Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival 2010

Cherry gets a kiss from a llama

Alpacas are cool critters with great big eyes

This alpaca must be a country alpaca by the way it's chewing on that straw

Can't have wool without the sheep

This weekend we tried something different and attended the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival at the Clarke County fairgrounds in Berryville, VA. Our good friend Cherry ventured out of the city to join us in the country. There were a good number of animals present on the fairgrounds. You could wonder around and enjoy sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, and even rabbits. The main attraction was the variety of yarns and raw fiber that was available for purchase. If you are a knitter and you are looking for something a little special for that next project, this would be the place to be. We killed a good couple of hours visiting all the vendors and then headed to downtown Berryville for a great lunch at the Camino Real Mexican Restaurant. Enjoying a day out with friends is what life is all about. Get out and try something different once in a while; you might like it!

Charles Town Heritage Festival 2010

Vendors setting up in the early morning

Reflections in Brass - Idella #169 - 1872 Fire Engine

While sales could have been better, we had a great time at the 2010 Charles Town Heritage Festival. This was the first time we had done this show and we did not know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised at the turn-out and the weather was almost perfect. The event was heavy into history but there was also music and food. Try and check it out next year if you are in the area. If you can't make it to any of our showings but you still are looking for some custom jewelry, check us out on our website: http://www.bgcustoms.biz

Never Mind the Guard Dog

Waiting for us at the garage door on Sunday was a three foot Black Rat Snake. I quickly retrieved my Nikon D300 from the house and started snapping his photo. He really didn't seem to mind much. It was pretty shady so I had to kick up the ISO to be able to capture him. Using a Nikkor 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 VR  lens allowed me to keep back far enough so he didn't feel that he needed to escape. Peg wasn't amused. After I was done with the photo shoot I relocated him to the woods.

Thunder Over the Blue Ridge

The C-5 Galaxy is HUGE

Army Golden Knights

F/A- 18C

A-10 Thunderbolt II

B-25 "Panchito" Bomber

Jerry Wells' Bucker Jungmeister

Michael Kennedy's Vultee Valiant BT-13

I took some time out from dealing with cars to go enjoy some high flying aircraft at the Martinsburg 167th Airlift Wing. Thunder Over the Blue Ridge was an awesome air show! There was plenty to see and do. From the opening ceremonies at 10:30 all the way to the end of the show at 4:00, there was something in the air. I am a sucker for prop planes and I really don't have too much interest in jets. Luckily, there were several performers to keep us old school guys happily smiling. I did find a new favorite. The Air Force A-10 East Demonstration Team absolutely wowed everyone. Be sure to put this show on your calendar for next year.

I learned a couple of things photographing this show. First, never shoot at faster than 1/250 when shooting prop planes or you'll stop the propellers. And second, a 200mm lens isn't really long enough.