Well There's a Light in your Eye that Keeps Shining

This actually isn't a post about a fool running around in the rain.  Although I am sure I could come up with a foolish story about me in a pinch if needed, in fact I think I already thought of one.

Actually, this is kind of a filler post.  The fact that it is a filler post will make more sense in a few days.  But also, I have yet to use any Zepplin lyrics so this also kills that bird with the same stone so to speak.

Obviously this blog only describes a few aspects of my life.  And for good reason, my real life (day in day out that is or when I'm not on an AM Adventure) is fairly boring and wouldn't be something worth reading.

But sense I'm stalling a bit today I will give you a brief glimpse into the world around me and maybe a splash of the past.  I think I can do that without revealing too much about myself.

First, I mentally wrote this the other night on a jog through my neighborhood at sunset.  I have not been able to get to the gym as normal recently due to some family issues.  That always makes me agitated as the gym is a big stress relief and I can't stand to be sedentary.  When I don't go to the gym I usually try to walk/jog through the neighborhood.  It's a lovely neighborhood with a pond in the middle.  It calmed me to see the still pond's glasslike dusky reflection of the trees only disturbed by the geese floating peacefully as they slept.  To my left was the sunset over the mountains.

This is a lovely area, a long valley where mountains are ever-present in the distance.  To the east, the Blue Ridge and to the west the Appalachian.  It seems that anywhere you drive around here you pass Civil War markers as we are at what was the epicenter of that conflict.  You can start where Stonewall Jackson fought one of his many battles and then drive just over an hour and through four states and be on Little Round Top where the Battle of Gettysburg climaxed.  Additionally, on this side of the Mason Dixon the Civil War is always present in the many roads named after Confederate generals.

If history is not to your liking the Potomac is just to the north and is a great place to tube, raft, or just walk next to along the C&O Canal.  Just over those Blue Ridge Mountains is Virginia's horse and wine country with so many gentrified villages like Paris, Delaplane, Middletown, Hillsboro, Bluemont, Leesburg, etc in counties with regal names like Fauquier, Fairfax, and Loudoun.

Within an hour to the west you can be at a ski resort in the winter.  To the east you can be at the beach within three.

A lot to like.  And of course a lot to put into those AM messages.  How many times have a written "I would love to escape on an afternoon adventure to a local vineyard to sip wine, relax, and take in the views of the valley or walk along the Potomac at Great Falls."

And speaking of one of those foolish stories and biking, I love to bike along the C&O or even drive west and bike on the Western MD rail to trail.  Once, when Shannon was out of town, I decided to take my girls on a nice bike ride on a gorgeous summer day.  Unfortunately, like a famous song that gorgeous day changed as "the skies grew dark , the sea grew rough, and the (bike) sailed on and on and on and on and on and on."  About half way into the ride we got caught in the rain.  They were fine because they were in one of those covered buggies you pull behind the bike but I got drenched and they got a good laugh.

But second, why does a Led Zepplin song belong as the title to this post.  Well, as is often the case in my boring life I was screwing around on YouTube and came across video of some old bands I used to see when I was in college.  One band always sang this Led Zep song so this song was in my head as I was running.  I got to messing around and found video clips of several bands I used to see live when I was in college.

Below are some YouTube clips of some of those bands I saw back in my college days.

Tweed Sneakers - A cool SKA band

Southern Culture on the Skids - I have a past adventure story about one of the times I saw this band I may share some day.