In the Mountains of West Virginia, Part 1

I was away all last week at a creative writing workshop that is part of a music-and-writing camp called Allegheny Echoes. Talk about restful! Writing while surrounded by the beauty of the mountains and rivers, and evenings with musicians who play old-time mountain music--it was just what I needed to get back to writing more poetry and fiction. Here is the first installment of posts about last week. (This week will be all about cleaning, weeding, and such mundane activities).

I stayed in a camp on the Greenbrier River that belonged to friends. The Greenbrier River Trail ran right in front, following what was once one of the busiest railroad tracks in America.The house was an old "section house," meaning that it was once the home of the man who took care of that particular section of the railroad tracks; there may also have been a telegraph office in part of the house. I was intrigued by the work put into the porch supports. There was no need to be artistic, really--plain columns would have worked as well, but the carpenters took time to cut designs, like this circle, into the rough wood that was probably milled on site or close by.

The view out back--restful and quiet. We were visited regularly by two pairs of courting hummingbirds. And lightning bugs! I haven't seen so many in years.

A gate at the rear of the property,

and a pile of useful junk.

Another view out back,

and a close-up of an opening into the crawlspace under the house.

I caught this not-very-good photo of a beaver making his way upriver from the old metal bridge that spanned the water. The bridge, I heard, is slated for replacement and that will be a sad day.

The beautiful Greenbrier, a perfect place for fishing, canoeing, swimming, kayaking, or just daydreaming.

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