Rahier’s Column Clock

From the Belmont newsletter at GariMelchers.org:

“After an absence of nine months, Gari and Corinne Melchers’ thirty hour long case clock work has returned from the clockmaker’s repair shop. Mr. Mark R. Pellman of Ashland, Virginia performed the repairs, aside from the micro-welding of the gears which had to be sent away. The beautifully incised pewter face was fashioned by a craftsman named Rahier from Eupen, Belgium, as inscribed. The face is not original to the works behind it, nor are either the face or works original to the long case. The case was probably made in the 19th century in Holland or Germany, while the works and face probably are one hundred years older.”

Election

Mid-term general election, 8 November 2022, the new Westlake Precinct in Stafford County: Edwin Ridout, Mike Straley, Perry Darley, Rebecca Straley, Bob Jankovits, John Summer, Jim Holt, Leslie Raterman, Heather Smithson, Gloria Chittum (Secretary, Electoral Board), Tricia Gardner-Gonzalez. Open 6am-7pm, 956 voters, just one race, 7th US Congressional District. Our precinct results: incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D) 259, Yeslie Vega (R) 692, write-ins 5. District-wide result (after 215 of 226 precincts reported): Spanberger 140,582; Vega 129,416; write-ins 641.

Fredericksburg

Ginko tree (Nov 5th and Nov 19th 2022) at the US National Cemetery, with St George’s church spire in the distance. And again, the third photo, 6:45am June 3rd 2023. This is a site of the Confederate defenses of Fredericksburg, and often a pleasant part of my Saturday morning run.

My 25th Virginia 10-Miler

At the top, 2022 with Allen Vaughan (who was first in our age group). Flashbacks: in 1998, Edwin, Walt, Vic, BJ, Connie (and with those flowers in hand, did both Vic and BJ get an age group place that year?); in 2006, Elspeth and Edwin; in 2009, Tim and Edwin; 2010, Edwin, Sharon, Walt (night before, and after the race); 2011, at the finish. This year, 2022, I ran faster than the year before but placed 4th instead of 2nd in the age group. Should have trained more.