Mrs. Murphy and Crozet, Virginia

A few years back, while wandering through an airport looking for something to read on my next flight, I stumbled across one of the Mrs. Murphy mystery books. I think it was Catch as Cat Can. The heroine of the story is the postmistress of tiny Crozet, Virginia and she's assisted in her sleuthing by two cats and a dog. Mrs. Murphy is one of the cats and is the real brains of the outfit. The stories are marvellous. Written by Rita Mae Brown, she manages to anthropomorphize the animals in a fun, but believable way while maintaining an adult writing style, a very neat trick indeed.

On a recent trip back to Washington, DC, I found myself with most of a day free and decided to drive up into the Appalachians. Once there, I took a look at a park map and saw an icon for Crozet. It was in the opposite direction as my hotel and a bit of a drive, but I jumped in the car and blasted down there as fast as I could. By the time I got there it was dark, but I did have time to stop at a lovely little family diner (with tiny, attached bar with only 4-5 stools) and have some good, down-home cooking. Despite the darkness, I managed to get a photo of the post office where the human heorine, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, works.

I must have come at a bad time. I didn't get to meet Mrs. Murphy, the lead cat from the stories.
If you're ever looking for a fun set of books to read, check these out.