Sunday Park/Church Hill Irish Festival (March 23, 2013)

Good day in the RVA, day four of Spring though not as warm as expected, but bundled up and went for a ride on the Motorcycle early in the day. I took a ride down Hull Street visiting a couple of motorcycle dealerships (just to look, not in a buying mood, happy with my Vulcan) but did stop at Sunday Park and took this shot at The Boathouse Restaurant. Two of those in Richmond, the one here, and another at Rocketts Landing. I have eaten at this one, some very good food. The ride though short was a lot of fun, and glad I got this in. Considering we have a 100% rain chance tomorrow....I am very glad!

 This was very cool...went to the Church Hill Irish Festival; and as you can see nothing like enjoying some beer and music with a vast gathering of my close and personal friends. At any case, it was a fun crowd and had a great time there. I have learned this in the four years I have been here...Richmond really knows how to throw a party. I had a great time, went with Tony, a friend from work and we wandered about the crowd (such as we were able to) and enjoyed the day. Church Hill is one of the most interesting sections of Richmond, there is an awful lot to see and do there, and we often do it.
Finally got a photo of one of the band stages, and they also had an Irish band playing (in addition to some rock bands). We got some dinner, and went to his place to watch the Louisville game (which they won, now going to the "Sweet 16"). We are both originally from Louisville. It was just a fantastic day, in a wonderful place...sure glad to see Spring here at last!  

 Went to get an oil change in the car on Monday March 11, and very pleased with that (both service and price). Wanted to get out a bit and do a little sightseeing. Made a pass by Monument Avenue, which I think is the prettiest street in Richmond, and is said to be one of the prettiest  in the USA. Got to this statue, which is the Stonewall Jackson one; and there are quite a few along Monument Ave.
Whole area is one of my favorites; road I am on here is called "The Boulevard" and has this, plus Buz and Ned's (where I had lunch), also the history and art museum, Maymont and Byrd Park and Carytown. All of those are areas that I like to wander around and see some art, history and sights.
It is a fun place in a very fun city, and all that is within a few blocks of this statue. Getting out and exploring everything is pretty neat and a great  time. It has been four years that I have been here, and never get bored.

 This is the dog at Hollywood Cemetery, said to be looking at the grave of a little girl. Amazingly large cemetery it has a lot of Civil War notables (both Officers and Enlisted), plus a lot of Richmond movers and shakers and is a great place to explore both some history and some beauty.
The notables include President James Madison and John Tyler as well as the first and only president of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis.
It was nice there on a Monday, usually it is pretty crowded, but on this day the crowds were very light and it was fun to do some walking around. 

This is the James River as seen from Hollywood Cemetery, got a lot of rapids there (we have had some rain lately) as well as a view of Belle Island on the other side. I have been there a few times too; it is a fine place to walk around.
All in all, a very good Monday, nice to get out and see some interesting sights, many of which are favorites of mine.  

Byrd Park/Malvern Hill (March 10, 2013)

 Nice day to get out, Sunday March 10 had blue skies, and mid-60 temperatures, a perfect day to get out and ride. Went to Byrd Park to the Bell Tower, which was a WW1 memorial when it was built. Enjoyed the ride there, and it was fun to hang out at the park. Its a cool place and is right next to Maymont which is also worth a visit. I have to say Richmond has some very cool parks to check out, and I do have fun doing that. Today, there were a lot of people there, both on two wheels and four in the park.....to be honest it has been a wet cold winter here, and I am ready for Spring (which actually starts officially on March 21). While there visited the lake and also checked out the houses there, lots of really old places and some of them are quite amazing. It is one of the neatest places in the city, and sure have a great time there.

I also made a stop to the lake there, where I got this photo of these birds. There were quite a few there, and they put on quite a show for me. Lots of sea gulls and also a number of Canadian Geese. I like the lake and afterward rode down The Boulevard to Broad Street and then downtown. Had a great time checking out the sights in the city, and then headed to Highway 5. I was headed to Malvern Hill, one of the many battlefields in Richmond, It is one of the best preserved and has a lot of historical markers to let you know what happened there in one of the biggest battles in the Richmond area.    

Malvern Hill was a stand by the Union Army (which was in retreat) which stood off Confederate attacks by a line of cannon. The battle was considered a classic of artillery for many years.
Following that, rode back and made a stop at Poe's Pub (for a Guinness Stout ) before heading back to put the bike away. It was a great day out,and I had a great time.
As I said, looking forward to some Spring here soon, hopefully the winter weather is over for 2013 and better days, such as today, are coming up very soon!