The VA250 Traveling Museum

On September 26 and 27, the VA250 Traveling Museum stopped in Fincastle, inviting residents to explore 250 years of Virginia’s Revolutionary legacy. Parked near the Fincastle Library, the mobile exhibit offered an immersive experience that connected statewide history with local heritage.

I checked out the museum on Friday with several friends. We had a really good time, especially when we were all reciting Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty" speech together. I guess every Virginian was required to learn that in the 4th grade.

The museum is part of the VA250 initiative, a multi-year commemoration of the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary. The rolling exhibit features interactive displays, historical artifacts, and digital storytelling that highlight Virginia’s role in the founding of the United States. It's on a tractor trailer and moves from town to town.

While we were there, we explored themes ranging from indigenous history and colonial resistance to civic evolution and community memory. For Botetourt County, whose own Revolutionary contributions include the drafting of the Botetourt Resolutions in 1775, the museum’s presence served as both education and affirmation.

The Botetourt Resolutions were a significant declaration by the leaders of Botetourt County, Virginia, expressing support for American independence and self-governance. The document was issued during a time of rising tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain. 

It was prepared by the freeholders of Botetourt County and sent instructions to their representatives attending the Second Virginia Convention. This document was a response to the increasing dissatisfaction with British rule and the desire for greater autonomy among the colonies. 

The resolutions articulated the county's commitment to liberty and the principles of self-governance, setting a precedent for the revolutionary movement. They emphasized the importance of unity among the colonies and called for action against British oppression. The Botetourt Resolutions predated the Declaration of Independence by more than a year, highlighting the county's early stance in favor of independence.

Local volunteers and historians helped contextualize the broader narrative, linking national milestones to Fincastle’s own layered past. The museum’s visit was part of a larger series of events planned throughout Virginia leading up to 2026, as communities reclaim their place in the nation’s founding story.

I became so involved in reading the history that it wasn't until we were nearly done that I remembered to take pictures for the blog, so these are not the best.

If it comes to a location near you, it's definitely worth seeing.

Five Things

 

Last week, I:

1. broke my glasses and lucked out when the lenses fit in an older pair.

2. visited the VA250th traveling museum.

3. wrote a short story.

4. had a long talk with one of my editors.

5. learned about yet another AI called "Julius."

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In solidarity with federal workers, who were tasked in late February 2025 with listing 5 things they did the prior week in order to keep their jobs, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. On August 5, 2025, the federal government decided this was a waste of employees' time (as if we all didn't know that already). I have decided to keep it up, at least for now.

My Aunt in a Podcast

 This is a podcast featuring my aunt in Texas.

Sunday Stealing

Memememe -- Part 2

11. You can build a dream house anywhere in the world. Where would it be located?

A. In the middle of 1,000 acres near Charlottesville, VA.

12. Have you ever taken a photo in a photo booth?

A. A very long time ago. Like, decades ago.

13. What's your favorite kind of mustard (dijon, spicy brown, bright yellow)?

A. I am not a big mustard fan, but the only mustard we have here is French's yellow mustard.

14. What did you do on New Year's Eve?

A. I went to bed and slept through it.

15. Did your parents ever share memories of their high school days?

A. Occasionally. My mother told me about being a Girl Scout. My father had a business selling bait.

16. What's the most famous thing to happen in your hometown?

A. William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame married a woman from my hometown, Julia Hancock. She lived at a place called Santillane.

17. Did you ever have a MySpace page?

A. I think I did. But it wasn't much, whatever it was.

18. Will you eat a cookie today?

A. Not unless I go out and buy a cookie. There aren't any in the house at the moment.

19. Who is the last person you spoke to – not texted with – on the phone?

A. My husband.

20. Do you play poker?

A. I know how to play poker, but I haven't played in many years. I'd probably need a refresher course.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: The Entertainer

The Entertainer (The Theme from The Sting) 1973

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

Chosen in memory of Robert Redford: Aug. 18, 1936 - Sept. 16, 2025

1) The Sting marked the second teaming of Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The two enjoyed almost 40 years of friendship. One passion they shared was sports cars. Newman raced Porsches professionally and Redford was deft behind the wheel of a classic Karmann Ghia convertible. Think about one of your longest friendships. What did you two first bond over?

A. My oldest friendship came about because we worked together, but we stayed in touch after I left. We both liked to read and have intellectual discussions.

2) During their first movie together – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Redford was late so often that Newman joked they should change the title to, "Waiting for Lefty." Do you have a friend who is perpetually tardy? Or are you that friend?

A. I am almost always on time. 
 
3) Back in 1936, when Redford was born, baseball's Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown. Coincidentally, two members of his high school class of 1954 are represented in the Hall: Redford, with memorabilia from his baseball film, The Natural, and his teammate on the Van Nuys Wolves, Don Drysdale. "Big D" was inducted for his stellar Dodger pitching career. Have you recently spoken to, or corresponded with, one of your high school classmates? 

