Red White Blue & Gray Dancing and the Luray Caverns

For a Christmas gift, my wife treated me to a weekend getaway to stay in a bed and breakfast in Luray, VA for a Civil War era Red, White, Blue & Gray Ball and a tour of the Luray Caverns the next day.
My wife and I have taken waltz and other formal dance lessons at our church recently and really enjoyed it.
It was great fun to try out our steps dancing with the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Era Dancers.
Most couples except us were in Civil War period costumes. All the dancers we met were warm, talented dancers, and very willing to show us the steps.
Tom and Lesley Mack called the moves and dances and helped us, as novices, to easily blend in with the more experienced dancers.
The Shenandoah Valley Minstrels provided traditional Civil War era music to accompany the dancing.
My take? It was grand to experience a more genteel, kind, mannerly, sophisticated and beautiful way of life through line and Civil War era dancing.
For example, when you spin during a reel, or do an arm and hand left star and right star maypole-like movement, or bow to your partner before and after each dance, it is just more civilized.
Join them and dance in a civilized way. You will smile for hours as we did and meet some very fine people.
That style of dancing is sophisticated, but includes elements that are almost childlike in their execution.
And adding to the experience is the fact that proceeds (it was only $35 a couple) go to benefit the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.
The next day we went 160 underground and viewed the wonder of the Luray Caverns, God's creation on display in translucent colors. It has been owned for generations by the Graves family. 
Also, do not miss the Luray Valley Museum. It is right across from the Luray Caverns entrance. Living museum and structures from the past 500 years of the life of people in the Shenandoah Valley. This is a private museum also built and run by the Graves family. Like other private museums, it is well organized with historic artifacts found no where else.
Some photos of the some of the items in the museum are found below.

Randy's Tree Stump Removal

Trees vary in quality, beauty, and use.
For example, I have planted a number of oaks on our property, including a seedling from the Maryland Wye Oak that is just magnificent now.
Most of my trees provide food to birds (especially blue jays) and wildlife.
Unfortunately, we had five cheap contractor hybrid poplars in the front yard.
Poor Robin has been cleaning up the leaves and branches that fall from them for years.
No more.
As an early Christmas present to her, I hired Randy's tree service to take them down.
He took down six trees (the five hybrid poplars and a maple I planted years ago that I feared might fall on my neighbors house in a storm) in two hours.
The machine that ate the trees, branches and all still on them, was called "Intimidator" for good reason. It ground them up in minutes.
Randy, the owner, put on his spikes and shimmied up the trees like a cat...all while carrying a chain saw around his belt and maneuvering ropes like an Army Ranger on a cliff.
What is perhaps most amazing is that he only charged me $1000 to remove the six trees and grind up the stumps.
Below are the photos and videos that record the event.