August 25 - 30, 2022
Salem, Virginia
Thursday's an easy drive on mostly divided highways into the mountains of southern Virginia. It's another new area for us. Dixie Caverns Campground is the easiest of only two RV parks here, and I'm not expecting much.
So I'm not disappointed when we find a small, rough park between the highway and a large hillside. Several mossy, dented, older rigs that look like they've been here for years, and buildings and picnic benches that have seen better days. We have a 100' pull-through with 50 amp FHUs, and amazingly our satellite connects between the trees. The park WiFi doesn't even show up, but again our MiFi works fine.
After a few days here I'm noticing those older rigs have pots of flowers, and neat and clean outdoor areas. It's quiet even on the weekend. The highway noise isn't that bad. We'd stay here again :-)
Saturday Bill needs to partake in a prescriptive preparatory procedure for Monday's lab tests so I head out to explore nearby Roanoke with Tessa for a few hours.
The Taubman Art Museum is not only a highly rated institution, both entry and parking are free! The building itself is a work of art with wonderful light coming through windows that frame a variety of scenes that change as you move through the room.
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| Over the River to Grandmother's House on Thanksgiving by Grandma Moses, 1943. |
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| Easily identifiable as a Norman Rockwell, The Little Model (1919) is one I've never seen. It's a new favorite! |
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| Not a well-known artist, but when we were at the national monument we saw many of Joseph Henry Sharp's 200 portraits of warriors who survived Little Big Horn, commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt . |
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| Crow's Foot, 1975, by my favorite artist, Andrew Wyeth, depicts harbormaster Forrest "Crow" Morris, one of many local community members Wyeth painted while in Maine. |
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| Seven Deadly Sins by Robert Hite, 2007. Multi-media of found objects. I want to make something like this for the house! |
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| Occasionally a piece makes me curious - "Why does this large photo look different?" |
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| Up close I see the ground cover is actually vintage wallpaper - how? Groundspeed, 2001 by Rosemary Laing. Called a C-type photograph. |
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| Snake Handlers, 1989 by Fred Webster. I'm a big fan of Americana. This would be Bill's favorite :-) |
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| This is not a piece that would normally interest me. Yet I sit and look at it for a long time. Called The Debutante by Antoinette Hale, it is not the young woman who is the point of interest for me, nor the crisp folds of the table and skirt. I spend the time trying to understand the role of the woman with her back turned. Mother? Older sister? Why has she turned her back on this tradition? |
The museum is well "paced" for however much time you wish to spend. I'm there about 90 minutes, but it can be enjoyed in an hour, or four! Downtown is busy including the first Saturday market I've managed to get to this summer. I don't get anything from the many booths, catching a few minutes of the street performers along the way.
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| At 90 degrees the tree-lined streets are nice for walking. |
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| The magician draws a nice crowd. |
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| "Center in the Square" is a fun area of eateries, artisan shops and boutiques. |
And in California....
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| Elliott - so happy. |
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| Elliott - so cool :-) |
There are actual caverns at Dixie Caverns, but as much as I always want to go inside these beautiful natural wonders, I know I'd regret it. The giant metal doors that close behind you here make my heart race just looking at them from the outside :-) Instead we opt for a more wide-open exploration. The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center looks like a good place to start, but after the 37 mile drive we find it's not a national park visitor center. It's a private tour company with a surrounding park. Arrggh. We find the parkway and drive about 10 of the 470 miles pulling into "overlooks" that don't.
I'm sure the roads are glorious dressed in fall colors in a few weeks, but today there is little to see but more green trees. Downtown Roanoke is busy so we find a small eatery out of town - Scratch Biscuit Company is as good as it sounds! Best sausage gravy ever - and yes the biscuits are great.
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| A small place that smells like fresh baked biscuits. |
After Bill's lab tests and a grocery run on Monday, we wrap up our stay with a drive to the top of Mill Mountain. At just 1700 feet it's really a hill, but does give us a nice view of Roanoke Valley. The Roanoke Star was built in 1949, standing 100 feet tall including the frame. At night it can be seen from 60 miles away. It symbolizes the progressive spirit of Roanoke, the star city of the south.
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| At 73 years old this metal structure is in better shape than many others in this climate. |
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| 7-year-old Ezra out for coffee with Daddy. |
I'm glad our Tuesday drive is a short one as we're meeting up with a wonderful friend who I'm so excited to see after too long!
It’s Gay…love the floating costumes! Thats a museum I’m sure Joe and I would enjoy. Drove many miles on the parkway and it is beautiful in the fall…and way fun on a Harley! Most of our miles were in Tennessee as we stayed in Pigeon Forge or Ashville.
ReplyDeleteWe're in Ashville next and I'm really looking forward to seeing more!!
DeleteI think the Seven Deadly Sins could be turned into fun bird house apartments.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture of Elliot in his 'Cool Dude' sunglasses.
I worked in the DC area for a few years and always enjoyed an escape to the Parkway and its seasonal changes.
I think the birdhouse is a great idea - condos at the Tombstone house! Hoping we catch some fall color in Tennessee.
DeleteYou are so funny Jodee, "the overlooks that don't!" I loved the tour of the art museum, the wallpaper one was way cool. And the Joseph Henry Sharp portrait was thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteIt's so disappointing to drive that parkway and have no views from any of the pull-outs - stupid trees :-))) That museum is just the right size and variety for me.
DeleteGreat museum visit! Art I can relate too. I love Seven Deadly Sins. So creative. The Layers of the City photo really sums up cities. Super photo. Ezra has really shown his brother how to play to the camera. Totally agree..."overlooks that don't" along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
ReplyDeleteI was really happy with that city layer pic from the top of the museum. Oh those boys and their different "looks" - I'm grateful their parents remember to take pics and send them to us!
DeleteLove those museum views....not so much the Blue Ridge ones. They're pretty in the fall, for sure, but I like being able to see "forever" as in the wide western vistas. Oh those little boys......so gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteNot everyone understands that we're getting tired of trees :-))) We're definitely blessed with cuties!
DeleteThank you for the great museum tour. I too enjoy Americana but not Roanoke in 90 degree heat. You are amazing. Going back to Walker tomorrow fir ice cream and fingers crossed will have signal for pictures. If not, I'll move them to the laptop and see if I can email them to you.
ReplyDeleteAnywhere in 90 degree heat is NOT my favorite!! Hope the ice cream and the signal are both good :-)))) Tell Sasquatch hello from me.
DeleteIce cream was great. Signal good and Sas just grunted.
DeleteYou give the best museum tours! I always enjoy your commentary and feel as though I'm there with you and we're chatting about the art. Now I really want to go to Roanoke! And yes, the Blue Ridge is spectacular in the fall, and an ocean of green in the summer. And in the spring, it offers views of sticks, LOL.
ReplyDeleteLove having you along - would be lots of fun to do it in person :-) An ocean of green for sure in this part of the country!
DeleteI wish to disagree with Laurel. In winter if may be sticks but in spring it is WILDFLOWERS and gorgeous blooming dogwoods, rhododendrons, mountain laurel.
DeleteYou find awesome museums everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThey're always a treat, and somehow they all manage to be unique either in content or facility.
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