to virginia in june

when i drive from michigan to virginia, i feel i've arrived in my homeland when i reach berkeley springs, west virginia. this is a small town under the brow of a mountain with a wonderful hot spring that comes out of a very deep place inside our planet. the water gushes out at about 700-1,000 gallons per minute at a temperature of 74 degrees farenheit. most well water arrives at 56 degrees; the difference is that the spring water is heated by its proximity to the hot core of the earth. there are two pumps available free to anyone, and i have never been there that there wasn't at least one other person filling up jugs with water. i got 12 this time. the soft water has a delicious pure taste and is high in many minerals, especially magnesium. to me, it is the most delicious water in the world, and there it is, free, and not 50 feet out of my way on a drive i must have made almost a hundred times.


i wouldn't have known anything about berkeley springs, except that my mother's mother was from winchester, virginia, which is about 30 odd miles from the town, and my mother went there as a child. while i know a lot about my male ancestors--the henshaws, magruders, minors--my maternal grandmother's maiden name was long, and i know almost nothing about that family. somehow the only contact i have with them is berkeley springs, just knowing that the longs went there makes me feel a small degree of belonging. 

there is an extant letter from george washington saying that he was enjoying "ye warm springs." here is a photo of what is said to be his bathtub.

my cousin maureen minor is kind enough to put me up and put up with me when i visit my home town. she lives near ivy, outside of charlottesville, in an attractive house that was designed by her daughter margaret, an architect in boston. from that porch you can often have a fine view of the blue ridge mountains, but there was so much haze in the humid air every day in june that the mountains disappeared. it is a lovely place to stay and maureen makes me feel very welcome. her husband bill died last year. he was a passionate nature lover, an expert birder, and under an often gruff exterior lay a truly caring individual. more to come...