Buckwheat Festival!

On Sunday, Cole and I met up with Pappy, Meme, and Rylie for some rainy fun at the Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood, WV.
It was fun...lots of crafty exhibits, some nice cars, but no animals :(
On the way home Cole said "I sure did have a fun day with Pappy and Meme"!

Exhibits at the BWF

Cole really loved the lego display set up by 4H kids.

I thought this was really awesome!

This was just funny....a McDonalds on the right would make it perfect!

mustang! :)

I told Rylie that I would get her a mustang for her 16th birthday...if she takes her mommy with her everywhere :)
I've ALWAYS wanted a MUSTANG!!! I still don't have one, and probably never will....but my little brother has owned 3!! (none as nice as this one though :)

Fun at the BWF

Great-grandpa Donivan's grave

My great grandfather, Jacob Donivan, is buried in Kingwood, WV just 30 min from our house!
He was a coal miner and lived in Tunnelton...something I didn't know until recently.
After the Buckwheat Festival, we stopped by to pay a visit to his grave.
Cole's middle name is Donivan...named for my grandma's side of the family.

Making zucchini bread!

Cole and I made 2 loaves on Sunday morning :)

Then when Rylie came home, they each made a batch (=2 loaves each). :)
Don't worry...they know how to use the sharp knives...with supervision! :)


Getting ready to do the mixin'

Cole mixin' it up! :)

Gobble gobble

These jakes were hanging out near one of my sample sites near the West Fork River, WV.

Dunkard Creek fish kill :(

Dunkard Creek, a tributary to the Monongahela River (which is in the Ohio River Basin) has recently suffered several fish kill events...as a result of a Golden Algae. :(
Dunkard Creek is highly impacted by Acid Mine Drainage (thus the "yellow-boy" seen on the rocks below) and more recently is likely suffering from dumping of "frac" water (from Marcellus Shale Drilling). Although the dumping has not officially been noted, high conductivity and high total dissolved solids have been recorded. The "source" of the golden algae is yet unknown, but it is non-native to WV waters...wonder where it came from?
Fortunately, the Monongahela River Water Quality project I've been involved with at work has been studying this tributary (and others) along with the mainstem Monongahela since the end of July. I've been working with our web guy to publish our data on the www.MonWQ.net website as part of the Public Outreach portion of the project. The site is still in it's "infant" stages and should soon be populated with data, links, and other useful information for those interested in the health of the Monongahela River Watershed.


Our sample site on Dunkard Creek

A dead fish likely consumed by scavengers.

Soil sampling

Eric and I collecting soil samples at a site where the US Army Corps of Engineers had exploded a previously unexploded ordanance (UXO).

Two green snakes

Eric found a green snake and when I went to put something down so I could get some pictures, there was another one right between my feet.

An exploded ordnance found by Lucy during her trip to the Sods last week. It was partially buried with only the top sticking out. She left it in place and we went to figure out what it could be since we had an ordnance specialist w/us from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Luckily, it wasn't a UXO (unexploded ordnance)!
The Dolly Sods (& surrounding areas in Canaan Valley) were used by the military as a practice area during World War II.

Red Creek and Bear Rocks trail

Bear Rocks trail :)

A few weeks...

What a difference a few weeks has made!
What's creepy is that I didn't do any editing on these pictures...kinda neat that I had taken both of them at the same zoom and angle :)