Christmas

It is the Christmas season and for my blog this month I am linking a Youtube presentation created by my daughter in law, Gabe using a song I wrote and sing along with beautiful artwork.   It is called, "On That First Christmas Day."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op1MhgKwpYU

Merry Christmas!!!

Best Season of All?....Maybe!

This is such a great time of year!  Now I admit that I am a sucker for good weather and seem to have a short memory when it comes to which season is my favorite.  Right now the weather is brisk and it is getting pretty darn cool at night. Last night it was in the 20s.  The trees are just past their fall prime, but all the leaves on the ground make it a wonderland.   It seems like a pretty great time of year.  As I have mentioned before, I grew up in Idaho and there are cold and long winters there.  It is a rare November that has not seen at least a couple of good snow storms out there.  So here I feel that the good weather that we often experience is just icing on my cake.  The last leaves are brilliant for a long time and we get to break out the sweaters and light jackets.   Sometimes it is hard to figure out what to wear because one minute it is nice and warm and then next minute you need a coat.  All of that being said, it is one of my favorite times of year and today I just might argue that it is my favorite time of the year....and that is true.... at least until my next favorite season rolls around.  I went looking for people to photograph on a couple of the really spectacular days.

Look who I ran into first.  Her name is Christina and she is working for Chili's making deliveries.  She is also a student at Germanna.  She told me that the dashboard on the van lit up saying that the tires were low and so she was taking care of business.   You just have to look at that smile to tell what kind of charmer she is.

Over and over I have said in this blog that you meet the most interesting people here in the Pepper, but let me say again that you really do meet the most interesting people in this town.  This is Dawn Frank and she saw me standing on the corner with my camera and with a big smile commented that it was a nice day for photography. She was right!  We chatted for a few minutes and I discovered that she is the head of the Audio Preservation Unit for the Library of Congress at Mount Pony.  Pretty cool, I think.  She noted that I might be amazed at how big the building is and that it goes waaaayyy back into the mountain.  She said there are seemingly endless hallways and that those hallways are lined with  vaults for the safe keeping of various documents and other historical treasures.  Notice that she is carrying paper bags.  She said that she had just bought a "Dinner for Two"  from the Farmer's Wife and that would be supper at her home.  I think Andrea and I are going to have to try that out.

This is the very hardest kind of picture to get and so I consider it a prize.  To approach any size group of men on the street is difficult because often they aren't interested no matter what it is you want.  Then they all have to look at each other and see if everybody wants in.  If just one guy says no then it is no deal and off they go. These guys went through that process and it was two to one and the third one folded.  These gentlemen work for Chrysler of Culpeper and were on their lunch break.  They are: Zach, Ron and Donny.  In a couple of months their picture will be in the Culpeper Times and they will be famous.  Thanks guys!

Next time you pass a group of men anywhere just test yourself and see if you would be willing to approach them about taking their picture.  Come on now.....don't be shy.

This is seven week old Baby Benjamin taking his mom and grandparents on a walk downtown.  They were the nicest people. I had them moving here and there so I could get a good shot and they never once.....not even for a second....quit smiling.  Then again, they have a lot to smile about.  Mom is Terry Hoffman and then there are Grandpa and Grandma Hoffman from Connecticut.  This was the weekend of the big surprise snow storm in New England when millions of people lost power.  Well, G&G Hoffman were among the millions and so they decided to hang with Benjamin just a little longer.   I am glad they did.

Last summer when my California grand kids were here, I took the two oldest boys bowling.  They are 7 and 9 years old.  We started out having a great time but pretty soon the seven year old got discouraged because he was having trouble getting the ball all the way down the lane and his score was a distant third.   I issued the challenge to him that I bet he could not beat me.  Now, those two boys are nothing if not competitive so  his spirit was renewed and he set out to really whip Grandpa.  I am not a whiz at bowling any more.....thirty years ago I was decent, but now....pitiful.  Even so it was not so easy to throw that game.  I had to put eight or so balls in the gutter in order to lose and I did.  I quickly saw why he had been so discouraged.  However, when the game was over, his big smile and fist pump when the score showed that he had beaten Grandpa,  was worth it all and more.

