Virginia scenery

Martinsville Virginia antiques

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 15:39:00 +0000

Martinsville is quickly becoming an excellent destination to find some great antique treasures at affordable prices. There are about a dozen antique shops in the are now, all of which have some great finds. My favorite is PPickin Emporium. It's a family owned small business that has new things al the time. They have a lot of different vendors and consignors that bring new goods in weekly. You never know what you may find in there. Anything from beautiful depression ware to rustic primitive barn finds. It's never a disappointing visit.

They are open from 10-5 wed thru Sat, and if you get lucky, maybe Sunday too, but you need to shoot them a message on facebook or call em first to make sure about Sunday. They can be found right on 58, just east of Martinsville at 6620 AL Philpot highway, Martinsville, VA 24112. Like em on facebook here https://www.facebook.com/ppickin/ to keep up with pics of new goods and special deals. Tell em we sent you and you may even get a better deal. https://www.facebook.com/ppickin/

covered bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 15:05:00 +0000

Beautiful covered bridge in Franklin county I ride by on occasion. It's along a private driveway over a small creek. What a great entrance that would be to come home to every day.

Lost Art

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 01:25:00 +0000

OK, so it's been a long time since I posted anything here. Life happens. So recently I have gotten into taking pictures of "old" things around the state. Barns, old vehicles, bridges, whatever caught my eye. I happen to live in Franklin County, (which is the moonshine capital of the world), so it's inevitable that if you spend much time in the woods around here you run up on an old still site. Some are hard to recognize if you don't know what to look for, but this particular one was still intact enough to get a really cool picture.

2014 Fall foliage This is the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 11:34:00 +0000

This is THE weekend for all the leaf watchers and parkway drivers in Virginia. We had plenty of rain this year, so I'm guessing that is why this is shaping up to be a very colorful event. Not only is this the best weekend for the colors, the weather in Virginia is forecast to be absolutely perfect. All of this combined, I would venture to guess the Blue Ridge Parkway will be pretty crowded. If you want to avoid some of the crowds and and just take a lazy ride and still see some beautiful country, there are several alternatives. One of which is through some back roads of Franklin County. I ride up through this way occasionally just because the country is so pretty. From the Roanoke area, if you drive south on 220 and south of the Parkway entrance there you will travel through the small town of Boones Mill. There is not a lot there, but it is a very neat little town. If you continue south just a few miles and follow these directions you can make a nice day drive out of this loop...

From Boones Mill on Rt 220 (about 20 minutes South of Roanoke):

Turn west onto Rt. 739 (Bethlehem Road) on the north side of the Shell Station. As you travel along Rt 739, Cahas Mountain is on the right. Near Fairmont Baptist Church Rt. 739 turns right, but you should stay on Bethlehem Rd., which is now Rt. 643.
At Callaway Road (Rt 641) turn right. The Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen in the background as you drive to Callaway.
At the A & A Market in Callaway, stay on Callaway Rd, which now is Rt. 602.
At 0.2 miles, turn left onto Rt. 642 (Foothills Rd.) at the Piedmont Presbyterian Church.
Follow Foothills Road until it intersects with Five Mile Mountain Rd. (Rt.748)
Turn right onto Five Mile Mountain Rd. (Rt. 748). The Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen in the background.
At Rt. 640 (Turner’s Creek Rd.), you have the option of (1) turning left and traveling to Ferrum or (2) staying on Five Mile Mountain Road (now Rt. 640), which will take you into Floyd County.

At Ferrum you can visit the Blue Ridge Institute and/or Ferrum College, both of which are located on Rt. 40 to the left of the intersection of Turner’s Creek Rd. and Rt. 40. Note, at the Phoebe Needles Center, Turner’s Creek Road changes to Rt. 748. From Ferrum, take Rt. 40 east to Rocky Mount and Rt. 220 north back to Boones Mill to complete the loop or take a ride on Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, The Crooked Road, on Rt. 40 west.
You can pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway off Rt. 640, approximately 1.5 miles from the Floyd/Franklin county line. Left (south) on the Parkway goes to Maybry’s Mill and points south, and right goes back to Roanoke.

