Luray Caverns

I wasn't feeling very well yesterday, as you know from my shameless plea for sympathy in yesterday morning's post, but we do have houseguests who have come all the way from Germany to see America. Although all the great Smithsonian museums and national parks are closed as a result of the manufactured government crisis, there are still a lot of things to do here in the general area ... most of which we only do when someone visits and we need to do the tour guide thing. And so it was that I rose from my deathbed yesterday morning and we took Bernadette and Richard to visit Luray Caverns, about an hour and 45 minutes from here in the lovely Shenandoah Valley. Of course there are pictures ...

The caverns were discovered in 1878 by a pair of fellows (whose names I can't remember) who were searching for caves rumored to be located near the town of Luray, Virginia. The modern-day entrance to the caverns is located at the point of discovery. One enters via a normal-sized door and walking down a long flight of steps to the start of the tour route, which covers about a mile and a half. Our guide was a young lady who was very knowledgeable, but very difficult to understand because of the poor acoustics and the fact that she was obviously running through a standard script. Here are some pictures, along with my commentary based on my own observations and what I was able to gather of the guide's remarks ...

One of the most amazing things about the caverns was the glorious spectrum of colors of the various formations, caused by the chemical composition of the stone and the working of the water that shaped the structures ...

This section of stalactites was known as "The Fish Market" because of its resemblance to rows of fish on display for sale ...

This was an especially amazing site on the tour ... it's a absolutely still lake deep underground, which perfectly reflects the stalactite formations hanging from the ceiling. If you look closely, you can see that the midline of the picture shows the line of reflection ...

Over millions of years, the action of water on stone and the slow deposit and buildup of minerals has created some fantastic shapes and structures. This picture shows beautiful, curved sheets of delicate stone like layered curtains ...

This formation is called "The Fried Eggs" ... years ago, several stalagmites were knocked over by careless workers, and in their place are now developing white and yellow mineral deposits that look exactly like the eggs you may have had for breakfast ...

The full tour of the caverns lasted about an hour, and was completely fascinating. Should you decide to visit, here are two pointers: first, the caverns aren't cold, but they are very humid ... we were sweating like mad by the time we came out; second, if you have a good camera, you'll often get better pictures without using a flash, because the underground lighting system is very good.

The Luray Caverns complex also contains several other museums and things to do, most of which were included in the cost ($24.00 each) of our general adult admission tickets. One was the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum, which has a very large display of beautifully restored historic cars, bicycles, carriages, and wheeled vehicles of all sorts (also a gorgeous, seven-passenger sleigh). Here are just two of the many cars on display ... 

There is also the Luray Valley Museum, which has lots of very interesting displays tracing the history of the settlement and development of the local area. One thing we found interesting was the large number of books on display that were printed in German.

For those who prefer a more hands-on approach to their visit, the museum gift shop sells bags of ... well ... dirt in three sizes which are guaranteed to contain various raw semiprecious stones and minerals. You buy the bag, take it out behind the museum, and use screened trays and running water to pan for your own gold (or whatever). Agnes and Bernadette both decided to try it out ...

 And this was what Agnes ended up with ...

There were other things we didn't have the time or desire to see on this trip: a garden maze, a rope trail through the forest (more for active children than geezers-in-training), and some live displays (such as a blacksmith hammering industriously away on things).

The scenery around the caverns complex was beautiful, and it was a very photogenic day ...

And after an exhausting visit and tour on a very warm day, some ice cream was in order before the drive back home ...

That was our visit to Luray Caverns. If you are in the DC/Northern Virginia area, it's worth the drive out to visit. Wear comfortable shoes and bring money. You won't be disappointed.

And that's it for today. I am still operating only at about 65% or less with this $@%! cold, and am really* looking forward to going back to work today ... but at least I'm still working, so I guess I really can't complain.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* Not.

Temporarily Down for Maintenance

I didn't know what rhinopharyngitis was. As it happens, it's a fancy name for the Common Cold, and I've got it in spades.

This is positively the worst cold I've ever had ... it set in last week on Tuesday afternoon and I just can't shake it. I haven't slept a full night since last Tuesday night, have a W.C. Fields-caliber nose, and generally feel like hell, which is great when you have house guests.

