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"The
Bridge" the symbol of Virginia Tech. [RK] |
|
Every morning, we had to cross
the vast Drillfield to get from our dorm (Payne
Hall) to Derring Hall, the biology building. [RK] |
|
.jpg)
Each carving represents
a virtue (Duty, Loyalty, etc., ) espoused by
these Virginia Tech graduates who died in the
service of their county. [KM] |
|
The War Memorial located at
VA Tech memorializes the students who have died
in from WW I, WW II, and wars in Korea, Vietnam,
Persian Gulf, and Iraq. [KM] |
|
Thursday night, we had a sing-along
in the dorm. The Hayden-McNeil rep played
guitar and led the singing. This song was
"American Pie." The group to the
left is really getting into it. [RK]
|
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Mary Schaeffer,
our host, dances with her husband to end the
sing-along. [RK] |
|
The Friday banquet was at
the Mountain Lake resort, where "Dirty
Dancing" was filmed. [RK] |
Lake view of the Mountain
Lake Lodge. [KM] |
|
 |
Before the banquet, the
we chatted on the porch at Mountain Lake. [RK] |
|
 |
The lake at Mountain Lake,
seen from a gazebo. [RK] |
|
| (Left to Right) Carol Jansky, Mike Stone, Shyamala
Malladi, Sheryl Shanholtzer, Sarah Deel (standing),
Jane Caldwell and husband get ready to limerick
at the Friday evening banquet at Mountain lake.
[KM] |
|
A happy group chats at the
end of the dock. [RK] |
|
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After supper and a limerick
contest, Carol Budd gave Mary a plaque expressing
ABLE's appreciation. Carol is smiling because
her presidency is almost over. A limerick expressed
it this way (this is approximate): "Our
President is Carol Budd, and now her gavel resounds
with a thud. Her smile grows wider as she says,
'Ask Bill Glider. You're now in the hands of
that stud.'" [RK] |
|
Kathy Nolan gives Carol
a shirt by throwing it over her head. So this
is the thanks you get. [RK] |
|
Saturday Field trip
to Natural Bridge: The bridge -- one of
the seven natural wonders of the world
-- is 100 million years old, 215 ft tall
and 90 ft wide. The caverns are the deepest
in the East, 32 stories deep into the
earth. [KM] |
|
Ruth Beattie, Min-Ken
Liao, and Arthur Skura on the trail to
the Natural Bridge. [KM] |
|
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Carol Budd, Ruth Beattie,
Beverly Grimm, Ann Lumsden, and Terry Ross admire
the flowstone in the caverns at Natural Bridge.
[KM] |
|
.jpg)
On Saturday, it was time to
raft on the New River, West Virginia. Here the
largest ABLE group is going through Middle Keeney's
Rapids. |
|
Whitewater rafting doesn't
do much for your appearance. Our ABLE crew was
(left to right) Beryl Piccinin, Bill Glider,
Bob Kosinski, Heather Wesp, Sheryl Shanholtzer,
Beth Whitaker, Mike Stone, Blythe Nilson, Marsha
Fanning (looking to right), Blythe's husband
(looking to right), and Tom Fogle. |
|
Our guide let us get out
of the raft and float through calm sections.
Bob Kosinski is taking this well. |
|
Bill Glider also went with
the flow. |
|
At the end of our trip we
approach the famous New River Bridge, towering
almost 900 feet above the river. Heather Wesp
is in the water, and our unflappable guide,
"Double D," is at the stern. |
|
After leaving the rafting
company, we stopped briefly at the New River Gorge
overlook. Tom Fogle, Marsha Fanning, Sheryl Shanholtzer,
and Heather Wesp enjoyed the view of the white
water almost 900 feet below. |
|
The majestic New River Bridge.
Now for a two hour drive back to Blacksburg, and
then home. |
|
Photos
by Robert Kosinski and Karen McMahon |
