Hot Rods, Motorcycles, Cute Women, Ice Cream at CJ's, Sweaty Men and Hot, Hot, Hot.....it is summer in Culpeper!!





Summer is definitely upon us here in the Pepper.  We had such a nice, moderate June that I was hopeful that this was going to be an exceptionally nice summer, but then we had rains every day for what seemed like forever.  In fact as I launch this edition of "Faces" rain is predicted for the next four days.  The last week to ten days have been beastly hot.... my car thermometer is regularly reading between 108 and 112.   Gotta get that fixed.  I suspect this particular Maxima was built for Death Valley or something, but it is hard for me to know how uncomfortable to be if I don't know the exact temperature.  :) 

Anyway, I started shooting for this blog and for my Rich Crowley's Snapshot of Culpeper feature in the Culpeper Times, and found that as it got hotter, the fewer and fewer people there were outside.  Well...to tell the truth there were usually sweaty men outside working, but how many of those do you think I want to photograph?   The answer is.....not many.  It was almost impossible to find women outdoors (too smart) so I moved into stores and found a plethora of them. 

 

I have a lot of shots for you this time so let's get going to see who they are.

Here it is, early in the summer and the end of the season for most youth soccer.  I was at my six year old granddaughter's final game of the season.  I looked at all of the parents and grandparents who had been faithful followers of these fledgling soccer stars and thought about how cool it was that  most of these kids had such great support.  Soccer moms are legendary in their devotion to their kids.  Here are three of those moms in Culpeper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wife, Andrea and I will have lived in Culpeper for six years this August and I have already completed my third full year of doing the "Faces of Culpeper" blog which you are reading at this moment.   Here's the deal..... she is my favorite face in this entire town and I have yet to feature her....so here goes.  She is on the right in this picture with our good friend, Jenna Palmer.  Andrea and Jenna are on their way to the Kennedy Center for the opening of a new ballet. One of the great things about living in the Pepper is that we are close enough to participate in cultural and entertainment events, but do not have to deal with the traffic that goes with them... at least not permanently.  If you could just see my face as I took this picture you would see a huge grin.  Not just because I love the subject matter, but because I am not going to the ballet.

 

In between rain storms the weather has been very pleasant for this time of year.  As I was driving past Culpeper County High School I saw this guy and a friend enjoying the good weather on the tennis courts.  Not long after I took this shot the skies opened and we had a deluge.  This is Michael Leap and he is a Culpeper native and even graduated from CCHS where he was playing tennis.  He graduated from Culpeper County High School in 1989 and is now a mail carrier.

About a month ago a business new to Culpeper opened on Rte. 29.  It is a

Koons car lot of previously owned vehicles. A Culpeper native, Richard Pratt is the manager.  Richard has lived here all of his life, but told me that this is the first time that he has actually been employed in the Peper.  For the last couple of years he has worked for Koons in Fredericksburg and is excited to be near his home.  They will be creating a showroom in the back half of the  Verizon building which Koons has purchased. I asked him what made this car lot special and he told me that they have cars in a price range attractive to everyone plus he can get financing for any buyer. Then he added  that the Koons family  has been in the automotive business since 1964.

 

 

 

One of the great things about the Fourth of July celebration in Culpeper is the car show.  Lately I have been watching, "Counting Cars"  and "Fast and Loud"  which are reality shows about rebuilding old cars and making them really cool hot rods.  At this local car show I had my eyes open for cars that came from Culpeper when I saw this little beauty.  Many of the cars are from other places and so I was really happy to find a few from the Peper.  It is a 31 Ford Roadster which I am told is driven around town "all the time" by these folks.  This is Frank and Dana Berry who built it and made it such a cool machine.  I have to say that I am really impressed.

 Here is another Culpeper couple with their pride and joy..... or maybe I should say, prides and joys, since there are two cars.  This is Wayne and Sharon and they are standing next to a 34 Ford three-window-coupe which they restored.  Wayne used to build race cars and so working on these cars is a natural.  The car in the background is also theirs and it is a 32 Chevy Roadster.  They tell me that they drive them around town all the time.  That is just waaaay cool.

 

At the car show there was also a display of motorcycles right across from the Depot.  This is Rick Asby.  As I understand it, he along with his wife Sue Ann are members of the Solid Rock Full Gospel Church   and are in charge of the Motorcycle Ministry.  They have the following scripture on their business card:  "Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in."  Luke 14:23 Kind of fun.....and serious.

