Appearance / Description of Object(s)

Previouslyl, I stated that iniatially the object looked like a weather balloon. Since dawn was still a few minutes away at ground level, the object was lit by the sun that was still slightly below the horizon. It was a pearlescent grey, not silver. In fact I would describe the color as "moonstone" because that is one of my favorite semi-precious stones. The color is the main reason I thought it may be a balloon. I don't know if I was looking at part of a spherical object or if it was a saucer-shaped object flying with the flat surface facing me. I could never tell because it was moving so quickly. When it started performing manuevers, I didn't care which it was because I had never seen (and still haven't) like what it was doing.

Size of Object(s)

I don't know the true size of this object. I performed the test suggested. I would have to say that my hands would have to be about six to eight inches apart.

Description of Area / Surroundings

I would have to describe this as a predominantly urban/suburban area. Staunton only has a population of about 23,000 now. I would suspect that it would have been no more than about 20,000 at that time. The area is hilly, numerous trees, but N. Augusta St. is fairly open as it moves out of Staunton to the North. There are no interesting developments of any kind in the area in which I was or the area in which the object was moving. The area simply became less populated in any direction as it changed from urban/suburban to rural.

Full Description & Details

I was walking my dog very early in the morning that November day. I was walking North on N. Augusta St. N. Auusta St. is the uran designation for U.S. Route 11 in Virginia. Route 11 traverses the Shenandoah Valley in a N/S direction. I was crossing the street and looked west (I don't know why because it had nothing to do with the traffic flow). I saw what I first thought was a weather balloon pop over the horizon. Weather balloons were a "hot" topic then so that was what I thought I saw. I was completely disabused of that thought because of what the object did in the several minutes I watched. It traveled from west to north until it looked like it was going to land in the distance but still in the middle on N. Augusta St./Route 11. It performed manuevers that still "boggle" my mind after all this time. It could ascend at an amazing speed. Then it would speed in a perpendicular direction from the ascent. It never lost acceleration on these maneuvers. The object could also descend and move on the perpendicular at the same rate of speed. It could also ascend/descend without pausing. I can't draw right angles on a piece of paper as quickly as this object performed these maneuvers. It never faltered, bobbled, or wavered during these aerobatics. In other words, this was not something being buffeted by wind. It was being directed. Finally, as I stood transfixed, it "popped" back down over the horizon. My father owned the local radio station (WTON) at that time. I called the station and talked to the announcer on duty at that hour. He said a man had called in and reported the same phenomenon I had seen. The description seemed identical to the announcer. He said the man was afraid of ridicule so his call was anonymous. He just wanted to know if anyone else had witnessed what he had seen. I told the announcer to give my telephone number to this man if he called back to check. I never heard from him. I have always wondered who he is. I guess after 30 years, I will never know. I actually drove back and forth through the area where the object disappeared. I thought it might have landed.

Can sighting be explained as any conventional man-made or natural object?

No, because I have considererd all the above. I especially love the planet Venus because it reminds me of one of my favorite "X-Files". Every time I watch that rerun, I think of the sighting I had. I watch the dark sky constantly and have seen many fascinating things. All except this and one other I can identify.

Witness Background

I am a 57-year-old woman. I am from an afflent background. I have a degree in American Literature and a minor in anatomy and physiology. However, my passion is landscape and garden design. I have practiced this profession since I was twelve. I have also done many other things, but as I said, this is my passion. I am a very early riser (about 4:00am) and I take a cup of coffee out on my deck and "commune" with the sky. I have seen every comet, the aurora borealis, every meteor shower, prisms in the sky, you name it. When I go walking early in the morning, i perpetually look up. One never knows what can be missed by looking down at that time of day. I have to confess that I do tend to trip over things in my path because I am looking at the sky. I think that we are here for a relatively short period of time. I am not sure what goes with us where, but there is so much to appreciate while we are here. Besides, why look down when one can look up to our begnnings.

Views on UFOs, before and after sighting

I have been a voracious reader since I was three. However, having said that, I don't remember reading much about UFO's. I had heard of them because of the rash of sightings in the fifties and sixties. I didn't really think about them except to hope that the sightings were not delusions by the people who made the claims. November 1974 turned my brain around. It has been 31 years since I saw what I saw. I humbly offer apologies to all the anonymous people to whom I might have denied credence. If this was an aircraft belonging to our government, why is it still "under wraps". Why does the average person still not see on television, on the computer, or wherever what I saw that morning. Thirty-one years is a long time. Everything has progressed with lightening speed. The unusual is now the commonplace. I have not seen anything that can be used as a comparison.

Other Comments

No more comments, except thank you for reading what I have written. I have been laughed at for mentioning UFO sightinngs (yes, I have one more). I just want to make an official documentation. I also read ahead about the sketch or drawing. I am a miserable sketch artist. I could describe for hours what I saw and have someone else do the drawing. However, I make the average third-grader look like Rembrandt.

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