Just one month shy of 24 years ago, we packed everything we owned into a rented Ryder truck and began the 714-mile drive from Alton, Illinois, to Washington. We arrived one day later, on March 1, 1981, to begin what became almost a quarter century there.

Today, we drive back up to the Washington area to oversee two teams of movers as they empty out our storage rooms in Arlington and start the 300-mile journey from there to Floyd. Our last connection to the National Capital Region comes to an end.

Ice provides a different winter pattern than snow, one that is often more stark with clearly defined lines.

I know. Wasn’t going to do any more moon shots. After all, the full moon that lit up the sky so beautifully this week is on the wane.

But what the hell. The clouds this morning added just the right touch.

The talking heads say we get snow today. Lots of snow. So now I can get into a snow shot war with Fred First.

No, you’re not hallucinating. Well, maybe you are but it’s not because you clicked on the url for DougThompson.Com and ended up here. I merged DougThompson.Com with Blue Ridge Muse while you were sleeping and incorporated both blogs into one: Blue Ridge Muse.

A visiting blogger, David St. Lawrence from Charlottesville, had a lot to say about Floyd in his excellent blog, Ripples. An ex-corporate type, David, provided more perceptive coverage of two local businesses — Oddfellas Cantina and Cafe del Sol — than any of us who write about life in Floyd on a regular basis.