I have intended ever since to feature the Mountain Run Bowling Alley in my blog.  They were so good to my grandkids and to me.  This is Darien Anderson is a looong time resident of Culpeper and is owner of the establishment. 

I spotted Freddie a couple of hundred yards away and whipped my car around to go see what he was up to sitting on the back of his car.  I got out of my car and asked, "You waitin on a woman?"  He replied, "Yep!"  Brad Paisley has a great song with that title.   Everywhere I go I see men just hanging around waiting for a woman in their life whether a wife, or girlfriend, or daughter.  Freddie works at Martins and is a graduate of CCHS.

YOWELL MEADOW PARK REDUX

One of my favorite places in the Pepper is Yowell Meadow Park.  Often when I go for a walk there I take my camera because something or someone is always happening.  Of the 29 blogs that I have published, by far the most popular one is the feature I did on this park.  People from all over the world have read it and continue to.   The last time I went there with my camera was rather unique because I ran into several  friendly people who represent more of the international community and flavor of Culpeper.

When I got out of my car I immediately saw a group of men playing a game and doing a lot of laughing.  I decided to grab my camera and go over and talk with them.   I don't think I have ever run into a friendlier group of people than these guys.  These men are all from India and work for Telemark.  They were enjoying a game of cricket which I know almost nothing about so they took the time to explain.  In the top shot is Bruce who was the batsman at that moment.  The bowler (comparable to a baseball pitcher) is Mahi and he is in the middle of his windup.  I did not get the name of the last player, but I have emailed them for it and will post it as soon as I get a response.

 

Next I ran into Sam, Chioma and Pauline who were on their way to play tennis.  Sam is originally from Nigeria and Pauline from Liberia.  He is a corrections officer and she is in retailing.  They are considering moving here.  Hope they do!

These two attractive ladies were taking a walk in Yowell which was at its Fall finest.  I don't make this stuff up.....Gabriella on the left is from Hungary....that wraps up my international afternoon at Yowell Meadow Park.  She is a restaurant manager.  Her friend Stephanie is a local lady. 

I think possibly the greatest thing about this season is that in certain years we get to exercise our right to vote.  Our democratic system is what separates us from the rest of the world but it only works if people vote.   Former Deputy Sheriffs, John Grymes and Scott Manual worked for their candidate at the voting station for my neighborhood.  Their work paid off because he won.

AND NOW FOR THE BIG FINISH!

This is a picture taken by my son, Matt on Thanksgiving.  It is part of the Crowley family enjoying our day together at my brother's lake house at Lake Anna.  None of the grandchildren are in this picture which is too bad, but seating was such that it was not possible to get everyone.  A couple of things to note:  In the center of the table at this end, just beyond the sparkling cider is a massive pile of mashed potatoes.  I know I have mentioned we are originally from Idaho and here is the proof.  These are the real deal, Idaho potatoes.  The other part of the "note" is that when the meal was done....so were those potatoes.  There had been more on the stove but there was not even the tiniest scrap of potato left over. 

Is this the best time of year?  Well at least at times it is.  This is one of those times when my family could gather and express our thanks.  Hope you had a good season.

Be sure to watch for my weekly contribution to the Culpeper Times newspaper, "Rich Crowley's Snapshots of Culpeper." 

 

Fall is for....

It seems like the fall curtain dropped October 1st and things really cooled off, then a pretty warm period and now the best of all worlds.....the beautiful Virginia autumn.    I thought that we better record the change and note what things  people do in the fall in the Pepper. 

