Virginia State Capitol Building

Detail of Thomas Jefferson's Design


The Virginia Capitol shows Jefferson's Classicism.

The Last Great Agricultural Innovation...

...Out of Southern Augusta County


McCormick's Mill in Southern Augusta County.

If someone were to ask you: "what was the last agricultural innovation out of Augusta County to go worldwide?," you'd probably guess the McCormick Reaper. But innovation in our part of the valley does not end with the reaper. Augusta County Farrier, W.J. Tomlinson has invented a hoof maintenance tool known as Rider's Rasp [click to read] which is selling on the internet around the world. The device, and its popularity were the subject of a recent article in the Staunton News Leader.

The tool's unique design allows the average horse owner to round the hoof wall between professional visits to prevent splits. It also allows a rider to round a hoof if their horse loses a shoe on the trail. The ergonometric design allows riders with different hand sizes to comfortably use the tool, holding it in one hand. It's beauty is in the simplicity of design that allows for simplicity in its use.

Working Weekend

Finishing a Big Project, Considering the Lillies


Putting the final touches on a village center.


There is always time to enjoy the bright maple...


...and to 'consider the lillies.'

Sonora is NOT Boycotting Arizona

From Sonora's Official Tourism Website:

"In Sonora we are looking for people from Arizona, who want to have a great time!

Thanks to its privileged location, Sonora is advertising a unique andsafe tourist destinations, awaiting inquisitive visitors. Sonora tourism wants you to discover its legendary cities, beautiful beaches and spectacular views of landscapes where ocean meets desert and mountain."

Sonora Tourism Site [click to read].

And no, Sonora is not one of the "57" United States, it is part of MEXICO. It does border Arizona.

Straight Talk to New Graduates

It's That Time of Year Again...

Rush Limbaugh's Commencement Address [click to read] is a classic.

"I'd spend some time inspiring them and teaching them a little bit about America to counteract what I thought they had been taught in their classrooms over the course of these past four years or five, depending on how long they've been there. But it would be optimistic, it would be upbeat, it would be positive: You live in the greatest country in the world, and you're gonna hear every day how we're the worst, you're going to hear how we're responsible for global warming and we're destroying the world." -- Rush Limbaugh

So is Phil's [click to read].

"Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs."


Graduation at Moody Bible Institute.

Geography for Politicians

We've Learned a Lot of New Facts Lately

So here goes, "with a little help from my friends" as the song says:

Guam is in Danger of Tipping Over [click to read] according to Hank Johnson.

Arizona Doesn't Border Mexico [click to read] according to Milwaukee supervisor Peggy West.

Augusta County Supervisors Don't Actually Represent Augusta County [click to read]. We'll let you know when we find out who they DO represent. When BOTH major newspapers and a lot of people agree that staggered terms would be a good thing, who are these people listening to?

You Can Be the Center of Your Own Universe [click to read] if you are an elected official. Clint Webb imbibed some truth serum before recording his political advertisement.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume II, Issue XXVI

The 'other' Weekly News Magazine [click to read] has a feature on Thomas Edison [click to read]. Our legacy is one of great inventors and problem solvers. Yet today we have given over energy policy and creative force to the loony luddite left.

It would be a simple matter to complete Edison's marvelous machine with nuclear power plants but in the 1970's we allowed hysteria to overrun history. We're still using fossel fuel for much of our electricity.

Indeed it is a very real problem that much of the fringe environmental movement's focus is to STOP innovative technology.

We've Let Disasters Define Energy Policy Before
How Hysteria Short-circuited Edison's Vision Being Completed


Three Mile Island.

Back in the 1970s we were poised to build nuclear power plants enough to meet our energy needs. Unfortunately the accident at Three Mile Island was used by opponants of nuclear power to halt much of that planned capacity. Today we depend on fossil fuels and lay a haze across the Appalachians to meet our electric needs. It didn't have to be so.

In the wake of accidents, safety procedures were improved. Nuclear energy powers much of Europe and Japan without problems.

In Brand New Green [click to read], Peter W. Huber discusses how Environmentalist Stewart Brand has discovered that nuclear energy is really pretty environmentally friendly. Brand says: "The question I ask myself now is: “What took me so long? I could have looked into the realities of nuclear power many years earlier, if I weren’t so lazy.” When he got over his nuclear sloth, here’s what Brand learned. (Most of the words quoted here are Brand’s own, but some are Brand quoting others approvingly.) “Fear of radiation is a far more important health threat than radiation itself.” “Reactor safety is a problem already solved,” and the new reactors are even safer than the old. Waste isn’t a problem; we need the $10 billion Yucca mountain disposal site “about as much as we need a facility for imprisoning dangerous extraterrestrials.” Nuclear power isn’t just the cheapest practical carbon-free option around, but the cheapest, period, when not snarled up in green tape. Scientists “invariably poll high in support of nuclear.” The people so pragmatic that they actually keep the lights lit, he might have added, have polled that way for 40 years, on the strength of reams of data and analyses, as well as the operating experience of our nuclear navy and a wide range of commercial reactors scattered across the planet."