I copied these directions right off http://www.dof.virginia.gov/fall/ website. They give several other alternative routes in other areas of Virgina as well. Happy leaf watching!!

Franklin County moonshine submarine pot

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 21:19:00 +0000

As most everyone knows Franklin County Virginia is well known as being the moonshine capital of the world. Even today, if you spend enough time around most any creek or small river in Franklin County, you are apt to run up on an old still site. This is a picture of just that...an old abandoned submarine style pot that was used to ferment the mash. All things considered, this thing was still in pretty good shape and it's no telling how long it's been setting there, however this was about all that remained. It did not appear to be "busted up" however, just abandoned. I reckon this was one that they got away with for a while. It would sure be neat to know the stories behind it.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 02:00:00 +0000

Ambrosia Maple Bowl

As of late I have been getting back into wood turning a bit. This is a small ambrosia maple bowl I recently turned. I was pretty happy how this turned out. Hopefully there will be more to follow at https://www.facebook.com/snowcreekcrafts

2013 fall foliage.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:20:00 +0000

The fall foliage for 2013 is in full force here in southern Virginia. Here are a couple of pictures I took along a gravel road today near Martinsville. I expect this weekend and possibly the next will be the peak times for color along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 13:21:00 +0000

This is an aerial view of the Blue Mountain festival grounds that hold the annual Rooster Walk music festival near Martinsville Virginia. The picture was taken on Oct 5th, so as you can see the leaves on the trees have not begun to change here yet. I think in another couple weeks the colors of fall will begin to show. Colorful leaves or not, this is still a beautiful place.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 11:41:00 +0000

This is an aerial picture of Philpott Dam and Lake which is located just outside of Martinsville Virginia that a friend was nice enough to provide for me. As you can see the photo was taken in the fall of the year and the scenery is beautiful in the area. I particularly like this lake because it is not built up and cluttered with houses, leaving it to it's natural beauty.

Philpott was built around 1950 by the Army Corp of Engineers and is still owned by them. It has several campgrounds, as well as hiking trails, boat ramps, and public access beaches. It covers around 3000 acres and has about 100 miles of shoreline. The fishing is great here, especially for largemouth bass, and it has more walleye than any other reservoir in the state of Virginia. The area is beautiful and definitely worth a visit.

If anyone is interested in a quality print of this drop me a line and I will put you in touch with the photographer.

Virginia microbrewery

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:57:00 +0000

Virginia is fast becoming well known for it's abundance of microbreweries and Franklin County, historically recognized as moonshine capital of the world, is no exception. Pictured above is Sunken City Brewery http://sunkencitybeer.com/ in Hardy Virginia, just a few miles west of Hales Ford Bridge at Smith Mountain Lake. They have a tasting room, pub, and a retail store.

Another microbrewery close by to the Roanoke area (in Roanoke actually) is the Roanoke Railhouse Brewery. http://www.roanokerailhouse.com/visit.html . They feature 3 different beers as well as seasonal brews.

I for one, think this is a very cool thing because I really like buying local all I can and keeping money in the community, and tax dollars in the county. Beer is no exception to this now in many parts of Virginia.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:16:00 +0000

Well, I finally got a pretty good 8 point buck here in Franklin County, Virginia this year. He was in rut and chasing several does when I got him. My son was with me at the time which made it pretty special. I only wish he could have gotten a shot at him. He was a little too far away for the open sites he was using through the woods for him to get a clean shot.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:28:00 +0000

Well, I have not posted on here in quite a while, so I thought this would be a good way to start. Our buddy Dale got this nice 8 point buck in Franklin County on the opening day of muzzle loader season. That's not a bad way to start off the year. Hope we can keep it going.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:44:00 +0000

I thought these clouds made for an interesting picture this morning. My son made the comment they looked like a bunch of cotton balls.

My favorite season is once again rapidly approaching. The nights and mornings are starting to have that cool crisp feeling, and the brilliant fall colors are once again about to paint the scenery here in Virginia, and it goes without saying that I am eagerly awaiting the opening of hunting season. I am going to try to be a bit more diligent with the updating of this blog this season, so check back often. Big deer and brilliant colors to come.

kite festival in Martinsville

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 02:38:00 +0000

Well, spring is upon us finally. I can't wait. My son and I attended a kite festival today in Martinsville, VA. It was a perfect day for it. Good breeze and mid 60's. There were all kinds of interesting kites there from elaborate to home made. A good time was had by all, and it's easy to tell that people are ready for springtime. I know I am.

