Interesting tidbit 1: I think a while ago, Liz got to meet Joe for the first time at this very restaurant. And it’s also where she got to taste different scotch whiskies that were outside of the peaty/smoky realm. And I daresay that’s when she got the spark to start exploring scotch whisky a lot more, and started going down her sherry bomb phase.
I’ve been getting late 80’s/90’s content in my Facebook feed lately, and was reminded of the movie Aliens (the sequel). I was also reminded of one of the great characters in that cast – Private Vasquez, played by Jenette Goldstein.
When I got near the front yard, I paused… and saw this guy also paused. Somewhat looking over his shoulder at me, warily.
I felt like I was blocking his access to the backyard, and tried to make a wide berth. He seemed like he was waiting for me to move away a little.
A fun thing about being downtown in the “early” morning (this was circa 8:30 AM)… you get to see all manner of folks setting up for the day.
We knew it was close, but couldn’t quite tell where. On looking around in our neighbor’s backyard, we eventually found this little guy.
Liz, on the hunt for roses.
House day today – Liz was working in the yard, and I was inside helping Bob (who was working on our AC/HVAC).
I started the day with a run to Lowe’s to pick up several bags of mulch. But after that, I mostly shot between inside/outside, trying to help out where I could. In both places, Liz and Bob were the primary folks doing the work… and I just tried to assist as best I could.
Today, I spent some of the late afternoon sitting out on the back porch, with my laptop. And was going through a tutorial on AI prompt engineering. Because this is the sort of thing I like to do on a Friday, to unwind.
Liz and I were on a walk to pick up some dinner, tonight. Along the way, we spotted some Wisteria that had stretched out from a nearby yard over the sidewalk.
After work today, Liz and I spent a bit of time out in the backyard. The temps aren’t great (it’s still a bit chilly), but we wanted to get a start on some overdue work in back.
“Houses need paint, winters bring snow
Nothin’ says “love” like a band of gold
Babies grow up and houses get sold
And that’s how it goes”
Over lunch this week, I pulled up the first episode, “Where is Everybody?” It’s a classic, and though it’s some 64 years old now… I’m still going to try to avoid any spoilers.
All you really need to know is that the main character, Mike Ferris, finds himself in a town that is uninhabited. Despite his explorations, as well as numerous signs of life (a lit cigar, a pot of coffee boiling on a stove)… he’s unable to come across another human being.
When I was researching various trails in Shenandoah, the one that came up most frequently was Old Rag.
It’s definitely got a reputation as being an incredible trail (Outside magazine lists it as one of the best 25 hikes in the world.) Not just in the US, in the world.
Interesting note: Virginia is a control state, which means that the state handles the sale of liquor/spirits (while wine and beer are handled by other retailers). There are Virginia ABC stores all over, and the two that we visited were incredibly clean and had an impressive selection.
We had an afternoon flight to catch, but an hour and a half drive from Luray back to Dulles. My goal was to get to the airport around 11:30 AM, so we still work up a bit early… and decided to take one last drive through Shenandoah, going in at Thornton Gap and exiting up north, at Front Royal.