This was the site from my neighbor's yard this past spring, and it was a pure delight to behold. I enjoyed the mild weather and the beauty around us this time.
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What Has Worked;

Hut for a Blue Tractor and a Red Grass-Cutter

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     Many of these farm structures that I live around out here in Central Virginia near Lovingston are made from wood that has been recycled from earlier farm buildings.   I am almost certain that a lot if it may just go back to the early days of European settlers locating here in Schuyler.   One can just take a quick look and even without carbon-dating one can see that the wood is old and weathered by the elements.   It is very heavy older hardwood that these folks used in making their farm structures.   One can also see how the buildings were shaped for the needs of the farm at a time and then torn down but not discarded but reused again for another purpose..   The sizes of the buildings are small.   They may house one farm implement or two but they are not like those northern Atlantic barns that have lofts and large areas for animals, these buildings are built to suite a single purpose and generally aren'...
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Artwork in Crozet IGA Parking Lot Ya can't get much better than murals in one's grocery store parking lot. It seems like someone did something just for the idea of art for art sake. I love it! These murals show much of the surrounding areas of Crozet and who else could have shown it off but someone local, who has guts to do something this size in the first place. It turned out well and all people I've talked to love it as well. It's much bigger than I could show in this one photograph but for the people of this little Virginia town it means quite a bit.
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The Hardware Store Restaurant Myth or Legend

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Back years ago there was a place on the downtown bricked over mall which was the Main drag there is a store which was a restaurant. It was quite a nice wooden structure that housed a burger and sandwich joint plus some upper balcony art galleries and such. My favorite was the chocolate shop that came in and would always make my mouth water whenever I walked in for lunch with a friend. The chocolates were right at eye level and I could never leave that place without a sample of them on my person. Having said that, a few years ago they closed up and the building was sold and turned into a clothing shop for some trendy wares of one kind or another. Now whenever the name of that restaurant comes up people wane nostalgically; one person who is the daughter of a former co-worker had a prom date in it and just the name brings up regret towards its' demise. And so I painted an oil of it because of her request for me to do so. It turned out I had some drawings of it in the ...
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U.Va. did there best but with injuries we fell short

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We at Post High were treated to a U.Va. baseball game with our students, it was the NCAA regional game with hosting U.Va. playing Oregon (last years champs). It was a well fought game but in the end we did have it to take the cake. With two important players out from injuries from the first of two games with Oregon we fell short. I hope for the speedy recovery for those two injured players (Milcat and another player but I'm not sure exactly who-was it B. Gyer?) , they are both champs for helping the team take us to the highest point yet for our baseball team of the University in our hometown of Charlottesville, Va.. All of our students had a really great time cheering on the Cav's . Goo Hoo's Goooo ....until next year. I personally have enjoyed there state of the art stadium for the last three years, it's a hell of an improvement for we fans of baseball. Before it's existence we sat in aluminium bleachers that might have held between fifty and a hundr...
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Highland Ash Lawn: James Monroe's Plantation

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The home of James Monroe was built nearby that of Thomas Jefferson. Its goes by the name "Ash Lawn Highland". Its but a couple of miles away from Jefferson's Monticello. Monroe lived on this land for twenty four years (1801 until 1825 when he was forced to sell it). Today the plantation is owned by the College of William and Mary. This painting is of the main house which has an extension added on to it behind this front building. There are also a good number of smaller buildings behind it meant to support what went on inside the main house. I imagine those out buildings behind the main house were used as wine cellers, and added kitchens with perhaps quarters for small animals for fresh groceries and perhaps a stables. The grounds around front feature a good number of large trees, they were no doubt smaller at the time of Monroe's living here. The trees lining the drive up to the house (it is said) were planted by Monroe himself. Today those trees are ...
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