Sunday Workday

With the weather and some pressing work deadlines, we delayed our planned trip out last weekend and made a simple work day of it on Sunday. We still got to check in on a couple of favorite things in Luray though, lunch at Brookside and a stop at Evergreen Outfitters for a visit.

The after church rush was on at Brookside and we met up with some nice chatty folk. For some reason they seem to know we are not from here - or they make the assumption that we aren't. Still, the conversation is very pleasant and doesn't really put you on the spot.

Howard's news was good too, he's the new VP of the Chamber (congrats again!), and he and the other outdoors-oriented businesses in Luray are planning for the holidays. Good things to hear, and a conversation with him always reminds me of how lucky we've been that the cabin is located there.

There were a couple of chores before us - one was to stake out where our 6 new Leyland Cypress and two hollies would be planted in in the west side yard. We are putting them in for privacy, and the barely visible stakes here mark where we want them.

When they are mature in a few years - they are famously fast growing - hopefully they will make a screen like this one in our Alexandria yard. It's hard to believe, but our neighbors have a deck over there, less than 25 feet away from where I stood when I took this photo!

The second chore wasn't one I'd planned beforehand but I decided to do once we got there. A lot of leaves had accumulated down in the pool area and on the brick terrace, so I decided to clear them out. Still a few oaks shedding, so we won't have the yard raked until after T-day, but here is the big pile of leaves by the pool. Boy are we glad we got the pool cover!

Also visible down the hill in that photo is the beaver pond, which is still spreading. I took a walk down to see it again, now that a lot of brush has died back. Phone cam quality being what it is, I hope this is a better photo of the construction. Quite a project...and inevitably, this one threatens the road because of how close it is.

We'll keep an eye on that!