The Latest News

After rather dry fall and winter seasons, we’ve had a rainier than normal spring. That means River Dell is now quite verdant. “June is bustin’ out all over,” as Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote. Trees, flowers, fruit – the local produce will begin to come out soon,...

My college campus was sprinkled with magnolias, which came into full bloom in early May, coinciding with the end of the spring semester. That was in New Jersey. Here in the Shenandoah Valley the blooms start a month earlier, a harbinger of spring. As you can see from...

When John Denver wrote “almost heaven, west Virginia – Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River,” this is not what he pictured. Yes, the river does freeze, but it is unusual. With most of the east coast, the several day span of frigid temperatures we experienced...

Here are some pics of River Dell from last winter with a bit of snow around. And that’s pretty much what we get here in the Valley. We don’t miss being in a place where snow is an ever-accumulating reality; we like it better as a kind of passing novelty. Though we...

November 2017 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday celebration, for a variety of reasons. It is the singular American holiday that everyone celebrates. My extended family does they same things in the same place every year, and we all love it. And of all the holidays,...

September 2017 We are often asked whether we allow pets at River Dell.  We don’t permit animals generally, to accommodate folks who are allergic or otherwise averse. We have three dogs - but they do not go in the B & B space. We love pets, and animals in general....

August 2017 We have had a great summer so far here in the Valley. There has been an abundance of sunshine and average (or maybe slightly below average) temperatures. Enough rain has fallen to keep things verdant and the river flowing. It’s so quiet here in the...