Oldest Lee County church

Today was the first time I'd seen Thompson Settlement Church. According to the nearby historic marker, this Baptist church is the oldest church in Lee County. It was organized in 1800. The original site was on Powell's River. The church was removed to the present site in 1822.

Butterfly Weed

The wild Butterfly Weed is blooming now - and yes, there were wild butterflies on them there purty weeds.

More scenery

Here's a scene from today's scooter ride. I had me some riding buddies today and spent over three hours out on these backroads, from here to Blackwater and Vardy and back. It was a wonderful way to enjoy today's great weather.

Local Lodging Available

While I'm on here touting local businesses, here's a good one you may not have heard about yet.

www.therowlettplace.com

The Rowlett Place is a spacious, ranch-style vacation rental home located 5 miles west of Jonesville, Virginia off Highway 58 on Shannon Evans Road (SR 656). It has 2 bedrooms with king beds, 3 full baths, a queen sofa bed, and will sleep 6 comfortably. Linens, towels, and a fully equipped kitchen are provided. With its large carport and many decks, The Rowlett Place is an excellent place to host your next family reunion, reception, or corporate event.

Proprietors: Ken & Josephine Roddenberry
of Jonesville, VA telephone (276) 346-1396

BBQ season series

This blog entry is the first of a Summer Series of entries to celebrate BBQ season and a western Lee County product - Road Kill BBQ Sauce!

We'll be back with more blog entries focused on BBQ season and Road Kill BBQ Sauce, but in the meantime - check it out, folks!!

www.roadkillbbqsauce.com

Road Kill BBQ Sauce GIFT PACKAGES
ARE available to online shoppers!!

Or you can purchase
"Road Kill BBQ Sauces"
& Julie B's Old Fashion Relishes
in these LOCAL STORES:


Rose Hill, VA: Grabeel's IGA Super Market in Rose Hill, VA
old Highway 58 (historic downtown section)

Ewing, VA: The Neighborhood Market in Ewing, VA
new Highway 58 (out on the four-lane)
Montgomery Grocery in Ewing, VA
rural route 2 (just off the four-lane)

Jonesville, VA: IGA Food Liner in Jonesville, VA
Highway 58 (west end of town)

Cumberland Gap, TN: Webb's Country Kitchen in Cumberland Gap, TN
downtown (historic Town of Cumberland Gap)

Harrogate, TN: Village Market IGA in Harrogate, TN
7026 Cumberland Gap Parkway

Constitutional Oaks

The signs at the entrance to the industrial park may not be too exciting of a photo; however, those majestic mountains in the background show how beautiful the area surrounding the park is.

Rose Hill industrial shell building

I had posted photos earlier from the groundbreaking event for the new shell building to be constructed at Constitutional Oaks Industrial Park out along the four-lane in Rose Hill. There's quite a bit of construction activity underway now. Here's a scene from yesterday's action. With our broadband in place now, perhaps we can bring in some IT jobs.

the clear water

I was pleasantly surprised at how clear the Powell River water was yesterday. Probably has something to do with the fact that we need rain. You could see right through the water and watch the little minnows dancing around.

Powell River

Been out scootering again. Started out on the route to the Powell River bridge I posted earlier, but this time I turned right (instead of left) on Flatwoods Road. That road keeps on a going, straight into Hancock County TN - at which point the road name changes to Powell River Road. There's a great spot just beside the road where you can hang out by the river. It was beautiful!

Martins Creek and Balls Chapel

Here's the second photo posted for the person who commented on the Giles Hollow post. Both houses have been vacant for many years. I always wonder the history of the vacant old homes around here. Probably the next generation left the area in search of jobs. Both of my grandmothers' farm houses became vacant after they died (one here in Lee County, the other up in Montgomery County). Once upon a time, not so long ago, I owned a 120-year-old farmhouse. It had great character!! My current "younger" home (about half that age) is admittedly a bit easier to maintain. But I will always love them old farmhouses.

Martins Creek & Balls Chapel

There was a nice comment added on the Giles Hollow post, someone saying their grandma used to live at the corner of Martins Creek and Balls Chapel. There's two houses still there at that corner. I'm posting them in case that person visits the blog again. Here's the first one.

Powell River

Here's a photo taken from on the bridge. There were fishermen floating down the river (see 'em over ther on the left?). The Powell River is a special river, mostly cuz it's one of the few that weren't dammed up by TVA. So, it retained it's biological diversity.

Here's some information from The Nature Conservancy's Clinch Valley Bioreserve: The Virginia sections of the Clinch and Powell rivers are vital to the health of the Tennessee River system because the two rivers are the system's only undammed, unspoiled headwaters. The river valleys contain more than 400 species of rare plants and animals, 22 of which are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The diversity is unmatch in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States.

Anyway, I'm tickled that I learned how to get to the Powell River. It's not that far away. After heading over the Powell, I wandered my way to Beech Grove. Beech Grove is another beautiful area with a cozy feeling to it, nestled amongst lots of woods. Scootering is turning out to be an excellent way for me to learn my way around these backroads. That was my plan, so I'm tickled it's working out.

Scootering over the Powell

Got out on my scooter again on Sunday afternoon. Stayed out there for over two hours. Never once encountered a dog chasing me. I went all the way to the end of Old Nursery Road, took a left on Old Flatwoods Road, took the first right onto Longleaf Road, and hey!! lookee there! I had found the Powell River. Here's a photo of the bridge I went over.