Roanoke, VA USA
Hi,
Last Friday evening my tooth started to bother me and today I had a root canal. Thankfully the tooth already had a crown so that didn’t need to get done. It really was quite painless. If all is well the permanent filling will go in November 12th.
Two weekends ago Randal and I drove to Big Island (90 minutes east) to visit his sister Linda and her husband Ken. I love their house at the foot of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has trees and a stream and visiting deer. My sister has trees and a stream and visiting deer. Our house will have trees and deer but the stream that is just near where our driveway begins might be on the neighbor’s property. I doubt they’d mind my visiting it just to look. Didn’t Robert Frost write something similar about watching snow in a neighbor’s woods?
We drove to Big Island Friday afternoon and returned Sunday along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a spectacular fall weekend!
Ru
|
Saturday afternoon we drove to Charlottesville planning to visit some used book shops and then go on to a winery. Best laid plans…. But we had a lovely day and the winery will be there next visit.
Ken, Randal and Linda during a break on our drive to Charlottesville |
|
We spent most of our time at the Downtown Pedestrian Mall
Tarot readings on the Charlottesville Downtown Pedestrian Mall. We just observed. |
|
http://cvillearts.org/ was one of our stops as we wondered around looking for used book shops http://www.milenkoartstudio.com/ was one of the artists whose work I loved especially his pen and wash horses. |
|
Blue Whale Books
I could have spent hours at the Blue Whale. It wasn’t so large, but it was lovely and had a great collections to browse. I stopped at 3 books! Below is one of the shop dogs that have gained fame at the Charlottesville Downtown Mall. The store clerk said everyone took photos of the dog but not of the staff; so of course I did. |
|
Great dog! Gizmo from Blue Whale Books! 6 Charlottesville Shop Dogs You Have To Meet |
|
My Blue Whale books: Changing Heaven by Jane Urquhart A strange book that includes mention of the artist Tintoretto and has the ghost of Emily Bronte as a character. The writing is very lyrical so I’m keeping at it.
I love finding messages in books. Wonder why this book was chosen for Susie’s birthday gift? A few weeks ago, at Too Many Books, I bought a used book that had a 2013 Mets ticket stub and the business card from the Brooklyn restaurant franny’s. I looked it up and the Mets won and franny’s is on Flatbush Avenue. https://frannysbrooklyn.com/ Looks like a great place to eat. The Mets ticket cost $20. Fenway Park tickets are way more than that! Mark Hampton : The Art of Friendship by Duane Hampton includes some of the 100 watercolors painted as gifts for friends which captured the essence of that friend. They are whimsical and lovely and I can learn from them. The Best Day the Worst Day : Life with Jane Kenyon by Donald Hall former Poet Laureate of the US about his marriage to and the untimely death of wife poet Jane Kenyon. He wrote the words and Barbara Cooney illustrated the Ox Cart Man which won the 1980 Caldecott Award for best picture book which I must have cataloged for the Roanoke County Public Library as part of my job as kids’ book cataloger. And I loved his Fathers Playing Catch with Sons because it really isn’t only sons who play catch with dads. |
|
http://www.oakleysusedbooks.com/ specializes in SciFi so attracted Linda and Ken. I am going to mangle the story but apparently the husband and wife team who own the store had an interesting first meeting. He, a nucelar engineer or some such occupation walked into the store and was helped by the lovely owner. He noticed no ring on her finger so decided then and there to marry her. I believe that was over 20 years ago! Or atleast that’s the story retold to us by Linda and Ken. |
|
Sunday morning I got up with the sun!
Their driveway |
|
A family of deer cross the lawn and stream. The stone bridge crosses the stream. Turn left for a walk along a paved country road or go straight and walk the dirt road up to the Parkway. Years and years and YEARS ago Randal and I actually biked from our house in Roanoke County to Linda and Ken’s! |
|
Randal and Ken swapping stories Sunday morning. I love listening to the Johnson Family Stories |
|
We drove back to Roanoke along the Blue Ridge Parkway
One of the Overlooks |
