Pretty in Pink

There's a pink Dogwood tree catercorner and across the street from my house that's been blooming for a few days. Every time I see it, I think, "Oh, what a pretty shade of pink!" This morning, I had some time to spare on the way to the post office, so I grabbed my camera and walked that way.

Apparently, I wasn't the only creature admiring the tree.

The soft, early morning light really made the pink look vibrant.

Well, hello, friend kitty.

Really, don't you just love that pink?

It's a shame those trees don't hold their flowers longer.

Our weather has been rather odd lately. Rainy at times. Cold, too. It got down into the 30s the other night.

And the grand kids were here this past weekend. Which was great. 

We haven't done much riding of late. But we will soon.

I hope.

It's Snowing!

Believe it or not, we saw snow today.
Lucky for us, it was Spring snow.

-- UPDATE --

I took that picture with and did this post earlier today from my phone.

I didn't realize the picture would be so small.

I didn't want y'all thinking I was trying to pull one over on you, so the girls and I went back to the site of the blizzard for some more pics.

It's not real snow. It just looked like a snowstorm to me. The white tree you see in the background is losing its flowers.

It's that type of Spring snow. :-)

More "Backyard" Discoveries

It's not quite 7:00 AM as I write this, but it's already been Spring for almost six hours.

Cool!

The porch at Shumate Auctions in Warrenton.

Spring has always been one of my favorite times of the year. Not just because it gets warm, but because of all the amazing colors bursting forth. I'm a color-loving kind of gal. But this year, our first year in the new house, it's extra-special.

Our yard is full of sprouting bulb plants. This I know because many are out of the ground. Only a few have bloomed so far (a few crocus and some daffodils). It's sort of fun discovering what plants we now own.

Speaking of fun, this past weekend was a weekend of firsts. Hubby and I went to our first auction. It was held at an auction house here in town that's apparently been in business since the early 1900s. The theme of the auction was Tools, Toys, and Trains, i.e., guy stuff.

I went with Hubby purely out of curiosity. It was interesting to see some of the stuff. I didn't take too many pictures there, but I did capture this image of an interesting model set.

The "optional parts to simulate pregnancy" made me chuckle. I have no idea if this is old or not, but it was on a table with various other model kits (airplanes, cars, model train buildings, etc.). What sort of odd little boy had this in his collection?

There was a vintage auto, too.

Definitely guy stuff. I'll be returning on March 31 when they auction furniture, glassware, and other household antiques.

I didn't stay long, as I had plans to go to the Warrenton Point to Point (my first point to point horse race), which I wrote all about HERE.

Since it was a nice day, I HAD to get some riding in, right? Absolutely!

I didn't go far, but I sure saw some pretty stuff.

Little Georgetown Church in Broad Run, Virginia

The cemetery behind the church has early graves from as far back as the late 1700s.That was my first visit to Broad Run.

The vistas encountered on my local rides continue to impress me.

Like this old farm complex, which is still in use.

I most definitely uttered a few "oohs and aahs" when I crested a hill and saw this driveway lined with pink, blooming trees.

A bit further along, I turned off onto Hilltop Lane and captured this view of the same driveway from off in the distance.

Not much later, I encountered this old, yellow barn and topless silo. With the blue sky in the background, I couldn't not stop for a picture there.

The curious horse was a bonus. My first curious horse shot (I think).

I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I don't think I left Fauquier County. So this stuff is all sort of in my backyard.

Whenever you are ready to come for a visit, just let me know. I would love to show you around. Of course, there's lots more left for me to discover. We could discover it together!

Grocery Run

It was my turn to cook dinner this week. Having been rather uninspired food-wise of late, I didn't plan very well.

So, when I finished work at 5:00 (on time for a change), I had to make a grocery run. It was a nice day. So that 1.2-mile trip to the store turned into about a 50-mile ride.


View Larger Map

Really. My house is near the letter E on the map and the grocery store is at D.

But it was a NICE day!

Hubby was working in his workshop when I left. Or so I thought. Turns out he was only "playing." So he was upset that I didn't invite him along.

I was only going to the grocery store, though. Next time, I'll ask.

That's not an old house. I just thought it looked pretty with the flowering trees.

Guess what I found next...

Yep, cows.

You know how I love cows. (Please ignore the one dead-center who I think was telling me to piss off.)

I noticed this view in the mirror while stashing the camera in the tank bag after the cow shot.

I snapped that image during my last stop. The road (Crest Hill Road) is rather straight-looking there. But don't let that fool you. It was full of twisties.

That's not the scene that made me pull over.

This was...

That was shot at Crest Hill Road and Hume Road (point C on the map) looking west.

Nice, eh?

I'm thinking I may need some more groceries today...

Twiddle Dee Dee

One of my blog pals on the Wet Coast, Trobairitz of Trobairitz' Tablet fame, decided to do a Patiently Waiting for Spring Challenge. Unlike us folks in the East, they've had some really crappy, wintry weather.

Here, it's Spring. There, it's snowing.