 

 

 

 I was in Belk shopping for some new Levis and ran into this man.  Like me his name is Rich, and like me, he is recently retired from Northern Virginia.  He is Rich Florence and he retired from the State Department three years ago.  He and his wife moved here from Alexandria.  He told me that he wanted enough land to build a "garden railroad."   He said that he has been working on it and that is has already gotten bigger than he planned.  I hope he invites me to see it sometime.

 

FREE FOOD FOR KIDS
 

 

 This is Joseph Jackson and he is performing a very important task this summer.  He is representing the USDA in helping to get food to those children who may otherwise do without.  The hours are posted on the sign.  There are two distribution sites for this program and they are, Yowell Park and Belle Avenue near the apartments behind TJMaxx.  Joseph works for the Culpeper Headstart program during the school year.  This food program makes it possible for no children in our community to go hungry for breakfast and lunch.  Please advise anyone that you may know about it.



We had a great summer going and then.....
IT GOT HOT HOT HOT
 

 

After having a very temperate beginning to summer, in July things got  hot and stayed that way!  One of the favorite things for my family members to do when the weather gets hot is to go to CJ's Ice Cream for some.....you guessed it, ice cream!!!     While there I spotted this cute family having their own ice cream event.  This group is the Chad and Tina Smith family and they were enjoying themselves.  Chad is a landscaper for Meadows Farm and Tina works for MEMCO.     No word on who the person is in the background. While at CJs eating ice cream, I commented to my son that I had trouble finding women to photograph candidly for this blog.  Since it had gotten hot fewer people were  out and about and those who were out  were almost entirely men.  Then he said: "HAVE YOU TRIED TARGET?" I had not and it made a lot of sense that there would be women shopping at Target.  There always are and I was pretty sure that a little heat would not interfere with that....especially since it is so nicely air conditioned.  Sooooooooooooo  this is who I found at Target.  I found Jessica Johnson with her son Darren.  She also had a baby in a baby seat on the cart, but I failed to ask anything about that child.  I must be slipping.  She said, "I always see your pictures in the paper and wondered why I have never run into you."  Well.........check that one off.  She and her husband Kevin are former residents who moved to Leesburg for a few years and then came back for him to manage Glory Days.           On the right is Angie Myers and on the left is her daughter Sorcha (very cool Irish name) Turnbull. They live in Orange but shop in the Pepper.  I don't make this age mistake often, but I was not sure that either of them was eighteen.  Well.....I was sure about Sorcha, but Angie threw me a bit.   I am only concerned about that because it is prudent to get a parental release before you put a picture of a minor in a public blog such as this.  It is just too much hassle to worry about so I was not only surprised that this was a mother/daughter, but very pleased.                                                               Here is Jessica Jarrells and Aaron.  Jessica works as a nurses aide at Culpeper Hospital.  She is a lifelong resident of the Pepper.  She was just a little shy but she is going to see in this picture that she is very photogenic. I took about six shots and she was perfect in every one. BACK OUTSIDE TO THE HEAT Did I mention sweaty men?   Well, these guys were working hard  and it was hot.  My car thermometer said 104 as I recall, but I already established that it doesn't work, but trust me.....it was hot.  These guys were working on the playground in our subdivision and making it very nice.  From the left are: Brian Jernigan, Bobby Wright (crew leader), Shawn Bragg and Jason Wright.                           This is a great guy!  I saw his bike.... and it is a beauty....sitting in his driveway and hoped the owner would make an appearance and he did.  He was friendly and willing and even climbed on the bike for me.  I am pretty sure that he doesn't ride without shoes.  Glenn Elliot has recently returned with his wife to Culpeper.  He has clocked 25 years here.  He works at Custom Cabinets. BIG FINISH!!!!! Sometimes I have a big finish for my blog....this is one of those times.  I am going back to Target for my subject.  This is (drum roll, please) Ms. Nikki Sample.  She is a woman with a huge happy personality.  I found out from her that she oversees all the mental health facilities from Manassas to Orange.  That is impressive by itself, but here comes the biggie:  Nikki is (another drum roll would be appropriate) the quarterback for the Culpeper women's football team..... here it comes......THE RAGE!!!!! They play at Yowell Meadow Park on Sunday mornings.  I have watched them before...although only briefly...and they mean business.  If you don't believe it, just check out Nikki's left foot.  That is a genuine bona fide football injury and this is some fun woman.  She invited me and so I am inviting you, to join the Rage Nation on Sundays.                                                                            WHEW!!!!! That does it for now.  If you have comments or suggestions you can write them here or email me at:   facesofculpeper@gmail.com   also don't forget to check my weekly piece in the Culpeper Times, called, "Rich Crowley's Snapshot of Culpeper."

