Monday, July 02, 2012

An odd assortment of...

trip pictures this shall be. I figured that maybe I should get away from some of the standard touristy type pictures and put up something that is a bit, ummmmm, different.

Or maybe not. Or maybe it's my captions that make the pictures different? What do you think?

Oh btw, Yours Truly (Don't swoon ladies, I'm human) is now on this thingydohickey called Facebook. Perhaps you've heard of it? I think it could be found here.

Now, let us get to some more great pictures! Oh, and I hope you all are enjoying the picture tour of bits of Charlotte, Arlington, DC, and some of Virginia.

This is my uncle. His name is Bill. Otherwise known as "Ole Oyster Breath Bill"
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But of course note the other plate of oysters at the bottom foreground... Those were mine.


This is a bugle that my father had. He got it from his father who got it from his father.
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From sometime in the late 1800's was all we could find out about it's origins.

This is the salad I had at the same place where I had the half dozen oysters for lunch. Spinach, red bell pepper, kalamata olives, avocado, feta cheese, bleu cheese, shrooms, and topped with lightly seared Ahi tuna.
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No, I did not have any room for dinner that night!

This was my dad's pool table. It is now Anna's.
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And I totally kicked ass for the whole time I was there. I still don't think Bill believes me when I told him the only time I shot pool in the last ten years was for 45 minutes at a pool hall in Glenelg in February just to make sure I still could.

Apparantly I still can.

When Anna and I left Arlington we took the backwoods way through to Charlotte. As in 2 nights in the Shenandoah Valley region! First winery we found was called Naked Mountain Winery. They have a nifty sign inside!
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Needless to say, I bought one of their t-shirts and an apron. Both have the saying Drink Naked on them. In reference to the Winery of course.

Yes, it was warm enough in Luray Caverns to wear a tank top. And they have a big green mold problem now.
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Sad about that.

Perhaps it is because they so commercialized it that there is a steady stream of warm bodies exhaling warm air all day long in it?
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Gee, ya think?

Meanwhile, back in Washington DC, a large, iconic, American phallic symbol thrusts it's way up through a bush!
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Yes, I'm going to hell. Don't worry as I know the way!

My dad hand drew this back when he was in high school!
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Too bad he never pursued his artistic side.

This is my brother, Doug. Behind him is Gail, his fiancée.
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Yup, she fits right in with this family!

Gee, I wonder why this is called a bird bath?
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Can anyone figure out why?

When I showed The Cat, His Royal Highness Lord and Master of All He Surveys, the above picture he did this:
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In your dreams cat, in your dreams.

This next photo proves conclusively that my niece Tonya is most definitely related to me! You'll need to scroll over to the right of the photo for the proof.
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Yup, she's a Downes alright!

And just because limestone caverns are soooooo cool!
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Whew, all this traveling around is making me tired!
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More soon kiddies so stay tuned.

3 comments:

Toshua said...

Good day mate. Dave, Mom is rolling herself sloooowlly with a wheelchair. One more small step. If we get her walking, even with a walker it'll be a miracle. But I'll take the small steps. I'm enjoying the pictures a lot. So how much tweaking did you do on them to make them so bright? Keep right on posting. The pool table is covered; haven't used it since you left.
Tell your family hi. And keep posting pictures.

Fizzgig said...

you got some really great cave photos on this trip!! i havn't visited the caves here since I was really young, it makes me want to go back!!

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Toshua: Great news about your mom! She's a tough ole lady for sure. I think I answered your photo ?'s on the phone the other day, lemme know if you need me to write it up or something.

Fizzgig: Caves are soooo cool! You should go back and visit the caves of your youth again. And bring a good camera!