Jan and Bill Saxman ... preserving Virginia's past in 'Log Home Living'

The restored Saxman cabin in Highland County, Virginia.
(Photo from Log Home Living)

A log cabin, a dedicated Staunton couple, and a love of Virginia came together to restore a log cabin in Highland County, the getaway escape for these business owners in western Virginia. It's all featured in this month's Log Home Living magazine in an article written by Holly Smith with photographs by David Brown.

It takes a special vision to look at a dilapidated old cabin of worn wood, warped floors, and crumbling foundation, and see a finished product. Yet that's exactly what Jan and Bill Saxman, the parents of former Staunton Delegate Chris Saxman, saw when they set out to restore the old two-room log cabin on their property in the Allegheny Mountains, a project that Jan saw completed shortly before her passing in 2013. In photos, the transformation can be seen as well as the loving interest that went into the finished product set in this picturesque rural area.

Ah, Jan -- she was one of a kind. It's almost possible to hear her input especially when she wanted to keep the rusted-yet-intact cabin tin roof. Her vision for saving a piece of Virginia's history was completed in a place that now holds her memory.

Back road vistas in Nelson County

 We looked across the field and my sister noted that the fog-topped mountain looked like a volcano.

 Apple trees from Seaman orchards were loaded with a variety of apples ready to pick.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
August 21, 2013

The road home....

"How great Thou art!"

Driving home this evening the sun was behind the clouds with rays of sunlight shining down to earth. I was awe-struck ... this photo does not do it justice ...

... and then the sun broke through.

The road leading home is always my favorite....

Home....

I wandered the yard in the gathering dusk ... sweet Virginia.

Photos by SWAC Girl

It's hay season in the Shenandoah Valley

Augusta County farmers working to get in hay....

All over Augusta County round hay bales can be seen where farmers are getting in hay. The Alleghany Mountains are in the background of this field in the western area of the county.

Blue Ridge Mountains behind this field in eastern Augusta County.

They may look small from a distance but these round hay bales are huge. One would fill up the back of a pickup truck. The going rate, I believe, is about $90 a bale.

Entrance to Valley Crest Farm.

The field is finished as you look out over the Alleghany Mountains.

There is something special about hay season when the farmers are out working against time as summer thunderstorms threaten ... farmers are trying to bale hay before the rain gets to it. No matter where you drive in the central Shenandoah Valley right now you can see hay bales everywhere in the fields. It adds to the beauty of the area.

It's summer in the Valley....

Photos by SWAC Girl

Hamner Theater in Rockfish Valley presents....

It is almost like "Walton Mountain" revisited ... stopping in at the Hamner Theater, a non-profit 501(c)(3) project of the Rockfish Valley Community Center located between Nellysford (Wintergreen) and Afton in Nelson County, Virginia.

Upcoming events include:

- From Aretha to Ziggy -- Saturday, June 7, 8 pm. Dance party benefit for rural Nelson. Suggested donation: $5-10.

- In the Cabaret -- Tiger Lily -- Saturday, June 14. Nelson County favorites. A soulful equation of one-part bass and three-part harmony. Door open at 6:30 pm. Music begins at 7:30 pm. $15 includes food. By reservation only. (434) 361-1999.