Driving down Route 231 in Madison County, I thought our 17-year-old Subaru engine had started to whine, but when we stopped to investigate, the entire woods whined with the mating call of 17-year-old cicadas instead. One of the little red-eyed insects sits patiently on a wall, allowing Max and me to admire him.

For 20+ years, I have driven this route, on my way to Orange, Virginia, and in all those years, I have dreamed of living in Radiant, Virginia. What a wonderful name for this beautiful little community in Orange County that you might miss with just the blink of the eye. A good reason to keep those eyes open and a gentle reminder to always stop and smell the street signs.

In a field off of Route 230 in Greene County, this lovely sign sums up how I feel about this state and the little boy showing off for the camera. It hardly even needs a caption.

“Stop and take a picture of the sunset,” Max says from the back seat. I oblige, and while I take it, I feel like the sky, on fire with the sun’s farewell for the day, will swallow me up and deliver me to heaven. What a perfect day.