ICYMI: Weekend posts at LynnRMitchell.com

In case you were busy over the weekend, here are the posts you missed at LynnRMitchell.com:

Augusta County residents organize against pipeline by Supervisor David Karaffa

Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) on Sherando Lake by Kurt Michael

Be careful of those you trust by Jerry Lester

Rose River Farm and Cabins in Madison County, Va. by Lynn R. Mitchell

Pick-your-own grapes at Blue River Farm Vineyard in Madison County, Va. by Lynn R. Mitchell

Foggy Ridge Cider in Southwestern Virginia by Lynn R. Mitchell

Saturday morning ... rainy, cool, rocking on the porch by Lynn R. Mitchell

Fauquier GOP sues RPV and 1st District over tossed-out election by Lynn R. Mitchell

Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) on Sherando Lake

By Kurt Michael

From the shoreline of Sherando Lake, I placed my stand up paddle board (SUP) into the water, jumped on, and was off. Traveling at a.... (see photos, read more here)

Texas teen drowns in Sherando Lake

Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family of 19-year-old Jacob Andrew Davis from Spring, Texas, who drowned in Sherando Lake in southern Augusta County on Saturday afternoon. He had traveled to Afton with his church group for a church conference.

How many times have we raised prayers of safety for our children over the years as we sent them off with a church group, school trip, or on some other adventure? Most of the time they return safely ... but occasionally something goes wrong. On Saturday ... something went wrong.

More coverage can be found at:
- Waynesboro News Virginian
- Staunton News Leader
- WHSV TV-3, Harrisonburg
- Nelson County Life

Sherando Lake is part of the George Washington National Forest and is a popular summer swimming spot for the central Shenandoah Valley.

Drowning at Sherando in Augusta County - UPDATED

Updated 7/14/08: Check out news updates on the drowning death of Jacob Andrew Davis, 19, from Spring, TX. Our prayers go out to his family at this difficult time.

Saturday saw a drowning at Sherando Lake in southern Augusta County, the first for the 2008 summer season.

According to the Waynesboro News Virginian, emergency personnel were called to the lake in the afternoon:

A young man, around 20 years old, drowned Saturday afternoon at Sherando Lake, according to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Department.

The initial call was received around 3 p.m., according to officials. After responding to initial reports, authorities called in recovery teams and began searching the lake for the man’s body.

After closing the area to visitors, search teams went into action. While not identifying the victim, the sheriff's department confirmed he was from out of state but had been staying in the area the past couple of weeks with a group. The body was recovered around 7:45 p.m.

Sherando Lake is located in the George Washington National Forest. Yesterday's temperature was around 90 degrees which usually means a busy weekend at Sherando. The area includes a beach, picnic shelter, walking trail around the lake, and camping facilities, and is a popular recreational area for the central Shenandoah Valley.