Nature

Squirrel-Proof

| edwinridout
Very clever squirrel-proof birdfeeder. The portals close when the weight of the squirrel exceeds the tension of the spring holding up the outer shell of the feeder. However our squirrels can hang upside-down with their back legs gripping the pole and thereby reach into open portals. While there, they can tear the bottom of the inner ring away from the plastic tube, reducing the effectiveness of the portal closing mechanism and enhancing future squirrel dining. We bought suet nuggets coated with red hot pepper said to be undetectable to birds but anathema to mammals. (They sting our sensitive hands.) But apparently some mammals actually prefer spicy food.

Lee Drive

| edwinridout
Running Lee Drive at dawn, I had to clamber over two big trees blocking the road between Lee’s Hill and Picket Circle. Met this friendly park neighbor, busy with his chain saw. He thought my 2014 Hartwood 10-Miler t-shirt might have something to do with hardwood.

Garter Snake

| edwinridout

At Belmont today, other-duties-as-assigned included removing this fellow from the front entrance before the guests could see it. This was not my first snake assignment here. I used a broom and a janitor’s dustpan-on-a-pole. Snake handler certification pending.

Sent from Proton Mail for Android.

Barred Owl

| edwinridout
7:27pm May 9 2026, in our front yard, photo by our neighbor Jack Murray. We’ve had several sightings of this bird in the last few weeks, but haven’t recently heard him ask “Who cooks for you?” Perhaps a month before we started seeing him this year, we had several times heard the call in the distance. Years ago, we used to hear that and another owl call quite frequently.

On May 13, Jack saw the owl again and got this photo:

Sunrise running

| edwinridout

Sunrises on Pre-Hyperion Run (run before FARC Saturday group run):

Made it to Pickett Circle in time for the sun. Solo this time.
Ingleside, about 6/15am 6/6/2026, Jeff, Edwin, Cat, LaTonya
Edwin, Cat, LaTonya, 6am 5/30/26 sunrise, U of Mary Washington
Megan’s Loop by Karen: Karen, Cat, Edwin, May 16th, 6:21am, at UMW bridge.

Megan’s Loop: 6:27am, May 9th, top of Hospital Hill: Cat N, me, LaTonya M.

Megan’s Loop: 4/25/26, 6:45am, the notorious Gordon Shelton Blvd. The spire is actually Wegman’s grocery store.
Megan’s Loop atop Hospital Hill, 6:35am April 18th: LJ Darcy, Edwin Ridout, Karen Hawkins, John Ashburn, LaTonya Miller, Cat Norvell. Joining us a mile later: Nancy Pcsolyar.

On the Higgins Bridge, 4/4/26 7:30am

About 7:15am daylight savings time (said to be sunrise time), at about mile 5 on the group run course, clockwise: me, John Ashburn, Karen Hawkins, Cat Norvell.
Edwin, Jeff H, Cat N at Howison Hill, 6:57am 2/28/2026. Just a hint of a snowbank left over from early January.

Above, sunrise on Howison Hill, mile 4, 7:30am Sat Feb 14th: Edwin, John Ashburn, Cat Norvell.

Looking into the sunrise this time, mile 5, Feb 14th 2026, 7:40am, with the terraced National Cemetery behind us (Civil War, 15,000 Federal soldiers). Me, LJ, Cat, Jeff, John.

John A, Cat N, LJ D, LaTonya M, Edwin R, at Cossey Park 1/17/26. Photo by fisherman Steve (?).
Dec 27th in Pratt Park about 7:40am: Edwin R, John A, LJ D, Cat N.
Departing Lee Drive about 7:15am, Dec 20th: Edwin R, John A, Jeff H, LJ D.
Photo by Karen on the UMW Shell Path about 7am, 10/18/2025: Karen H, LJ D, Edwin R, Brian M.

Below, from Ingleside Drive, 7:15am, October 4th. Running with tall people: LJ Darcy, Jeff Haber, and me, with Falmouth Bridge in the distance.

Below, from Ingleside Drive, 7:05am, Sept 13th, also showing Falmouth Bridge.

Below, Sept 13th, Ingleside Drive

Below, Sept 6th, Fredericksburg National Cemetery:

Below, August 30, UMW athletic fields:

Below, Aug 23rd on the Chatham Bridge:

Below, with Megan McDonald, July 4th on the Chatham Bridge before we went over to JMHS for the race.

Snow Day

| edwinridout
Big snow (for us) was 4½”, falling much of the day Sunday 1/25/2026, ending with another 1″ of sleet after I’d snow-blown the driveway.

Then that white ice lasted almost three weeks. We found we could drive over it, but walking was very difficult. Eventually I levered-up a shovelfull at a time to make a single path the length of the driveway. And on a friend’s advice, I spread pelletized limestone hoping to add traction. After the ice melted this week, the lime remained on the asphalt. Photo Feb 14th 2026.

Cold morning run

| edwinridout
Almost 7am, Saturday 1/24/2026, St Clair Brooks Park, at about our third mile. Edwin, Cat, John, LJ, Josh. Only the camera noticed the first signs of a sunrise. I was trying to catch the sparkle of Fredericksburg city lights, here barely seen through the trees. It was cold — the app said “12°F, -11°C, Humidity 31%, Wind N 10mph…” It was cold when the wind was blowing, but mostly it wasn’t. Our first big winter snowfall didn’t start until later, at almost midnight. I finished 9 miles at about an 11:30 pace.

Belmont

| edwinridout
The Melchers’ sun room, added about 1920 to their 1795 home at Falmouth, Virginia. (My first time allowed inside, helping the curator remove a Christmas decoration.) On the left, as Gareth pointed out, is Long Walk beyond the row of boxwoods. To the right are the stone studio and galleries.