Pendleton County, Spruce Knob, perhaps the closest some of us will get to Heaven. Where there is a vet on North Main, which matters more than you think if you travel with a dog. Where the teenagers have no concept of a toll road. Where some of the phone numbers start 540, because Virginia is that close. Where the county was made in 1788 out of pieces of three others. Where the schools are the Wildcats and the Braves, and that covers all of them. Where four railroads were proposed over forty years, and not one of them was ever built. Where the drive-in at Ruddle is the only movie in town. Where the guides have been taking people up Seneca Rocks for thirty-six years. Where 696 square miles are shared between about six thousand people. Where you can build a home and the only inspection you need is for the septic tank. Where you might not know your next-door neighbour, but you are related to them.