Sunday in Concord, NC (January 3, 2009)

Back to Richmond in the morning, photo at left is (Thankfully!) not me; but will be time once again to run the gauntlet between here and Richmond, VA. Police tend to be heavy it seems around Salisbury, NC, Durham, NC and also in that great void between Durham and Richmond, VA. Especially love that one section just outside of Petersburg where the 70 mph speed limit winds down in 3 quick stages; tends to be a popular speed trap. Thankfully no tickets in 2009, hope to maintain that pattern in 2010. The problem is really in North Carolina, while I have been impressed with the Virginia drivers, on the highways of NC its turn one at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Can make for some gripping driving; tend to keep a firm hand on the wheel.
Last week did get out to Concord Mills. Entrance to the Bass Pro Shop (one of the most popular stores in the mall) is seen at left. Concord Mills is largely an outlet mall, and a very popular one. Patty and I wandered around with the "after Christmas shoppers"; and they did have a lot of really good values. Sometimes think that be best to give rain checks for Christmas, and do the shopping after the holiday. At any case, was fun to wander around. It is a huge mall with different "sectors" following different design themes, and laid out like a race track (oval). I should also mention that it is North Carolina's #1 tourist attraction which is sort of sad in a way.

Photo at left is the food court; got quite a selection of places to eat, sort of like the Chesterfield Towne Center in Richmond, though on a much larger scale (and has a Merry Go Round in the center...it works by the way). A great many smaller malls have opened by Concord Mills; gets to be quite the traffic jam around the Christmas holidays backing I-85 up for miles.
As for me, have had a great visit here. Will roll back into Richmond in the morning. Have enjoyed a great break from work, but will be good to get back into the routine. Besides its too cold to ride the motorcycle. However on that note do have to mention that went to the Vulcan Riders Association meeting (Charlotte chapter) yesterday, temperature was a balmy 22 degrees and roughly 2/3s of those attending rode their motorcycles in. As for me...I passed on that (though did get some good rides in this week and last). Looking forward to new explorations of Richmond and the surrounding area in 2010!

Concord....So Far

Got out this morning a bit before noon, taking the motorcycle for a ride. Been a great visit so far, even the bike seemed happy to see me (started right up) on Thursday, and again today. Went for a good long ride on a chilly North Carolina day under blue skies with light white clouds. Photo at left is Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Nice race shop, kind of shoots down the image of these little shops building race cars (instead they are multi-million dollar operations). DEI was closed today, but it was fun to ride by there. The road its on (believe it or not, its NC-3...and yeah got that number for Dale Sr.) is a very nice road out of Kannapolis, NC.
I rode on into Huntersville, NC on NC-115, another nice Carolina rode. Huntersville, like Concord is home to quite a few race teams, as well as this Christmas tree display downtown. Many of the houses in the area spent the weekend taking their Christmas lights down, but still a lot of displays (and quite a few houses...including mine) with the lights still on, and the Christmas trees still up. Christmas, and in fact the entire visit so far with family and friends has been fantastic. Having a very good time to this point so far. Everything has been going well, and looking forward to the next few days.
Have been following the news from Richmond while I have been here. Seems to have been a pretty good holiday in Richmond for most people and over the weekend. I assume (due to lack of mention) that the remains of the great snowfall are gone at last. Will be back there in a few days, but in the meantime, nothing could be finer, than to be in Carolina (as the song goes).

Slipping in the Snow

Having come from Carolina where a fraction of this amount of snow is enough to shut down the region (and start a mad dash to the grocery for those staples of life: Milk and Bread) this December 18 and 19 storm really brought some adventure into my life. Some eleven years ago I was living in Louisville, Kentucky where snow like this was common, so I do enjoy it. However, as I saw on the drive home from work Friday night, it will be a big month for area body shops. For them, this will be a real Christmas gift! Driving from work down VA-150 took well over an hour to cover the 10 mile distance. I was impressed that people were not going fast (not that it would have done much good to do so) but kept a slow steady pace largely single file. Got the car back to the apartment complex in one piece, where it sits awaiting the thaw. Took this photo today during a walk to see what it looks like. Winter is a beautiful time, and I have seen some very fine looking photos. I guess the timing could not better in some cases, though I am sure this will put a crimp on some late Christmas shopping. Traffic (took this around 2pm) was almost nothing. This will be a good night to enjoy the Christmas tree, a good movie and a hot bowl or two of homemade chili. Enjoy the snow, above all be safe!