Today the President suspended offshore drilling in a move reminiscent of the nuclear policies of the past decades. The specter of disaster is being used to stifle the legitimate development of energy resources. Indeed, if deepwater wells are more dangerous, then why not allow drilling closer to shore... or from the shore itself. There are ways to exploit our domestic resources safely and it is a matter of national security.

We simply cannot cap off our own resources and put ourselves at the mercy of despots like Hugo Chavez.

We need a president who really is on top of energy policy, not one who says he is but fiddles while Rome burns.

Mr. President, let me help you. Here's what "On Top of It" looks like.

First, get your stinking foot off of BP's neck. It's really not there anyway. No one wants to lose eleven of their best people in a horrible explosion. We have a bad situation but BP is trying to solve the problem. Let's give them some support. Then we can analyze how we'll keep it from happening again.

Second, Governor Jindal asked for permission to build barriers to contain or mitigate the spill. Your correct response would have been: "Governor Jindal, I hope you're already getting your men in place. I'll clear the red tape for you... oh, Governor Jindal, Do you need any Seabee's from Gulfport? Do you need anything from us to do the job?" You know, if you had been a GOVERNOR instead of a 'Community Organizer,' you'd know how to do this.

Third, stop politicizing this disaster. America needs to safely extract energy from the ground. Wind farms just won't meet our needs. You wouldn't stop airplanes from flying because occasionally one crashes? You analyze failures and make things safer. Real leadership is stepping up to the plate and explaining just that.

Update: Augusta Conservative [click to read] brings us This from Reuters [click to read]. The drilling halt may cause more economic damage to the Gulf region than the spill.

Judge Suspends Drilling Moratorium
Jindal Applauds, Obama Vows to Appeal


We didn't shut down tanker transport after the Exxon Valdez spill.

Yes, the President still wants to shut down the entire Gulf oil industry, throwing many out of work in the region, citing 'Concern for the Environment.'

"Wait, what? Concern for the environment? When did that happen? Did Obama waive the Jones Act and let those Dutch skimmers come in? Did I miss that?" -- Pat

Also, what does it matter that shutting down the rigs is actually a process that increases the risk of something bad happening? The POTUS is showing his hand here and it's not about saving the planet... it's about control.

And So it Goes in Shreveport [click to read] has more. ht/SWAC Girl

Government Aggravated Tragedy [click to read]. Walter Williams tells it like it is, futher explaining the folly of legislation such as the Jones Act.

Tilting at Windmills

The one possible exception to the Left's Luddism is when it comes to such developments as wind power. Even though wind is sporatic, large wind turbine farms are on the drawing boards. European speculators are out buying "rights" to build windmills on Pennsylvania ridgetops. The Chicago Climate Exchange is up and running... just waiting for Cap and Trade... I haven't even mentioned 'global warming' until this point.

The Logic of Global Warming [click to read] is about as convoluted as the scripts of some old sitcoms from the sixties.

Farewell to a Valley Hero

Brian Anderson Remembered

Lynn [click to read] at her best, in the Washington Examiner:

"He was a hero who had died in Operation Enduring Freedom, the war in Afghanistan, only two months after arriving with the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York, when insurgents attacked his vehicle using an improvised explosive device (IED) on June 12.

The place Spc. Anderson died was a long way from the peaceful, green Shenandoah Valley that he loved, and his final resting place was in the Linville Creek Church cemetery in that beautiful Valley."



The Valley.

Finding Community Serving in Congress

John Kasich's Shared Journey of Faith

In his book: Every Other Monday [click to read], Kasich shares his exploration of faith and what it means to life with a handful of friends. I hear many young people express a desire for more 'community' and less 'church.' The presupposition being that you have to 'go somewhere else' to find it.

Kasich's experience is that you can build those meaningful relationships, often with the friends you have now... and that it can be very relevant to the world you live in every day.

"What Can You Do with a General?"

Gen. Stanley McChrystal's Complex Conudrum

It seems strange enough that a military commander is granting interviews to Rolling Stone, but the fallout is stranger yet. Eliot A. Cohen [click to read] in the Wall Street journal gives a good overview of the larger issues. Joel Rosenberg [click to read] has some good thoughts as well.

SWAC Girl [click to read] has some thoughts on the situation and references the complex 'rules of engagement' that virtually guarantee the spending of young lives with minimal results.

What is needed is for someone with a clear sense of history to take McChrystal's place and bluntly deal with the very real threats that confront us. Unfortunately our President is more intent on waging war with oil companies and Arizona than real terrorists. That does not give a person great hope in this situation.