 

Bits and Pieces of Culpeper, Virginia

It seems like a long time since I have blogged here.  Maybe that is because it has been a long
time.  I have quite an eclectic group of shots and people this time.  One thing is for sure.... there is no shortage of interesting people here in the Pepper. 

Just a note of explanation....  I have been asked several times why I refer to Culpeper as "the Pepper"  and not "the Peper" which would match the spelling of the town's name.  It seems self evident to me but, I use "Pepper"  because that is how the second half of the name is pronounced.  I think that "Peper" would cause confusion and that many people may pronounce that as "Peeper."  Love it or hate it, that is my thinking.  Pepper, Pepper, Pepper!!

Soooooooooooooooo..... since this blog is all about the faces of people here in the Pepper...let's get busy.

==

 

I think that one of the hardest parts of moving into a new town is finding the health professionals
that you can trust and are comfortable with.  I have had a few issues and so I have quite a team of
doctors in Fairfax.   We are continuing to try to find doctors in this area or nearby. I have one that I really like in Charlottesville and now we have a dentist right here in Culpeper!  She is Shannon Butler and is the second from the left in this picture.   From the left is Mona Jenkins who is a Dental  Assistant and a bonafide native of the Pepper.  Then of course is Dr. Butler and then Melissa Carroll who is the office manager and also a native.  Finally the person on the far right is Laurice Toker who is the receptionist.  My wife was referred to Dr. Butler and had excellent experiences with her and her staff.  Finally this week I decided to give them a try.  They were so nice!!!!  They were so professional!!!!  I am sure there are many others here in town, but this is the practice for us.   

 

                                    

                                          

 

It seems to me that one of the most popular places here in the Pepper is at the red box machines.  Knowing that, I laid-in-wait at the one at Walgreens to capture  someone in the act of renting a movie.  The first guy there told me that he "hated" having his picture in the paper.....  Hmmmm, I wonder how many times he has been featured in a newspaper.  However, that is fine with me....I would never want to put someone in the Culpeper Times who did not want to be there.  Robin Amos who is featured here was getting a movie for her kids.  Robin has her own business  as a  bookkeeper (I just noticed that "bookkeeper" has three double letters right in a row!) for some small businesses.  That job allows her to have an office in her home and maximize the her time with her two girls, who by the way, attend Emerald Hill Elementary.  While Robin and I chatted she often looked over my shoulder at her car.  Finally, there was some noise there and I turned around to see two of the cutest faces ever pressed up against the windshield of the car.  I could not hear exactly what they said, but it had to be something like: "MOM!.....come on!!"

 

 

 

 

I have to admit that I am attracted to people with large personalities.  Just look at Laurie Brown and you can tell she is one of those people.  She cuts my wife's hair and my wife told me that I would like Laurie and should include her in my blog. Andrea was right.   When I went over to take the shot, the whole shop came to a stand still and most of the people watched what was going on.  Laurie who is the manager of the Hair Cuttery located next to the Tropical Smoothie did not miss a beat.  She has four kids ages 4 to 14, runs this shop and is still smiling.  Oh....she is a lifelong resident of Culpeper.

 

 

 

 

 Yowell Meadow Park is an amazing place.  I have long contended that if I just pitched a tent there and waited,  I could get way more than enough pictures to fill 20 blogs.  When I first started doing my "Faces of Culpeper" blog I prepared a rather extensive piece on the Yowell Meadow Park.  I included pictures of the beautiful surroundings as well as the people who were there.  To date it has remained my most popular blog.   For example last week, after more than two years, it received 45 hits.  The picture above shows a classic reason why.  My wife and I try to walk at Yowell every morning. So often something interesting is going on somewhere in the park ....and this was at nine in the morning.  As we approached the tennis courts I could see something pretty interesting and unusual happening on the basketball courts.  Two men were going through a Kung Fu fight with staffs.....in slow motion.  I, of course, had to find out what was cooking.  First, on the left is Eric Conto who grew up in Culpeper and now works at Culpeper Wood Preservers.  He has a wife and four kids ages 5-14 years.....now that I think about it, that may require a little Kung Fu training to manage. The other man is Sifu (a title of respect that means "teacher") Gordon Wicks.  Gordon is from Sperryville, but works at the Culpeper Regional Hospital.  He is located at the Powell Wellness Center and is a personal trainer.  This is the cool part:  Gordon teaches at Yowell three times a week and anyone is welcome.  AND....the best part is that it is free!  He teaches Qigong which is breathing control and he teaches martial arts.  He is at the tennis courts every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. and every Saturday at 8 a.m.  Check it out!