A December Night of Tacky Lights

Armed with printed directions, and with a general knowledge of where I was going, took to the streets of Richmond in search of the Tacky Light Tour. It is a bit of an adventure in the dark, but was able to find what I was looking for. Actually the first place I went to was not lit and I thought "this is off to a rousing start" but I continued on. Came to Asbury Ct where two adjoining houses were lit to a degree that could probably be seen from space. I actually knew I was close as I could see the houses from some distance away. It was a remarkable sight to behold. I am told the two houses have a total of some 4,000,000 lights; and I can believe that!
These are the two Asbury Ct houses from a distance. One has to wonder how they got the lights in the trees like that, pretty tall order and a whole lot of lights around them. It was also fun to see all the displays around the yard, I had parked up the street and walked around to the houses, and was glad I did that. Lots of eye candy around the yard; everwhere you looked there was something amazing to see. There were also some limos there, some tour buses, and a lot of cars. Those houses alone were worth going out for tonight. However, found a few more to check out in the course of the drive. Back to the car and back on the road...I came across more!
A little out of order, before coming to Asbury Ct, came across this house on a creek (or river...whatever) and took this photo from the bridge. Again a really impressive bit of work went into this house, and liked the way it was reflected on the water. I had actually seen a few other places; Richmond really does a fine job of lighting up the city. Passed quite a few places on the road and had many oh wow moments driving around. Not quite as great as it would have been if Patty was there, but will get her up here before Christmas is over. In fact we did see some of the Tour last year when we came down to check out work and some of the city.

When I left Asbury Ct, followed one of the tour buses, and came across this house just a few blocks away. Again, another impressive display of lights! Lost the bus, but rolled on in what I thought was the general direction of Richmond. Luckily, I was right and via I-64 and I-95 got to The Boulevard and rolled on to Cary Street. Last stop of the night was The James Center which had a nice display. I also enjoyed the way the skyscrapers were lined out in lights, and there was a small band playing Christmas music. From, there it was back to the apartment. Got to say though, my two experiences checking out the Tacky Light Tour were really remarkable. You guys really put on quite a Christmas light show!

Christmas Lights in North Carolina

Spent a good four day weekend in North Carolina with family and friends. Always good to be back home, and especially nice to be there for four days. Great food and a wonderful time over Thanksgiving; plus good traveling weather up and back. Got the lights up at my house, and the "Santa on the Motorcycle" yard display (have that on my motorcycle blog). Sunday night Patty and I got some coffee, and took a ride to see some of the light displays. The one at left is the lights at Cannon Village in Kannapolis, NC. Sadly, many of the stores there (due to the economy) are closed, but they still have it all lit up. Not a great many houses were decorated, but enough to make it an interesting drive around the area.
In Downtown Concord, this is the city Christmas Tree. They have a big event lighting it with all sorts of food, music, stores opened up, and even a fireworks display after the tree is lit (and last year it was a pretty good one). This year for the lighting I was in Richmond (which also does a really good job of Christmas displays as I have seen so far) so missed it, but the tree was nice to see.
For the upcoming weekend, hope to see if I can find any of the famous "Tacky Light Houses" in the Richmond area. Patty and I got to take a bus tour of the lights in the area, and it was remarkable. There are a few houses in the Charlotte/Concord area that would qualify for Tacky Light status, but not on the scale here! To me this is one of the best times of the year, and am looking forward to a fun Christmas in both cities this year.