I thought that a kind of tender picture would be a good place to start.  So......Fall is for taking your great grandson to the Yowell Park.  Yep, I said great grandson!  Here we have Alexander and his great grandson Nate.  I thought that Alexander, like me, was a grandfather and though he is, he also is the great grandfather of this boy.  Alexander was born in the Pepper and then went to Maryland for 35 years where he worked as an engineer and electrician and finally a trainer of race horses.  He has retired from all of those things and moved back here.  Now he uses some of his time with Nate.  Pretty cool.  Note that Nate, who is all boy, has a large goose feather in his hands and his great grandpop has a small one.  These two are obviously close.  

Fall is for flu shots.  My wife Andrea needed a flu shot so when we were at Walmart she agreed to let me take a picture of her getting it.  Now, to defend myself as a photographer, I carefully put the flu shot sign right between the two women.  However, when the nurse started giving the shot, she covered it up with her arms.  I didn't think that Andrea would want that flu shot twice so I just sort of rolled with it.  The RN is Pamela Davis and she moved here in September. Previously she had lived in Delaware.  It is nice to have her here.

In the fall the downtown area comes to life with decorations.  Corn stalks and corn dolls proliferate on the sidewalks.  Here  are the decorations of Pepperberries and Frost's Cafe.

The pumpkin patch in front of  K&M Lawn and Garden Equipment on the corner of Rte 29 and Ira Hoffman really brightens the area. The colors are brilliant!

Here are Kevin and Tanya who have lived here the past three years.  They have got a mum and some pumpkins to take home to their two daughters.  He works for Moen.

Hang on to your hat!!! This is Jim Cavi representing his Lakeside Caterers....and yup that is one whole roasted pig!!  Actually he explained the process to me and it really is a "smoked" pig.  He was selling pork sandwiches and other things near the pumpkins.  Yummy!  Oh!  That is John Payne in the background.

What is the fall without beautiful leaves, pumpkins for carving and mums?  I found Kim Carter and her son Alex among the mums at Meadows Farm.  That's not really where I found them, but I did ask them to walk over to the mum area so I could take a more interesting picture.  Who wants a picture of just mums?  Not me.....especially for a blog called, "Faces of Culpeper."  Kim is a 7th and 8th grade math teacher in Fauquier County although she resides here in the Pepper.  She and Alex were great sports to let me photograph them.  Nice picture, don't you think?

And speaking of mums.......I found the lovely Betsy Sexton in the street watering the mums for sale at Clarke's Hardware.  Betsy like many others, is a recent addition to the Pepper.  She moved here from Pennsylvania last February and.....she likes it here!

I have been planning on doing a blog on soccer and football moms and dads....so Saturday I headed over to the fields near Eastern View High Schools.  Since we have had so much rain recently the officials had decided that the fields needed time to recover and cancelled all of the games for that day.  That was a bummer because I had cleared the time to go spend an hour there.  The parking lot was empty except for one truck and the owner was nearby working.  I went over and met him.  His name is Jonathon Jarvis and he owns JMJ Contracting.  He was taking advantage of the down time on the fields to work on the multi purpose building.  He is a native of Culpeper and seemed like a really good guy!

Sometimes I find something that is much better than what I was looking for.  This is one of those cases.  I had stopped to go into a restaurant to see if there was anything interesting going on there.  Before I went in I noticed that there were a couple of places that I had not noticed before.  The first one (and last one) was Croftburn Market.  It is so very very cool.  It features meat prepared on the premises like All-Natural Black Angus Beef  and a variety of sausages and "Charcuterie."  I had to look that last one up, but it is special and I have not run into it before.  Be sure to Google it.  A big plus is that the staff is so friendly and attractive....at least the women.  I cannot speak for the men.  This is a place you need to visit.  They served me a slice of rum cake and it was beyond delicious.  I need to stop this or the Culpeper Times will ask me to start reviewing restaurants. The staff from left to right is:  Kelly Wilton who recently moved here from Holland.  That is correct....Holland!;   Then Heather Holliday who moved here from New York; Andrew Campbell, owner; and Doug Higgins who is a customer. 