 

 

 

 It is amazing to watch this lady walk these four dogs.  They all stay directed and they mind her!  I see lots of people whose dogs are dragging them along for a walk, but not this lady!  It is probably because she is a professional.  Joanne McCleary is a dog trainer plus she specializes in obedience show training.  She also offers training in behavior modification.  These are her dogs and the shepherd on the left is a therapy dog.  The little black guy on the right closest to her is very old and blind in one eye, but he fits right in with the others.  Joanne has kind of an "all purpose" dog business.  If you would like to contact her write to: rumples316@aol.com. 

 

 

 

 

This is Amanda Christensen who, as you can see, is into kayaking.  I have been acquainted with Amanda ever since her parents moved in next door to us about four years ago.  Amanda works at Micron as a manufacturer's technology trainer for photo lithography.

 





This is Amanda and her friend, Daniel Budd.  





 

I recently discovered the store called,  "Natural Harvest."  It is in the strip mall on Route 229 directly across from the Dominion Skating Center.  Because the strip mall is mostly empty, it is easy to assume that Natural Harvest is not open......but it is!!  They have a wide array of healthy products and locally grown and raised produce and meats.  Much of what is available is gluten free, allergy free etc.  For the customer who has difficulty finding food that they are not allergic to, this is the place.  They also feature a kind of tea called MTO Kombucha that is made in Orleans, VA.  It promises to improve you health and body functions in many ways. 

This store is owned by Gregg and Erin Hoffman who are natives of Culpeper.  Their store is cool, but more importantly it is unique in its healthy offerings.  You really owe it to yourself to stop by, get acquainted and see what they have that interests you. 

 

 

 

One of the things I enjoy doing during spring is dropping  by the big tent/greenhouse  at Meadows Farm Nursery to see the tremendous array of beautiful flowers.  This is Barbara Burger and she has worked at the Meadows Culpepper Nursery for the last fifteen years.  She knows everything you need to know about plants and flowers and is kind of an institution here.  This year she has moved to a brand new Meadows outlet at New Baltimore.  I was just lucky to have stopped by on a day that she was helping out in Culpeper.

 

 

 





As I walked near the pavilion in Yowell I heard a guitar and a clear voice singing full out.  I asked the young man if he would mind an audience.  We talked about our backgrounds....I was the singer with the Fabulous Chancellors in the 60s (Google:  Fabulous Chancellors 50s, 60s, 70s.... or ITunes) and  he is in the early stages of his career.  Whitney Blanchard has recently moved here from Texas.  We talked about old rock n roll songs that we both know.  I was impressed with his knowledge of  songs from back in the day.  He asked me if I knew "Earth Angel."  I sure do!!!  He started singing it and I joined in on harmony.  It was a very cool moment..... two men about 45 years apart singing a rock classic.  I have sung before thousands of people many times, but this time it was for no audience at all..... just me and Whitney singing a song we love.... "Earth Angel, Earth Angel, will you be mine........"

 

 I was at the Windmill Heights Garden Center and met this gentleman  whose name is Mason Hutcheson. It turns out that Mason is the original owner of the business and that  he has fairly recently passed it on to the younger generation.  He told me that he came to Culpeper in 1957 as a 4H Agricultural Extension Agent.  He said that he has been growing plants for fifty years. Mason seems to be a true Southern gentleman.  When I asked if I could take his picture he said I could but that he would have to keep moving and watering these hanging plants.  I guess that makes this an action shot.

 

 

 

AND NOW FOR THE BIG FINISH...... 



