Author: Dee
-
Autumn
I marvel at the forest-covered Blue Ridge Mountains when the leaves turn red, orange, and gold. The mountain range reminds me of mounds of sugar-coated gumdrops, an array of colors shimmering in the autumn sunshine. Every year, I look forward to the season’s cool temperatures and blazing colors. I grab my camera, and Walter takes… Read more
-
Winky the Wren
Last summer, Walter was sitting on the veranda at sunset and heard a wren singing in the trees. Within a few minutes, the wren appeared on the patio less than ten feet away from him. Walter sat very still while the wren hopped around the birdbath and potted plants. Suddenly, the little bird flew up… Read more
-
Play Ball!
The World Series begins this week, and we will be glued to the TV. Walter is passionate about baseball, and now I’m watching it with him. It reminds me of growing up in Milwaukee when my dad took my sister and me downtown to watch major league baseball. He’d buy us each a team ball… Read more
-
Boo!
Happy Halloween to everyone! Time for costumes, ghosts, black cats, and witches riding their brooms across the yellow moon. When I was a kid growing up in Wisconsin, I had to bundle up to go trick-or-treating on bone-chilling Halloween nights. My mom made my costume extra-large so I could wear a winter coat underneath my… Read more
-
Goshen Pass
Walter and I have visited Goshen Pass in the spring and summer months, but last year we decided to go in autumn to see the fabulous fall colors reflecting in the river and adorning the forest-covered mountains. We traveled an hour north on I-81 from Roanoke to Lexington, Virginia, and another twenty miles northwest to… Read more
-
I Love Pie
When we were kids growing up in Wisconsin, my sister and I learned how to bake pies on Saturday mornings. My mom tied aprons around our waists, and we helped her make two pies—egg custard was her favorite—to serve as dessert with dinner for the upcoming week. Those were the days when dessert was expected… Read more
-
Covered Bridges
After moving to Roanoke, I decided to find the covered bridges of southwest Virginia. I discovered four nearby bridges and set out on a mission to find them. All the while, I was thinking of the movie The Bridges of Madison County. The first one was easy to find—135 miles north of Roanoke on I-81… Read more
-
Buena Vista, VA
When I moved to Roanoke, Virginia, I wanted to explore the surrounding area by visiting nearby small towns. Many of the towns celebrated the fall season with festivals, and I decided to spend my weekends driving through the countryside to find them. One cool autumn afternoon, I drove north on I-81 to Buena Vista, Virginia,… Read more
-
Jefferson National Forest
Walter and I ventured out on a gorgeous summer day to visit Jefferson National Forest. The forest covers thousands of acres, but we chose to head north from Roanoke to Arcadia and on to Solitude, Virginia, where we entered the national forest. When Walter was eight or nine years old, his dad took him and… Read more
-
White-Tailed Squirrel
Our backyard is home to feisty gray squirrels who are welcome to grab a peanut or two from our veranda whenever they’re hungry, which is always. We have named many of our regular visitors and are entertained by their silly antics. Little Lefty used to roll a peanut around with his left paw to get… Read more