Pork, Peanut and Pine Festival At Chippokes Plantation State Park

39th Annual Pork, Peanut and Pine Festival

Ask a local when the Pork, Peanut and Pine Festival is and you will usual get the answer, "It's on the hottest two days of the year."  And that is usually a true statement.  But thankfully we were blessed with a cold front this week and it was actually tolerable.  Normally we just walk through the craft section and then grab a bite to eat.  By then we are miserably hot and head on home.  But since it was almost springlike, we spent the whole afternoon enjoying the festival.

Farm Animals For Everyone

Pigs.  I love them.   Don't know why.  They had two varieties this day.  Work pigs and play pigs.  I enjoyed them both.  The little feeding pigs were sweet.

But not as sweet as this little cutie.  She is four months old and up for sale.  Definitely hard to resist.

Festival Fun

What festival would be complete without old cars, tractors and the mandatory firetruck?  Hubby was in he-man heaven.

I didn't get any photos of the tractors but I did grab this shot of a  kilted man in the BBQ line.  You dont' see that every day!

Beautiful Countryside

The gardens at Chippokes Plantation

After walking around admiring the beauty we indulged in some BBQ and sweet tea.  Doesn't get much better than that.  Hubby wanted some boiled peanuts.  It's not something I enjoy but he loves them.

We sat in the grass to enjoy our food while we watched the live entertainment.  There was a bluegrass band called Flatland Bluegrass Band playing.  It was just the perfect touch for this day in the country.  I didn't hear why she put that hat on but everyone got a kick out of it.

Boat Party

We took the shuttle (it was a flatbed pulled by a tractor!) down to the river.  I had never been to the river and someone said there were lots of boats for photos.  Of course I wanted to take pictures of boats.  I don't know what I expected but it wasn't a massive boat party.

As I was looking out over the hundreds of boats I saw something way off in the distance across the water.  I had an idea what it was but really didn't think it was possible.  So I got out my biggest lens and zoomed in.  I was right!  It was actually Busch Gardens.  This will give you an idea just how massive these two rides are.  It's amazing that I could actually even see them with the naked eye from this distance.

So after a very enjoyable day and plenty to eat we headed out.  Didn't go straight home though.  We decided to tour Bacon's Castle.  But I'll talk about that another day.

Sharon

Independence Day Holiday Weekend

Arthur's Aftermath

After a week of weatherman frenzy, tropical storm Arthur finally made an appearance.  Sort of.  We got a bit of rain Thursday night and some gusty winds on Friday morning.  But when I dragged myself out of bed at around 8:00 the sun was shining and by late afternoon even the winds had died down.   Now I'm not usually one to appreciate a cold front but in this case it was very welcome.  After the blistering, sauna-like days we've had lately this has been like a second Spring.  You couldn't ask for nicer weather for a holiday weekend.  Unfortunately almost all of the events and fireworks in our area were cancelled on Thursday and rescheduled for Saturday.

Busch Gardens To The Rescue!

Fortunately Busch Gardens has started their nightly fireworks display.  It runs from July 3 to August 10.  It used to be called IllumiNites but is now called Star Spangled Nights.  They have decorated Italy in an American theme complete with the Statue of Liberty and a hot dog stand.

I was so happy to see they actually have West Virginia hot dogs on the menu!  Unbelievable!  I am so impressed.  The only thing I see wrong with it is that they left out the onions.  I'm sure they would add them if requested, but to me a real WV hot dog is toasted bun, mustard, onions, chili and coleslaw.  Yummy stuff.  They also have bacon on a stick.  Hubby's eyes lit up on that one.

West Virginia Hot Dog

Life Is Full Of Hard Choices

With mouth watering, I watched them making the hot dogs.  But I held off.  I was saving myself.  I have been thinking about a funnel cake ever since last night and I was on a mission.  So I'll save the hot dog for next time.  Witness my self control.

Strawberry Short Cake Funnel Cake

OK.  So much for my self control.  I ate almost this whole thing.  It's called a Strawberry Short Cake Funnel Cake and it's a wondrous bit of heavenly delight!  If you can't tell, it's a funnel cake layered with strawberries, whipped cream, ice cream and hot fudge drizzled on top.  And it's not the last one I'll ever eat.