 When I encountered this group of women walking, I knew right away that they were something special.  Just check out all the happy faces and enthusiasm.  They call themselves, "Culpeper's Lovely Lady Lumps."  They are in training for a walk to support a cure for breast cancer that will take place in October.  This is not just any walk, but a SIXTY MILE walk and, "the boldest breast cancer event in history."  This is truly a great cause and at this time there are 16 members in their group and all  support it.  From the left are Dawn Bender, Tiffany Hampton, Leslie Henry, Mona Bender, Jennifer Bender, Jessica Arnold and baby Ashlynn Hampton.  They are such a positive group.  Mona is a four and a half year survivor of cancer and they are rallying around her.  Their goal is to raise $40,000.  I believe they have raised $6,000 so far.  As a twenty nine year cancer survivor myself, I encourage you to join them in their effort and make a contribution. You can contact,    

jenny.bender80@gmail.com



That's all for now folks!  Be on the lookout.... I may appear when you least expect it and ask to take your picture.  Be sure to watch every week for Rich Crowley's Snapshot of Culpeper  in the Culpeper Times.  If you have comments or suggestions, be sure to share with me. 

 



Cold Cold Culpeper

 

Brrrrrr!  I noted in my last blog that we had gone a long time without any really cold weather.  I like cold weather..... at least for a while.  It must be because I grew up in cold cold Idaho.  Anyway, we ended up getting plenty of cold....even for me.  When it is cold outside it is a lot harder for me to find people to photograph because they are just not hanging around outside.  There are places I know that will always have people regardless of the weather, but not many.  They tend to be stores and restaurants.....IHop, Chick Fila, McDonalds, Walmart, Martins etc.  However, next time that you are at one of those places in the winter observe what the people do.  If they can, they stay in their car.  If they venture out of the car they do it at high speed or at least at "their" highest speed.   If a guy like me says, "Excuse me, can we talk for a second?"  they look at me like I just escaped from the Looney Bin and they double time it out of there.  There is no doubt that it is easier to get pictures in warmer weather. 

 

Let's see who the champions are who stopped for a second and waited for a picture.  Trust me....they represent a minority.

 

 

 

I really had an exact idea of the picture that I wanted to start this blog on the cold weather.  I watched for several days for the right person with no luck.  I was looking for a woman with a fur lined hood or a stocking cap and a scarf who could smile in spite of the cold.  Then I found Amanda  Halsey and she was perfect!  She is not only a cutie but very conversant.  Amanda lives in the Pepper, but commutes to Charlottesville to attend Piedmont Virginia Community College.  She has not definitely tied down her career yet, but says it will be either in the medical field or in criminal justice.

 

 

Last summer on a day that was 100 degrees I went out to take pictures of those brave souls who were out working or playing or ....... whatever when the heat was blistering.  I found quite a few interesting people that day.  Soooooo......on a day when it was 20 degrees I decided that I would go see who

was out and about when it was way below freezing.  They were not so easy to find.  The first group I saw was a group of men working on the power lines by Wendy's.  I discovered that not one of those guys lived in or even near Culpeper so they didn't work for this blog and other than those guys the town looked fairly deserted.  Then I saw a lady dressed in a white coat, Claudi Wade, and I had my first brave soul of the day. 

 

One of the things that has surprised me just little is how many people who live in Culpeper have fairly recently come from other countries.  Claudie and her husband had lived a few different places in our general area for the last two years.  Before that Claudie was living just outside of Paris, France.  To prove it, she has a delightful accent.  I asked her what the hardest adjustment from Paris to the Pepper was and she told me that there was not as much entertainment here.  No kidding!!  From one of the most exciting cities in the world to such a quiet town is quite a leap.  However, she was not complaining and is enjoying living here.....she loves her new house.  Oh....you can meet her where she works....TJMaxx. 

 

 

I moved on looking for those out braving the 20 degree temperature.  Did I mention that the wind was blowing which made it even colder?  The truth is that there were very few men out in this weather and even the women were all clustering around stores....such as Martins.   I am generally pretty bold and/or positive about approaching people for pictures.  However, on this particular day I had a hard time motivating myself to get people to stand out in the cold to talk to me.  I developed the approach of asking people on the way into Martins if I could photograph them for this blog and then walking into the store with them and talking by the rows of carts.  It turned out that that did not really work all that well.  So back out in the parking lot I found Kevin Young who says that he "hates the cold" but it is part of his job to go out and get the carts that the shoppers have left in the parking lot.  He was a good sport, but even all wrapped up, he looks cold.