She's got cabin fever, apparently. Bored at work one morning, she started photographing herself. (Oh, come on. You know you do it, too!) That led to her inspiration to challenge others to stoop to her weird level photograph themselves, too. And then post it on their blog.

I decided to play.

I took this pic earlier today. I swear. It may look like a repeat, since K is on my lap. But, the thing is, K is on my lap a lot. At least twice a day, sometimes more, she needs to have some Mama Luv.

And when K needs her Mama Luv, she NEEDS her Mama Luv.

Even if Mama is already busy giving love to a different pooch.

I wasn't going to post that last shot because it is, shall we say, less than flattering. But I think it's funny how K just climbed into my lap and lay half on top of Meg. I'm telling you, the girl is a cuddler.

And that's it for my PWFS entry.

Slow Down

I went out the other evening to try and capture an image of this cute little house on the outskirts of town.

I've always thought it was a nice little place. But now it's flanked by blooming magnolia trees.

That is a terrible shot. Sorry. Since I was in the truck, there was no good place to pull over. The light was at the wrong angle. But I decided to post it anyway just in case I don't get back before the trees finish their show.

I think this pond is on the same property. I snapped that photo through the windshield while the truck was moving.

I hate to keep saying "look how cool my new neighborhood is." But I can't help it. These pics were shot just over three driving miles from my house.

There are lots of little houses like that scattered around. I'm not sure, but I think it was once (and maybe still is) a caretaker's cottage. This is, after all, hunt country. I so cannot wait to see a hunt.

After failing to capture a decent shot, I had to turn around. To do so, I pulled into a nearby country lane. That's where I saw a sign that made me laugh. I hope you'll get a kick out of it, too.

Happy Friday! I hope this weekend brings you lots of good riding weather!

More Signs of Spring

Oh, happy day. It really is Spring!

Just look in the candy aisle at the local Wal-Mart. What will those crazy Peeps folks think of next?

Now where are those Mary Sue Easter Eggs? That's a Baltimore thing. Fortunately for me, they are now sold as far south as Warrenton, Virginia! So far, I've only seen them at the Safeway. They had small ones at CVS. But I'd really like a one-pound vanilla butter cream egg.

And check out the flower bed in front of The Fauquier Bank.

Before I could put my camera away, I saw this blooming yellow tree on the little square next to the bank. Don't you just love the color of the blue sky in the background?

I had lunch at the Berryville Grille the other day. I made lunch of an appetizer called, Three Little Pigs. Who could resist with a name like that? It was VERY tender shredded pork served on mini buns with Carolina sauce and slaw. YUM.

I actually stopped in Berryville hoping for a nice, French pastry at Bon Matin. But they were closed. (I wrote about them on my other blog a while ago.)

That yellow thing was parked outside when I exited. Would you call that a motorcycle? A trike? I just don't see the appeal in those things. And they aren't cheap either.

Berryville, Virginia is about halfway between the WV Place and our home in Warrenton.


View 2012 - Hibernation's End in a larger map

Are you wondering yet what I was doing halfway between the WV Place and home?

Hibernation has come to an end! Yippee!!!

I took a very circuitous route, too. And Leeds Manor Road? One of the roads I have been REALLY looking forward to riding on the bike? It was all I had hoped it would be.

Had I not sucked down two large glasses of soda during lunch, I would've stopped to shoot more pictures. Let's just say I was very happy to see the "OPEN" sign in the window of this darling little market.

I stood in the parking lot, enjoying a Choco-Taco, smiling from ear-to-ear. It is just such a pretty place. Even if things are still brown...

I am really very happy to have the bike safe at home. It was a lovely ride. Sunny and temps in the mid-60s.

Life is good.

I Heard a Sign

Spring is here. I know for sure, now.

Wanna know how I know?

Oh, come on. Just humor me and say, "Yes. I would LOVE for you to share that fact with us."

Thank you.

It isn't the Daffodils blooming alongside the road. Although they are a pretty good indication that Spring is in the air.

It's the Peepers I heard this afternoon while walking the dogs. As I said in a post I wrote on March 1 of last year, Spring Peepers are to frogs what American Robins are to birds. They're the first harbingers of Spring.

Here's a picture someone else took...

Photo courtesy of Louise Enright's Blog.

They're tiny little things. If you aren't familiar with the sound of Peepers, here's a link to a YouTube video that will give you a chance to hear them.

I saw something interesting today, too. Actually, Hubby spotted it first. But I knew immediately I had to snag a picture to post here on my blog.

Awesome, right?

Where was that guy last month when I was hungry for moto photos?

We spotted it in a parking lot. We'd driven down to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to attend a woodworking show. Since we were in the neighborhood, I figured it would be a good idea to stop at the BMW dealer.

Morton's BMW is the closest dealer to our house. Neither of us really needed anything, but we'd never been before.

Hubby was kind enough to take this picture of me sitting on this pretty blue-and-white bike, which I am pretty sure is an F800GS.

I captured this shot on the way home.

The grass may not be green, but Spring is coming. I can feel it and now we can hear it, too.

Woo hoo!!!