VIRGINIA

Keysville

A billboard on the outskirts of Keysville, Virginia, features two African-American men hugging.

Caption: “Your best friend is just a vaccination away.”

That’s a good start.

In town,a few fine colonial revival houses line the streets. Then there’s the ubiquitous Family Dollar, a Subway (likewise), Kai Xia Chinese restaurant, and a dance studio. Also free street parking, like a proper old-school town — though they’ve modernized enough to position the spaces parallel to the street. This looks to have been a popular railroad stop; two men are hammering on the roof of huge, abandoned boarding house/hotel; the old depot and other small buildings stand decrepit.

Railroad, Keysville, Virginia May 13, 2021

INT. THRIFT SHOP - DAY

In Tailwaggers’ Thrift Shop in tiny Keysville, Virginia, two employees, hidden behind a curtain, are sorting donations.

OLD WHITE MAN

Arlene, do you hang your mask from your mirror?

OLD WHITE WOMAN

No

OWM

(as if she’s said yes)

Well you shouldn’t. You know in some states they’ll pull you over for that — especially if you’re you-know-what.

OWF

I know but I’ll let you tell me.

OWM

A young black male! I don’t know why they mistook me for a young black male, though I was slouched down in the seat and had my music on real loud.

(Beat)

OWM

You know sometimes they’ll slouch down so low you can’t even see em.

Main Street, Keysville, Virginia May 13, 2021

Friendship Baptist Church Road, Keysville, Virginia May 13, 2021

Abandoned boarding house, Keysville, Virginia May 13, 2021

Old Depot, Keysville, Virginia

Delaplane

I’ve booked a room at a house in Delaplane, where acres of mown, fenced fields nestle into the hills. Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive are nearby— yet it’s still only an hour to DC.

Come to find out, this is fox-hunting country, a sport Oscar Wilde described as “the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible.” Indeed. The horses themselves, however, are delightful. I’d stopped by the road to photograph a picturesque red barn when out trotted the two gorgeous creatures above. I imagined them saying, “Dude, it wasn’t our idea to chase that stupid long-tailed cat. That’s a dog’s job.”

Farmland, Delaplane, Virginia May 13, 2021

Abandoned store, Keysville, Virginia May 13, 2021