Judge Suspends Drilling Moratorium

Jindal Applauds, Obama Vows to Appeal


We didn't shut down tanker transport after the Exxon Valdez spill.

Yes, the President still wants to shut down the entire Gulf oil industry, throwing many out of work in the region, citing 'Concern for the Environment.'

"Wait, what? Concern for the environment? When did that happen? Did Obama waive the Jones Act and let those Dutch skimmers come in? Did I miss that?" -- Pat

Also, what does it matter that shutting down the rigs is actually a process that increases the risk of something bad happening? The POTUS is showing his hand here and it's not about saving the planet... it's about control.

And So it Goes in Shreveport [click to read] has more. ht/SWAC Girl

Government Aggravated Tragedy [click to read]. Walter Williams tells it like it is, futher explaining the folly of legislation such as the Jones Act.

Premier Network of Veterans' Services

Just Saying 'Thank You' Isn't Enough...



Who we are:

We believe that the community plays a significant role in shaping our citizens as well as our veterans. However, when our veterans return from the wars, they are faced with many challenges; many of which they cannot fully appreciate or understand. The world changes and both the community and the veteran are different when they return from the war. Many veterans suffers from illnesses that they may not even be aware of like "post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, alcoholism or drug addiction, etc... PNOVS is here to help. We are creating a national model that will change the "community framework of support" for assisting veterans and their families. PNOVS National Center will be created in the Richmond metro area.

Visit PNOVS on Facebook [click to read].

A Walk in the Woods

Observations on Divine Design


Trail to Humpback Mountain.

Two men go walking in the woods. They quietly take in the wonder of nature as they press deeper into the forest. Suddenly they come upon a lovely little house nestled into the trees and admire its design. The house is situated to take advantage of the cycles of the seasons, bringing sunlight in in Winter and providing shade in the heat of Summer. Large windows allow the occupants to experience their surroundings while protecting them from the rugged mountain conditions. "Surely," the first man remaks, "this is the work of a master architect." Indeed the work is recognizeable as that of someone well known for certain design features evident in the house. "Who built it?" the man wonders. The stonework looks like the work of fine Spanish masons, but there is little else to indicate who built the house or their methodology.

If the man's companion were to then state that nature had responded to the harsh mountain conditions to create this wonderful dwelling and that this had happened randomly without any oversight from a master designer; he might legitimately be accused of ignoring the body of evidence that suggested otherwise.

Yet, many walk in the woods every day, ignoring a body of design that is even more wonderous and complex than that embodied in a house. Consider the many intertwined organisms that make up the forest world. Consider the elegant efficiency of so many functions in nature and the beauties and symetries to be found. That is just in what we can see.

In his book Signature in the Cell [click to read] Stephen C. Meyer looks at the blueprints involved in those complex creations and gives us even more evidence for the Master Designer.

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." -- Romans 1:20

Why is it so important to see evidence of the Divine hand? Hebrews 11:6 puts it this way:

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Years ago, walking in the woods as a young man, I observed the buds of Winter trees growing fat for the blossoms to come in Spring. To me that came as Divine assurance.


A dogwood blossom displays balance in design.

Japanese Maple Leaves

Contrast in Colors


The Japanese Maple, bright red against the Summer green.


Maple "propellers."

Reverend Richard's 4th of July Prayer

From Homer Hickam's Book: 'Sky of Stone'

I was reading Homer Hickam's book: Sky of Stone when this passage riveted me with its profound wisdom, succinctly stated. Hickam describes a 4th of July celebration in Coalwood where the Reverend gave this invocation [1.]:

"Dear Lord, we are gathered here to celebrate not just the independence of our great land, but also the document on which it stands. There is much to admire in that document but what we best remember is this: We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

To prepare for this invocation today, I have pondered long and hard these words. Most of you know that I rarely go anywhere without my Bible. It is an old Bible. It belonged to my grandfather. What you don't know is that inside this book, I have always kept a copy of the Declaration of Independence. It also belonged to my grandfather. He believed it to be as Holy as his Bible.

When I was a boy, somebody once asked me if my grandfather had been a slave. I couldn't imagine that could be true so I went to him and asked him: Grandfather, were you a slave? He said, Child, a man called me that but I was never a slave and you know why? Because I could read. My mama, she taught me when that man wasn't looking, just as her mama taught her.

When he became officially a free man, my grandfather purchased this Bible and a copy of the Declaration of Independence. He kept them both until the day he died. He left them to me.

I have come to understand my grandfather was right. No man or woman can be a slave if they can read. Especially if they can read the Bible and the American Declaration of Independence.