October in Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:18:00 +0000

One of my favorite times of the year is upon us. The nights and mornings are nice and chilly. The leaves are about to change and give us a magnificent show that I never grow tired of enjoying, and hunting season has begun.

According to the Virginia Dept of Forestry, the peak time to enjoy the colors of fall in the mountains of Virginia and along the parkway this year is going to be mid to late October. They also have some links to some routes to take in different regions.

If you have never taken a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall to witness this firsthand you should definitely take some time out of your busy schedules to do so. You won't be disappointed.

Oh..and happy hunting!! Hopefully there will be some pictures of some nice whitetail bucks here shortly.

Virginia sunset after storm

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:36:00 +0000

We just had some pretty severe storms role through southwest Virginia. Luckily, little damage was done locally that I am aware of, however as the sky started to clear and the the fog was rising through the mountain valleys, it made for a very nice sunset in the area.

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:17:00 +0000

Okay, okay, I know this is not Virgina but it is in our neighboring state North Carolina. I recently went to Nags Head with my family and got some really amazing pictures of the sunrise. The scenery in North Carolina is very similar to Virginia.

Roanoke Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:13:00 +0000

Here are a couple shots overlooking downtown Roanoke. The view from atop Mill Mountain is great.

big deer Franklin County Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:56:00 +0000

Here is a picture of a huge deer killed in Franklin County Virginia hardly a mile from my house a few days ago. It is a main frame 8 pointer, but I hear it had 16 counting all the smaller kickers. It's hard to count them from the pictures. This thing is a monster, and I hear it scored 216. Congrats to the hunter. That's one to be proud of.

It looks a lot like the same deer I have been seeing for a couple years around that area but I never could get him. If it is the same one he was pretty much nocturnal the last couple years it seemed to me. The one I saw came out only about an hour after dark on a pretty regular basis, and where he was coming from was difficult to get to.

fall foliage still lingering in Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:58:00 +0000

The brilliant colors of fall seem to be lingering a little longer this year than usual. I think this has been one of the prettiest years in recent memory here in Virginia as far as the colors go, and the length of time we are enjoying them. Here are a few pictures I took close to home this week.

Blue Ridge Parkway ride for the scenic fall foliage

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:10:00 +0000

Today we took our cruise down the parkway for the fall foliage. We try to do it every year, but missed it last year. We just took a short cruise this time on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Roanoke down to The Meadows of Dan. It's not a long ride but there are many lookovers to stop at and spend some time, along with Mabry's Mill and Otis's store along The Crooked Road. Otis was a nice fellow who greeted us when we entered with an offer of a cup of coffee. He has a little something for everyone in there.

The foliage was not as brilliant as I expected yet, and I don't think it has peaked yet. Later this week to this weekend I think will be better.

Martinsville Virginia Speedway

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:04:00 +0000

Martinsville Nascar fans will have a new feature added to their racing experience this year. They have added a new leaderboard that also has 3 bigscreen TV monitors on it. Fans should be able to see it from pretty much all angles. It is a great addition that I can speak to from experience. The last few years Sprint has provided a large screen TV on the backstretch which is great for seeing replays of anything significant that happens during the race. It always seems like when something exciting happens I am looking the other direction. As nice as that was, it could not be seen from all directions. With this new feature nothing will be missed by anyone.

It's good to see that they are still investing in this track and hopefully a sign that the 2 races allotted to Martinsville will be a mainstay for years to come.

For more information about Martinsville speedway, go to www.martinsvillespeedway.com

Virginia state record bow-killed buck

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:04:00 +0000

As reported by the Martinsville Bulletin

Sunday, October 5, 2008

By JOHNNY BUCK - Bulletin Sports Editor

Tony Hodges is a very patient man.

A Patrick County resident, Hodges had been bow hunting for deer for 13 years in the fall of 2006. In that time span, his best kills were two 8-point bucks and one 7-pointer.

