Joyce E. Williams

Shenandoah. A town? Check. Caverns? Check. A river? Check. A university? Check. A valley? Check. A national park? Check, check. But what it really is, is a national treasure. Extending 135 miles north from the Front Royal, Virginia area down the Appalachian Mountains to Charlottesville on the east and Harrisonburg on the west, it covers 311 square miles. It was designated a national park December 26, 1935 and dedicated the following July by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Keith Tomlinson, Smithsonian Associate, study team leader and interpretive naturalist captured the park’s majesty in a presentation recently hosted by Virginia Tech Lifelong Learning Institute and AARP Virginia.

Upon hearing “Mayflower” everyone congers up imagery of the story of the Pilgrims we learned about in school. The Mayflower will forever hold a place in our casual knowledge of history for bringing its passengers to this foreign land seeking a new life.

What destinations are on your travel bucket list? The Great Pyramids of Giza? The Eiffel Tower? The Great Wall of China? Mount Kilimanjaro? Machu Pichu? We all have our list, some more grand than others. The five hundred people from all across the United States who participated in the virtual visit to the Galapagos Islands were in for a real treat. On behalf of AARP Virginia, Bonnie Becker, world traveler extraordinaire shared her expertise and travel experience to what is regarded by many as one of the most fascinating destinations in the world.

Residents of sixteen Roanoke-area nursing homes received cards.

It began as a virtual substitute for their summer picnic, and the card-making project for nursing home residents morphed into bringing cheer to veterans, too. Next up: Christmas cards for lonely seniors. Remote-learning grandkids got in on the action, too!

Bedford receives AARP grant to improve walking paths

What does an eighty-two-year-old lady, suffering the aftermath of a stroke, triple bypass heart surgery, and a husband who is seriously ill, who has glaucoma and cannot drive, do to survive?

Grandkids played “pluck a duck” to win prizes of their choice and walked away with backpacks provided by AARP Virginia. Grandparents were provided free admission and everybody attending Grandparents Appreciation Day at the Virginia Museum of Transportation got free ice cream also provided by AARP.