I had gone with my son's family and wife to the pumpkin patch on the corner of 29 and Ira Hoffman last Monday and found Johanna Scott with her kids at the Moon Bounce and slide there.  One of her daughters has the same birthday as one of my granddaughters.  As my wife and I chatted with her we learned that she is a school counselor and her husband is a school teacher.   Talk about a connection!  If you have followed me at all you know that I was the Coordinator for all School Counseling K-12 in Fairfax County.  It was very cool to meet someone in my profession.

Sometimes an event  that seems to be a problem can take an interesting turn and yield unexpected positive results.  I underwent some pretty difficult eye surgery this summer that turned out well, but the one negative was that I had to give up my contacts and switch to glasses.  The positive result turned out to be that I had the opportunity to make a whole bunch of new friends.  I went to America's Best Contacts and Eyeglasses  to buy my new glasses and met the friendliest and most fun group of women there!  They all learned my name right away and my subsequent visits were like gatherings with old pals.  Unfortunately I never got there when the entire staff was working and so a couple of my favorite people are omitted from this picture.  I have to think of a way to make that up to them.  Anyway.....if you have any needs in this area, America's Best is the place to go.  It is located next to Blockbuster.  This bevy from left to right includes:   Danni, Ramilyn, LaTisha, Sandra and Brittany.

This young lady was a pleasant surprise.  As you can see from her shirt, she is employed at Popeyes.  Shamari Roddy came to the Pepper from Grand Rapids, Michigan to help her grandmother who was ill.  With her bright clothes and all of the color around the restaurant, she just jumped out at me.  She looks so good in that outfit and is so pretty that it seems to me that she could be the national spokesperson for Popeyes.

AND NOW FOR THE BIG FINISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought a new car!!!   Ok, Ok......so it is almost exactly like the last one, but I love it.  It is a brand new Nissan Maxima and it is hot, hot, hot!   After flirting around with the idea of buying a Buick Lacrosse I decided not to mess with success.  You are looking at one happy man. 

That's it for now.  If you have comments, questions or suggestions, my email is:

facesofculpeper@gmail.com

Be sure to watch for Rich Crowley's Snaphots of Culpeper weekly in the Culpeper Times.

Yard Sales

When I thought of shooting yard sales it seemed like a great idea....a slam dunk.  In truth it was one of the hardest topics I have tackled.  It was not difficult to find yard sales, heck, they are every where....it is just that I had more people than ever before decline having their picture taken.  I know that everyone wants to look their best especially if they might end up in the paper, but there were a lot of ladies this time who told me that they had not fixed up...except at the Knights of Columbus sale.   I guess that makes sense...I don't suppose too many people get all ready just to go out to yard sales.  We have a friend who likes to say, "I can get ready or I can go, but I can't do both!"  I do think, however that all of the people who are in this blog look great.  Thanks to them!

It seems like yard sales are a staple of normal living in the Pepper and probably everywhere else.  They seemed a likely place to see another face of Culpeper.  The first Saturday I went out hunting for yard sales, I did not have to go far.  Just a little way down Belle Ave. I saw  a sign on a street post.  I followed the signs and Bingo!... there was a yard that was full of treasures!

Bright and early in the morning and just before customers were arriving I found Sarah who was a rookie at yard sales and Stephanie Matlock who is a yard sale veteran.  I thought the prize of this sale was the custom made Chris Cooley jersey for a little girl.  If it would have fit anyone in my family, it would have been gone immediately.

Knights of Columbus Council 6328 Culpeper

yard sale

It was my luck to run into a giant yard sale sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.  Let's see who was there.

Lots of people, lots of space, lots of stuff.  This is about half of the sale.

Here is an interesting lady.....first note that she has a fist full of money and then I will tell you more.  Did I mention that she had a fist full of money?   ......  Oh yeah.   She is Joan Depue and she is a Pastoral Counselor to the poor and needy at Precious Blood Catholic Church here in the Pepper.  Of course she and I hit it off because I was formerly in charge of the school counseling for Fairfax County Public Schools.

