When did using a turn signal become optional?

Something I noticed during our trip to Virginia was that only about half the cars on the road use turn signals. Does that mean that the use of turn signals has become optional? It sure looked like it to me. While driving on I64 it seemed like no one used their “blinkers”. They just switched lanes, turned off the interstate and even pulled over without ever using the turn signals. So many dangerous (i.e. bad drivers) on the road!
Now for a little “knitting content”. Remember the hat and scarf I knitted for myself? Well, during our trip, I managed to lose my hat. I had taken Mom to the cemetery to put crosses on the family graves. Mom’s legs gave out on her and she went down (not hard and she wasn’t hurt). While helping Mom get back to the jeep, I lost not only my hat, but also the lens cap to my camera. I wasn’t wearing the hat; I had stuffed it into my pocket. We went back to look for the lens cap (I didn’t notice the missing hat until later), but we didn’t find it. Tom will order a new lens cap for me, but I’ll have to knit the hat. Not enough yarn left of the original yarn so not sure what I’ll do.

We're back from VA

Christmas in Virginia was very nice. Not only did I get to see most of my family, but we also got to spend time with Tom's sisters and their family. Here are a few photos (I took over 200).