 

 

On the 20 degree day I learned that people from the Madison area come to Martins to shop.  I ran into two ladies in a row who were out in the cold.  They were both school teachers from Madison and had a free day because the schools had closed due to the threat of snow. This is Gail Wasalko and she teaches Spanish at Albemarle High School.

 

 

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED FOR SNOW AND THERE IS NO SNOW....

I GET IT......I REALLY DO

Here is the buzz on closing schools for snow when there is no snow.  This is  for those who smugly say they would never close schools:  School officials are responsible for the safety of thousands of children and they make decisions from weather reports that are  generally very conservative in order to safeguard that safety.  They have to make a call that they know will be unpopular (doesn't matter which way they go.....it will be unpopular) but will protect the kids.  These decisions are no doubt the most second guessed decisions in the world.  All school systems in order to be fiscally prudent have to use their buses over and over each day for different grade levels. A decision to close the schools once they are in session takes hours to complete because all of one grade level has to be delivered home before the buses can go back for a second round and usually  that is repeated for a third round.  A lot can happen with the weather in three hours it takes from start to finish.  Besides that, there are hundreds of small narrow roads in Virginia that the buses have to traverse.  If these roads get bad it is very likely that a car will slide off and block the road or worse, a bus will slide off the road and injure students.  If you think people are upset when they have to keep their kids home you should see how they are if the kids are trapped at school.  One year when I was working in Fairfax County they decided to take a chance with the weather and have the kids go to school.  About ten o'clock it was obvious that the kids had to get home.  With snow getting heavy and traffic snarling, buses could not get in and out of one elementary school.  The children and staff were trapped in that building until 10 pm.  when enough roads were cleared to start getting the kids out.  Parents were absolutely beside themselves as you can imagine.  Far far better to close the schools and have no school than to have children injured....even one child....or to have a busload of kids off the road somewhere.  So, I really do get it....I hope you get it now.

 

 

Same day....another teacher at Martins.  This charmer is Liz Ford and she is also from Madison where she teaches Kindergarten at Graves Memorial School.  She is a mother of two girls.  There is something special about teachers.  These last two ladies gave me big smiles and chatted with me like it was balmy outside. 

 

 

BARELY ENOUGH SNOW

 

We have had very very little snow this winter and since it is now the end of February, the chances of significant snow are slim to none.  A couple of weeks ago, however, we had a brief but beautiful snow.  I watched out the window as these kids tried to sled and snowboard down the hill, but there just wasn't enough snow.  So they did the other thing that kids do in the snow....they built a fort....and a pretty good one. In the next three hours almost all of the snow melted, but the fort held firm.  The next day it was still looking good and as I submitted this picture to the Culpeper Times for my "Snapshots of Culpeper" feature.  I took some license and said that it lasted a week....and it would have except the next day they all came back a stomped it to smithereens.  That's another thing that kids do. 

 

 

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

 

It seems that this year we have had a lot of cold rain.  On this day it was raining and was a cold 38 degrees.  Thirty eight may not seem so cold but when you add significant rain and wind  to that.....it is cold.  On February 26th I was wrapping up this blog but thought I needed a rain picture....probably someone under an umbrella because it is hard to see it raining in a photograph, but believe me it was raining quite hard. Lots of times I take a camera with me as I go about my business and take pictures for this blog if I happen to see something that appeals to me. Other times I specifically go out with the intent of finding new faces.  This was one of those times.  I thought about where people feel like they must go in spite of the weather and Pet Smart came to mind.  I went over to their parking lot and watched for my perfect candidate.  It was raining hard enough that I had to keep the wipers going.  It became clear right away that I had chosen the right place except everyone was running in and out.  I saw a man with a mustache come out with an animal carrier, but I could not grab my camera and get out before he was in his car and pulling away.  Then came a cute family....I think there were five of them and all but the dad had multi colored hoodies, but they really moved.  Then I saw just the perfect guy.  He strolled out of the store like there was no rain.....a perfect manly man.  He had two heavy bags on his shoulder and looked the kind of fit that comes  from  workin  physically.  I told him who I was etc.  and he was very accommodating.  I took my shot and then had him climb in his car while I got the info.  This is Jeff Woodall and he is a horse trainer.  He lives just outside of town with his girlfriend and her daughters....I think, three. He has lived in Culpeper for ten years and the bags were not for horses,  they were dog food.   Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night stops a man from getting food for his dogs.   Hmmmmmm maybe that is a postman.  Oh, well.

