Twofer Tuesday?

Well, two-fer Saturday at least.

This morning, we huffed up to Afton, in the Shenandoah range, to see a cottage for immediate rent. It was a true gnome hovel built on the grounds of an abandoned nursery where holly trees and rhododendron now grow wild. Just to the right of the stairs (below) was a family cemetery overlooking the neighbor's dirt driveway. It was, as the owner described, magical, a fascinating little place to have stumbled upon. It's a bit too far into the boonies for us, out along the old Jefferson Highway dotted with restored plantations and white-washed fences but we're sure someone with magical fairy spirit will wind down Old Turnpike Road and claim it.

At a country "gourmet grocery store" along the way, we found this gem, which we'll review in detail once it cools and we get up the nerve to try it:

Naturally flavored celery soda. ;-) Awesome!

Quick update

We've been negligent in our photography, likely due to long hours spent hauling and train-spotting. Imagine images of learning to operate a new washer/dryer combo machine, trying to coax water pressure out of slow dripping faucets, lots of corrugated cardboard, driving back and forth along Rt. 64, having food ready for us whenever we got to Keswick, and, of course, playing Chuck-It (or: Find-It) with Doogie

First, a glimpse of a Virginia country road, leading from James Madison's estate in Charlottesville.

And, secondly, a shot of our new car accoutrements (a parking sticker for the apartment complex, stupidly required to be front and center, and our great Christmas magnet from BD & Dave, which was lost inside Doc G's book until yesterday).

We'll be on the lookout for better photography opportunities to keep you all appraised of our comings and goings. In the meantime, we're off to Afton to see a gnome cottage. ;-) Happy Saturday!