Hockey! In Charlotte ! (December 2, 2011)

View here is of the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC; nice place which was built for the Charlotte Bobcats NBA team to replace the old Charlotte Coliseum which was imploded a few years ago out near the airport. This was built in what Charlotte calls "Uptown". Charlotte is a fun city, and we go there quite a bit to check out all the things to do. In addition to this is Bank of America stadium, a number of museums, some nice parks, and some really great places to check out live music. There are also a lot of places to live in Uptown, though many of the newer ones have really taken a hit due to the recession. I often ride my motorcycle there.
On January second though, Robby (my son) and I went to see the Charlotte Checkers vs The Binghamton Senators on January 2. This is the inside of the arena; and the team had a good crowd for a Sunday. The concessions there are pretty high; I paid a record price for a "barley pop" (total was I believe $8.24!), and quite a bit for an order of nacho's and two very small cokes (close to $15); so be prepared for a hit to the wallet for concessions. That said, enjoyed walking around a bit before the game; had not been in there in a while, and nice to check it out. It is a first rate arena, and they did a nice job on it. Parking was not bad...$5 in a local parking garage.
This is a faceoff during the game, which was very good. Robby and I have been hockey fans since living in Louisville (though that town lost its hockey team after I left there), and Richmond had a hockey team, but it folded the year that I came here (never got to see game one of that team). Charlotte has had a hockey team though for a long time. They are having a good year so far, currently being in third place in their division. They upgraded last year from the ECHL, and are the farm team for the Carolina Hurricanes; and have adapted some of their logos. In addition to the game the mascot (Chubby) did a lot of things during the game, and they had a nice promotion to try to win a car. They also had what is a "hockey hallmark"; a remote control flying blimp inside the arena dropping Chick-fil-A food coupons.
Was a couple of fights there (with the players, in the stands it was family day) , and quite a bit of scoring. In the end it was the Checkers who stood victorious with a score of 4-2. In fact this is one of the Charlotte goals; note the red light shining just behind the goal. Enjoyed the drive back home, traffic was light and it was fun heading out in the car with Robby....and the new 30 Seconds to Mars CD playing on the CD player. It was dark when we headed out after the 3pm game, and noted a few last Christmas lights lit in a few places, including some of the lights of Uptown Charlotte. As always a great time with my son, and a fun time in Charlotte. Looking forward to more fun coming up in this new year, but off to a really good start!

Day One: 2011 (January 1, 2011)

On the last day of 2010; took a motorcycle ride around some places I like in the Carolina area. Photo at left is Jay Little's place in China Grove, NC, a remarkable sight at night. Unfortunately, this year I did not make any night trips there, so you can't see the fully lit version of the China Grove answer to Tacky Lights; but probably some photos from last year, as I was there in 2009. It was a great Christmas this year, not for silly things like presents, or food, or for the "shopping experience" but was for being with family and friends, enjoying the reason for the season, and this year at least the White Christmas was a real treat.
2010 was a really tough year for many people. In my case, another year living in two different (though interesting) places. Everyone is waiting (and hoping) for better economic times. Seen at left is the NC Research Center; which has been a massive investment (this was once the site of the great Pillowtex textile mills, those massive buildings came down, and these have come up) but the slow economy have made these buildings largely a project in waiting. Still there are signs at last that things may be improving, and we can all only hope that 2011 will bring good things to many more people. As the old saying goes, "tough times don't last..tough people do".
Last photo I just thought was sort of cool (in a literal and figurative sense). Saw this fountain on South Union Street on the way home, though it was the warmest day of the month (got up to mid 50's during my ride) this frozen fountain made for a really neat winter photo. I enjoy the different seasons; some of course more than others. The Christmas Day snow was nice mainly because I did not have to drive on it; could enjoy it without taking life and car insurance data in hand, but that is not always the case in winter. Richmond for sure had a wild winter last year, snow in the area was a common sight for many weeks. Still, winter does make for some amazing sights, and of course makes the Spring all the more special. Looking forward to an interesting winter, and an amazing 2011. Best wishes to all of you for a great 2011.

Carolina Christmas 2010

Amazing and wonderful time in Carolina. Enjoyed a great Christmas Day with my family. Got a photo here (left to right) of Addison, Harper, Nicky (behind the Bobcat shirt) and Brittany from Indiana...being my son, daughter in law, and grandson and granddaughter. We had a really fine time over the weekend; they got here on December 23, and stayed till the day after Christmas. Got to do a lot of fun things, and it really made Christmas Day special. It was a nice Christmas morning, and had a really good afternoon as well. My wife Patty made a great meal and we really feasted on that, and enjoyed each others company.
Christmas night, Patty and I went out with Addison and Harper to Charlotte Motor Speedway to see Bruton Smith's winter wonderland, aka "Carolina Christmas. It was pretty neat actually: 2.5 miles around (and on the big racetrack) of lights and light displays set to music. Had a lot out there, it was $20 (actually $17 with a discount from Lowe's ) but was well worth the money. The kids loved it a great deal, was just about (with the exception of Christmas morning) the most excited that I had seen them. I posted a few more photos on the Photo Page, we all wished we could have made another pass though the lights, but one to a customer.
We saw Carolina Christmas during the falling snow, and in the morning, this is the sight on December 26 that greeted us as we woke up.Counts (since it was started on Christmas) as a Christmas Day storm, got something (as of now, cause its still coming down) of some 2-4 inches. Beautiful to look at and the first White Christmas in the Charlotte area since 1947! Enjoyed seeing the snow and sure glad to check out the trees bushes and ground seen in a whole new light. Hope everyone had a fine Christmas, and looking forward to seeing what the days ahead will bring here in the Carolinas. Warmer weather will be here in a few days, but will enjoy this view for a while.

December 16 snow and Cary Street Drive

Couple of interesting events this week. Photo at left is a look at the aftermath of the snow storm on December 16 (taken the following day) which was really pretty. Actually, it was not a bad snow storm at all; roads were bad for a while, but the main roads were good real quick. I do like the fact that Richmond drivers (by and large) do drive on snow like they have done it before (certainly had a lot of practice the last two years). Ended up being something like 2-3 inches with some sleet on top, but the road department did a real good job. The snow was pretty well gone in a couple of days, with nothing left but piles of snow in the mall parking lots around the area.
Wanted to take another look at Richmond's Christmas lights; and went for a short drive tonight. Rolled up Cary Street, not really a "Tacky Light Tour" sort of drive (you can see some of those in previous posts) but had noted some of these places on my previous drives in the area. I did like this house with the tree in front. You see a few of these sort of trees, and I think they are really cool! You don't see trees like this in Carolina, they seem to be unique (at least to my experience) to the Richmond area. I like them...really artistic. Has been a nice few days in the area, and enjoyed the drive after a very fun day. Not long until Winter officially starts, though we have been getting an early preview with two pretty good fall winter storms.

Very Late Fall Virginia Wonderland (December 13, 2010)

Headed back to Virginia after a great weekend with my family at home (see previous post for photos). The night before we got a very light dusting of snow, not even enough to measure. Did get some word though that things were a "bit" different in Virginia. Took this photo on I-85 across the Virginia line. There was no snow to speak of in North Carolina, but not far into Virginia I started to come across sights such as these. At first the snow was very light, gradually becoming heavier as I got deeper into the state. The roads (thankfully) were fine, though wet they had no ice or snow due to VDOT cleaning them, traffic and the temperature.
Took this photo at the rest stop in Dinwiddie, VA which made for a good late fall (keep wanting to say winter, but a few days away from that official event) snow storm photo. Snow is quite pretty to check out, and I do enjoy seeing it, but I do hate to drive in it, though thankfully this day was nothing to worry about. I was able to enjoy it without worry about damage to the car, others, or myself during my journey. Snow is to be expected this time of year, so not a total surprise. We don't get a great deal of snow in Carolina, though it does happen from time to time, but in Virginia it is much more common, and generally in greater amounts.
Last photo was taken pulling into the apartment complex. Getting back to the apartment right about news time found that the area got around 1-2 inches, though some areas were higher. Also, while it did not affect me, did hear on the news this morning that the mountains of North Carolina did get a substantial snowstorm which made even this one look like nothing. All this was the bottom end of a major snow storm which smashed into the mid-west this weekend so it could have been a whole lot worse than this. This one we can admire the beautiful view of the white coated world, and wait to see what the next few days bring to us..for more is said to be on the wat later this week!