 

 

WRONG, WRONG

 

 I have been saying quite often lately that we were too far into the year to have any more significant snow......Wrong!!!!!   We got our biggest and best snow storm the first week of March.  We even lost power for about five hours.  So to make ammends I went out looking for one more picture to add to this blog although I published it about a week ago.  Right in front of TJMaxx I saw DeAndrea Kontir all bundled up and her son CJ running around and around.  Since DeAndrea was looking like a model or movie star, I decided that I better get her picture.  She lives in Rixeyville.

 

 

 

 

 

That's all for this time.  I am always interested in new faces for my blog and for my "Snapshots of Culpeper" feature in the Culpeper Times.  If you have ideas for this blog or would like to be included be sure to contact me at:

 

facesofculpeper@gmail.com



It's Pony Time!!  My Visit to the Library of Congress Archives for Media at Mount Pony.

AND

Winter Comes to the Pepper....Christmas and All.

I love the winter season!  It never gets very cold here and even though no snow has stayed on the ground yet.....we have had beautiful snowfalls.  Andrea and I spent a good part of December in California with my middle son and his family, but came back before Christmas and celebrated with my two sons who live in this area and their families.  Just before I left for California I received a call from Cory O'Dell  who invited me up to Mt. Pony to see their Christmas tree.  So when I got back I called him right away to get a picture of the tree.  When I got there I had the bonus of a personal tour.  I had never been there before.....shame on me.  It is fascinating.  Long halls and halls of doors and each door leads to a work place where restoration, preservation and cataloging takes place or a vault of old films and old recordings....I mean really old.....like the oldest in existence.  I met the people who worked there and who labor on our behalf to save this part of our history.   I had a great time.

This blog is a bit all over the place, but who cares?  In this blog I also have pictures of people preparing for Christmas downtown and a touch of winter.  First, let's jump in at Mt.  Pony!

As the song goes......boogaty, boogaty, boogaty shoo.....It's Pony Time!!!!

Here is the Library of Congress for media, right outside of Culpeper.  It is officially listed as located at Mt. Pony.  It actually is located on and in Mt. Pony since the building goes a long way underground.  Here are located the archives for media such as movies and recordings.  The building was built around 1963/64 for an entirely different purpose.  This is where Congress would have been relocated had there been an nuclear attack or some other disaster in Washington DC.  Later it became the repository for the back up supply of actual money that the United States would need to restart the economy if some disaster occurred.  When it was no longer needed for either of these uses, it was purchased by David Packard and donated to the Library of Congress.  Up to that point, there were several places around the country where bits and pieces of what would become the total collection were housed.  Having this facility allowed the Library of Congress to centralize everything under one roof.  The experts who now staff this part of the Library came from all parts of the country and  gathered in Culpeper to create, restore and shepherd this amazing collection.

Here is the Christmas tree in the foyer at the Library of Congress, Mt. Pony.  This is Cary O'Dell who is the Assistant to the Advisory Boards.  Cary, like so many others who work at Mt. Pony came to Culpeper because of his job.  He is an interesting guy and provided me with a great tour of the facility.



This Christmas tree is a lot of fun.  It is decorated with ornaments of many of the big stars of film.  On the very top of this tree, the angel is Shirley Temple.  

On this part of the tree is Elvis, Fred Flintstone and Arnold Schwarzenegger among others.

Top to bottom:  Marilyn Monroe, Laurel and Hardy, and James Dean.

This is typical of just one of the many many rooms at Mt. Pony.  The shear volume of movies and other films that are maintained here under very exacting conditions is breath taking.

This is George Willeman and he is the manager of the Nitrate Vault.  As I understand it, very early films were made from nitrate.  They are very volitale and so have to be kept under very specific conditions.  George told me that two weeks ago an early Hoot Gibson movie from the 1920s had been donated to them and it came to him to restore.  It is called Superstition and had thought to be lost.  George is holding a film from1918 that they just received.  It is the original film of Little Orphan Annie.  It is in terrible condition.  You can see that this kind of film rusts.  Because it is one of a kind, George is going to make a concerted effort to save some, if not all of it.  I wish him good luck.....it looked like a goner to me.  Before Mt. Pony was designated the as the site for saving all of these films, they were stored in a vault at Patterson Air Force Base in Springfield, Ohio.  George along  his wife moved here in 2007 to work his magic.

