Frozen Derry

I've long shared Zippy's fascination with funky 50's architecture, especially the fun, kitschy Googie style. Is there a site where Zippy's (or more accurately, Griffy's) drawings are identified? Because if I'm not mistaken, this is the long-lost Frozen Dairy Bar that used to sit alongside US Rt 50 just west of Falls Church, VA. It has since been replaced with a CVS (Yes, we need more of those!). And it reminds me a great deal of Carl's in Fredericksburg (which I'm happy to report is still going strong; in fact I introduced The Girlfriend to this landmark only a few weeks ago). 20 years ago at MWC, you knew it was truly Spring when Carl's re-opened for the season.


(From HollyEats.com)

Zippy would approve.

Almost heaven

The gig is pretty simple: A promotional video for a West Virginia school district, to attract new teachers to the county. We do some interviews, and drive around the county picking up B-roll. At the end of one shooting day, this vista pops up: The sun just setting behind the distant mountains, picture perfect clouds showing those glorious purple highlights that only sunsets can create, and in front of me, a row of orchard trees marching off along the hillside, with not a sign of man or beast to be seen. It's a beautiful moment, one that I've barely captured on film, er, pixels.

I have a number of relatives in West Virginia, albeit on the other side of the state. And as a kid, I really didn't like travelling there much; I was prone to car sickness, and, to be quite frank, was a snobby kid who felt his suburban lifestyle was the only one that really mattered. Yet here I am, 30 some years later, absolutely falling in love with the place.

Perhaps not quite heaven. But damned pretty.