Thirty years ago tonight, the series finale of Star Trek The Next Generation aired. I had just graduated from Colorado State University a couple of weeks before, and my family was about to move from Colorado to Virginia. We were in a hotel because we'd already moved out of the house. I was already sad about being done with school and saying goodbye ( Read more... )

April 19th is the 29th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. It's also the 31st anniversary of the Waco siege that led to the bombing ( Read more... )

I was terrified about the 2023 elections in Virginia. If the Republicans had taken the state Senate and held the House, Governor Youngkin would have been able to do incredible damage to the rights of women and the LGBTQ community. So far, the Democrats have held the Senate and even gained a seat or two. The House isn't all called yet, but the ( Read more... )

Had a lovely day in the mountains with Dad and Uncle John. We stopped at an orchard and bought apples, pears, and decorative pumpkins. Then we had a late lunch in Sperryville. It was the same place Dad and I went to a couple of years ago, but with new owners and a new name. The food was still very good, though. We spent almost two hours on Skyline ( Read more... )

Photo dump under the cut.
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On Wednesday, Mom, Dad, and Katie and I saw Ragtime at the Riverside. I have never read the novel it's based on, but I had no trouble getting into it. It was an excellent production. I don't think I've ever seen a bad show there.


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Had to say goodbye to Carlos O'Kelly's today. The very last Carlos on the East Coast is closing for good on Sunday. The only restaurants left in the chain are in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Oh, well. The Carlos in Stafford was a gathering place for library staff plus friends and family. I'll miss it. They had the best queso, and my favorite dish ( Read more... )

Apple picking! So many apples. Katie, Dad, and I went to Marker Miller Orchards, where none of us had ever been. It was really nice. The day was cloudy and a bit cool, but still pretty.

Many photos ahead. I took Ezri with me.


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I went to the Upper Shirley Vineyards with Katie and Regi yesterday. It's next to the 17th century Shirley Plantation. We were too late for the last tour of the plantation, but had fun walking around the vineyard's grounds. We had lunch and tasted some wines. I had an amazing fried green tomato salad and a wine slushy pop. Delicious. It was a ( Read more... )

Virginia was rattled by a 5.8 earthquake (initially estimated as a 6.0). I had never experienced a quake before. It was terrifying because it was so shallow ( Read more... )