Archives

Childhood Friends

Feb20

I recently had the blessing of meeting an old friend on facebook! We were best friends when we were students at Jamison Elementary School in Roanoke.

Jamison Elementary School, Roanoke, VA

Although this school no longer exists and has been replaced with a Fire Station, our memories of this wonderful old school are still alive! In fact, there is a facebook group of Jamison alumni where we share photos and memories of days gone by. The school was built long ago and many of us remember fine architectural details not present in building today. For example, the girl’s restroom even had a large round water fountain so that thirty girls could wash our hands at once! It had a ring around the base to step on instead of a regular faucet. Tall windows, intricate iron scroll work on the banisters going upstairs, old fashioned lights that hung down from the ceiling with white globe and desks with ink wells. Ah yes, I remember it well! The best part was the people who helped shape our lives. Both staff and friends that filled our minds with wonderful memories!

One of those dear friends is Kathie T. Kingery.  Kathie, her sister Robyn and I used to walk to the bus stop together every morning and back home again. Chatting and laughing the entire time.  We spent hours in the summer looking at the green stamp catalog – making lists of the things we wanted to purchase. What fun! It was so long ago and yet just seems like yesterday.  I had always wondered what happened to my friends. Thanks to the internet, I know.

The best part was that I was able to reconnect with my friend, Kathie Trent Kingrey who is a photographer.  She is sharing some of her wonderful pictures of Virginia with us. Even in the fifth grade, I could see that she had a flair for style! =-)

greatvalley

The beautiful Roanoke Valley! Isn’t it lovely?

I will post some of Kathie’s beautiful pictures on my blog this week.

If you are interested in her photography, you may contact her at

ktkingery@hotmail.com is my contact info or 804.608.1224

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Ks-Photographyathy

So my friends, sit back and enjoy the view this week!

Blessings,

Kathy

Snow!

Jan18

A snowy day in Lynchburg, VA

After days of rain and much anticipation, the snow finally arrived. I was sure we wouldn’t get any snow today since the temperature didn’t drop below freezing. It was in the low forties most of the day and finally the temperature dropped into the thirties and beautiful white flakes graced our skies after four in the afternoon. It snowed a few hours and in our neighborhood, it still looks like a pretty white blanket covering bushes, trees, sidewalks and yes, the roads. According to the television, Lynchburg, Virginia received over four inches. I am sure children are cheering – schools are closed tomorrow and many businesses have delayed opening until mid-morning.

I don’t know what it is about snow that is so exciting. After all, it causes inconveniences, delays and hazardous driving. And yet, the mere mention of the fluffy white stuff takes me back to my childhood. Playing in the snow, freezing fingers and toes, riding the sleigh downhill with friends and family. Coming inside to a nice warm house, smelling of just baked cookies, hot cocoa and homemade soup simmering on the stove.

My thoughts returned to my grandparents home in the Midway section of Vinton, Va in 1964. I spent every weekend with my grandparents, since I still had not gotten used to the idea of living with Mom and my stepfather in Garden City. (Just a few miles away but to a child, it seemed like we had moved to the other side of the world.) Of course, my preteen aunt, two good friends and two cousins made trips to stay with my grandparents even more enjoyable – especially when it snowed. We had a great hill for sleigh riding!

It snowed that weekend. Wonderful, beautiful, fluffy snow. My Aunt, cousins, friends and neighbors had a wonderful time building snowmen and riding sleighs down the steep hill. When we came back inside, however, the aroma of that house will forever be ingrained in my memory. Granddaddy had cooked that day. Pinto beans, fried potatoes, cornbread, slaw and Granny had made my favorite cake. To this day, that fragrance takes me back to that day.

I wasn’t thrilled to leave on Sunday afternoon when Mom and Jerry came to pick me up but then Mom reminded me that my new cousins, Pam, Donna and Tammy were coming over to play. What a day!

It seems like we had a lot of snow in the sixties – or perhaps it was just a lot of wonderful memories!

Hope you have a beautiful, snowy, memory-making weekend!

Blessings,

Kathy

A Walk in a Lovely Town

Nov24

 

November, 2012

We stepped inside this lovely country store and it was as if we were crossing a threshold into the past. From shelves containing books about local history, old fashioned cookware, toys and clothing. Add local music and food and this gal didn’t want to leave. I could have stayed several hours as I perused aisles for future purchases; convinced that my husband will bring me back again soon. We had lunch while listening to local musicians and bought a book with a pictorial history of the area.

Where is this lovely spot located? Along the curvy roads of South western Virginia. Floyd, to be precise.  My first impression as we pulled into the parking lot which faced the country store, I remarked that we must be in Mayberry! Why? Notice the shop beside the store.

Yep, looks like Floyd left the Andy in Mayberry and opened his barber shop in Virginia!

The gentleman sitting in front of the charming country store chatted with my husband and promised to come inside later to play some music.

Music in the Floyd Country Store

There were other wonderful shops as well.

Notice the caption on this sign – one doesn’t see the invitation to loiter very often!

“Loitering Allowed!”

We spent a lot of time in the consignment shop too. I will save my purchases for another post. I will say that I found something from the 1920’s. This is important because, The Vision of a Mother’s Heart and the sequel I hope to finish by the beginning of the new year take place in a small community in rural Virginia during the “Roaring Twenties!”