All this is a roundabout way of saying that I'm sorry, but this is all the post you're getting today. My eyes are watering too much to see the screen, and I'm as cranky and grouchy as a Tea Party Republican. You wouldn't like anything I have to say today.

So ...

Come back tomorrow, when I hope to be in a better mood.

Have a good day. More thoughts when my head clears*.

Bilbo

* Although having an unclear head doesn't seem to have slowed down the far right wing of the GOP.

Cartoon Saturday

Even by the low standards of Disneyland-on-the-Potomac, it's been a heck of a week ...

In a fit of pique, having been unable to derail the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act (otherwise known as "Obamacare") any other way, the GOP petulantly shut down most of the federal government, throwing nearly a million federal employees out of work, blaming everyone but themselves, and leading the rest of the world to shake its head in amazement; a dental hygenist from Connecticut led police on a high speed chase through Washington, DC before being shot and killed near the Capitol; deadly giant hornets have killed 42 people in China; an early winter storm battered Wyoming and South Dakota while tornadoes hammered Nebraska; and in Washington, DC, a man reportedly set himself on fire and danced down the National Mall.

Don't say, "what next?" ... nowadays, it'll happen. That's why we have Cartoon Saturday.

This week's selection of theme cartoons deals with clowns. Given the ludicrous behavior of Congress, it just seemed appropriate ...

Ever been to a clown funeral? ...

Or a clown execution? ...

When clowns go bad ...

and ...

Turning to other topics, some suggestions for early Christmas shopping ...

The old joke says that my doctor told me to get in shape ... and "round" is a shape. This cartoon takes it farther ...

This is what I'd expect from my grandchildren ...

A classic vegetable joke ...

I'm sure all you teachers can relate to this one ...

And finally for this week, I'd been waiting for something like this ...

And that's your selection of cartoons for this week. We'll be spending the weekend doing touristy things with Agnes's cousin Bernadette and her husband who are visiting from Germany, and getting ready for our spell of nice weather to end early next week when hurricane/tropical storm Karen hits Disneyland-on-the-Potomac. Hmmmm ... lots of wind, moving in circles, and destroying all in its path ... with Congress more or less in session, I wonder how we'll tell it apart from the hurricane.

Have a good day and a great weekend. Remember this GOP-engineered fiasco at the next election ... if any of the current members of Congress get reelected, we'll only have ourselves to blame.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

No Great Moments in Governance, So How About Some Great Moments in Editing?

Welcome to Day 4 of the Government Shutdown.

Between trying to explain the hash our elected reprehensives have made of government, the economy, and America's image to our houseguests from Germany, engaging in back-and-forth discussions of the fiasco on Facebook and in the office, and suffering from The Cold From Hell, I'm tired and grouchy this morning. Let's go simple today. More Great Moments in Editing, okay?

They should have gone after the accordion ...

I'll bet someone had fun with this one ...

One wonders what they expected to find ...

This would be how Congress would approach the problem, if it could agree on anything ...

Yes, I shamelessly stole this one from Heidi, but it was too good to not use ... and I can't beat her comment ...

Aw, who cares? ...

It surely would help clear a lot of murder cases if they would ...

I think I'm going to order 535 of these ... one for each member of Congress. I wonder if they make a special model that fits a head while it's stuck up the ... uh ... never mind ...

I wonder if it herds itself ...

And finally, I wasn't sure whether this one was a great moment in editing or a Darwin Award nomination ...

And there you have it for today. 

I learned this morning that I missed Virus Appreciation Day, which was celebrated yesterday. Let it be noted that I do NOT appreciate viruses, especially the one bestowed upon me by my granddaughter, which has resulted in the most miserable cold in ages. I knew it was bad when I passed our general in a Pentagon hallway yesterday and his comment was, "Bilbo, you look like hell."

Thanks, sir, I feel the same way.

Have a good day. Tomorrow is Cartoon Saturday - be here.

Bilbo

Funding the Government

Well, Dear Readers, the needless government shutdown is now in its third day. A running poll conducted by the Washington Post has the average opinion on its length at 19 days as of this morning. That's 19 days of needless damage to the economy and shameful treatment of dedicated government employees who are furloughed without guarantee of receiving back pay (Congress, of course, will continue to be paid for doing nothing).