But that means there are still slaves in this land. There are slaves who do not know that they have inalienable rights given to them by God, and that they also have, by the grace of the Lord, life, liberty, and the right to pursue their happiness and the happiness of their families.

They are slaves to their own ignorance. Ignorance is the ultimate slave owner.

So on this 4th of July, I pray a special prayer.I pray for the day when the tyranny of ignorance will be banished all across this great land and every man, woman, and child can read and understand what they read.

I pray for that day.I pray every day for that day."

The good Reverend had planted in me a renewed vision of the mission before us. That is the mission of educating ourselves and our children.


The U.S. Capitol.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism With a Better Flavor


Volume II, Issue XXV

Why This House is Upside-down...

Washington's Bankruptcy reflects a crisis that is more in the American spirit than in her fiscal policy. Just ask any woman who's tried to run a household and feed her kids while her husband goes on unending binges and drinks away his paycheck.

Using the excuse of 'compassion,' Washington has taken over so much of the function of society that once was accomplished by G-d fearing men and women without so much as a nod from government. Our great hospitals and universities began as works of ministry for the most part. Government merely provided a secure infrastructure for the good works of mankind.

It might surprise you to know that African American unemployment was far lower before the Great Society was initiated. Communities were healthier before the state built large Soviet style 'projects' to 'improve' housing conditions. More fathers were involved in their childrens' lives before the government became the sole provider for so many families. Just something to think about...

War Memorial, Halifax, Virginia

Striking Simple Classical Form Gives Tribute


Driving into Halifax I noticed this beautiful memorial.

A Regal Moth

Also Known as the Royal Walnut Moth


Citheronia regalis, photographed near Brookneal, Virginia.

Photographing Sir Winston Churchill

Yousuf Karsh's Famous Portrait, Without the Cigar!


Winston Churchill as photographed by Yousuf Karsh.

The great photographer Karsh wrote in Faces of Our Time: "Two niggardly minutes in which I must try to put on film a man who had already written or inspired a library of books, baffled all his biographers, filled the world with his fame, and me, on this occasion, with dread."

Churchill marched into the room scowling, "regarding my camera as he might regard the German enemy." His expression suited Karsh perfectly, but the cigar stuck between his teeth seemed incompatible with such a solemn and formal occasion. "Instinctively, I removed the cigar. At this the Churchillian scowl deepened, the head was thrust forward belligerently, and the hand placed on the hip in an attitude of anger."

Thus was the great wartime portrait of British defiance created... by the removal of a cigar!

Phil has some comments on modern attempts to remove Churchill's Cigar [click to read]. A museum exhibit designer has removed the great man's cigar in a profound misuse of Photoshop. [I should know]. The problem is that in doing so, the mouth is wrong. Churchill looks like he's having a stroke. They need to substitute Karsh's photograph if they want a tobacco-free alternative.

Immediately after the scowling photograph was taken, the mischevious Churchill smiled and Karsh snapped what he considered his favorite portrait of the great leader.

In Churchill's Finest Hour [click to read] Mark Riebling discusses a new biography of Churchill in City Journal.

White Rock Falls

On the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Slacks Overlook


This waterfall is about a mile's walk hiking from the overlook.

The Voyage of the Dove

At 16 Robin Graham Sailed Around the World

His adventure [click to read] was chronicled in National Geographic. It was pretty exciting. He lost his mast in the Indian Ocean and had to improvise repairs on his boat to keep on sailing.

He survived bouts with loneliness, being swept overboard and a close encounter with a larger vessel in his quest.

The Alien in the White House

He's Not One of Us and More People are Noticing That


The President's youth was not spent learning values many of us identify with and consider basic.

Dorothy Rabinowitz [click to read] in the WSJ.

"A great part of America now understands that this president's sense of identification lies elsewhere, and is in profound ways unlike theirs. He is hard put to sound convincingly like the leader of the nation, because he is, at heart and by instinct, the voice mainly of his ideological class. He is the alien in the White House, a matter having nothing to do with delusions about his birthplace cherished by the demented fringe."

Dorothy Rabinowitz Discusses Her Op-Ed [click to read]. ht/Phil

George Washington was a Surveyer at 15

Abby Sunderland Sails the World at 16

My question is for all the kids who are still trying to 'grow up' at 26!

Virginia Right Has the Story [click to read] about Sunderland's thwarted attempt to sail around the globe. Last night we watched 'Amelia' at our house and I find myself firmly on the side of "why not?" My parents were aircraft designers. I thought the 'great adventure' was an essential part of life.

We've created a nation of adolescents. Young people are delaying marriage and supposedly 'peaking' at their careers. If they are 'peaking' then why are the results not astounding. Is it any wonder that Sunderland, a "dangerous" homeschooler [1.], might have been taught to aspire to higher goals than her peers?

More About Ms. Sunderland [click to read].


Abby Sunderland's boat.