Photo-of-the-week #116, Cooling Down from the Summer Heat Wave, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, February 2007

Here's a cooooool photo to counter the very hot weather most of the U.S. has been experiencing during the heat wave of the past week or two. Now, I prefer to be away from cold and snow having grown up in the northeast and living in "snow hell" Syracuse, New York for two years in the late 1960's. However, under the circumstances of this recent heat wave, this looks and would feel mighty refreshing.

This photo was taken from the front porch of my former Oakhill Ranch near Winchester, Virginia in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. While I don't want to go back to experiencing the snowy winters in the Valley (there were only a few snowy years during my six years on the ranch), my house was warm, my offices and studio were home and it was perfect. I never even experienced any serious power outages while I lived in the Winchester region (27 years in total). And when we did have some winter, virtually everywhere I lived was like being in a winter wonderland as depicted by this photo.

So, I hope this helps cool you down if you've been dealing with the high 90's and triple digit temperatures that gripped much of the country.