One of the things I was looking for on this trip was to see houses that may have been built pre-1920’s and may have had a wrap-around porch. I will give you a hint about the sequel. Isabel stayed with a wonderful lady near Floyd County for a while. She was a very kind woman who lived in a house with a wrap-around porch.

I couldn’t resist getting a pic of this outfit. Reminds me of the Roaring Twenties!

Within view of the town is a beautiful sight. A white Church with it’s spire reaching up to  the sky. Couldn’t help but wonder if there was a Church bell, calling citizens to Church every Sunday morning.

As we were driving out of town, I saw a blue house that will be perfect for a scene in Hope Beyond The Sunset. You will recognize it when you read the story.

For my fellow history buffs reading this blog, Floyd, VA was once named Jacksonville to honor Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States (1829–1837).

Floyd, Va is also recognized as one area ministered to by Bob Childress of The Man Who Moved A Mountain. (By Richard C. Davis and is available on Amazon.com.)

That’s all for tonight, friends. Hope you enjoyed our little journey into the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia. I know we did!

For more information about the area, click on the following link. http://www.floydvirginia.com/visitors-guide/

Searching for a nice place to visit in Virginia? Try Roaring Run Iron Furnace – More Virginia History!

Oct16
Roaring Run Iron Furnace in Virginia. Pre-civil war.

I was looking through some photos the other day and found some pictures John and I took a couple of years ago of the Roaring Run Iron Furnace in Virginia. This iron furnace was built in 1834 and abandoned in 1854.

So peaceful, so serene and will soon be emblazoned

with beautiful gold, orange and red colors of autumn.

For more information, check out the following links! Great site for a home school trip!

Great information for a history report too. So pack your picnic basket and hop in the car this weekend to enjoy part of our history in a beautiful setting.

http://botetourtironfurnaces.com/roaring.htm

http://www.fs.usda.gov/gwj/

http://206.113.151.20/wildernessroad/wrTimeline.asp

http://ironfurnaces.com/wiki/index.php?title=Roaring_Run_Furnace_%28VA%29

This beautiful Waterfall

Oct3

The beautiful picture of a waterfall that I used for the Unfailing Love post on October 2, 2012 was taken at Crabtree Falls in Nelson County, Va. by my husband, John Purdy a couple of years ago.
Photo by John W. Purdy
Since this is such a beautiful scenery, I thought you might be interested in visiting there if you live in Virginia.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Crabtree+Falls%2c+VA&qpvt=Crabtree+Falls%2c+VA&FORM=IGRE

Didn’t our Heavenly Father paint a beautiful picture?

Good ol’ Summertime

Jul17
Roanoke, VA

Roller Coaster at Mountain Park in Roanoke, VA Early twentieth century

Where did Isabel and her friends go to ride a roller coaster in the 1920’s? They went to Mountain Park in Roanoke, Virginia. There were amusement park rides as well as a pavilion and a grandstand where music was played.

Where did I go to ride a roller coaster when I was a kid?

We went to the Lakeside Park in Salem, Va. It was wonderful!

I can still feel the joy at hearing the words, “We’re going to Lakeside today!” We could hear the happy crowds before we arrived. Laughter, screams as the Shooting Star roller coaster plunged quickly, click, click, click of the cars climbing a steep hill and more screams as it quickly rounded a sharp curve – and I couldn’t wait for my turn!

As soon as one entered the park, the smells were wonderful. Candy apples, popcorn, sticky cotton candy but my first stop was the Ferris Wheel. From the top, one could practically see the entire park. Oh, what fun!

When my husband speaks of Lakeside, he remembers Cactus Joe and his wife, “Sweetie”.

  • If you have Lakeside memories, we would love to hear them.
  • What were summer activities you looked forward to as a child?
  • What or who stands out in your memories?
  • What was your best summer ever?

Please feel free to share!

History of Lakeside

Lakeside was first opened around 1920 as a pool with a sandy beach. So Isabel may have spent time here as well. I have a picture of her and my grandfather taken at Lakeside around 1936.  It was a wonderful place to go and was a big part of Roanoke and Salem’s history. We enjoyed hot summer days at lakeside until it closed in 1986.

For more information on Lakeside, go to http://salemmuseum.org/lakeside.aspx

We also had the Mill Mountain Zoo but that’s another story!

(Old photographs borrowed from http://www.oldroanoke.com Go to the site for fantastic pictures of time gone by.)

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Jul10

The Belle Grove Plantation has published another wonderful beauty from Virginia History.

If you love reading about Virginia History and enjoy viewing plantation homes which have been restored you will enjoy this. I know I did!

Step back into a more graceful era…

 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Jun21

Wonderful history by the new owners of Belle Grove Plantation B&B

Belle Grove Plantation Bed and Breakfast

The Conway Family had a very big impact on the land that would become Belle Grove Plantation as well as the nation as a whole. When Edwin Conway passed in 1698, Francis Conway I inherited the plantation as well as took care of his mother, Elizabeth Thornton Conway until her death in 1732. Francis would marry Rebecca Catlett in 1717. They would have six surviving children.

It was under Francis Conway I that Belle Grove grew to become one of the most successful plantations in the area.  The primary crop from the beginning of this plantation had been tobacco. While tobacco constituted a major percentage of the total agricultural output, tobacco growth was hard on the land itself. Tobacco is a weed that uses up the nutrients of the land quickly. This is why most tobacco plantations had large acres of land. As the land become less fertile, the plantation…

View original post 955 more words