Knee High by the Fourth of July - Digital Photogrpah

Cornfield

It has been awhile friends since I posted. I have had life going on like crazy. I got into a funk right around Father's Day. It was our family's first Father's Day without Daddy. It was hard. I went home to Virginia to be with my Mother, sister, and brother. We all decided all these "firsts" are emotionally draining. We all miss Daddy.

I will say Arlington Cemetery was beautiful. The day was sunny, the air was crisp. It reminded me of Victorian times when the family would go on Sunday to clean the graves, set up flowers, and picnic with their families. This was a time to pass on family history and stories to younger family members. Arlington Cemetery was full of families. Full of flowers and balloons, mementos to loved ones, and a lingering sadness and loss. As my Mother said later "We got through that."

I drove through the Shendoah Valley on the way home later that week. I took hours going down backroads exploring and visiting small towns along the way home. I met several interesting people and stopped in some wonderful shops. It is a beautiful part of our country. I look forward to spending more time there.

This wonderful field of corn and red barn I took outside of Lexington Virginia. You can see the Blue Ridge mountains in the background looking very blue that day. Several weeks earlier - Memorial weekend - I had stopped and the entire place hummed with the sounds of Cicadas[I hope I spelled that right]. For miles and miles you could hear them. This time they were gone. The corn is definitely going to be knee high by the fourth!