Shenandoah National Park’s hunting season night closure

Shenandoah National Park implements this policy each fall during hunting season.... (continue reading here)

Evelyn’s Pantry is hometown deli on Monterey’s main street

Autumn was on full display on the patio of Evelyn’s Pantry on Monterey’s main street the last day of September 2014. The warm days of fall are an invitation.... (Photos, read more here)

Finding autumn in Highland County, Va.

Over four dozen photos of the autumn colors, scenic farms, and brightly-colored mountains in Highland County, Virginia's "Little Switzerland." Leaves, sheep, clear blue skies, cool air ... bringing fall to you....  (Photos, continue reading here)

Rose River Farm and Cabins in Madison County, Va

While exploring the back roads of Madison County last week, my sister Lori and I found Rose River Farm at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Syria. The September landscape was... (photos, read more here)

Apple season in Shenandoah County, Va.

 

There's nothing like a big red apple sign to entice travelers to stop at a roadside stand in the fall for apples and mums. That's exactly what happened as my sister and I traveled the back roads of Shenandoah County this week, meandering where the wind took us and making discoveries along the way.... (Photos, read more here)

Tribute for Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot held in Longmeadow, Mass.

The community of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, turned out Saturday to honor one of their own. Lt. Colonel Morris Fontenot, 41, was killed Wednesday morning when his F-15C Eagle slammed into a mountainside in western Augusta County, Virginia. He had reported an emergency situation five minutes before the crash.

Continue reading here....

Pilot killed in Virginia identified as Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot Jr.

Read complete details of the identity of the pilot (with photo) killed in Wednesday's crash of a Massachusetts Air National Guard fighter jet in the mountains of western Augusta County, Virginia, at LynnRMitchell.com (see Day 3: Air National Guard pilot killed in Virginia crash identified).

It's spring in Roanoke

 I found spring this week, and it was in Roanoke. The flowering trees and forsythia haven't begun to bloom in my corner of Augusta County -- just jonquils and daffodils -- but in Roanoke it was a flourish of color and green grass.

 Azaleas were in full bloom at this house off Plantation Road.

We had driven to Roanoke Friday to join political friends and Ed Gillespie for lunch and I was surprised as we entered the Roanoke Valley with all the colors of spring.

Spring is finding its way to western Virginia....

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
April 4, 2014

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.

Road trip! Warm spring day in western Virginia

 It was a beautiful spring morning when a friend and I headed south from Staunton to Lexington and then turned west on I-64 heading toward the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia. If you've never driven this stretch of interstate, you've missed a beautiful part of Virginia and West Virginia.

 This is the on-ramp for I-64 west of Lexington. Look at the scenery ... mountains, trees, blue sky.

 First stop was Clifton Forge snuggled along the mountain bases.

 There's a Tea Room in Clifton Forge!

 And then out the western side of Clifton Forge back onto the interstate to nearby Covington.

 The Chocolate Festival is this Saturday at the Armory in Clifton Forge. Sweet tooth mandatory....

 Covington is a combination of small and large homes ...

 ... the railroad ...

 ... and a quaint downtown.

 They have a new Visitor Center that also houses the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce.

 By afternoon temperatures had reached 70 degrees as we lunched in Covington, then back on the road toward Lexington ...

 ... and the familiar sights of that area.

 The Blue Ridge Mountains were ahead of us as we traveled east on I-64 and then north on I-81 before turning east on I-64 at Staunton to drive up and over to the eastern side of Afton Mountain before heading back home to Staunton.

Afton Mountain and Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley below. This part of Virginia touches hearts and souls ... it's a wonderful place to call home.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
April 1, 2014

Opening session of 2014 Green Valley Book Fair

I stopped by the Green Valley Book Fair earlier this week and this was my first stop. Always. LOL. Downstairs to the political section to see what was new.

There were lots of books about past presidents including my favorite. These books? I already have them all. In fact, I've bought extras throughout the years to give as gifts to volunteers who helped at GOP headquarters and working campaigns.

The book fair is open this run until April 13. See the entire 2014 schedule here.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
March 30, 2014

Lexington's Bistro On Main ... lunch with Hannah

I spent Thursday in nearby historic Lexington so met up with PEACH homeschool grad Hannah for lunch at the Bistro On Main. The conversation was lively and animated with lots of laughter as we caught up on all the latest news including her recent trip to Ireland. As I pulled out my phone to take her picture, we realized we had matching Otter Boxes.

The food was tasty. Hannah had the Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap -- grilled chicken breast, romaine, romano cheese, and Caesar dressing with beer-battered fries. I had the quesadilla with black beans and cheese with a side house salad made up of romaine lettuce, carrots, red onion, sunflower seeds, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

For dessert, Hannah had this lovely Key Lime pie ...

... while I got the Crème Brulée.

It was a good day but the best part was lunch with Hannah.

On the way out of town, I stopped at Devils Backbone Outpost Brewery on Rt. 11 to get a picture. They're adding on to this location.

House Mountain, the familiar landmark for those who live in Lexington and Rockbridge County.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
March 27, 2014

WaPost: 'Route 11 Potato Chips finds success as a cult favorite in a fiercely competitive market'

Welcome to the world of Route 11 Potato Chips, a small Virginia chippery in the rustic Shenandoah that has been cooking up Kettle-style cult favorites for more than 20 years.

The Washington Post visited Route 11 Potato Chips in the northern Shenandoah Valley and discovered the yumminess that so many already know.

We stopped there in 2011 while roaming the back roads in that part of Shenandoah County with my parents and, even though they were not actively cooking at that time, the varied choices of chips was far larger than anything we had seen in retail outlets.

When in Seaside, Florida, last year, we were pleasantly surprised to find one of the food trucks offering Route 11 chips. The secret is spreading about this local gem.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
2011

Historic McDowell ... 2014 Highland Maple Festival

Sugar Tree Country Store is closed on Sundays but open the rest of the week. During the maple festival they sell Brunswick stew, maple sugar candy, maple ice cream, and other food.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
McDowell, Virginia
March 14, 2013