Today was mostly about getting home to Winchester, Virginia. However, we did stop by an interesting neighborhood in Beckley, West Virginia.

Several neighbors decided to place statues of all sorts of animals on their front yards. An animal exhibited could be extinct (dinosaur) or fictional (Yeti) too.

Some of the animals posed menacingly and ready to attack. Others seemed docile and unaware. Yet no one was eating anybody. The alligator posed with the snakes, tigers and gorillas. They were having fun.

All these animals were on one side of the street. Across the street a neighbor went with classical statues of people. Some statues had religious motifs.

Several years ago we stopped at the Beckley Exhibit Coal Mine and Coal Camp. We took a ride down a mine shaft that had been closed years ago. It was on the tour that our docent, an old coot with a twinkle in his eye, started speaking to some school aged children, “I know you are hillbillies. I can tell by the way you walk that you are hillbillies. I can tell by the way you talk that you are hillbillies. I can tell by the way you smell that you are hillbillies. I can tell you are hillbillies because I are one too!” We all had a good laugh!

Next door to the mine is the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia. We didn’t go in but outside they had an interesting pole. It is called the Peace Totem Propeller Time Capsule. This 25-foot tall sculpture is the creation of Mark Blumenstein. Click here to see a video of other art he has created.

There is a time capsule associated with this totem pole but we couldn’t find any information online about it. It might be worth further investigation.

We finally made it home safely. Another trip across the United States is in the books! We hope you enjoyed the pictures and commentary. Jorge is happy he doesn’t have to pack up the car again!