Because the current fiasco is likely to go on for quite some time, I thought it might be a good idea to consider some alternative sources of funding to keep the government running. Here are a few ideas:

1. Get some of the essential personnel of the National Park Service to cut the statue of Abraham Lincoln out of his chair in the Lincoln Memorial and search the chair cushion for loose change. On a chair that size, there could be millions of dollars worth of coins covered in dust, lint, and sticky pieces of candy.

2. President Obama could call up the presidents of other countries and ask if they have two tens for a five. Repeat as often as it works.

3. Erect a giant, airtight bag around the Capitol Building, trap the hot air, and use it as a source of free heating for government buildings unable to pay their heating bills.

4. Members of Congress could sell boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts at Metro stations and shopping malls around the DC area. It works for high school bands and other groups who do fundraising.

5. In lieu of airshows which have been cancelled, the Air Force could assign a single aircraft to each major US city to fly in circles towing banners asking for donations.

6. Hire underemployed Nigerian Internet scammers to send messages to random Americans telling them they have been selected to hold billions of dollars of Nigerian funds in escrow if they pay a large amount up front as a sign of good faith.

Those are a few of my ideas. Do you have any? Leave a comment.

Have a good day. Remember this fiasco at the next election.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

The Ass Clown of the Month Award for October, 2013

Yes, Dear Readers, I know that it's very early in the month to be making a selection for this quasi-prestigious award, but I think we can all agree that there's an obvious standout choice for October. The Ass Clown of the Month Award for October, 2013 goes to

The United States Congress

with special recognition to

The Republican Party

The Congress, by virtue of its childish behavior, useless finger-pointing, abdication of responsibility, complete and utter inability to perform its most basic duties, and willingness to make the United States a laughingstock around the world, proves itself eminently worthy of this award.

And the GOP, by virtue of its willingness to blackmail the government in order to get what it could not win fairly at the ballot box and in the courts, hard-headed refusal to accept reality, cold-hearted furloughing - without pay - of hundreds of thousands of dedicated federal workers (whom they have in any case derided and insulted for many months), and my-way-or-the-highway insistence on having its way, deserves special recognition for its stupidity, greed, and complete disregard of the welfare of the American people it loudly claims to represent.

Between Congress as a whole and the GOP in particular, we've managed to make Italian government look good ... and that's bad.

I could go on, but I'll just splutter and fume incoherently ... which is about all that Congress is doing, anyhow.

Remember this fiasco at the next election - 535 useless ass clowns are being paid while over 800,000 government workers they have thrown to the curb aren't. All 535 need to be replaced by people willing to do the work for which they were elected.

Have a good day. If you are one of the many thousands of people injured by the fecklessness of Congress and the recklessness of the GOP, good luck. I hope sanity will prevail, but I'm not holding my breath.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Chincoteague Weekend

Last weekend, we paid a visit to the beautiful Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague Island National Seashore. The weather was cloudy and cool on Saturday, but Sunday was warm and sunny, without the clouds of mosquitoes that plague the area in the summer. Here's the report ...

We rented bicycles and rode the wildlife trail around Assateague Island ...

The scenery was wonderful ...

 And we had plenty of fun at the beach ...

Chincoteague is famous for its wild ponies. Naturally, those ponies are big business, and the girls had to have pony rides ...

We stayed at the Refuge Inn on Chincoteague, which comes with our highest recommendation. It had a great pool and hot tub, in which we spent a lot of time (when you come out of the pool, you're not covered with sand and salt, after all) ...

On the whole, it was a great weekend and Chincoteague/Assateague is worth visiting. You'll find, as we did, that it's much nicer after Labor Day ... the weather is still good, prices are lower, the enormous crowds of tourists are absent, there are no mosquitoes, and the whole atmosphere is much more laid back. There are a million excellent seafood restaurants (we ate at Steamers, which was a great family-style place, and at Woody's Beach Barbecue, a delightfully tacky roadside place), and - naturally - the opportunity to spend bazillions of dollars on souvenirs (which we resisted, for the most part). 

The only drawback to the food, the weather, and the wonderful land- and seascapes was that there were some unfortunate limits on the scenery ...

Have a good day. Visit Chincoteague and Assateague ... you won't regret it.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo