Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (September 6, 2015)

On September 6, took my girlfriend Bonnie to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. One of the best discoveries of coming to Richmond, and certainly if you have been following this blog you would know I have been there a few times. I really believe that there is something there for everyone. It is a fine museum which some years ago was greatly upgraded and I think it would be a fine museum in a lot of even larger cities than Richmond.
This statue is of Caligula, one of the most notorious of the Roman Emperiors. He was killed by his down bodyguard and the empire tried to destroy all record of him. Only two statues of him are known to exist. This is one of two.
All sorts of art can be found there from very old art (like this for instance and older) and up to modern times. They have a lot of special showings which often charge admission to see those, but for the very vast majority of the collection admission is free. This is also the same for the Virginia Historical Society Museum which is next door. I visited that a few weeks ago and have a post about that on this blog as well.  

This work is by Andy Warhol...one of the great modern artists. They have quite a collection of paintings and they cover a lot of periods. I am real impressed with their Renaissance collection which is pretty cool to see. If you like sculpture, or pottery, or metal work...heck as I am saying whatever you are looking for you can probably find there.
 

I love this furniture which is also part of the museum collection. You can really see a lot of remarkable things there.
The museum can be found on The Boulevard in Richmond, Virginia (which also has as I mentioned the Virginia History Museum next door). It is open virtually every day but check their web site for hours and information. I think you will find that a trip to this museum is time well spent.
You will find that The Boulevard is a very interestiung part of the city with nearby Carytown, Byrd Park and Maymont also in the area. Its a great area to spend a few days in the RVA.

Rides around Richmond (September 5-6,2015)

 Went on a few motorcycle rides, there are some interesting places in Richmond for sure (and outside of it too). This is Gaines Mill, which I have been to a few times before. Was a Civil War Battlefield of the "Seven Days Battles" in which was a part of America's Bloodiest Conflict. Much of it is as it looked back then..they have done a great job of keeping these places that way. Within walking distance was the much later battle of Cold Harbor which is also a remarkable place. Both are well worth a visit if you are in the area, of course there are a number of battlefields in the Richmond area and just outside of it.  

This is the Oldest House in Richmond, and plaque gives its history. It is the home of the Edgar Allen Poe museum, though the author never lived there.
There is a lot of very interesting places in the area of this house. Not far was the Confederate Navy Yard, also St. John's Church is not far, At St. Johns's Patrick Henry gave his Give me liberty or give me death" speech .

This is the house mentioned above, which is also the E A Poe museum. He lived in Richmond for quite a while, his mother is buried in St. John's Church Cemetery (the church is mentioned above) and a lot of items from his life are found in the museum.
Not a lot, cause the author died poor, but the museum is a nice tribute to him, and there are some amazing things to be found in there.
The building itself is also really something to see, and there are some really nice gardens on the grounds as well.

Finally this is Cary Street, at least a part of it. Cobblestone streets and some interesting sights to see as well. Lot of fun to be found in Richmond, VA/

A Road Trip to Wheeling, WV (August 9-10, 2015)

Wanted to go someplace different, out of the norm, so rolling down the road and headed to Wheeling, WV. My destination was the Wheeling Island Casino...not much of a gambler, and that certainly was proven, but was going more for the destination than the idea of making big money.
I used to live in Louisville, Kentucky on the Ohio River and got this photo of the same river, though quite a few miles away. The bridge was very cool and very old, having been built way before the Civil War.  

From the bridge, got this photo of Wheeling. Interesting old river town, and there was a blues festival there. I wandered around a bit on foot, which is the best way to see a city. Had a great time there as it was a very interesting place to explore.
There were a lot of very old buildings, and some cool things to see. Seemed to be pretty quiet on a Sunday though it seemed a lot of people were at the Blues Festival. That sounded great.

Had a good time at the Wheeling Island casino, which was very nice and a lot of fun. Left on Monday morning, again driving across the old bridge which has a metal grating surface.
Soon I was back on the road, the drive to and from Richmond took me though Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and finally West Virginia. Weather to West Virginia was pretty good, trip back to Richmond came across some scattered showers.    

I did stop to check out a few things. This is Fort Necessity in Pennsylvania. This is pretty much (cause the old fort was excavated) an exact replica of the Fort which was a battle site during the French and Indian War. On July 3-4, 1754 a force of French and Indians defeated a force of British under the command of George Washington! It was the only time that George Washington ever surrendered. The fort was burned but posts remained below ground which gave the layout of the Fort. Nice museum there at the Park  with some good displays.  

Neat place I stopped was Winchester, Virginia. Some very cool buildings, stores and restaurants (plus a Civil War Museum of course). Nice place to get a break from the road, and just some really interesting places to look at.
The trip was a great deal of fun, something completely different with some nice things to see and do. It is good now and then to break away from the norm. I enjoyed the days of, sort of a pre vacation from the upcoming vacation, and glad I got to do this. It is a very amazing and wonderful world out there.

Virginia Historical Society (August 2, 2015)

This has always been one of my favorite museums in Richmond, but it has been closed for the last year undergoing a makeover to the tune of something like $30 million.
They had some amazing things to see, such as this display. These are the bones of actual Civil War soldiers shot by the actual rifles of the day. It was amazing the caliber of the guns used.
The war started out with almost Revolutionary War tactics but the weapons had been greatly improved. Later in the war they learned and adopted what would later be used in WW1...Trench Warfare.
There was a lot of Civil War history, and I am glad to see, some good comments about the "Lost Cause"  which according to the museum was created to defend the undefendable. The Civil War was about the end of Slavery, not for some sort of State Rights (well, except for the right of states to own slaves). The war ended all of that, and brought the US up with most of the rest of the world.



This is the inside of the museum, showing some of the displays and some of the cases. I have noted some old familiar displays and some exciting new ones. They have done a remarkable change for the better to this museum.

I love aviation and loved this display. The planes at top were used in windtunnels for testing at NASA in Hampton, VA. They have a big research center there and have since the early days of spaceflight. NASA though is also about aviation.
The flight suit and helmet beloned to Francis Gary Powers who was famous for being shot down in this U-2 over the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
All in all it is good to have this museum back, and I had a great time exploring it, and you can be sure that there will be more posts about the museum in the months and years to come.
As for the day, it was a rainy morning so I took the car there for this trip. Later in the day it dried out and I got to ride the motorcycle.
That event is on my Racing with the Wind Page, for that went to another favorite event.

Redskins Training Camp (August 2, 2015)

 Not a fan of the Washington Redskins ...my two favorites are the Chicago Bears (grew up with them) and from my time in Carolina the Carolina Panthers. Still though, a chance to see football again which is my favorite sport and to check out training camp is a great thing indeed.
These are the Washington Redskins which practiced in what is known as a "Walkthrough" which was kind of neat. Not a lot of action, though later this week in a practice with the Houston Texans there was a fight that broke out. This was a nice day for football though and the practice was really good.

This is RG III, the quarterback for the Washington Redskins. As I said it was a pretty laid back practice, but did enjoy it. Parking has gone up to $10 so I parked the motorcycle (and enjoyed the ride) on a side street just a short distance away.
I also got a good brunch at a booth by Croakers Spot which to me is some of the finest fish in the RVA. The crowd for this was really light and had no problem getting good food or getting close to the team.
It was a really good time, and being early in the morning (well, around 10 or so) it was not yet hot and humid.
Last year when I went to this, it was wet day with drizzle so this was much better. I do plan to follow the team, as well as the NFL. I am also looking forward to college football which will also be starting up very soon. Will be glad to see Fall which is one of the best seasons of the year.  

At the Dragon Boat Races (August 1, 2015)

 Went to the Dragon Boat Races held at Rockett's Landing in Richmond, Virginia on August 1. Event has been held for six years, this is my second to go. Had a very good crowd at the event as you can see in the photo I took at left, and there was a lot of things to see and do. In addition to the races there was food, beverages, dancing, and some really good music on some very loud sound systems.
It was a hot day but not real humid and this event is held at a very beautiful place. I was very glad I went and actually think this will be an annual event for me.  

The racing is of a type that I used to see when I was in the Navy and stationed in Thailand. It is sort of a cross between olympic boat races and the movie Ben Hur in that there is a drummer at the front to keep time.
There were a lot of teams there and they were really excited. It does look like a lot of fun and teams were made up of both men and women which I thought was cool.
This was part of a motorcycle ride today (as it turned out a big part) and I have some more photos on my Racing with the Wind blog.  

Richmond Railway Museum (July 18, 2015)

 Interesting Saturday during the motorcycle ride, as I went to some local places. One of note was the Richmond Railway Museum.
The museum used to be an active train station. I believe it was replaced for the most part by the one now in Shockoe Bottom (the Main Street Station) though I did overhear that the station was in use until around 1955.
One thing of note in there was they had a very large model train layout and it was very cool. This is just a very small portion, as it was an open house was very hard to get around it but I did get to see a lot of it, was cool.    

They dont have a huge collection of rolling freight but did have this steam engine and a few other cars.
My favorite train museum is the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina..that is one amazing place. I am sure there are better ones than that, but not that I have ever seen. If you are ever in the area that is worth a stop. That museum also has a lot of cars, other transportation items and even some aircraft. Another big plus in Spencer is that they have train rides there which is a lot of fun.  

However I enjoyed the visit to the Richmond Railway Museum which is located on Hull Street very close to downtown (in the Manchester area of Richmond). . If you are in the area it is well worth a stop, I enjoy visiting the Manchester area and this was a very worthwhile and for that matter new addition for me.  

Visit to Yorktown Beach (July 7, 2015)

 I love this motorcycle ride, and have a few photos of the beach at my Racing with the Wind blog page. This is a great ride; went via Route 5 which is a fun ride, then on the Colonial Parkway and wandered around the beach, the town and the old sections of town where among other sights saw this building from 1720.
There is a lot to see and do in Yorktown, plus the entire area. Williamsburg and Jamestown plus the Yorktown Battlefield (which is basically where the Revolutionary War ended) are all within a stones throw of each other. I would also add the Colonial Parkway is one amazing road.

While on the Colonial Parkway went past this Navy ship near the US Navy's place there (something annex). Though I served in the Navy this ship and type escapes me (I was in a Patrol Squadron and did not serve on ships as the planes were too large to land on them) but thought this was too cool not to share.  

Road back was again via Route 5 after a long ride on the Colonial Parkway and went back through downtown Williamsburg. I made a stop at the College of William and Mary...one of the oldest colleges in the US. This is the Christopher Wren building which was built in 1695 and the oldest college building in the US. I walked though it and it was amazing. This building is also currently used which is very cool also.
Left Richmond early to avoid the heat which was expected to get into the 90s...was largely successful. It was in the 90's when I got back after five hours of exploring and a distance on the road of 158 miles. It was a very fun day!

Broad Appetit (Sunday June 7, 2015)

One of (if not the) most popular food event in Richmond is Broad Appetit which was held on Sunday June 7 this year. A large section of Broad Street is blocked off and there was quite a crowd there as usual.
This is a relatively new event....less than 10 years I believe, but gets bigger every year and is one event I don's miss. Many fine restaurants offer $3 sample plates, there are craft beers as well as wine, and also some very interesting bands that played on multiple stages.

 These are also some of the booths that were there. I sure enjoyed the food and checking out all the people there.
It was a fantastic day there, the weather was just remarkable (which as I write this and we are pushing 100 degrees a couple of weeks later I really, really really miss).

Finally this is the Voodoo Dolls, which is one of my favorite local bands. I enjoy them, and they are one of the most popular bands at the event. The fact that these ladies can really play is a big plus as well.
Usually the event happens around June (early part) and this is a really good time if you are in the area and want to check out some of the things to eat in what is becoming one of the nation's top foodie towns.

Nascar All Star Race, Concord, NC (May 16, 2015)

Went to Concord, NC to see the Nascar All-Star Race with my son who still lives there (I used to back with my then wife and still current son). We got there in the early afternoon and toured some of the booths and sights around the track. Took this during qualifying; drivers did a couple of laps, had a four tire change and then a final lap. I had some great seats for this race...some of the  best ever for any race.  

This is some of the race action. There were four 25 lap segments and then a final 10 lap shootout. There were no crashes and the only real problem happened to Danica Patrick who had some mechanical issues. She came back out but was dead last and many laps behind. Of note, all the seats on the back side of the track are gone...it is now a half circle seating wise. Was told they did that around a month ago. It was a great night weather wise, a little humid but not blazing hot. I like that its a night race...cars look a lot neater.    

At the end of the race it was Denny Hamlin who won the race. His win was the first All Star win for Joe Gibbs and also Denny's first win. Neat thing is that Denny is from Chesterfield, VA which made it neat for me. This was Jeff Gordon's last All Star Race.
Getting out of the track is always fun but I got us back to my son's apartment around 1:00 AM. We made a late dinner stop at Cookout which is pretty good food. The one we ate at is in Kannapolis, there is also one here in Richmond which opened up last year.  

Sights in Richmond and Beyond (May 2,3 and 9, 2015)

 One of my favorite places to visit, which I did on May 2,  is the Malvern Hill Battlefield. Was the ending action of the effort of the Union Army to capture Richmond. Troops under Robert E. Lee (in the command of the army he called "The Army of Northern Virginia)  engaged the Union Army a number of times. General McClellan as retreating while Lee wanted to finish off the Union Army at this site. On July 1, 1862 the armies met here. Union forces had a large number of cannon and drove off the Confederate troops. Killed and wounded were some 5,650 for the rebels, some 3000 for the Union.  

 Made a visit to the Virginia Aviation Museum where among other aircraft I saw this F-14 Tomcat on display. The Tomcat was the plane made famous in the movie TopGun (though not this one) but was a famous aircraft in US Navy service.
The F-14 was a supersonic swingwing interceptor designed to protect the fleet from aerial attack. A very heavy aircraft it carried a variety of missiles and also packed a cannon.
Later in its history the F-14 was given a ground attack capacity and got the nickname "Bombcat" Still a very beautiful aircraft and flew with a crew of two.

On Sunday May 3 went to  Art in the Park in Byrd Park in Richmond. The event is held yearly and had some 400 booths with a variety of art in one of the best parks in Richmond. Byrd Park and nearby Maymont is a real treasure. Art in the Park brings artists from all over the country and presenting a variety of art.
I don't miss this event and really enjoyed it this year. In fact looking forward to seeing it again next year. Art in the Park is in my opinion one of the best festival events in the city of Richmond, and is well worth a visit.  Malvern Hill and the aviation museum were parts of motorcycle rides, took another one on May 9 and for the first time visited the city of Hanover. There I saw this colonial tavern; George Washington and Patrick Henry (among many others) has dined here. It has been added to over the years but remains one of the few surviing Colonial taverns in the US. Hanover was a lot of fun and very interesting. I will have some more photos from the rides in my Racing with the Wind Blog. A very good two weekends in the RVA.

The Battlefield and the Day in the Park (April 18-19, 2015

 On April 18, the warmest day of the year so far, took a motorcycle ride to Petersburg National Battlefield. I have been there before but just an amazing place. There is a lot of history in Richmond, especially dealing with the Civil War. This battlefield was basically where it ended. Once Richmond fell the war was over a week later.
From this site the mortar "Dictator (one of the most famous cannon of the war) shelled Petersburg. This is not it, but it is of the same type and size. This is also the exact location where it fired from.

Blandford Cemetery is very old with graves from the Revolutionary war. The church there dates to 1735 and is still standing. It played a big roll in the war and a lot of Confederates were buried there. In fact, it is just a massive place.
I really like visiting Petersburg, both the battlefield and the city itself. Have been there a few times, and it is around some 30 miles from Richmond. Back then they were both tied together and the fall of Petersburg lead to the end of Richmond as the Confederate Capital. Lee's Army met its end a few miles up the road with the surrender to General Grant.      

On Sunday, went on foot to Forest Hill Park to the Day in the Park which is a annual event. The Stone House seen here is one of the younger things I saw, dating to the 1800's They had a lot of cool things on display, lots of vendors, bands, and even a police K-9 demo. I really love this park. My dog and me spend a lot of time there walking around it, going to the Farmers Market on Saturday and exploring the lake there.
This was a very good weekend in what is a very interesting area. .

Visit to Virginia Beach (April 4, 2015)

Though I have been here a few years, and have been there before (many, many years ago back in my Navy Days) have not visited Virginia Beach. For one thing, it can be quite difficult to get to via the tunnel just outside of Hampton, VA which gets pretty backed up especially in the summer. I had been by there during the airshow at NAS Oceana (which is fantastic by the way) a couple of years ago, but that was an all day event and by the time it was over it was pretty late -as the crowd is huge with one way out of the Naval base. I really do recommend that event though which is held yearly.

Anyhow got up early today and by 6am I was on my way to Virginia Beach. It is a 90 minute drive to the beach from Richmond via I-64 and that early was very light traffic wise. I did pick a rainy day: the rains had stopped in Richmond, but it was a day for a few showers while I was there. However..I was impressed with the area, and enjoyed seeing the places there, There are a lot of places to stay which includes hotels, vacation rentals, and even a campground very close to the beach. There are a lot of places to eat, and a number of things to do. I really enjoyed the visit there, and plan to come back.  

Virginia Beach has a lot of things to offer, Of course if you live in Virginia there is nothing really closer (well, Yorktown Beach is also really cool, and have been there a few times) but it is very neat.
Lots of things to see in that area, Hampton has Fort Monroe (a very worthwhile and historic place to visit, and was the subject of a previous post) as was this Air Park which is also in Hampton. A favorite place of mine, I stopped in on the way back. Both the fort and the air park are free, for a small fee you can visit the Air and Space Center in Hampton which is also a favorite place of mine to visit.
There is a lot of fun things to see and do in the Virginia Beach area and it is for the most part a pleasant drive. I have been told there is also a real good alternate route to the area and I plan to check that out this summer on one of my motorcycle rides to the area...as I will be coming back very soon!

Spring at long last (March 22, 2015)

Actually the second full day of Spring, Sunday March 22 I headed out to the Church Hill Irish Festival. Sure St. Patrick's Day was a few days ago, but still this was a great festival. There was a lot of food, bands and of course beer.
I rode there on my motorcycle and as you can see in the photo at left there was a "number" of people there. Among the people I saw was Carrie Rose, the weather person for channel WTVR. Up at 5am that is the weather I watch...so got to tell her I am up with her every morning. She liked that and we had a nice talk. Very cool to see someone famous enjoying the events.  

There were a number of bands there of all types and all kinds of music. This was one of the Irish bands, and they were quite good, as were the dancers in this number....no Riverdance but was fun to watch.
I like this event, have been to it over the last few years that I have been here. Always a lot of fun, and for some strange reason has been blessed with good weather.
At any case was there around 90 minutes and had a very good time. Came to see the band "The Tators" and did...and they were really good. Played mostly rock and roll music that was fun.

Before I left the area, stopped at St. John's Church. In a city of old things, this is one of the oldest, was the very church where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me Liberty, or give me Death" speech. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence is buried there, as is the mother of Edgar Allen Poe. In all the times I have been there (and have been a few) had never been inside. This photo at left, is of the inside. While parts of it have bee modernized much of it looks as it did back in Colonial Days. It was very neat to stand where so many famous Americans stood before. It was a very fun day...and the motorcycle ride was wonderful as well.

