Actually ten days have passed since the Bar Mitzvah. We have run some errands and helped take the boys into and out of Charlottesville, it really is time for Alex to get his driver’s license but that is a subject for another time. Mostly we have been sharing family time enjoying being able to spend time with the boys and their parents when they are between tasks. Incredibly the weather has been super fine. It is November 5 and I have the coach door and a window open to enjoy the warm Fall weather. It is 67 and at noon and rising.
Last Sunday Dan, Alex and I set out for a hike on the Virginia/West Virginia border about 30 miles west of Harrisonburg VA. The day was cool and damp, the rain had passed over the area where we were going to hike and had moved across Covesville too. We took a trail to a Fire Tower. I am used to spindly metal towers with a cab on top that were scattered all over the Adirondacks when I was a camper. This turned out to quite a substantial tower built out of local rock, finished by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the 1930’s. The hike in was 1.5 miles mostly vertical. I was grateful to have my hiking sticks along.
It is wonderful to go on a three generation hike. Alex continually stopped to watch the birds and to check out the plants as we went. He is quite the naturalist. I hope his interest does not wane.
The substantial tower, as in so many back country places has experienced a limited amount of vandalism, in this case mostly broken windows.
Let my son Dan near a vertical rock wall and he sees a climbing challenge. Fortunately since he was free climbing he limited the height he chose to climb to.
While we were up there we enjoyed the view of the surrounding countryside, its a bit distorted as I
turned through over 180 degrees to take it. In the distance we noticed some white objects sticking up.
They turned out to be the big dishes at the Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. This picture was taken through overcast using a handheld 20x lens (according to some sources about 560mm equivalent for 35 mm camera).
We returned to the car warm in the cool air and settled in for the drive back to Hungrytown Hollow. We arrived in time to relax and shower before going to dinner at Alley Light a very nice restaurant hidden away in an alley near the Main St Mall in Charlottesville. We were there to celebrate Carol’s Birthday with the boys and Dan and Malena. It was a day early as we were heading to Culpeper for dinner the next night, Carol’s actual birthday, with David and Terry. Great meal and lots of fun, we were noisy and jovial and others were aware we were having a good time.
Time flies, as usual. Tomorrow I hope the service tech will come and set our heat pump right. If not no big deal, we will just burn propane for heat when the back heat pump can’t carry the load alone. On Saturday we will move out stopping in Cherry Hill Park for a few days.
