Sat July 4th 7:30am, Run 28, race, Fallen Heroes 5-Miler, 1:02:47, 12:34 pace, 3rd of 11 in M70-99, followed by hash and eggs with friends at Silver Diner, very hot and humid, at the start: Sunny, 82°F, 28°C, Humidity 89%, Wind NNW 1mph, UV 3, AT 100°F, Activity Feel 100°F, 38°C
HOA treasury handover
Wolf Trap Opera
Lee Drive
Garter Snake

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.
Memorial Day Weekend
Photos by various. Click to stop slideshow. Click to enlarge. Available: right-click and save-as. Enlarged pics can be scrolled left or right.
Barred Owl

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

Rhys’s piano recital
Special Election: Gerrymandering


We had a fairly busy day with no significant mistakes. We were strictly told to answer no questions about the amendment, not even to read it aloud. But none of the 1,786 voters had a question. The amendment failed in both Hartwood, Stafford County as a whole, and the neighboring Spotsylvania County, but it passed statewide by a slight majority. Eventually I suppose the courts will decide whether the amendment is lawful or not. [On May 8th, the Virginia Supreme Court said not.] At the general election last November, we had 1,902 voters, and 3,691 at the presidential election in November 2024.
Spring Choral Concert
University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia
The Fredericksburg Singers is a college/community group I’ve been thrilled to be a part of. In this concert, before the intermission, the chamber choir and the UMW chorus each performed some of their own pieces. After the intermission, at recording minute 33, the Fred Singers were added to those two groups to perform first the Aaron Copeland song Stamp your Foot, then the Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzen, then the finale from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Gondoliers. Our director is Dr Chris Ryder, and our accompanists (piano for four hands) were Dr Melissa Wells and Dr Robert Wells.








