shenandoah delight

in may 2005, we decided to move away from the hustle and bustle of washington dc and back to something more tranquil and relaxing. our little 5-acre plot on the western slope of the shenandoah mountains is all that we could have wanted. life is good in the hills.

like most blogs, mine will mostly be a way to share random thoughts, perspectives, peeves, and prognostications with friends, family, and anyone else who decides to drop by. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do. . . ~ron

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Location: clear brook, northern va, United States

i was born a navy brat and joined the navy myself in 1979. after spending 20 years as a naval cryptologist, i retired in 1999. now i am a computer security engineer for a mid-size government contractor in reston, va. i am very lucky to be married to the love of my life - cherie'( a.k.a. lolita), and we have 7 terrific kids! plus 7 terrific grandkids!

i attended garner senior high school in garner, nc (just outside raleigh) and the university of maryland (bs in 2000 and ms in 2004).

now that the kids are all grown and out of the house, i fill my time trying to keep tabs on them, which ain't always easy. they tend to be very busy and socially active. life could probably be better, but honestly, i don't know how . . . except living closer to all the kids would be nice :-)

Sunday, December 18, 2005

winter in the hills

we've had snow on the ground for almost two weeks now. the first snow of the season, which, much to mandie's delight, arrived just before thanksgiving, was the perfect sort. it drifted down beautifully. gave us a show and quickly melted off all roads and travel routes. the rest of that snow melted away the following day. the second snow was pretty much the same except that the snow remained on the slopes and shaded areas until the third snow arrived last week. temperatures have been well below the norm, rising above freezing only occasionlly and only long enough to allow the snow to melt slightly before refreezing. After several thaw/refreeze cycles, the snow now glistens with a magical wintery sheen and begs for sledders.


the last snow quickly changed to the dreaded "wintery mix" - treacherous for driving and difficult to remove. it left behind a coat of ice too thick to be melted by deicing salts. i had to chisel the ice from the sidewalk, the driveway, and off my car before i could leave for work. while i don't particularly enjoy chiseling ice, i was quite entertained by nature's winter orchestra. This is the type of entertainment that you can't find in the noisy city.


it began with tubes of ice falling from the power lines. as the ice melted, a strip several feet long would sheer away from the lines and crash onto the frozen tundra below. as each section pulled away from the power line, it would drag several more pieces with it, creating 3-4 sequential ice on ice crashes. a few moments later, the ice percussions were accompanied by the loud cracking of horse hooves bantering through the icy pasture across the street. next, the thunderous sound of 200 or so cows trudging through the frozen hills as they made their way to greener grazing fields. it was a loud and magestic symphony. later in the evening, toby (our dog) and i startled several deer down in the eastern section of the yard. they graze there almost every evening, but they are still timid towards people. it's too bad we scared them off, but listening to them sprint across the moonlit frozen snow was another gentle reminder of just how great it is to be out here where nature still abounds.


when we moved out here to the hills, i wondered if i would miss the convenience of having the endless entertainment of the city so close at hand. as it turns out, we have plenty of entertainment, albeit a different variety, right here on the western slope of the shenandoahs. ah, life in the hills - it is as wonderful as i had hoped it would be.

5 Comments:

Blogger jmg said...

darren and i would like to make an addendum to our Christmas wish list--a sled!!! to be kept at your place of course :)

just kidding, but we really can't wait to see you guys and the new place!

love ya!

1:21 AM  
Blogger scøüpe said...

i don't hink i'll be making the trip this month with frø and darren but i will try to get some free time in january to vacate to the virginia mountains.

4:54 PM  
Blogger secretsquirrel said...

jenna, sledding is definitely a favorite pasttime here on punkin ridge. according to the neighbors, most of the sledding occurs on the paved road because of the great hills. it's also fortunate that there is virtually no traffic since it is a private road and there are only a few houses past ours on this quiet little cul de sac. we have a couple of sleds already, but we have been advised that we need "real" sled (the kind with metal rails) for proper road-based sledding. i'll see what i can do about that if we get any more snow before you get here :-)

love you and can't wait to see you guys. ~ dad

9:32 PM  
Blogger secretsquirrel said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

9:33 PM  
Blogger secretsquirrel said...

david, sorry you can't make it this trip, but i certainly understand. let us know how january shapes up. we will keep the fires burning and the hot tub churning - bring your trunks when you come . . . nothing like sipping a cool one in the hot tub next to a roaring chiminea on a crisp winter night.

9:37 PM  

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