Mt. Trashmore Park

Mt. Trashmore Park from the air. (from Virginia Is For Lovers site)

"When young, one is confident to be able to build palaces for mankind, but when the time comes one has one's hands full just to be able to remove their trash." ~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832)

Several asked about the name "Mt. Trashmore" so I thought I would post a few more pictures taken there as well as a little history. But you will have to click "read more" below to continue.


Mount Trashmore Park covers 165 acres in the middle of Virginia Beach. The Atlantic ocean is a ten minute drive and the park is only a five minute jaunt from our house. This is the highest point in the area at 68 feet above sea level. Two lakes were formed when dirt was removed from the area to build the "mountain". Lake Windsor is filled with brackish water and Lake Trashmore, the larger body, contains fresh water and is stocked with fish. Canadian geese and a variety of waterfowl call the area home. This wooden slat fencing and marsh grasses have been placed along one edge to facilitate their nesting habits.


I love the way the Canadian geese march along. Many do migrate through the area on the way back to Canada but this crew seems to have taken up permanent residence here.
No boating is allowed on this lake. There are several small playgrounds for children including a large one on the opposite side of the "mountain" which was built out of wood with forts and bridges as well as swings. Picnic areas are scattered throughout the park grounds.


Mt. Trashmore was created by compacting layers of solid waste and clean soil. It apparently opened in 1973. If there is a significant snow (over 4 inches) you can count on seeing dads and kids with sleds and inner tubes flying down the hill, at least for a couple of hours until it melts. The top of Mt. Trashmore is over 800 ft. long and along with the height, this makes it a prime place for flying kites, any day of the year. A very, very tiny branch of the public library has a small building that is surrounded by almost desert like landscaping as an example of water conservation.


A walking/running path runs all around the mountain and Lake Trashmore. Recently an adjacent skateboard park was built at the base. As you can see there is ample parking. Many church picnics, outdoor concerts and even an annual carnival are held here. So. While some in the area may want to change its name to something a little less "trashy" and more elegant, it's just not going to happen.

(end of post)

Come To The Beetle Ball

From above: A cold, wet day. Spider webs in the grass.
From the insect view: The Beetle Ball.
(Click picture for larger view)

"On the bare upland pasture there had spread
O'ernight 'twixt mullein stalks a wheel of thread
And straining cables wet with silver dew."
~ Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Gray skies above; it's time for the beetle ball; but rain is expected. What to do? The spiders come to the rescue, weaving a gossamer silken canopy over the tips of the grass to catch the falling rain; wet drops of sparkling jewels overhead. Leaves of gold and red finish off the decor. Time to party!

Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "wet". (end of post)

Blurred Eyes

"Hold still Nicky. I'm trying to get a picture of those "baby blues"!"
(Click picture for larger view)

"Sometimes in our confusion, we see not the world as it is, but the world though eyes blurred by the mind." ~ Unknown

Nicky just won't keep his head still, looking to the right and left and back again; I was really surprised his head and eyes turned out as clear as they did. Nicky is Willows brother, a blue-mitted lynx Ragdoll and the most adorable cat. Rhett is handsome, Nicky is adorable. Don't you just love his "white eyeliner" eyes?

Submission for LensDay topic "blur". (end of post)

Sitting Ducks

Local inhabitants, Mt. Trashmore, Virginia Beach.
(Click picture for larger view)

"Four ducks on a pond,
A grass-bank beyond,
A blue sky of spring,
White clouds on the wing:
What a little thing
To remember for years -
To remember with tears!"
~William Allingham (Irish Poet. 1824-1889)

The ducks and geese love the large pond at Mt. Trashmore. The city has put a flexible fence in the water at the ponds edge with planted reeds and water grass. The birds use this area for nesting in the spring. The pond is surrounded by a running path and the "hill" that is Mt. Trashmore shields it from the interstate highway. When Nyssa was little she begged to go feed the ducks when we visited. Dad would have several bags of old bread already toasted and waiting. As they stepped out of the car with that bread, the ducks and geese would surround them. Seagulls magically appeared. Beautiful birds. Great memories.

Submission for Tuesdays Photos topic "ducks". (end of post)

True Blue

Centaurea cyanus, Bachelor Button, Cornflower
(Click picture for larger view)

"I love to study the many things that grow below the corn stalks and bring them back to the studio to study the color. If one could only catch that true color of nature - the very thought of it drives me mad." ~ Andrew Wyeth

My wildflowers are finally blooming with these bachelor buttons, poppies, miniature snapdragons and others in pink, white, blue, yellow, orange, red, and purple. How could the butterflies resist? So many beautiful colors to choose from; which one is the "true" color of nature?

"True" is not simply the opposite of "false". A person showing their inner thoughts and beliefs are said to be showing their "true colors", especially if the facade they put on for the world is different. "True beauty" comes from within and "true friends" look past your failings to your heart. One can be "true" to themselves or to someone they love; steadfast, constant, and sure. Everything "true" comes from that still, small place deep inside us; the place that shapes our character, our actions, and our thoughts. Truth comes from our souls. How "true blue" are we?

Submission for Moody Monday topic "true". (end of post)