Memo to self -- never leave for a trip without a map and charging the cell phone. Recently, I traveled to Roanoke to attend a meeting of the Virginia State Reading Association. On the way I visited Glasglow Public Library, passed by a Natural Bridge and got lost on my way to Lynchburg Public Library. I called Terry and he pointed me in the correct direction, but I missed a turn off and called Terry again to help me out. I missed another turn off, but by then I knew where the library was and called Terry from the library parking lot. I had a wonderful visit with Lorry Risinger and learn about I-Van, their mobile library that puts books into home, no library card needed. The child simply borrows two books and when they are returned borrows two more. We talked until 5:30 p.m. and Lorry had me follow her to the highway. I was off again, but this time pointed in the direction of Roanoke. When I stopped for gas I discovered the cellphone needed recharging. I arrived at Roanoke, via Highway 460 where I followed the signs to I-81 through the back roads to US 11, then to I-81 and then to the Doubletree Hotel where the Virginia State Reading Assoication meeting was being held. I charged the cellphone and checked in with Terry. I found the exercise room and had a very long workout session while watching "What Not to Wear." The next day I met up with Sasha Matthews, Virgina Library Assoication Youth Services Chair. We shared some of the thing libraries are doing in Virginia. They were impressed. The trip home was thankfully uneventful.
My next adventure was back to Roanoke for the Fun and Facts of an Early Literacy workshop by Saroj Ghoting on May 23. In an attempt to be more efficient I combined the workshop with visits to a few libraries. This time Terry went with me. On Tuesday we left at 7:00 a.m. and drove to Grundy with the expectation that we would arrive around 2:00 p.m. We were told not to go by VA 16! After looking at the hairpin turns on Google Maps we found an alternate route. We got lost. This is because Goggle Maps was misinformed about the location of the library in Grundy. We found the correct location of the Buchanan County Public Library in Grundy. Although parts of the town are moving due to frequent flooding, the Buchanan County Public Library has stayed in the same location for the past 47 years. They did add a new children's wing, which is quite delightful.
One of the feature is paw prints on the ceiling. The story is the Clifford the Big Red Dog helped with the construction of the new wing and "left his mark" on the building.
The night was spent in Abingdon and then we traveled to Marion, birth place of the drink "Mountain Dew" and then to Saltville with a stop at the Chilhowie Branch Library. The mural below was created for the Marion Branch of the Smyth-Bland Regional Library.
Saltville is nested between two mountain ranges and has producing salt since 1780s. Union and Confederate troops fought for civil wars battles here for the salt. A woolly mammoth was found in Saltville for it somehow got trapped in a salt pit. Yet following directions from Google Maps I was able to get lost in Saltville by heading the wrong way on VA 91 and then once I was turned around I missed the library not once, but twice. But once I did find it, I met some very nice people. And as you can see, the small town is also nice to look at.