I just know I am going to get this wrong, but here goes.  These men are John Brown who is retired from retail management and human relations and Mr. Depue who is retired FBI.  If anyone wants to contact me with more information....I am interested because there is a gap in my notes. 

Here is a busy man.  He is Dan Larson and he works at MASCO and Target.

These ladies told me that they are "yard sale regulars"  and that they find treasures all the time.  They are Anita Ryan, Sandy Colwell and Shannon Williams.  You may want to note that Shannon is holding crutches but I want to tell you that even being hurt did not slow her down even a tiny bit.

I had just taken two pictures of this lady when she stopped mid sentence and exclaimed, " You can't use my picture!  I am supposed to be at work!"  So I am using this picture instead.  Shame, shame.

Here is 4/5ths of the Ryan family.  There is a really cute mom missing because she did not feel like she was her best for a picture....our loss.  On the other hand, the dad is Hugh Ryan with his three handsome sons, Mason, Benjamin and Noah.  Hugh is a stockbroker at Scott and Stringfellow.  He is also an original, born and raised right here in the Pepper.

OTHER YARD SALES

I don't run into people very often who are as sweet as this lady. This is Lynn Meney at her yard sale with her granddaughter Faith Johnson who is from Pennsylvania and visiting grandma. About ten feet behind me was a customer who did not want to be in the picture, but who told me that she "loved" my pictures in the Culpeper Times.  I "love" compliments whenever I get them.  :)

Here is a fun couple, Jason and Jennifer Spence.  They were at it bright and early.  Jason is working on his certification to be a personal trainer.  Jennifer is teacher and special education chairperson at Rappohanock High School.  My wife was the special education chair at Woodson High School....instant connection. 

So.........I was driving and saw preparations going on for this yard sale.... almost all clothes.  There were three ladies sorting through the clothes so they could put them out in and orderly fashion.  I walked over and gave them my card and explained that I was doing a blog on yard sales and wondered if I could take their picture.  One lady translated to the other two and they all nodded and said it was ok.  I thanked them and walked over to the street so that I could get the necessary perspective.  When I turned around this is what I found.....lots of clothes, but no ladies.  If you looked closely you will see the back of one of them right behind the tree.  They were all hiding there while I took the picture.  Never a dull moment.......

Now this is pretty neat.  These two ladies are out checking out yard sales as part of a church project.  Their church is furnishing an apartment for some people and these two have purchased a number of things to donate to that cause.  Tamika Thomasson, a teacher assistant is on the left and Tia, her step daughter is on the right.  Tia is a sophomore at Eastern View.

I had heard that it was not a good idea to have a yard sale on a holiday weekend.  These folks proved the exception to that rule.  We got the entire team together for this picture.  Tina, in white, is the czarina of this yard sale.  From left we have Andrea, Angella, Tina and Darby (cool name, that one!).

Here is the big finish...in the time that I have been looking at yard sales in the Pepper I have, as a rule,  found only two or three people at a time at a sale.  This one hit the jackpot.... it is Tina's and it was crowded.  I hope she made a fortune.  On the other hand, I hope we see one of these folks on "Antiques Roadshow!"

That is it for now.  Be sure to check out my weekly  contribution to the Culpeper Times.  It is called, "Rich Crowley's Snapshots of Culpeper." 

If you would like to contact me with suggestions or ideas, my email is:

facesofculpeper@gmail.com



Faces of Summer

I have had a theme for each of my last few blogs....like people at TJMAXX etc. I have a couple of other blogs in the mix for the future with themes, but looking around at all of the interesting people on the streets, in parking lots, in stores, at the park etc I decided to just take a group of miscellaneous shots and publish them. It has been quite interesting and a lot of fun. Let's check out a few.

