Traffic tie-up in Dayton

The people in the Town of Dayton are protective of their town ducks. Several signs beside the road read “Watch out for ducks!” Not being a Shenandoah Valley native, I don’t know how long the ducks have resided along Cooks Creek. I see them as I’m making my way down Silver Lake Rd. and across the one-lane bridge.

Traffic came to a halt for several minutes at the bridge a few evenings ago. As I approached the scene, I wondered if there had been a collision on the bridge or some other vehicular difficulty.

It wasn’t anything to do with vehicles after all.

It was a long line of ducks marching across the bridge. There had to be at least 50 birds in this duck detachment. The first segment had no hesitation in following the two lead ducks to their roost spot along Cooks Creek in the pasture on the other side of the bridge.  After a short delay, the second group headed bravely in the same direction.

From the looks of the birds, this was a congregation of mom and dad ducks with this year’s offspring–who are almost the size of the parental units.

Once all the ducks were safely on the other side, vehicular traffic resumed.

I wish I’d had a good camera to capture the scene, but alas, no.

I’d be interested in hearing how long this group of ducks–known as a badelynge–has been around Dayton. If anyone has pictures of the Dayton ducks, I’d love to see them!

Here’s a link to a walking tour of Dayton , with plenty of history included. Maybe you’ll see some ducks when you’re in town.

~~Colleen

Still learning after all these years

Living in the Shenandoah Valley seems be a continuous education for me.

Never before had I encountered a horse and buggy on the road prior to moving here. Now, as I travel around Dayton, buggies are routine. No longer am I surprised when a tractor or horse goes past my house, deep within a residential neighborhood.

After more than a decade in the Valley I thought I had grown used to the rural life. But my education continued recently at, of all places, a shopping mall.

The day was warmer than it had been, which brought a multitude of shoppers to the stores. Walking through the parking lot, I heard sounds coming from a nearby pickup truck.

Was it a couple of rowdy dogs I heard?

I moved a little closer to listen.

Baa! Was the sound emanating from the back of the truck.

Baa?

I can truly say that sound was one of the last I expected to hear in a suburban parking lot.

I peeked inside the truck’s shell and saw several lambs milling around.

Sheep. In the city.

Apparently I still have much to learn about things around here.

I can’t help but wonder what else life in the Valley will teach me. It’s one of the reasons I love living here.