During high school, there were three us chums living in the same country neighborhood, and across a small valley, with the mountains about 15 miles off in the distance. That day we three decided to hitch a ride...on a lonnnnnnnng freight train outside of town that was slowly heading up a long hill grade. And here's where my tale begins!
The first freight train was moving rather slow up a long grade, heading, eventually to Ohio. As we approached the Appalachian Mts., about 1o miles from town, I had visions of winding up in Ohio, so, I jumped, with the others following. No problems, from the slow moving freight.
We could tell that another train was coming because of the green light on a tower on the other track. So, we waited, ready to catch it back to town. And it did, also moving slowly up a long grade. We each grabbed on to a railing on different boxcars. Little did we realize but that train was beginning to go down the grade....a very long grade, picking up speed as it lumbered along. We knew that the town's station would be soon coming into view. One of my chums decided to jump off first. When he did, he landed in the small rocks of the tracks, breaking his glasses. it was my turn next. I lept way out...and landed in the fine black "gravel", coming to a halt when my feet stuck in the fine black "soot".... The motion of jumping from the boxcar in connection with me moving forward MADE me go forward into the "soot"...yeah!
Our third pal was scared and didn't jump, instead going around the bend, headed for the station.. By the way, freight trains never stop at the stations. We figured he was going on to Richmond or Norfolk....hmmmm.
Maybe 15 minutes later, we saw him walking back along the tracks, headed our way. After we settled down, from the scare of riding a freight train and jumping off, we made a pact to NEVER EVER do that again...until the next adventure cropped up. For the record, the next adventure that cropped up was....climbing a very high water tower and touching the "bulb" on top. That's for another time and adventure!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
3- SEARCHING For EARLY 20th CENTURY HUGE BUILDING WALL SIGNS OUT And ABOUT MY HISTORIC VIRGINIA!....
The huge brick wall signs, usually, were located in our small towns in every nook and cranny in the Old Dominion! Older cities, like Newport News, Richmond and Northern Virginia are included, also. Like all of my other dozens of researches on my native State, this historian has traveled extensively with notebook and Nikon, recording much on paper and especially on slides and prints.
1) One of my 115 essays, now, in the Virginia Gazette and published in January of this year, was given nearly a page on the old "Adverising Art on Town Walls." Since the 1990s, one of my many research adventures has included exploring nearly every nook and cranny of my native Virginia! And, searching for old barns, lighthouses, standing depots, old-fashioned lunch counters, abandoned farmhouses and even swinging bridges, I noticed in every small town and old areas, like Richmond, Newport News, Roanoke and Norfolk, these large store brick walls and even water towers with very large advertising signs! To me they were a definite part of our Virginia art history. With this venture and adventure, I've discovered that this was and is the first, and original, history project!
My fave advertising art wall? There are two. One, "UNEEDA BISCUITS", is on a brick wall off of Broad Street (east) on Church Hill, near that famous Patrick Henry church! The other one is in Chilhowie, near Marion..."PIGGLY WIGGLY" sign painted on the side of a brick wall!
1) One of my 115 essays, now, in the Virginia Gazette and published in January of this year, was given nearly a page on the old "Adverising Art on Town Walls." Since the 1990s, one of my many research adventures has included exploring nearly every nook and cranny of my native Virginia! And, searching for old barns, lighthouses, standing depots, old-fashioned lunch counters, abandoned farmhouses and even swinging bridges, I noticed in every small town and old areas, like Richmond, Newport News, Roanoke and Norfolk, these large store brick walls and even water towers with very large advertising signs! To me they were a definite part of our Virginia art history. With this venture and adventure, I've discovered that this was and is the first, and original, history project!
My fave advertising art wall? There are two. One, "UNEEDA BISCUITS", is on a brick wall off of Broad Street (east) on Church Hill, near that famous Patrick Henry church! The other one is in Chilhowie, near Marion..."PIGGLY WIGGLY" sign painted on the side of a brick wall!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
2- EXPLORING THE ROSEWELL RUINS ONE SUMMER WHILE STUDYING AT W&M!...
The ROSEWELL Plantation home in ruins...Gloucester County, on the north banks of the York River. I wandered about the vine entangled ruins years before, on a weekend while studying at William & Mary, years before a group cleaned it up, like it is today. My directions were given the class back then by an excellent History prof.
I drove acorss the York River bridge early on that Saturday morning, carefully following each step on the map, in my little VW 'bug', with no problem and stopped along the country road in Gloucester County...where were the ruins? Only a cornfield and a large patch of woods in the middle.