A. A while back, I received a strange note from one of my old classmates with an attachment in a FB message. At first, I thought someone had taken over her account, but she told me she was cleaning out old things and had run across a booklet of stories and poems from an old high school English class. She sent me a photo of something I'd written.

4) Redford admitted he had a few run ins with law enforcement during his teen years. He specifically recalled being picked up for breaking into the neighbors' back yard and swimming in their pool. Were you a mischievous kid?

A. I don't think I was all that bad, but I know my parents thought otherwise.

5) Redford went on to CU Boulder. He confessed to being a distracted student and only lasted a year and a half. While not good in class, he was popular with his coworkers at his after school job, mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms at a restaurant called The Sink. The restaurant is still thriving, and Redford returned whenever he was in Boulder. He wore a Sink t-shirt during a national press conference in 2018 and when asked what The Sink was, he was happy to plug his former employer. Do you often wear graphic tees, decorated with a favorite band, restaurant logo, team mascot, vacation destination, etc.?

A. I have a t-shirt with Lord of the Rings on it that I wear sometimes. But since I am mostly home, I wear my husband's old firefighter t-shirts, so they have the city firefighter logo on them.

6) When he was a struggling New York actor, he and his wife lost their first child to crib death. Redford told AARP magazine that he blamed himself and said it's a wound that never healed. Tell us about a time you felt guilty but shouldn't have.

A. Recently a friend invited me out. I thought I was just going to meet her, but she invited another friend, too. While out, we ran into someone we all know, and I discovered as she was leaving that her feelings were hurt because she was excluded. I felt guilty about that even though I had nothing to do with it. It was a spur of the moment thing, and I had no reason to feel guilty about it.

7) Legendary costume designer Edith Head said she liked putting Redford in hats because they balanced his strong, square jaw. Do you take your figure flaws into consideration when you choose your clothes?

A. I take my figure flaws into consideration in order to see if the clothes fit.

8) Forever fit, Redford credited his physique on exercise and genes, not diet. He said, "Healthy food is good for the conscience, but Oreos taste a helluva lot better." What's the last cookie, candy or treat you indulged in?

A. I had a Pepperidge Farm chocolate chip cookie.
 
9) Random question: Do you prefer to bathe or shower first thing in the morning, after work, or before bed?

A. I prefer the morning.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

 

The Hawk

 

As I was heading out, I spied this smallish hawk sitting on the fence post. I took a shot with my cellphone. It flew over to a dead tree and sat there long enough for me to get another photo. I think the bird on the tree looks like a totem pole.

Thursday 13: The Power of 3

 

1. Trinity Power. From the Holy Trinity to the Triple Goddess, the number 3 holds divine symmetry. It speaks of unity in multiplicity, of forces that balance and transcend. For example, Father, Son, Spirit (or Holy Ghost, if you prefer); Maiden, Mother, Crone. The number sanctifies the cycle.

2. "Beginning, Middle, End" are the architecture of narrative, ritual, and memory. Every story, whether whispered or shouted, finds its spine in this triad. It’s how we make sense of time, transformation, and truth.

3. The three acts of setup, confrontation, resolution are the dramatic arc that mirrors life’s own unfolding and can include the call, the struggle, the reckoning. Whether in memoir or myth, this structure gives shape to chaos.

4. The triangle is the most stable shape in geometry. It is used in bridges, pyramids, and sacred symbols. Three points define a plane, and in metaphor, a triangle often reveals hidden tension or divine balance.

5. "Third Time’s the Charm" is a folkloric promise that persistence births magic. The first attempt falters, the second stumbles, but the third, always, sings with possibility.

6. Three wishes are the fairy tale standard: not too few to feel cheated, not too many to tempt ruin. The number 3 here becomes a moral compass, a test of character, a gate to transformation.

7. The Three Fates in Greek myth spin, measure, and cut the thread of life. Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos are the sisters of destiny who remind us that life is woven, not random.

8. The three-point perspective in art adds depth and realism, allowing the viewer to step into the scene. It’s how flatness becomes space, and how vision becomes immersion.

9. The three primary colors are red, yellow, blue. They form the elemental palette from which all hues are born. A triad of creation, echoing fire, sun, and sky.

10. The three dimensions are length, width, height. This is the spatial trinity that defines our physical world. Without the third, we’d be trapped in flatness; with it, we move, build, and belong.

11. Three-part harmony in music is the layering that evokes emotion, memory, and soul. A single voice is pure, but three together become haunting, holy, whole.

12. The three-legged stool is a symbol of balance and interdependence. Remove one leg, and it topples. Keep all three, and it stands firm, just like truth, love, and courage.

13. The "Third Eye" is the seat of intuition and inner sight. Beyond the physical, it perceives patterns, energies, and truths unseen. It can be a spiritual lens for those who seek beyond the veil.

*An AI helped me compile this list.*

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 926th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.