picnic areas.
The next morning I awoke to sunshine and blue skies and drove the few miles west to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The good thing about driving the Parkway this time of year is that there are very few other people doing the same. The bad thing about driving the Parkway this time of year is that all the campgrounds are closed as are the visitor centers and picnic areas.
Near Cumberland Knob, North Carolina
From the Blue Ridge Parkway - November 14, 2009
From the Blue Ridge Parkway - November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Still in Virginia – but not for long!
After determining the location of Hawksbill Church (which was named after a small river rather than the mountain peak) I headed back into Shenandoah National Park on November 3rd. Two days later (and as many very cold nights) I was at the southern terminus of Skyline Drive. The weather had been rather dreary and the color was gone from the few leaves remaining on the trees. But it was still a very pleasant drive. I didn't hike as much as I would have liked though because it was just too windy and too cold.
I wanted to get out of the mountains and back to the coast. But there were a few stops along the way and Mother Nature would have some say in the matter.
Two main stops were at the Walton's Mountain Museum in Schuyler, Virginia – hometown of Earl Hamner, Jr. and Appomattox Court House. Both sites were interesting in their own way. I was a fan of “The Waltons” from the time it first aired. The exhibits were informative and they had a lot of pictures. At Appomattox, I sat in on a chat with one of the volunteer Rangers and was reminded of bits that I had forgotten and learned a few new things as well. It was the highlight of my visit there.
For the next few days I stayed at two Virginia State Parks – Holliday Lake (near Appomattox) and Staunton River (near South Boston and about 25 miles from the North Carolina Border). On Monday (November 6th), I checked into a motel and learned that Tropical Storm Ida was due to go ashore near Mobile Bay. The wind and rain would be into the Carolinas the next day with the possiblity of 4-6” of rain. I had waited a bit too long before heading south, so I decided to go back north towards Richmond, partially to meet up with my friend TJ (who also happens to be a distant cousin) and then visit Williamsburg and Jamestown, eventually going down the coast of the Carolinas, specifically Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
But Ida changed directions and stalled out and, in the last two days, has dumped 6 inches of rain, more in some places, in southeastern Virginia! Currently (the morning of Friday the 13th) it is still windy in Richmond but the rain has pretty much stopped. Now is probably not the time to take the route I had initially planned so I'll be going back west, towards the mountains and then south, avoiding the flooded areas along the coast.
I wanted to get out of the mountains and back to the coast. But there were a few stops along the way and Mother Nature would have some say in the matter.
Two main stops were at the Walton's Mountain Museum in Schuyler, Virginia – hometown of Earl Hamner, Jr. and Appomattox Court House. Both sites were interesting in their own way. I was a fan of “The Waltons” from the time it first aired. The exhibits were informative and they had a lot of pictures. At Appomattox, I sat in on a chat with one of the volunteer Rangers and was reminded of bits that I had forgotten and learned a few new things as well. It was the highlight of my visit there.
For the next few days I stayed at two Virginia State Parks – Holliday Lake (near Appomattox) and Staunton River (near South Boston and about 25 miles from the North Carolina Border). On Monday (November 6th), I checked into a motel and learned that Tropical Storm Ida was due to go ashore near Mobile Bay. The wind and rain would be into the Carolinas the next day with the possiblity of 4-6” of rain. I had waited a bit too long before heading south, so I decided to go back north towards Richmond, partially to meet up with my friend TJ (who also happens to be a distant cousin) and then visit Williamsburg and Jamestown, eventually going down the coast of the Carolinas, specifically Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
But Ida changed directions and stalled out and, in the last two days, has dumped 6 inches of rain, more in some places, in southeastern Virginia! Currently (the morning of Friday the 13th) it is still windy in Richmond but the rain has pretty much stopped. Now is probably not the time to take the route I had initially planned so I'll be going back west, towards the mountains and then south, avoiding the flooded areas along the coast.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Something Better than Good
The inaugural edition of the Carnival of Genealogy was published on June 4, 2006 by Jasia at Creative Gene. The topic of the next edition (#84) is “What has the Carnival of Genealogy Meant to You?”
It was early in 2006 that I first “discovered” some genealogists that were blogging. But it wasn't until January 12, 2007 that I finally got the nerve to start my own blog. My second post two days later, with the very creative title of Carnival of Genealogy - food!, was for the 16th Edition, which was on Food & Family Recipes. I felt like I was in over my head, but Jasia was encouraging when she presented the post:
In the beginning, the CoG was the means of introducing yourself to other bloggers. If you wanted someone else to read what you had written the best way to get “noticed” was by contributing to the Carnival of Genealogy. It was how we met each other. It was how we got to know each other. With each post published, we shared a little bit of ourselves with everyone else. We laughed together, and cried together. We became friends. Even though I've had the pleasure of meeting only three genea-bloggers in person, I feel like I know so many more of you because of your blogging.
With each new edition of the CoG, I looked forward to the next. What would the topic be? Would I be able to come of up with something worthy of contributing? Not always. It was a challenge and, in my mind, some submissions were more successful than others. But like many thngs, the more we participate, the better we become.
It has been my honor to host two editions of the Carnival of Genealogy. The first time was July 3, 2007 with the 27th edition, whose topic was What America / Independence Day has meant to my family – hosting that CoG gave me a greater appreciation for the time and effort that Jasia puts into each edition of the Carnival. My second hosting gig came along this year, on February 4th, with Come Dance With Me and it was a huge success, thanks to the 50 contributors who shared their Happy Dance Moments with us!
A recent contribution that I really enjoyed writing was The Best Gift – Ever! for the 69th Edition "What if: Rewriting History" which was hosted by Bill West at West in New England.
Earlier favorites, in 2007 editions 20 and 26 were tributes to Women and Dads in which I presented the stories of my mother's parents in Grandma's Story and Grandpa Vic.
According to my records, including this post, I have participated in 56 editions of the CoG (22 in 2007, 22 in 2008, and 12 thus far in 2009). See Kinexxions :: Carnival of Genealogy Contributions for a complete list of CoG posts. Although, for various reasons, I haven't participated as much as I would have liked this year, the Carnival of Genealogy still holds a place near and dear to my heart and I hope to contribute more often in the future.
It was early in 2006 that I first “discovered” some genealogists that were blogging. But it wasn't until January 12, 2007 that I finally got the nerve to start my own blog. My second post two days later, with the very creative title of Carnival of Genealogy - food!, was for the 16th Edition, which was on Food & Family Recipes. I felt like I was in over my head, but Jasia was encouraging when she presented the post:
“Let's hear it for good plain food! Becky describes the good plain Midwestern food she remembers from her childhood in Indiana. This is the kind of food many of you will remember from your childhoods too. Fried chicken, homemade pies, and vanilla caramels... yum! Thanks Becky!”And Thank You, Jasia. For thinking of creating the Carnival of Genealogy, and for your kind words of encouragement to everyone with each new edition. I've said it before, but I'll say it again – the CoG was truly the beginning point of what would become an online community of genealogy bloggers. A community that provided encouragement and praise. For better, or for worse, you can blame (or credit) the existence of kinexxions on Jasia and the Carnival of Genealogy. I wanted to belong to that community, to be a part of something that was good. And I was welcomed with open arms, as others have been since, and it has become something better than good.
In the beginning, the CoG was the means of introducing yourself to other bloggers. If you wanted someone else to read what you had written the best way to get “noticed” was by contributing to the Carnival of Genealogy. It was how we met each other. It was how we got to know each other. With each post published, we shared a little bit of ourselves with everyone else. We laughed together, and cried together. We became friends. Even though I've had the pleasure of meeting only three genea-bloggers in person, I feel like I know so many more of you because of your blogging.
With each new edition of the CoG, I looked forward to the next. What would the topic be? Would I be able to come of up with something worthy of contributing? Not always. It was a challenge and, in my mind, some submissions were more successful than others. But like many thngs, the more we participate, the better we become.
It has been my honor to host two editions of the Carnival of Genealogy. The first time was July 3, 2007 with the 27th edition, whose topic was What America / Independence Day has meant to my family – hosting that CoG gave me a greater appreciation for the time and effort that Jasia puts into each edition of the Carnival. My second hosting gig came along this year, on February 4th, with Come Dance With Me and it was a huge success, thanks to the 50 contributors who shared their Happy Dance Moments with us!
A recent contribution that I really enjoyed writing was The Best Gift – Ever! for the 69th Edition "What if: Rewriting History" which was hosted by Bill West at West in New England.
Earlier favorites, in 2007 editions 20 and 26 were tributes to Women and Dads in which I presented the stories of my mother's parents in Grandma's Story and Grandpa Vic.
According to my records, including this post, I have participated in 56 editions of the CoG (22 in 2007, 22 in 2008, and 12 thus far in 2009). See Kinexxions :: Carnival of Genealogy Contributions for a complete list of CoG posts. Although, for various reasons, I haven't participated as much as I would have liked this year, the Carnival of Genealogy still holds a place near and dear to my heart and I hope to contribute more often in the future.
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