A Day with a Dayflower / October 13, 2026 by Todd Henson

Here are a series of three versions of a vibrant blue dayflower found while hiking through the Voorhees Nature Preserve in Virginia in mid-August of 2022.

We were deep in the woods and it was a bit dark at times, so I wasn’t sure these would come out. The first is more of a closeup in shade with soft colors.

A soft view of a beautifully blue dayflower at Voorhees Nature Preserve in Virginia. — A Day with a Dayflower

Ten seconds later I made the next frame a little further from the flower. We can see the sun made its way around any clouds and branches and created dappled lighting on the forest floor in the background.

A blue dayflower set against dappled lighting on the forest floor. — Dappled lighting on the forest floor

After four seconds the sun was once again hidden, creating the darker background of the final photo.

A blue dayflower set against shade on the forest floor. — A shaded forest floor

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The entrance to the Strasburg Visitor Center and Museum in Strasburg, Virginia. — The entrance to the Strasburg Visitor Center and Museum

In a previous post we toured the Strasburg Museum in Strasburg, Virginia, which included a fascinating and eclectic look at artifacts collected in the town. Today we look at the museum within the Strasburg Visitor Center, which takes a wider view of the entire area and how it fits within the history of the country.

Naturally, there is a lot focused on the Civil War, but the history of the area extends further back to Colonial times. And of course, there were people living in the area before the colonists ever stepped foot on North America, so there are also displays with artifacts from native peoples. One highlight is the long hand painted mural along the back wall that was created by local artists. It steps through many moments in the area’s history.

It’s a small museum, but very well laid out with plenty of educational and interesting displays. And the displays are spaced apart nicely, making them all very accessible and accommodating multiple groups of people without folks getting in each other’s way.

The Visitor Center, in addition to any number of items available for purchase, even contains an active bee hive in the corner which has an entrance of its own to allow the bees access to all the flowers planted just outside. There’s also a small park on the premises with a Civil War trail.

A small park outside the Strasburg Visitor Center with a short Civil War trail

The Strasburg Visitor Center and Museum is well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.

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Museums

Strasburg Visitor Center and Museum (Virginia)

Strasburg Museum (Virginia)

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

Smithsonian Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum

National Gallery of Art - West Building

A tree-lined road disappearing into the distance. — The Road goes ever on and on

For this photo I decided to borrow the first line of a series of three poems by J.R.R. Tolkien from The Lord of the Rings.

The first appears in chapter one of book one in The Fellowship of the Ring, titled A Long-Expected Party, said by Bilbo as he sets off from the Shire after his grand birthday party. It mentions pursuing the Road ahead with eager feet.

The second appears in chapter three of book one in The Fellowship of the Ring, titled Three is Company, said by Frodo while pausing on the road with Sam and Pippin for lunch on their way out of the Shire. This version is almost exactly the same as the first except instead of pursuing the Road with eager feet, it mentions weary feet.

And finally, the third appears in chapter six of book six in The Return of the King, titled Many Partings, when Sam and Frodo are reunited with Bilbo after the climax of the story, and Bilbo shares a much changed version of the poem that talks of letting others follow the Road, beginning their new journey, but he with weary feet would turn towards the inn and welcome sleep.

Three short and simple poems that perfectly capture the changing tone and direction of the story, and perhaps of our lives.

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