Sights of the Season (December 21, 2013)

 My girlfriend and I, with her son and grandson went to the "Miracle of Christmas" presentation at the Richmond Zoo. It was free, and a huge crowd was on hand. Coupled with temperatures in the upper 60's it was a wonderful night. The presentation used live animals, even Camels were in it, and it was a very neat way to look at the Christmas season.
They put a lot of work into it, and was not bad either getting in or out, though there were over 1,000 people there (three shows a night). The following night it rained which cancelled the event, and looks like more of that tonight (least so far all day).

 Took Kaye to the house on Oregon Hill (previous post) and did get this close up of the amazing house there. Like to see a lot of the lights, as much as I can, and hope to do more if the weather will go along. Not as much fun seeing them in the rain, but Saturday night was as I noted wonderful- and enjoyed getting out and seeing this.
We also made a stop (again, previous post) to the house on Grove Street, and then drove for a bit down Monument Avenue.
Lots of amazing things to see this time of year in Richmond, VA!

 At the Jefferson saw again the Gingerbread Sled, seen here in a side view. Just had to be an amazing amount of work to go into it, and it is a remarkable thing.
Over the years I have seen a house and a train both made out of Gingerbread (and both also very big). You could ride with Santa in this sled, and the details made into it are something to behold.
I enjoy so much this time of year, and the things to see and do at Christmas time in Richmond are long and amazing.
Looking forward to seeing even more, and will be doing so before its all over.

Got this photo of the rotunda at the Jefferson Hotel (which is also where I saw the sled above). Amazing and expensive hotel (but seeing all of this was free) and it has a very long history. Was built by Lewis Ginter, who did a lot of things in the Richmond area at the turn of the century. He made his money in tobacco, but did a lot of other projects here in the area with a lot of that money. There are some gardens here with quite a Christmas display this time of year with his name on it as well.
Hotel history can be found at The Jefferson Hotel web site, where you can find some remarkable things about the hotel. There you can read about the Grand Staircase (seen in previous post with the hotel Christmas Tree) and also about alligators at the hotel!
Was a wonderful time checking this all out, a very fun day and night- I am looking forward to seeing even more, and in fact will even be enjoying Christmas from some other places. Will be bring that to you very soon. Hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas, and thanks for visiting my page! 

Christmas Lights on Thursday Night (December 19, 2013)

 Had a remarkable day, it was in the mid-60's (normally around 50 this time of year) and I had a great day of riding the motorcycle earlier. During the night went out, and not too far from the apartment-all these sights are four miles from my apartment or less. For instance this house is in the Oregon Hill neighborhood, on Laurel Street. When you get close to where it is, you can't miss it. Just a real joy to see, I was smiling from ear to ear looking at this one. Amazing what people can do, and enjoyed visiting this house.   

Also downtown on Grove Avenue, are this work which is a combination of three houses. Read that these properties were sold but they are keeping (and adding to) the light display of the previous owners. It is a beautiful thing to see, and really a lot of fun.
I love exploring these places in Richmond, this time of year there is so much to see and do, few places do Christmas like Richmond does. All sorts of events, and they are good reasons to get out. Music events, religious events, plays, dance and oh yeah..some of the most amazing Christmas lights to be seen anyplace.  

 This is Santa's Caddy....an old car stuffed with toys and decked out with lights. It is located on Monument Avenue, which also features some beautiful and Not-So-Tacky Lights (Tacky Lights are what the big displays are called, though here it is a term of honor).
I like exploring Monument Avenue especially this time of year, but at Christmas the residents really do a remarkable job of getting the street decorated for the season.  

 This was at the Jefferson Hotel, every year they do something remarkable with Gingerbread, this is the 2013 version. Last year it was a train engine, and the year before was a full size gingerbread house.
The Jefferson is a remarkable hotel, think it is the cities only five star hotel, and it is a wonder to see both inside and out anytime. During the holiday though, it is a real wonder, and I love going there, and am sure to be back before the holiday is over.

This is the inside of the Jefferson Hotel, and the tree there is just a remarkable sight. I also love the big staircase (though read that was not the inspiration for "Gone with the Wind" though that was often said.
Enjoyed the visit to these places and actually saw quite a few more as I wandered around the area. Course I plan before they turn everything off to see as much as I can, and will whenever possible bring the photos here, or on my Flickr page (which I also have a link to on this page).
Sure was a fun day, even more remarkable thanks to the really moderate temperatures. Why it does not feel much like December (at least for the time being) it sure looks like it in Richmond, VA. Be watching here for more sights of the season, and for all of you best wishes for a great holiday season!   

Christmastime in Carolina (December 14-15,2013)

Went to Concord, NC over December 14-15 to see my son.  Had a great time there, as I also visited some friends, and went to the bike shop to see some of the new motorcycles (and some of those will be on my other blog "Racing with the Wind") while I was there.
Liked seeing some of the city displays, for instance this one in front of a bank just off NC29. Always enjoyed this one and its animated (well, the snowman moves his arm). There are a lot of these sort of things, and enjoyed seeing all of them. Kind of strange since the divorce last January, but getting better. 