This is a great way to start. You just have to love the bright colors Mindy Elliott is wearing, not to mention those incredible eyes! It is hard to not like this woman! I ran into her at Famous Footwear and she came close to selling me the entire store. She agreed to be photographed but after each shot, she had a different deal to tell me about....and they were all great deals! I went in for a pair of casual shoes which I bought and I ended up buying my grandson a pair of shoes half price!! He wasn't even with me and is only one year old. I would have been way out of my league if my wife ha not been with me. Talk about a super saleswoman!!!!!! She has been with FF for 14 years.

How about this hot green jeep?????   Maureen Watts is exactly the right woman to own it.  She was so full of life.  If you look very closely you can see that she has a bandage around her right elbow.  She had just had blood taken before I met her because she wants to do volunteer work. She studied nutrition at the University of Northern Colorado.  Her husband is a Veterinarian Doctor at the clinic located at Clevenger Corner.  She chatted with my wife and I and was a delight!

Oh, wow!  I still get a bit of a knot in my stomach just looking at this picture.  I was driving on North Main and saw Gregor Giesmann pruning his tree from the top step of his ladder.  I whipped around because I wanted to take this very picture, or I would have settled for a action shot of him falling.....just kidding.  That was the last thing I wanted and so I did my shooting in a hurry.  Here is one of the really fun things about doing this blog....you get to meet the most interesting people.  Gregor is originally from Berlin, Germany and is a retired teacher of art.  He taught at the University of Massachusetts....pretty cool. 

I just love this face shot.  This is Katelyn Astete.

Left to right are Brayden, Amanda and Allison.

This lady just simply made my day.  She knew about my blog (in fact she is an official follower)  and about Rich Crowley's Snapshots of Culpeper that is published weekly in the Culpeper Times.  This is Amanda Martin and she is an assistant project manager for Hitt Contracting.  They are building Terremark.  She is also a blogger and is shortly going to send her blog address to me so I can check it out.  I might even hook back up with her and her sister to get a picture of a tattoo they share for a later blog.  We had a great time talking.   BTW...does she remind anyone else just a bit of Merisa Tomei?

My kind of woman!!!  I was keeping my eyes open for good pictures for this "Summer Faces" blog and who do I run into but Jeanette Tigney.  Those who know me or follow me on this blog know that I am a regular at 7-11 with the Super Big Gulp being my drink of choice.  I looked over at the next machine and there was this attractive young lady getting a giant Slurpee.  Man, I would have a headache for an hour if I drank that.  After checking in with her boyfriend, we went outside where she demonstrated perfect Slurpee form for me.  Jeanette was a good sport.  She is a stylist at "Fantastic Sam's" hair salon.

This isn't exactly a traditional picture of a face, but let me digress for a minute.  In the 1980's I was an administrator at Fairfax High School in Fairfax City, VA.  At that time there was a young man named Chuck Shewbridge who was a student there.  Most boys want to be remembered as a bit of a problem in high school and he is no different, but Chuck really was a great kid.  So was his sister for that matter, and his parents were neat people too.  When my son moved here, Chuck was one of the first people he met at his ice cream stand near Safeway.  Anyway.....Chuck (CJ whatever) is one of the very few people that I have a history with in Culpeper. He has opened a second stand on North Main or Rixieville Road just down from the high school...this is it.  Here's hoping it is a great success!

Stopping by for a nice treat was this international family.  The dad is Mario Rink from Germany; the mom is Mireya Mironoz who is from Puerto Rico; and their children are Sebastinon  and Fabian.  Mario is in heating and air conditioning.  I do believe that Culpeper is changing and that we are richer for it.

These two brothers are characters....talking to them was like being in the middle of a comedy routine and they are funny.  It doesn't look like it here, but they both have the same twinkle in their eyes. They are Chris and Josh Alan and they work construction for SW Rogers. They are darn proud of that 87 Mustang that they are in front of and they should be.  I hope they catch this when it shows up in the newspaper.

This man is a fixture at Yowell Park early in the morning.  He is Rick Robey and he is an avid bird watcher.  When I asked him what birds he had seen, he reeled off a list that was pretty long and included some that I had never heard of.  Rick is also the minister of a local church, Kingdom Hall on Rixeyville.  He and his wife moved here a couple of years ago from Brooklyn, New York.  She came to the United States from Japan just eight years ago.  Rick is currently talking with the Culpeper authorities to see if he can sponsor some birdwatching walks through the park.  I think it is a great idea.

