The Heat

 The last few weeks were almost 100. Now we have been getting a nice break, but the heat is returning on the weekend.

Popcorn is the only thing you eat that’s the result of an explosion.

And the mosquitoes and other gnats have really been biting. Even through our clothes!

Even the neighborhood cats have been seeking cool places.

We passed this dog that had literally dropped in the heat and dozed off.

The sun drips fire from a molten sky, 

Cicadas scream as the hours crawl by. 

Shade is a rumor, breeze a tease— 

Even the daisies beg for release.

The Trip

 This is what we saw on a trip last week. We went over Afton Mountain to a hospital for a test. First, we came upon a wreck.

In the parking garage, we parked on level B. There is a different flower and color on each level.

Afterward, we stopped at home Goods. They had what looked like a bus crashing through the door.

They also had this. In early August

We saw these amazing trees with huge chunks of peeling bark. Maybe River Birch?

And back at home, I found this in our driveway! A sign of early fall?

“The best sights on a trip aren’t marked on maps—they’re the tiger lilies blooming by forgotten fences, flags fluttering over porches, and the way a duck crossing the road can feel like a parade.”

 

Steampunk

 This is a restaurant across from the University Of Virginia campus. It is in a row of college shops and eating places. Unique exterior for sure. I'm guessing it is in the steampunk style. But it still gives you no clue what kind of food they serve!

“Steampunk sculpture is the poetry of metal—where gears whisper, brass breathes, and imagination welds the past to the fantastical.”

 

Top hats tilt to twilight’s glow, 

As cog and canvas start to flow. 

In every rivet, rust, and spark— 

Steampunk paints the past with dark

The Watering Can

 The giant watering can still stands in the city of Staunton. I was not able to identify it's flowers this year, as we had to drive past so fast.

I also passed these beautiful deep red Hibiscus.

“Even though the largest rocks may stand in its way, water will always find a way to get through it.”

 – Roger Lee

Thunderdome Part 2 - The Contraption

 Yes, we have passed another huge work machine of some kind. This one is stranger than the one in my first Thunderdome post. I have no idea, it looks like something from a science-fiction movie. And it was HUGE!

A crank, a cog, a twist of string, 

A bell that chimes, a gear that sings. 

It whirs and clunks, then leaps with grace— 

A jumbled joy in motion's chase.

Built from scraps and dreams and lore, 

It opens wide imagination’s door. 

Sunday Sunset - The Brushstroke

 This sunset was special to me because of the pink area that looks like looks like a giant brushstroke! I had never seen anything like it.

“A pink sky is nature’s gentle brushstroke, painting the world with a touch of magic.”

August 2025

 Welcome to August! We are finally getting a break of weeks at almost100 degrees! As usual, here is my calendar page for this month.

🌻 August hushes the world in gold,

 Coneflowers bow, their petals bold.

 Crickets sing where shadows grow,

And time walks barefoot, soft and slow.

A Cool Cat

 We passed by the Big Cat the other day. He has shed his 4th of July outfit and is now dressed for this very hot summer. He is a cool cat for sure.

O.K., I'm guessing that he is really a she. Because of the seashell bra!

Whiskers grand and paws like plates, 

This cat arrives as if through gates.

Not built for stealth but for surprise— 

A gentle giant with saucer eyes.

Heroin, Lithium, & Radium

 We all know that long ago, Coca-cola actually had cocaine as an ingredient. But there are other, even stranger food facts. I have been watching a T.V. show called Hazardous History narrated by Henry Winkler.

Did you know that Heroin used to be sold over the counter? Anyone could buy it! It was thought to not be addictive and was also given for free to people addicted to Morphine to ease them off of it.

It was thought to soothe a cough, and people flocked to drugstores to buy it. All they had to say was "Please give me a large bottle of HEROIN!

Also, radiated water used to be all the rage. It was thought to make you healthier. This gives new meaning to the term of having a glowing face! That fad ended very badly.

And for awhile, 7-Up had Lithium in it! It was thought to boost your mood.

Well, live and learn.

 

“Heroin gave me wings but took away the sky.”

 Atticus

 

Shopping

Time now to show you us and what we bought! first, I really wanted a photo of the girls with the big inflatable Buckee.

Here they are shopping inside.

I bought two T-shirts. One is long sleeved for fall. The other is, of all things, a Dolly Parton shirt! I didn't even know these existed, but I liked the color and flowers.

And back at home, Jazz shows off the earrings she bought.

Soft-spun cotton, loud and proud, 

Stories stitched beneath the cloud. 

Graphic dreams or plain delight— 

A t-shirt fits both day and night. 

Welcome to Buckee's!!!

 I have been waiting for over a year for the new Buckee's to open, and it finally has! For those of you who do not know, it is a huge truck stop with over 100 gas pumps and all kinds of food, merchandise, and different shops inside. It is huge! We took our granddaughters.

Buckee is a beaver, and they sell all sizes of him stuffed.

A real Buckee also wanders around, offering photo ops.

In this section, they had everything pigs for the kitchen.

Crystal steer skulls, if you want to pay about $400.00 each.

Graters looking like cactus.

Only a fraction of the fancy glasses they had.

These crystal shot glasses were like a crystal kaleidoscope!

Blankets that fold up into a tote bag.

Several bakeries, and brisket and other kinds of hot sandwiches. Walls of nuts, jerky, and candy.

But what did we buy and where are we? You will see on my next post!

“It’s not just a pit stop—it’s a pilgrimage. Where the beaver reigns, the brisket sings, and the bathrooms sparkle like roadside royalty.”

 “It’s not just a pit stop—it’s a pilgrimage. 

Where the beaver reigns, the brisket sings, 

and the bathrooms sparkle like roadside royalty.”

Brisket whispers, fudge delights, 

Beaver signs light up the nights.