 

London Rocks

Busch has totally redecorated England.  I like it.  It's very "London".  As cool as it looks during the day, it really looks fantastic at night.  Totally loved the colors and lighting.

England at night

The London Rocks show was fabulous.  They haven't had a live show in this theater in quite a while and they have outdone themselves with this one.  I love it!  The music was great.  A lot of Beatles with a bit of Rolling Stones, Queen and David Bowie.  Great stuff.  The sets were beautiful.  Hopefully next time I'll get some photos.

London Rocks at the Globe Theatre

Back To Reality

I spent the last day of my holiday weekend trying to get some work done.  I picked my first basket of blackberries!  There were a few birds giving me the evil eye while I worked.  The squirrels got every last peach off my tree today and I refuse to lose my blackberries too.

I also worked on a new tombstone box, a mini scrapbook and a whimsical painted mirror.  I finished the box and the other two projects are almost complete.  Photos to follow.

Sharon

#4thofJuly, #LondonRocks, #holidayweekend, #bestfestivalfood,

Everything is Hot, Hot, Hot

Summer!

It's not officially here yet, but unofficially it's HOT!  We've already had a few days that almost reached 100.  As they say, out of the frying pan.  Not sure that cliche fits, but you get the idea.

Speaking of hot...I have one thing to say.  Jack Bauer!  In my opinion 24 is the best show on TV.  I sure don't know what I'm going to do when this season is over.  Probably cry.  Sorry to be off subject.  I'm watching 24 and writing during the commercials.  Keifer Sutherland is so distracting!

My garden is going strong.  We've already harvested some yellow squash.  I did manage to eat one lonely, but delicious red raspberry.  The birds have been feasting on them.  My only hope is the raspberry plants are multiplying so well that maybe in the future there will be enough for all of us.

My blackberries on the other hand are unbelievable.  Last year I was getting probably 2 quarts every 2-3 days.  This year that is easily tripled.  My bushes are loaded down.  Nothing ripe yet but it won't be long.

The tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes are all doing well.  Even my peaches have survived the onslaught of squirrels so far!  I need to take some photos.  The garden always looks pretty this time of year.  Right now all I have is this photo of some raspberries.

Looks yummy.  The birds thought so too.

Sharon

#garden, #raspberry

Springtime Walk At Newport News Park

Dilemma

Sometimes at this time of year you have a major dilemma on your hands.  It seems like there are a lot of great movies released just in time for Spring Break. On the other hand the weather is just starting to get really nice.  So what's a person to do?  I know what I should do...paint, paperwork, housework.  But that's no fun at all.

 

Easy Decision

I opt for a small hike in the park.  Nothing major, just 3 miles.  I think I can handle that!  Packed up Hubby, my trusty camera and bottles of water and off we went  on our lovely nature walk.

Photo Trophies 

The first thing we came across was this crane.  He was flying low by the swamp.

Crane

We were crossing the Swamp Bridge and I was enjoying the baby River Cooters.  So was this frog.  He was waiting for one to come his way.  Thankfully the tiny one I was watching was out of his reach.  And Jase Robertson might love frogs, but the last thing I think about when looking at one is "Yummy!"

Bullfrog

Red-bellied Cooter

This Turkey Vulture was flying overhead.  He was making quite a racket.  I will say he was not very attractive.  But to each his own.  Maybe in the vulture world he's a hottie!

Turkey Vulture

I was standing on the bridge overlooking the swamp trying to be quiet, when some of the brushes to my right started to move.  I heard a lot of rustling sounds and then suddenly this young beaver swam in front of me.  He was happily chewing up reeds.  We also spotted a larger beaver playing out in the deeper water.  I have never seen a beaver in the wild and now I have seen two on the same day.

Beaver

Once over the bridge I hoped to spot some deer.  Unfortunately I didn't see a single one.  But I did see my first butterfly of the season.  This is a Zebra Swallowtail.