WE HAVE HAD A LONG STRETCH OF REALLY HOT WEATHER AND I WANTED TO CRUISE AROUND THE PEPPER AND SEE JUST WHAT PEOPLE WERE DOING ON A 100 DEGREE DAY. 

This is Tim Betton and he is new to the Pepper as of February.  He came to us from Pittsburgh by way of Maryland.  He is in absolute direct sunlight; is sopping wet; and just as happy as he can be.  He is polishing his car!  Man, it is almost 100!  He says he doesn't mind the heat so much!  I guess not, but I quickly headed back to my air conditioned car.  Tim is a pharmacologist who is a patent examiner. 

Shirley Racy went out on a 100 degree day to get gas.  Hmmmm, we do all need gasoline come rain or shine I guess. She is retired from working at the Early Learning Center for 12 years.  She is a true native and was born right here.  I have to admit that she looks like it is about 70 degrees.

Katlyn Wright is the first person I ran into who was doing what I think is something normal on a 100 degree day.  Of course it helps that she is 18 and just graduated from Eastern High and is not employed right now.  Be that as it may.... she is headed to the swimming pool!  Ta Dah!

As I expected......no one went to Mountain Run Lake Park when the temperature is so high. 

Good jobs, guys!

One thing I knew for sure was that some people had to work outside regardless of the heat.  This is Todd Kinsin on the tractor.  He said that he liked to work outdoors best because it gives him a sense of accomplishment.   He works for Premier Sports Fields Maintenence which is a subcontractor to the Culpeper Parks system and maintains the sports complex next to Eastern View.  Exactly 12 noon for this picture.  Whew!

I thought about what other business are going regardless of heat or cold or storm or anything else.  I decided it was selling used cars.  I pass the Priced Right Car Sales all the time and so I went over to see if they were selling.  You bet your boots they were.  Here is Claude Whited all ready to sell me a primo used Cadillac. He has owned this lot for the last 12 years.

Let's see.....Neither rain nor snow nor heat nor gloom of night ....nope that is the US Postal Service and I found out that I cannot take pictures of mailmen in their uniforms.....hmmmm.....I think I had a fast one pulled on me with that one.  Anyway, UPS doesn't let those things stop them either.   Did I say it is 100 degrees?

These guys are incredible.  I found them out in front of Chili's about 4 pm and they had been there since 11am!  It was so hot and these guys were selling raffle tickets to support the Brandy Station Vol. Fire Dept.  They had more big things planned on into the night.  Most of them are still smiling....quite a dedicated group.  We have J.D. Bailey, Savannah Smith, Peggy Bailey and in back, Jeff Bailey.  They have my respect.....and since I bought some raffle tickets from them I have been sitting by the phone planning how I am going to spend the $3000 prize money.

THE BIG FINISH

There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that a 100 degree day would not deter men from being out on the golf course at Culpeper Country Club.  These guys were participating in a seniors tournament and they were a great bunch....a lot of fun and very cooperative, especially considering the heat.  Left to right, Ross Taplett, Red Jenkins, Jim Ruffner and Pokey Buchanan.  Heat or no, these guys were enjoying themselves.  When you've got guys named "Red" and "Pokey"  you know you have some lively bunch.

This has been a particularly interesting group of people.  I always ask the people I am shooting if they  grew up in Culpeper and the majority did not.  However, many are from Orange, Remington, Spotsylvania or somewhere close, but this time we had two people from Germany, one from Puerto Rico and a man whose wife had fairly recently come from Japan.  Interesting! 

That is it for now.   Comments can be sent to:

facesofculpeper@gmail.com

Be sure to watch for Rich Crowley's Snapshots of Culpeper which appears weekly in the Culpeper Times.