December Concord Lights (December 11, 2010)

Back in North Carolina, Patty and I got out for a drive after a very good dinner at Mayflower Seafood, and a couple of seasonal coffees at Starbucks. We went to see some of the sights of the season in the neighborhoods. There were a number of great houses on Union Street in Concord, NC and the one at left is my very favorite. Not quite as dramatic or as bright as the Tacky Light Houses of Richmond, but nonetheless a joy to see. Many of the old houses on Union Street do a great job of lighting up for the Christmas season, and have over the years loved to see this one each year, and look forward to riding by it.
In Kiser Woods in Concord, I liked this tree and the way it was done. We rolled though a lot of the local neighborhoods, as a light rain (unlike the snow of the Tacky Light Tour) fell later in the drive, so what you see are rain drops rather than snow. For the record we did get a dusting of snow on December 12, but nothing like the snow which fell in Richmond Sunday night/Monday Morning (around December 13). On this night though, it was just a very light rain. There were a lot of really pretty sights and bright lights. I also enjoyed a few of the light shows set to music, saw a couple of those while we were exploring the area in the car.
Photo does not actually do this house justice, it has some very nice LED lights, and the back of the house is really remarkable. Saw it as we went by and pulled into the subdivision to check it out. It was a short weekend, and some more places remain to be seen in my next visit to Carolina including McAdenville, NC (which is always remarkable) and also the new light display at Concord Motor Speedway (which is new for this year). Nice though to enjoy the sights of the season with my lovely lady by my side and Christmas music playing on the radio. I look forward to my next visit to North Carolina, and sharing some more photos with you all.

Tacky Light Tour (Day 2) December 5, 2010

Last night (see previous post) was pretty fun and remarkable. Tonight though, had fewer places to go see, but ended up with three high quality sights. The first seen at left was amazing, and hardly "tacky" in any sense of the word. This is the tree inside The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA. It is a remarkable place to check out, and elegant in every sense of the word. This was a beautiful tree in a very beautiful place. I am sure this is an expensive hotel to stay in, but from what I have seen it would be a real experience. Sometime I am going to have to check out the history of this place, which looks very old, but it is well taken care of.
From there, went to The James Center which is near Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom near the James River. From here you get a good look at downtown Richmond and how they have lit the buildings there. There was a lot to see there, and even some people playing music, as well as a lot of decorations all over the place. Even though a Sunday night when I went to see the area, there were a lot of people around doing the same thing I was (including taking photos). Speaking of which, I have some more from my visit today (and the previous one) on my Photo Page. Enjoyed my visit here, and again as noted with The Jefferson Hotel...not tacky at all!
Finally, took this photo on Grove Avenue which is also in downtown Richmond. This IS part of the "Tacky Light Tour" (which by the way can be found at Richmond.com by putting in "Tacky Light Tour") but I thought it was remarkable to check out as well. A group of houses that have worked together to put together this light display which made me and many others smile on a cold Sunday night in Richmond.
The last two days have been a remarkable experience, and a great deal of fun. Richmond has much to offer both over the holidays and during the year as well. I am lucky to have two great places to enjoy during the year in two great states. I will be bringing a bit of "Carolina Christmas" in my next post on this site.