“None of them were what I’d call a big buck,” he said. “They were nice bucks, and I killed them all with a bow.

He’d let countless deer walk over the years, either because they weren’t in range or because he wanted to let them grow another season. He considered himself a doe hunter, but like most who enjoy his hobby, he was always dreaming about the day when that trophy buck might walk out in front of him.

Two years ago this fall, the biggest known deer killed by bow and arrow in Virginia did just that.

THE HUNT

While scouting during the summer of 2006, Hodges found a natural choke point between an acorn flat and a thick, brushy bedding area in Henry County.

He immediately identified it as a prime spot to hunt for bucks, and he decided not to return until the whitetail’s mating season — known as the rut — set in and made the normally cautious male deer more active.

On the pre-dawn morning of Oct. 30, Hodges, then 38, left his truck and began the long walk with a climbing stand strapped to his back.

He’d seen some young bucks chasing does several days earlier elsewhere, and with a wind direction that was favorable for his ambush spot, Hodges decided this was the day to hunt over his promising choke point.

Hodges snuck into the woods, picked a tree in the morning’s gray haze and climbed about 20 feet above the ground. He then strapped himself in with a safety harness, pulled up his bow and waited.

“Probably about 20 minutes after I’d been there ... I see just a flicker of movement off to my right. It was just a little piece of gray, you know, just a flick of movement,” recalled Hodges. “And I thought, ‘Was that a squirrel?’ I couldn’t see it anymore, and I thought it might have been a deer, so I got my bow clipped up. And I hear steps, so I think it is a deer.”

The understory of this area — the location of which Hodges won’t reveal — was so thick, however, that he couldn’t see the animal, even though it was no more than 15 yards away.

The animal passed his stand in broadside fashion. When it did, Hodges caught a glimpse of the biggest rack he’d ever seen.

“It was a rush of adrenaline, and it was almost a hyperventilating-type of a rush,” Hodges said. “It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, look at, this is a monster! This is not a deer you just see. You know? This is a monster!’ I was just pumped. My whole body was probably throbbing, but I didn’t have a shot.”

So Hodges let the deer of his life walk away.

Thinking no one would believe his story, he began to put down his bow and reach for a digital camera he’d brought to the stand.

“I started to lay down my bow and pick up my camera and I (thought), ‘I can’t do it. I ain’t gonna turn loose of (my bow).’”

About this time, the deer, still unaware of Hodges’ presence, made a slight turn. He now was quartering away from the hunter, but he was headed for one of the only shooting lanes available.

“I thought, ‘Buddy, I don’t know if he’s going to go through there or not, but if he does, that’s where I’m going to have to try my shot,” recalled Hodges. “It would be the only shot opportunity I would have.”

Heading toward the opening, Hodges’ deer went out of sight. That’s when the hunter drew back his bow string and guessed the spot to be 35 yards.

Again, he waited.

Suddenly, the animal came into view on a steady walk. With little time to think, Hodges made a soft mouth bleat, and the buck paused in mid-stride.

That’s when Hodges fired, and that’s what led to the harvest of the biggest known Henry County buck.

Hodges’ shot drifted high, however, and hit the deer in the spine. He quickly got down from the stand and dispatched the animal.

That errant shot — one that might have missed its original target by only 5 or 6 inches — is the only source of regret Hodges felt about his trophy kill.

“I didn’t take a bad shot, and I didn’t take a shot that I didn’t think I could make. ... But I must have tweaked just a little bit in my hand or something, and he fell straight down and disappeared from my sight,” he recalled.

“I hate that that’s what happened in the hunt, but it’s what happened. It’s the truth.”

The deer was too big for Hodges to move by himself, however, so he rushed home to his father, Riley Hodges, and asked for help.

According to Riley Hodges, his son was visibly excited. Their exchange went something like this:

Dad: “How many points did it have?”

Son: “I don’t know.”

Dad: “Well what do you mean you don’t know how many points it’s got? Did you actually kill the deer and go up to it? How can you not know how many points it’s got?”

Son: “I don’t know dad. I guess he’s got, well, 15 or 20 points.”

At this point in retelling the story, Riley Hodges smiled.

