The Flag of Virginia
It is an unbearably hot and humid day in West Virginia in 1998. We are building a small flight of stairs for a family living in a mobile home; for hours we have been pounding nails, sawing, measuring, and sweating in the heat. “We” is a group of kids from Chicago on a mission trip to this impoverished state. The family is a single mother and her son, who have lived together her for several years. The stairs need to be built because recently the mother tripped on the makeshift staircase: a pair of cement blocks.
Every hour she comes out and gives us a new container of lemonade, which we accept gratefully and greedily. This lemonade is sweeter, cooler, better than the granulated stuff that we buy at Jewel back home.
Thomas Jefferson designed Virginia's stately "Temple on the Hill" capitol building, but the years have taken their toll. The building is currently undergoing a foundation-to-roof restoration scheduled for completion by 2007.
Virginia scenic drives allow you to enjoy the state's rich history, as well as its exquisite landscape. The links at the bottom of this page will take you to articles about two such drives -- Lee's Retreat and Virginia's Skyline Drive -- that contain photos, highlights, and detailed maps.