Frost on the red buds ... Riverfest in Waynesboro

Brrr. This morning was 28 degrees with frost ... a fire is crackling in the woodstove to ward off the chill. The central Shenandoah Valley's safe frost date isn't until May 15 so we still have a month to go. Still, it's sometimes easy to forget with all the nice weather we've enjoyed this spring. The grass is green, the tree leaves have really popped the past week, and the mountains are greening for the season with only the highest ridges still waiting for the spring leaf canopy.

Driving through beautiful Virginia ... SWAC Husband, SWAC Daughter, and I drove to Roanoke Saturday afternoon ... the red buds in their hues of pink and purple blooming along the interstate were gorgeous. They had been joined the past week by blooming dogwood and catawba trees, splashes of white and purple along the roads and on mountainsides, a reminder of the beautiful place we call home.

A further reminder of how fortunate we are to live in Virginia was a message Saturday evening from a fellow blogger who lives at Virginia Beach and was heading out to take a sunset stroll on the beach alongside the mighty Atlantic Ocean. It's a reminder of lyrics from a John Denver song, "The moon and the stars are the same ones you see ... it's the same old sun up in the sky...."

Yesterday's SWAC conservative round table breakfast was truly enjoyable as we listened to Pastures Supervisor Tracy Pyles and his insight into the Board of Supervisors and the real estate assessment issue from the past year. Joining us was also attorney Francis Chester who has been sanctioned by the Augusta County government for his efforts to defend citizens. He helped as We the People turned in 10,500 signatures protesting overly inflated assessments at a time of recession ... 1,000 citizens showed up for a Board of Supervisors meeting in March 2009 to protest those assessments ... only 50 speakers from We the People were allowed to address the board at that time. We the People have representation in Supervisor Pyles and Attorney Chester.

Rocket Boys ... it was good to have Chuck Neff of the Augusta County Rocket Boy case at the SWAC breakfast with his wife. He is a scientist who wanted to share his talents and knowledge with those in the community interested in rocketry ... and then was shut down by Augusta County government. Read the entire series ... it's eye-opening. His group is being represented by Attorney Francis Chester.

Congrats to fellow SWAC bloggers on their Blog Net News/Virginia rankings ... Yankee Phil is # 1 this week and Fishersville Mike is # 4.

Riverfest will be next weekend in downtown Waynesboro on the South River with fly fishing, wine tasting, canoeing, crafts, musical entertainment, nature exhibits, plant sales, food vendors, and more. The weather is supposed to warm up all week so come out and enjoy the weather, the mountains, the people, and the hospitality of the central Shenandoah Valley.

Photo by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
April 2010