Today's Flowers-Morning Glories from My Garden

Morning Glories-October 2008
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted
Something done,
Has earned a night's repose.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

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my world-the taubman museum of art-roanoke, virignia

The Taubman Museum of Modern Art opened November 8, 2008 to huge crowds. The 75,000 sf building was designed by architect Randall Stout. Among the attendees to the gala opening was Vice President Dick Cheney.

The Museum is named after Nicholas and Jenny Taubman who donated upwards of $25 million to the Museum's $66 million dollar project. They were the largest donor(s) to the project.

Nicholas Taubman is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Advance Auto Parts, the only Fortune 500 Company located in the Roanoke Valley. Mr. Taubman currently serves as U.S. Ambassador to Romania, a post he has held since 2005.

The building is interesting for a number of reasons. First and foremost it is plunked down in a small corner of historic downtown Roanoke. In fact, you can see in one of the photographs that it abuts an historic building. There is absolutely no potential for future expansion as a result of the "poor" site location. The building is located on a corner, on two sides it is adjacent to roads, the rear of the building is adjacent to the railroad tracks and the fourth side is adjacent to an historic building. Second, the building is "ulta" modern and stands out in a sea of brick and mortar structures. It looks like a fish out of water. And third, there is no parking near the Museum. I hope you enjoy the photographs. They were taken last week when I had a chance to get out and about. Roanoke is about 14 miles from where we live out in the rural outskirts of the Valley.

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That's My World Volume IV-Tingler's Mill at Paint Bank, Virginia

More about Paint Bank Virginia and Tingler's Mill

Tingler's Mill has a long and varied history. As a present-day decorative fixture of Paint Bank, its presence makes a grand statement about revitalization and historic preservation. In the past, however, it was an important element of everyday life in the town of Paint Bank, Virginia, serving area farmers and residents as a source of grain and flour by grinding corn and wheat.
The grist mill sits on Potts Creek, on property originally owned by Revolutionary War hero Colonel William Preston. Preston was given the land grants in 1780 for his service in the war. Through Preston's children the property eventually passed to John H. Peyton, Preston's granddaughter's husband, in 1816.

While the unincorporated town was officially formed in 1851, the mill building itself was not built until 1863. Henry Tingler began a small water-powered operation to process corn, wheat and oats for local farmers. During the civil war Tingler was drafted into service by the Confederacy, but managed to return home by proclaiming that his services as a miller were more valuable than his services as a soldier. A Union sympathizer, after his return home he not only supplied food to the people in the area, but also gun powder to the fighting forces.

Tingler's daughter Molly married W. H. (Harve) Humphreys, who lived in a house near the present-day general store and worked the mill with Tingler. According to Humphreys's grandson, Watson Smith of New Castle, Humphreys wanted to keep the business in the family, and expand it to include making flour. Tingler could not read or write, so Humphreys provided the driving force behind the renovation. In 1897, Humphreys borrowed $10,000 and reworked the mechanics of the mill, tearing down the original building and starting over. The small grist mill became a manufacturing mill capable of large scale flour production. The building which stands today most likely is that second building, erected over the old foundation in 1897.
Humphreys bequeathed the mill to his son, Johnny Henry Humphreys, who operated the mill until 1952, when he sold it to Roy S. and Coral May Morse. Roy Morse sold the mill to David E. and Marcia Harrison a little over a decade later, in 1967. By this time, local residents say, government regulations on the mill had become so strict that operating it was no longer cost-effective.

From 1897 until 1971 the mill was known as "Humphreys Mill". In 1971, when the Harrisons sold the mill to A.J. and Dorothy W. Tingler, the mill became known as "Tingler's Mill". The Tinglers kept the mill in the family until 1993, when it was sold to Jonathan F. Fitzgerald with the stipulation that the mill continue to be called "Tingler's Mill". Fitzgerald sold the property to the Mulheren family, the present owners.

In 2004, the mill pond was revitalized and is now stocked with trout. Recently the entire exterior of the mill was restored, a new race was constructed and the big wheel is once again turning. Restoration of the inside of the building is on-going as the present owners continue to bring the mill back to its former beauty and function. In the future, they hope to add tours to view the machinery and to be able to have demonstrations of the complete milling process, from kernel to flour (borrowed from post posted by The Depot Lodge)

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Some Critters from the Swinging Bridge Restaurant

Yesterday I posted about the Swinging Bridge Restaurant in Paint Bank and noted they decorated with taxidermy pieces throughout. I particularly liked the way they worked the bears into the design scheme. This one is after the honey. Be sure to take a peek at my Saturday post about the restaurant.

That's My World-Issue III View from Cemetary Hill, Fincastle, Virginia

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View from the cemetary on the hill in Fincastle, Virginia looking toward West Virginia.

Stormy Skies Over Virginia-My World

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Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky-Rabindranath Tagore

My love has gone to the cat angels...

Lion Lee Henderson 5.26.89-10.24.08
Wonderful companion, confidant and friend.
You will always be in our hearts.

Perserverance...

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Everyone who enjoys thinks that the principal thing to the tree is the fruit, but in point of the fact the principal thing is to it is the seed-herein lies the difference between them that create and them that enjoy-Friedrich Nietzsche

Beauty is a primeval phenomenon, which itself never makes its appearance, but the reflection of which is visible in a thousand different utterances of the creative mind, and is as various as nature herself-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Spent today out and seeing the progress of Fall here in central Virginia. While some of the trees have turned it will probably be another couple before we have the full Autumnal effect which I am so looking forward to. Found this abandoned building outside Abingdon Virginia located south and west of us. Was fortunate to capture the photograph as the building was located along a road that was pretty overgrown and lacked much sunlight. But, managed to at least get this.