 This is the Concord City Christmas Tree, always like seeing it. They have a big tree lighting in November with all sorts of food, music, and after its lit a fireworks display. Thought that was strange but have found a lot of places do it.

 Seen here at left is downtown Concord, they have changed the lights in the trees for the first time in a lot of years, and also have some hanging balls added. Those have gotten really popular...a house on Union Street (where downtown actually is) has added those and they have really caught on.
Due to the rain did not go to Speedway Christmas, but did enjoy the lights that I got to see. A lot of places due to the rain (it flat poured on Saturday which was expected being in the forecast for the last few days) did not light up, but still fun to see the many that did. 

This at left are the trees at what was formerly Cannon Village (is now part of the NC Research Center) but still very pretty. Village Park has a lot of light displays (both Cannon Village and Village Park are in Kannapolis, NC) but those at the park were turned off due to the weather. Shame, like to ride the little train that goes past them all, well maybe next year.
It was nice to be there, had a fine visit with my son, a great dinner at El Amigo (also in Kannapolis) and enjoyed the lights and the Starbucks Coffee. Will have more from the road this Christmas season.

Day after Thanksgiving, RVA (Nov 29, 2013)

 Was the day after Thanksgiving, and on that same night, some of the (what is known as ) Tacky Light Houses (you can find a whole massive list on Richmond.com-Facebook page or web site) lit up (with more to come over the next few days). Richmond is a remarkable place to see Christmas lights, and it is a popular thing for me and others to do this time of year. This one at left at 14309 Long Hill Road was a first time visit for me, but sure put a smile on my face, and also my girlfriend. You have to love this time of year, and sure is a lot of sights to see and do this December in the RVA. 

 Second house we saw was this one at 8009 Summerbrooke Ct, and it is really remarkable. One of the brightest houses you will find on the tour, and really a remarkable piece of work. I put my Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving, work on this sort of project takes place in June or July (and continues) It is a very cool thing to see. It is one of the most popular houses on the tour, there are quite a few of them all over the area. I have been going to see this, and other sights for the past few years I have been here, but still some new stuff to see. The tree at the right is not real clear, but is in my Flickr photos where I have more photos of these 3 houses.

Finally, the houses at 9604 and 9606 Asbury Court which are probably the most popular on the tour. Going early was nice, usually a mob scene here with tour busses, a line of cars and limos and tons of people. The fact that it was 29 degrees (below normal temps for this time of year) and a huge shopping day probably helped. I sure enjoyed seeing these two houses, to be honest in the area there is not much quite like it. Here you can see the sort of trees I mentioned above...but as also noted more photos on Flickr photos from my page. I will have more of these sort of photos coming up in the next few weeks, as well as like photos from other places over the Christmas holiday. Looking forward to a great number of weekends enjoying what Christmas has to offer...the sights and sounds of the holiday! 

Asheville and Beyond (November 8-10, 2013

 Back to Carolina and to one of my favorite places with my girlfriend and my dog. There is so much to see and to do here, and wanted to share some of the many sights with you. Main thing we wanted to see was the Candlelight Christmas Tour of the Biltmore Mansion, and we did that (and that will be the next post). Getting into town on the 8th we went downtown and took a walk through the old Grove Arcade which is seen at left. Lots of very cool old buildings and interesting sights in Asheville, and like exploring it though have been there many times. Lots of street musicians were playing, and as I have found in the past lots of good places to eat and drink there. Mountains all around you, it is just a remarkable place to spend the day or even a very good night checking out some of the music. We also went to the Grove Park Inn. I have photos of that and some other sights at my Flickr Photo Page, and there is a link to that on this page. I also have some motorcycle photos on my Racing with the Wind page. 

Kaye and I ate at the Moose Cafe, and my advice is to come hungry...you will need the room. Very good food, it is located off of a nearby Farmers Market, and the meals have never been anything short of outstanding.
As for the hotel we stayed at a Best Western on Tunnel Road in Asheville, it was a great place to spend a few nights; very clean and it has been updated. As I told the clerk on leaving, found it well deserved the hype. Really good breakfast also, and it was nearby a whole lot of things. I can recommend that hotel without reservation.          

 Took this photo on the Blue Ridge Parkway, had to take a drive on that great road. Though we did not take the motorcycles on this trip (my girl also rides, but my dog does not and both came with me) saw a lot of them riding it. Great roads and great views. I liked the visit there, which also included many roadside stops and also visits to the Visitor Center and the Folk Art Center.
The Parkway is one of the great American roads, and I never tire of it. I have ridden a lot of the Parkway in both Asheville and the Blowing Rock area, not so much in Virginia, but I will!

McDonalds near the Biltmore is one hell of a thing. I like this one, most of them are the usual thing, but some of them around the country are very unique. This one is near the top of the list with this scene at left, also a player piano and a fireplace.
Wandered around some of downtown in the Biltmore Village right across from the entrance. Then we went back for dinner, and came back to the hotel. Those photos can be found on the Flickr page, and I will be adding a few here very soon. It was a great time, and a nice look at a bygone era. Hard to believe it is all real to be honest, it is beyond belief. 