Stony Point/Shockoe Bottom (Nov 21-22, 2009)

Saturday night went to Stony Point Fashion Park to see the Christmas Tree Lighting. Surprisingly, there was quite a crowd there; must have come across a really good idea due to sheer luck. I like Christmas, and especially enjoy the lights and sounds of the season. This was a nice event; they had people handing out antlers (lighted) to kids, had Santa there, and even had an ice skating rink open...all free too. Dodging the masses of people with their stroller and well bundled kids I wandered around the stores for a while, and then at 7pm sharp they lit the tree seen at the left. They even made snow and blew it from the roofs of the stores and you can also see that in the photo. It was a very nice touch. Met a couple of people due to a Jeff Gordon t-shirt I was wearing, they were NASCAR fans, and were surprised to find I was from Concord, NC. Talked some about racing, also a bit about (of all things) Christmas at the Biltmore in Asheville. They asked if I had ever been ("yes") and if I thought it was worthwhile to go to ("hell yes!").

Forgot to mention they also had the band "The Kings of Swing" playing. I think I heard from the stage that they have been together since 1974; was a nice tight unit though. So far I have not been able to do much exploring of the local Richmond music scene, but have quite a bit of time left for that. To me though, there is nothing like live music, and did enjoy that part of the night a great deal. Played a lot of old classic music. I really did not expect last night to be all that much, but it was a good time for a couple of hours. What really surprises me in Richmond are the things that I come across out of the blue that turn out to be really fun.

Today, on Sunday, got out in the car and rolled down a part of the Midlothian Turnpike that was new to me. Sign off of 150 says "Richmond" to via that route to Richmond I was bound! Somewhat of a gritty area; with a lot of older neighborhoods, old factories, empty storefronts, and rolled straight into Shockoe Bottom. Been there a few times, but like that a great deal. Got out of the car and wandered around. I have seen this entrance which I would guess is an old sort of mall idea that (apparently) did not pan out. Never have seen it get any use, or anyone go in and out, but looks like it was one someones bright idea.

Probably will be again I would guess, for Richmond certainly recycles buildings. This building in Shockoe Bottom looks to be in the process of being re-worked into something else. Warehouses, old tobacco factories, buildings of all sorts...Richmond turns them into something new. Not that much different from my old hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Not so in Charlotte, NC..there an old building is 20 years old, and its torn down and turned into a new mall or apartment complex. Charlotte is constantly changing to an amazing degree (though with the economy that has slowed down a great deal in the last few months).
Good couple of interesting days in Richmond though. Fun to do things completely for the first time, and to see things that I have never seen. Was eleven years ago that I rolled into Charlotte thinking "man, how did I get into this?" while exploring that town. It is fun to be here, and doing it all again!

Around Town (Post Museum) November 14, 2009

In what is now yesterday, following the tour of the Science Museum of Virginia (previous post) wanted to do a little more exploring. There were some monuments on Monument Avenue that I have not seen; the one of Matthew Fontaine Maury ("Pathfinder of the Seas") and the tennis great Arthur Ashe (seen at left). Of course the Richmond Marathon was going on at this time, so traffic was a bit wild. Still, even on a gloomy, misty and gray day, Monument Avenue is a beautiful street. Some say it is one of the most beautiful roads in the US; I would be hard pressed to name many if any that could top it (and I have been a few places over the years).
Due to the race traffic I took a few detours and ended up in Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom (thanks to previous visits). I made a quick visit to Buffalo Wild Wings there. The place was filled with Virginia Tech fans watching the game, and that was fun. I got out for a bit, taking a walk around the area. Liked this photo of Canal Walk that I took with a hint of fall color still. I have been on Canal Walk down near Belle Isle, but had not seen much of this end of it. Due to the weather it was pretty quiet (though normally seems to be that way in visits I have made to the other end) but nice to walk around. The water is really brown due to all the rain of late around here. That has really had a big impact on water levels.
Nothing much shows that more than the last photo here. I took this from a very neat old bridge near Shockoe Slip (the name escapes me) that I walked to. That is the James River, and it is well up over normal. Tried to get to it from some other vantage points that I knew, but many of the roads were closed due to the river level. It was nice today to see the winds less, and the rain reduced to a drizzle, but still a gray day. The last time I have seen the sun at all, was last Monday morning before the motorcycle ride in North Carolina. However, while heading out tonight for a quick dinner and a visit to Barnes and Noble saw something else I have not seen in some time....stars in the sky. That goes to show, that sometimes it pays to look up! Hopefully, that is a positive sign for the upcoming Sunday. It would be nice if the day lives up to its name!