Getting out, I pulled on my trusty Konica, then, found an open path and walked. Was summer hot, plenty of insects. My eyes were fixed intently on the woods in front of me, in the middle of the field.
A strange shiver of a feeling came over me as I approached the edge of the woods. The tangled vines and weeds made the going rough, but I was certain that my directions were on target. With my eyes adjusting, the outline of IT came into focus..........(more)....
I drove acorss the York River bridge early on that Saturday morning, carefully following each step on the map, in my little VW 'bug', with no problem and stopped along the country road in Gloucester County...where were the ruins? Only a cornfield and a large patch of woods in the middle.
Getting out, I pulled on my trusty Konica, then, found an open path and walked. Was summer hot, plenty of insects. My eyes were fixed intently on the woods in front of me, in the middle of the field.
A strange shiver of a feeling came over me as I approached the edge of the woods. The tangled vines and weeds made the going rough, but I was certain that my directions were on target. With my eyes adjusting, the outline of IT came into focus..........(more)....
Sunday, October 4, 2009
1- BLUE RIDGE and APPALACHIAN MTS....VIRGINIA TROUT FISHING.....
You're being introduced to Virginia ADVENTURES, pure and simple, taken from the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mts. on both sides of our Shenandoah Valley, plus down along the rivers of the Chesapeake Bay. "Shenandoah" is a Native American word translated as "daughter of the stars."
a- Fly-fishing up in the North River gorge was my refreshing adventure!
Mountain trout are my fave, 'cause they MUST live in the icy cold streams in the mountains. As a high school-ager, two of my chums and I would take off, on the weekends to the North River gorge stream up in the mountainous area of Augusta County, in the VAlley. We would split up and head, separately, to our own "secret" spots. My fave spot was waaaaaay up past the other two fishing. Was one stretch where some beaver had built a dam. Usually, when walking into that nice stretch, pool, would forget that beaver were around and suddenly hear them slap those tails to alert the others, scaring me for a second or three. Would study the stream carefully, using polarized glasses, to search for trout patterns. Had discovered long ago how trout liked to roam...in a pattern. And I would "lie in wait" with a fly moving on top, down their way or an orange salmon egg, on a #10 Eagle hook, drifting on the bottom in the current. WORKED nearly every time! Had my limit of 8, often. Then, would take off my shirt, put on goggles from my rucksack and slip into the stream to explore the bottom, the outside of the beaver den.
Once, when sloshing back down the trail to meet up with the others, came across a looooong black snake in the woods, who promptly began chasing me! Little ron ran through the woods, like the wind!!!! The critter finally gave up but not me.
b- COMING....time a cougar/mt. lion stalked me through that same gorge. Another time, was caught in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm there. Time my father and his brothers, uncles, took me night fishing along a river bank, NOT stream. Can still "hear" those late night river bank sounds! One uncle pulled in a snake on his line, in the dark. We were using lanterns on the bank to see. Hmmm...never went there again! Simply DO NOT like snakes, period!
a- Fly-fishing up in the North River gorge was my refreshing adventure!
Mountain trout are my fave, 'cause they MUST live in the icy cold streams in the mountains. As a high school-ager, two of my chums and I would take off, on the weekends to the North River gorge stream up in the mountainous area of Augusta County, in the VAlley. We would split up and head, separately, to our own "secret" spots. My fave spot was waaaaaay up past the other two fishing. Was one stretch where some beaver had built a dam. Usually, when walking into that nice stretch, pool, would forget that beaver were around and suddenly hear them slap those tails to alert the others, scaring me for a second or three. Would study the stream carefully, using polarized glasses, to search for trout patterns. Had discovered long ago how trout liked to roam...in a pattern. And I would "lie in wait" with a fly moving on top, down their way or an orange salmon egg, on a #10 Eagle hook, drifting on the bottom in the current. WORKED nearly every time! Had my limit of 8, often. Then, would take off my shirt, put on goggles from my rucksack and slip into the stream to explore the bottom, the outside of the beaver den.
Once, when sloshing back down the trail to meet up with the others, came across a looooong black snake in the woods, who promptly began chasing me! Little ron ran through the woods, like the wind!!!! The critter finally gave up but not me.
b- COMING....time a cougar/mt. lion stalked me through that same gorge. Another time, was caught in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm there. Time my father and his brothers, uncles, took me night fishing along a river bank, NOT stream. Can still "hear" those late night river bank sounds! One uncle pulled in a snake on his line, in the dark. We were using lanterns on the bank to see. Hmmm...never went there again! Simply DO NOT like snakes, period!
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