faces of culpeper ..... a photo blog

YOU KNOW IT IS SUMMER IN CULPEPER WHEN................................

I spent some time this winter talking about what a wimpy winter we were having. Well......summer has come with a vengeance this year. It is hot, humid and dry.....a real scorcher! I got to thinking about sure signs that summer has hit the Pepper. Let's see what I came up with.

You know it is summer in Culpeper when:

The guys play shirts and skins outdoors

One thing I learned is that you know it is summer when you are out looking for signs of summer and everyone is inside. This day was a hot one, but it is never too hot if they guys are going to play a game. Once the guys discovered that I was there to take a picture of them, only a handful of them got the ball and once they had possession they did not give the ball up until they had shot. Oh, wait a minute! That is almost always the case in pickup games. Oh, well I saw the shirts and skins as a sure sign that summer was here.....oh yeah, and it was a school day and they were all out an playing. Must be summer.

Men begin barbecuing in the heat

These guys were barbecuing at a church picnic I was attending and I hustled to my car to get my camera while I could get action pictures with meat on the grill. I think they must have hustled with equal speed because when I got back they had the meat off the grill and the corn ready to go. They are: Sean Clubb on the left and Mike Paul on the right. Their blinding speed kept me from getting the A+ picture I wanted, so I settled for this.....about a B.

Girls start wearing shorts

They are everywhere during the summer! It is a sure sign that we are immersed in summer heat. This is Kayla Jenkins and she is a genuine Culpeper native! She is taking classes at Germanna and works as the desk clerk at that Holiday Inn.

The Farm Show is held in unbelievable heat!!!!

This is Shawn Walters from the Sheriff's office and his son, Trenton. He told me his wife was pretty tickled when they came out if matching outfits. It was darn cute, actually. Trenton was having a great time with the animals although it had to be waaayyy over100 degrees in those buildings.

Here we are in the arena and goats are being judged. These young people raise and take care every day of the animals they bring to the show. The best ones are awarded ribbons. Certain of the animals that are raised are auctioned off. It is important for the young people to learn and understand the difference between livestock and pets.

This is a group of really good looking young men. They are the ones who have raised pigs to be auctioned for market. This was a Friday and the judging had occurred the evening before and the auction would be on Monday. Right in the middle is a young man who is just a tad older than the others. He is a father of one of the boys and his name is Alex O'Dell.

The Crowley grand kids come all the way from Fresno, California to visit

It is such a rare treat (once a year) to have these good kids in our home. Left to right, Tanner, Chase, Emery and Carsen. This year we got to have them for sixteen days. Other grandparents will understand the joy when they arrive and the emptiness when they leave.

The Fourth of July Parade goes through town

There are lots of fun reasons to like living in the Pepper. This parade is one of them. It takes me back to when I was a little boy.

Here we go with just a few comments.

A policeman shakes my granddaughter's hand.

I complained when there were no horses in the parade. This year there were some....WHOOOPPPEEEEE! To me, a parade is not a parade without some horses.

That Marlys Houston is such a clown!!!

Whew! That was a lot of pictures. Let me remind you of what we are doing.

YOU KNOW IT IS SUMMER IN CULPEPER WHEN......

You know it is summer when you see a young man skateboarding without his shirt. When I walked out my front door I was met with the first image above. I was a bit concerned until the person turned around and started down the hill. Austin O'Rourke is a friend of the kid next door. He is a musician (drummer) and says that he plays a lot of gigs. Good for him. Being a musician myself I can relate.....well, not to the skateboarding, but to playing rock and roll.

This young lady is Britany Walton and she has one son who is full of energy. She went shopping at Target in great summer attire. She works in accouting for a heating and air conditionin company. Bet they are busy.

It is summer when you see this cute family waiting for the bus in the heat and smiling. This is the Moyo family and they have been in Culpeper for about five years. I could tell by the musical lilt in her voice that she did not come from the Pepper. The mom is originally from South Africa. I suggested that she probably was accustomed to the heat and she said that she was, but not the humidity. I learn new things all the time.

It is a great time to just hang out. In this case hanging out in the parking lot of the Regal Cinemas. It was hot but these two did not mind. They describe themselves as "long time good friends." She is Katie Kincheloe and says she lives on a farm. He is Caleb Jackson and he said that he is just enjoying the summer. He was pretty protective of his long time friend.

HERE COMES THE BIG FINISH!!!!!!!