Zebra Swallowtail

I came across two birds that were so high I really couldn't tell what they were.  All I saw from the first one was a flash of blue.  I thought it was maybe a bluejay.  The second one flew overhead with something in his claws.  I figured it was probably some nesting material.  On my computer I was surprised to see that what I had photographed was actually a bluebird (never seen one before) and an osprey who had caught himself a fish dinner.  The third bird was was hidden in the brush on the bank.  It took a lot of searching on the web before I found out he was a green heron.

Bluebird

Osprey

Green Heron

I was beginning to fear I wouldn't spot any snakes.  We walked that whole 3 mile trail and didn't find a single one until the very end.  This guy was right off the trail by the parking lot!  He was about 5-6 feet long and happily wrapping around a tree.  Success!

Black Rat Snake

What a wonderful way to spend a day!  I had a great time and I hope you enjoy my photos.

Sharon

#nature walk in Newport News, #Virginia trails, #Virginia hiking, #Newport News trails

Daffodil Festival At Gloucester, VA

Dogs!

The first thing I noticed at the Gloucester Daffodil Festival was that everyone (well, not everyone, but a whole lot of people) love their dogs.  And they love to bring them out and show them off.  Does everyone in Gloucester have a pedigree dog?  They came in all sizes.  This well-dressed fellow was my favorite.  He was enjoying himself very much.

Mighty Dog

These greyhounds were enjoying themselves also. But they were actually hard at work.

Greyhounds

Shriners!

The Shriners are always crowd pleasers.  I don't know where they get the vehicles but I would love to drive one.

Beauty Queens!

No festival parade would be complete without a beauty queen float.  This photo was taken at the very end of the parade and the girls were still having a good time.

I have to say I really enjoyed myself at the Gloucester Daffodil Festival.  The small town atmosphere was wonderful.  So was the kettle corn!  There was lively music from a band called The Janitors.  Of course there was lots of food and  plenty of craft booths to keep me happy.  I look forward to going again next year.

Sharon

Workplace Wildlife

You wouldn't believe what I found at work today.  I was in our back room and spotted something on the floor.  Now spotting something on the floor is no small feat.  The back rooms are very dark and dusty.  But I saw what I thought might have been a tiny frog.  We do have quite a few of them when the weather gets warm enough.

Once I got a closer look I was surprised to find it was a tiny little turtle.  He was no bigger than a nickel.  Of course I had to pick him up and show him to everyone.  After I picked him up he went into his shell.  But he soon came back out again.

I took him into the light where I could get a better look. Hmmm.   He now had his head and legs back out and his mouth was wide open.  Not a good sign.  I have seen this before.  I took it to my boss to get a second opinion.  Unfortunately he agreed with me.  This little cutie was a #snapping turtle!  He wouldn't stay cute for long.

Actually for something so small he was quite aggressive.  That little booger was all mouth!  He didn't try to bite me but he definitely was attempting to look threatening.  So I walked him over to the woods and set him free.  Sorry to see him go, but as much as I enjoy watching the Turtle Man I am no Turtle Woman.  But come to think of it, I did rescue him and set him free.  Maybe I am a Turtle Woman after all!

The only thing I regret is I didn't get a picture of him before I let him go.  But one thing's for sure.  There are probably more where he came from.  I'll be better prepared next time.

Sharon

First Bloom Of Spring

Finally Springtime!

Although there is still plenty of cold around, springtime is slowly showing itself.  I'm thankful for any small sign.  As usual, the daffodils are the first to show forth.

Right alongside are the pink blossoms of my peach tree.  This poor little tree has so many blossoms every year.  And then it works so hard to grow some lovely little peaches.  Unfortunately none of them have successfully survived the neighborhood squirrels.  Those pesky little fellows don't even let the peaches get ripe.  It makes me so mad to see a squirrel running across the yard with a green peach in it's mouth.

This friendly little robin never hurt anyone...including peaches!  I sure wish he would talk to those squirrels.  We just moved the peach tree to the other side of the yard and we're cutting down the two massive oak trees soon.  Hopefully the squirrels will move farther away and I'll finally get some peaches.