Only In Virginia....

Last Sunday we took a few of the kids to hike to Spy Rock in Nelson county, VA.  It was quite the hike...complete with everything hurting by Monday morning!  On our way down what we thought at the time was only a thunderstorm graced us with torrential downpour!

Here's a few highlights:

Definitely worth the hike!

Breathtaking views from atop of Spy Rock.

Only a 10 year old thinks that running on top of a mountain is a great idea!

Great spot for a nap.

On the long, albeit scenic drive home, we encountered numerous detours due to downed trees.  No problem...we're flexible like that.  My heart lurched when I glanced to my right and noticed a 10 foot wide path right through the middle of a countryside church.  I didn't take any pictures, as I was always told by my mom "not to become an obnoxious tourist during someone else's misfortune."  Turns out we just missed a tornado by about 15 minutes.

Tuesday morning was like Christmas in my mailbox!  I received a few expected packages and also my Bead Soup beads from my partner Tari Sasser!!!  Woot-woot!

I quickly snapped some shots (next post...stay tuned) of the colorful ceramic creations she sent, and got to work.  I stepped out on the back deck so a few of my pieces could take a quick dip in liver of sulfur when the ground started shaking...and the dog and I were slowly getting shaken off of the deck.  Yep....what everyone has watched on t.v. for the past 2 days....earthquake in Virginia....epicenter approximately an hour from us, in Mineral, VA.  Now, a 5.9 quake is a just a Sunday picnic out west...not so much for us east coast country folk!  We've had a few aftershocks...the worst being around 1 a.m. last night...but now we've moved on to bigger things heading our way today....hurricane Irene!

My lights are flickering as I type...so I'm going to batten down the hatches for now....