Many of those who work at Mt. Pony are the best in the United States at what they do.  This is Ben Harry who is an audio transfer technician.  He made a point of telling me that he worked on the presentation of the saved materials and not the restoration of them.  Ben moved here three years ago from New York.  He is married and he and his wife have four children ages three through nine.  

This is a very specialized film projector.  I think I better stick with that description.  When I was in high school I worked at a movie theater in Boise, Idaho.  The projectors were nothing like this one. 

This lady is the face of the Library of Congress at Mt. Pony and also the voice you hear when you call to make reservations.  Her name is Jenny Paxon and she came here from Ohio. She lives in Redwood Lakes..... I don't know where that is.  She is the proud owner of a dog and two cats.  She told me that she is really enjoying Culpeper.

This  is a rather lovely atrium that is right in the middle of the building.  Staff members can take a break here or eat their lunch or something that gets them out of their offices.  All work and no play.....you know. 

This fun lady is Dyanne Holt.  You can tell by the uniform that she is "Officer" Holt.  She is located at the security desk as you come in the building and makes sure that everyone has a valid reason for being there and then provides them with a pass.  She has raised her family.  She told me that she is a direct descendant of a Culpeper Minute Man.  Pretty cool!!!


That is it for now about my visit to Mt. Pony.  I hope everyone will get a chance to go there.


NOW LET'S LOOK AT A LITTLE PRE CHRISTMAS WINTER

Before we left for California, Andrea and I went downtown to find a new nativity and to take a couple of pictures for the Culpeper Times.  It was bustling, especially in the specialty shops.  It reminded me of the song "Silver Bells"  where it says, "Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile....."
As always I met some pretty neat people.

While visiting all the fun Christmas stores in Culpeper, we stopped at Designer's Choice.  There I met this mother/daughter team who were perfect for a blog picture with all of the Christmas displays that are found in that store.  The daughter is Candice Southard and she is a realtor at Remax here in the Pepper. Her mom, Mary Lou Phillips, is now retired.  Their family moved here in 1988 and so I think they qualify as old timers.  To steal a line from certain TV commercials, but wait.....there's more!  They moved here from Fairfax which is where we moved from, and Candice attended Robinson Secondary School ("Secondary" because it houses grades 7-12....about 4200 students) until they moved here in 1988.  In 1989 I went to work at Robinson as an administrator!  Okay, so it is not THAT great a coincidence, but I thought it was pretty neat and was something we had fun talking about.

My wife had wanted to check out the "new" store on Davis Street  which features old time candy.  That store is called, "Found and My Secret Stash."  It is two stores in one space and there is so much more than candy , although there is a great variety of that.   This is Allison Haught who is the owner.  She opened the store in February and it is a lot of fun!  You owe it to yourself to drop in.

Oops!
This is out of order.....but, what the heck.  I was cruising through some parking lots on Black Friday afternoon.  I knew that all the eager beavers had completed their shopping hours ago, but  I thought there would still be some people taking advantage of the bargains.  I entered the Kohl's lot and there was Linda Hoffman with two BIG sacks of bargains.  When my wife shops "really good sales" she comes home and says, "Crowley (she calls me that rarely, but almost always in this situation) you are not going to believe how much money I saved you."  From the looks of things, Linda saved herself a bundle.  In talking with her I learned that she owns the "Bonnie Reb Boot Shop" and discovered that they do shoe repair.  One hour later I took a pair of dress shoes in for new heels.  Linda has five children and 16 grandchildren.

And now for the big finish.  I stopped at the Christmas tree lot on the corner of 29 and Ira Hoffman and found this family happily engaged in looking for a tree. The little guys were having a ball darting in and out of the rows of trees and it was a bit like herding cats to get them together for a picture. This cute family of Jason and Amie Davis includes: Jason Jr., Makayla, Zachary and Benjamin.  Jason is a chimney sweep by trade and his business is Davis Chimney Service.  If you have a wood burning stove or fire place then you need to get in touch with him right away. I had a chimney fire once and if there had not been several inches of snow on my roof, I may have had a disaster.  That was all I needed to employ a chimney sweep once every year.  This is the guy to call.


That's it for now.  Don't forget to check out my "snapshots" in the Culpeper Times.   If you would like to comment or connect with me for any other reason you can email me at:

facesofculpeper@gmail.com