“And I said, ‘Aww, maybe that deer ain’t as big as you think he is,’ but when I got over there I said, ‘YEAH, he’s as big as you said he was!’”

THE SCORING STORY

Hodges’ Henry County buck was a non-typical, 22-pointer with 11 main-frame points. It was checked that day at Southeastern Outdoor Supplies by shop owner Johnny Hundley, who called it the best bow-taken deer he’s checked in almost 30 years at the store.

“That’s probably the best I’ve checked. We cover three counties and we have a (big buck) contest,” said Hundley. “We do score them on a Virginia system. Every year we usually hit 200 (in the scoring system) ... but some years we don’t.

“I know it was several points over 200, and we don’t get many over 200.”

In fact, Hodges’ deer, which has since been mounted, scored 245 4/16 on the state’s system, which takes into account the volume, shape and diameter of antler on an animal’s head.

Later, it received a Boone & Crockett gross score of 206 6/8 inches. Its Pope and Young net score, a scoring system used exclusively for archery-taken deer, was 197 3/8.

It has since been recognized by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) as the biggest Pope and Young bow kill in the state’s history.

Originally, however, Hodges’ kill was considered the state’s second-biggest Pope and Young buck.

Then Hodges entered his deer in a big-buck contest and beat out the then-state-record buck.

“That’s when some of the judges told me I should start asking some questions,” said Hodges.

That’s just what he did. He began asking state wildlife officials how his buck beat the current state record and yet was not the state record.

Two months ago, Hodges, the son of Riley and Caroline Hodges, finally got a letter from the state recognizing his deer as the state’s biggest bow kill.

THE AFTERMATH

Since taking the animal, the father of Jonathan and Riley Hodges has been surprised how some of his fellow hunters reacted. While he said all of his friends have showed support, some strangers have accused Hodges of wrong-doing.

“When I shot that deer, from the get-go, there were a lot of bad things said about it,” said Hodges. “‘Oh, he shot it at night. Oh, he shot it out of season. Oh this, oh that.’ I mean, (some people said) I’d done everything illegal you can imagine. None of it’s true, but it was just jealousy. People would just say things.”

Hundley backed that claim, noting nothing appeared suspicious about the deer when he checked it.

He also said he’s seen other big-buck hunters experience the same attacks.

“It’s jealousy,” said Hundley. “I see it all the time.”

Hodges entered his buck in five big-buck contests across North Carolina and Virginia in 2007, and he won top honors in each, regardless of harvest method (bow, rifle, etc.).

For the last six years, Hodges has hunted exclusively with a bow, even during rifle season.

All those years of waiting in a tree stand for a big deer to walk into shooting range were worth it, he said.

And enlightening.

“I’m an average Joe hunter. I love to hunt, and I hunt seriously, but killing that deer does not make me a good hunter. It makes me a lucky hunter.”

At this point Hodges broke into an honest laugh, hand resting easily on the neck of his massive mount.

“So I feel lucky that I got this deer. I really do. I feel fortunate and lucky, but I am a serious hunter, and I am a fair chase hunter, and I think I deserved it as much as anybody.”

Virginia fall foliage report

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:14:00 +0000

So far there has been little, if any change in the foliage in Virginia. Right now the prediction according to the division of forestry for central Virginia, which contains a major portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway the peak should be between Oct 27th and Nov 10th. Far western Virginia should be Oct 20th thru Nov 3rd, and eastern Virgina Nov 1st thru Nov 15th. Here is a link to the map from the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Virginia biodiesel

noreply@blogger.com (Tony) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:35:00 +0000

Evedently someone paid attention to our local biodiesel manufacturer. Monday, state and federal representatives are coming to look the place over. One of Martinsville city councel members, Danny Turner, was talking about it this morning on a local radio station. He is hoping that the area may can benefit from this and get much needed new jobs going in the area. There is plenty of local farmland vacant in the area, especially in the winter when this canola is grown. It would be great for the local economy if we can get in on the ground floor of this, as well as beneficial for the environment and help relieve our dependence on foreign oil.

The Martinsville area has plenty of vacant buildings for manufacturing and plenty of workers that could do the job. Let's hope this brings some fresh new ideas to the area in hopes of turning things around.