Photos: Morning in Orange, Virginia
There are moments in the morning when the light that spills over everything feels special.
Rambling Along on Virginia 56
After visiting the old Rockfish post office, I picked up Virginia 56 and followed it for about 30 miles. Aside from being a nice little wiggler, the sights along the road were just the type of thing I was hungry to see.
Now, that might seem a little strange based on the pictures that follow. On the surface, they’re nothing but decay – remnants of better times. But, I see these old places and to me they feel like they still have a flicker of fight in ’em. A quiet confidence. Though abandoned or falling apart, they get to return to the earth at their own pace. They soldier on through time, going down with the ship versus being forced into strip mall submission.
As a person from a place where there is little visible history, I wonder if these structures become touchstones for the people who live there? Just think of all the hopes and dreams that tread across their floorboards.
The Tiny Old Rockfish, Virginia Post Office
One for the tiny post office files. This little gem has been starred on my Google map of stuff to do for quite a while now. In September, I stopped by for a look:
US Post Office
Rockfish, Virginia 22966
Est. 1914 Closed 1974
Each photo that I’ve seen of the little post office has a different saying on the chalkboard outside. During my visit, it said, “If you fear something enough, yer askin’ fer it. – Grandma Walton”
Seemed fitting to me.
The Old Rockfish Post Office
Rockfish River Rd
Shipman, VA 22971
Google Maps
A Foggy Virginia Morning with Cows
While life unfolded around me – school buses came, people went to work, cows took a morning dip – I just stood. I stood looking at the hills rolling away into the fog.
At first, I thought that maybe I stood there doing nothing. But nothing is far from the truth. I stood watching, knowing, bearing witness to everything before me.
At first glance, some things don’t show their true selves. It is only through continued observation and patience that they make themselves known.
Sometimes all you need to do is change your perspective to see beautiful things. But first and foremost, you have to want to.
ToadMama’s Virginia LOVE Tour
Kathy at ToadMama.com put up a great post this morning: LOVE Captured on Valentine’s Day about visiting some of the Virginia LOVE sculptures. She’s kicking around the idea of traveling around the state to visit some more. There are at least 40 of them scattered about.
As someone who is always looking for a “reason” to travel, who loves love and roadside Americana, this idea is right up my alley. I can’t wait to see more of Kathy’s post about her visits.
In 2012, Kenny and I saw two of the sculptures while we were bumming around.
This one in Luray:
And this one we spotted while passing through a town. I *thought* it was in Abingdon but the streetview for the location listed now doesn’t look right:
Now that I have a listing of locations, perhaps I’ll be able to follow Kathy’s lead and see a little more love more this year.