Review

I've finished the Shiraz and have just broken into the Pinot Noir. Please forgive me as I'm using the same glass! Horrors, I know. So it is with a nice glass of red wine on a cold, cold night that I look back on 2007. I hope you don't expect much as I only want to catch up on December.

December and the Holidays flew much too quickly this year. On the down side, I didn't decorate or go visiting like I wanted. Last year's highlight was visiting our friend Herman in the assisted living home with friends Lynn, Mrs. Edwina Persimmon-Jones, brother Scott and sis-in-law Allison. Then we went to the candle light service at Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church. I hadn't been back since Mom's funeral. That was no doubt one of the best Christmases ever. It didn't happen this year. I didn't get many Christmas cards out and the ones I did went out late. I am too consumed by work and the Christmas meaning was kind of lost this year.

On the upside was the trip to Charlottesville, Virginia with Mrs. Edwina Persimmon-Jones. Edwina is from Charlottesville and needed to go back for mental health reasons. (The Holidays were whizzing by much too fast for her too.) I had never been to Charlottesville so the timing was right and we went. Very quickly, we left the traffic and buildings of hasty civilization and soon found ourselves in the rolling hills of horse country Virginia. The landscapre for which I was awake was very beautiful. Soon we found ourselves in the Cavalier country of the University of Virginia... Charlottesville.

Edwina played the perfect host as she pointed out buildings and recalled memories that went with them. After having lunch and a brief visit to an antique shop, we made our way to the hills and home. Home for Mrs. Persimmon-Jones was outside Charlottesville in a small rock quarry town called Schuyler (Skyler). The town has mostly died since the quarry closed down, but the drive was splendid.

Now you may not give the little town of Schuyler any notice or thought, but believe it or not, Schuyler is famous. It is more famously known as "Walton's Mountain". It is the home of Earl Hamner, creator and narrator of the 70's TV show, "The Waltons". Since I was a big fan of the show, I was very excited to be there.

This is a picture or Earl Hamner's home, the inspiration for the TV show.

This is me next to the "No Tresspassing" sign in the front yard.

This old country store was the inspiration for "Godsey's Store". Don't buy gas here, it's wicked expensive.

This is a cool, old Baptist Church in the vale. It was neat to see it and imagine the folk who attended there long ago.

This is a totally ivy covered Mennonite church right across the street from the Baptists.

On the way home,we listened to Christmas music on the radio, looked at lights and I slept some more. I can't wait to go back to "Walton's Mountain" in the spring and maybe get a chance to hike some of it like Uncle Earl did in his day.