What a Winter Day (February 8, 2015)

 This is a companion piece to my "Racing with the Wind" blog....more photos and information from a remarkable winter day. Feb 8 and temperatures in the low 70's...a good day for a ride ...and a lot of motorcyclists had the same idea.
Rode the famous "Five and Dime Ride". That starts at VA5 which is a beautiful road, to the Colonial Parkway (even more beautiful) that runs from Yorktown to Williamsburg to Jamestown. I rode it all on February 8.
This is the Yorktown Victory Monument which celebrates the end of the Revolutionary War with the victory of the Colonial Army ...with a big assist from the French Navy...over British Forces under Lord Cornwallis. I have been on that battlefield, and it is well worth seeing. It also has a civil war history.
The monument was raised shortly after the war, and it is a cool thing to see and check out. My goal though was Yorktown beach.      

 While there though saw a number of the Colonial Era houses, such as this one. Yorktown  existed before America was America, but has a number of modern things. Lots of cool shops, restaurants (I ate at the Yorktown Pub), and just a lot of things to see and do.
Yorktown Beach is really nice...plus its the closest beach to Richmond, Va. I had a great ride there and a great time walking about and checking out the sights, eating the food and visiting with some of the people there.

This is the grave of General Thomas Nelson who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His grave can be found in the graveyard of the still standing Grace Church which was founded in 1697. Though have been to Yorktown a few times this was the first time I had seen this.
After a couple of hours there, headed back down the Colonial Parkway through Williamsburg and through Jamestown. It was a beautiful ride and I really enjoyed it.
Williamsburg has a replica Colonial Town which is really cool to explore though I did not see it this day, but had during other trips.
Jamestown, which I have also explored in the past, was the site of the original English settlement in the New World.
You can get a pass to see both Yorktown Battlefield and Jamestown which is really reasonable. Both have a lot of things to see and a lot of history can be seen in just a few hours. I did not get to do that this trip, but have in the past and will again in the future.  


This is Yorktown beach...well another view of it. I have a few other photos on my Racing with the Wind Page from the trip.

Finally this is my motorcycle on the Jamestown Ferry. I crossed the river via the ferry to VA10 which I took back to Richmond, Va. That again is a really nice road. I will tell you to make sure you are good on fuel, there is a gas station at Surry, Va which I passed...the next one is just outside of Hopewell. I got there but just barely, the low fuel light had been shining awhile when I found that gas station.
It was just an amazing ride, and I had a remarkable time. Had not done this ride for some time...too long in fact, and can not wait to do it once again.  

January in the RVA (January 25, 2015)

 Been an interesting month. Course this time of year not a lot going on as far as festivals or any type of event...for many its the post Christmas "hangover". We did get a trace of snow this month early....but it was gone by 9am. In that we have been lucky...not a lot of places can say that this far north....has been some good snows all around us. January 26-27 the luck "may" run out (the weather people are not real sure yet) but looks like we will at least get a little.As winters go though...so far so good.  

 Took this at the Poe Museum in Richmond. For a long time he lived here...it was late in his life he died in Baltimore, MD. The museum does not have a whole lot of Poe items (he died not having a lot) but was very neat..and is said to be the largest collection of his Items. Was neat to see some things he had written in his own hands, and quite a few things about him.
Not the house he lived in, but is located on Main Street in the oldest surviving house in Richmond which is in and of itself pretty cool. If you are in the RVA it is well worth a stop and a look.

This is the New Kent Winery, which I went to on a warm (upper 50's temperature wise) day. Got there on the motorcycle....January has been nice in that there have been a few riding days to get my knees in the breeze. Course requires some bundling up but has been fun to get out.
As for the winery, very neat. Got a few (but not too many) glasses of wine, and had a wine and cheese plate.
New Kent is pretty neat, the former horse race track Colonial Downs is out there, and some really neat houses. Not really developed from what I could see, but said to be a fast growing area.

This is the Halfway House, which dates to 1760. Neat to eat there as so did over the years: Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Washington, US Grant, Robert E. Lee, and the Marquis deLafayette...just to name a few.
The Halfway House is located on Jefferson Davis Highway and the food and service were fantastic. I really enjoyed my dinner there, and plan to come back when I have someone special to take there.
It has not been a very exciting month, in fact sort of laid back, but that is certainly not a bad thing...nice to have those sort of days from time to time.