Finally on the way back to Richmond we stopped at Chimney Rock (seen at left) though did not go up to it this trip. That is a very interesting town, and we also took a walk around nearby Lake Lure which has a beach of all things (but a little chilly for that). A number of movies have been filmed there in whole or in part including part of Dirty Dancing.
It was a remarkable trip and I sure enjoyed it as did my girlfriend and even (I think) my dog who enjoyed the tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway with us.
There is no doubt in my mind, that once again down the road, I will be back!   

Urbanna Oyster Festival (November 2,2013)

 Had a great time at the Urbanna Oyster Festival in Urbanna, VA which is roughly an hour-and a very pleasant drive down some really nice roads-from Richmond, VA. My girlfriend was a big fan of this event, so we got in the car and rolled out. Parking on Saturday was $20 (read it was $10 on Friday) and then there was a short walk to the festival over this bridge which was also at the harbor. Lots of boats there, and was fun walking around the harbor. We even got to check out a condo that had an open house, sure would be remarkable to get up in the morning and see this for a view.     

There were lots of neat things on display, lots of booths selling products . Some of them, and for that matter other photos from the day can be seen on my Flickr photo site (there is a link to it on my page). Lots of fun events to go see, and enjoyed walking around with my lady. We even got to try some free samples of things (and some of those things...we purchased) and of course as mentioned was fun to walk around the shoreline of the harbor.
Town of Urbanna was founded in 1680 so there were a lot of old buildings to see, and fun to see all the people as well.   

Not just people-they had a very cool car show there with some remarkable automobiles and of course a few very cool motorcycles. Liked seeing some of them, and was fun to walk around.
There was a also a very cool "newish" Corvette, but not sure quite what it was. I have a photo of that on Flickr, but also enjoyed a great deal seeing the very old cars such as this one at left. Amazing that some of these cars look almost brand new, as if they had just come out of the factory. I was impressed with the cars there, and we had a great time.

 Of course the festival was about Oysters (hence the name) and got this photo of one of the types we had. There were raw, roasted (which is what these were) fried and even a few in sandwiches. Had something called an Oyster Fritter which was really good. There were booths all over the place, and few places had huge lines...and for those who wanted something else there was something else.
They had a lot of fair/carnival sort of food as well including things such as fried Oreo's, but we passed on those, but was fun to see all the things being offered.

Finally, one of the last things was the parade. Lots of cool things, event queens, stunt motorcycles, marching bands...and as in this photo very small trucks driven by a single Shriner. It was a very cool parade and was a nice event was we had done a lot of walking around and eating. Even met some friends at the parade that Kaye had ridden motorcycles with back in the not too distant past.
It was a very fun event, and I am planning to make a return visit in 2014, but can only hope for such a perfect weather day next year. It was a great time and hope you have enjoyed these photos!

The Ville in the Fall (October 13-17)

Took a trip to Louisville, Kentucky and my good dog Mollie from October 13-17 to see my brother and my family. It is also where my terrible X-wife lives with her cheating boyfriend, but I did not see them...did though get to see my son, his wife, and the grandkids. Mainly went to see my brother who is dealing with a terminal illness. He has declined a great deal, and I wanted to get out to see him before he takes that journey that we all must face. Photo at left is the state capital building in Charleston, WV. Interesting to note is the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the front of it.  

This once again is the famous "Bridge to Nowhere" as it was known...Louisville put a walkway and railing on it and you can walk up it and (soon, once the State of Indiana finishes it's side) across to Indiana. Get some great views there of the river and some of the cool things to see. Being Louisville there were some cool other things to see on the bridge such as the people, and of course some musicians playing guitar. Kaye had never been on it, so it was very cool to do that, as its a nice walk and something different in the River City. It was also a very good day to do this. 

 Night photo of Louisville from the Indiana side of the Ohio River. Beautiful city and one of my favorite to visit. Like the way it looks at night, very pretty. I grew up there, and while we were there stayed once again in Louisville (actually sort of outside of it, though it is now a big area since the City and Jefferson County have merged.
Did spend some time downtown checking out some of the places I know and love, there is a lot to see there and it is a lot of fun being on the streets. For the most part, the weather during the trip was good, though did get some rain. 

This is some of the Union graves at the very old and very large Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville. Some of my earliest family members (from the 1700's) are buried there, there are literally thousands of graves from the beginning of Louisville. Even Col Sanders is buried there. It is a beautiful place, and in the past I have spent many hours there. Kaye liked it a great deal.
Located in the section of Louisville known as The Highlands we took some time and saw a lot of the sights there. It is one of my favorite parts of the city and enjoyed the visit.  

Went to Huber Family Farm with the family, where we got a pair of pumpkins for Halloween. While they have the usual Orange (you can see one in the front), I thought the White Pumpkins were cool. We also visited the Winery (got some wine there, always very good, and brought some home) as well as some other stuff. Fed ducks and fish (of all things) got some items from the farm to eat later, and also we ate ourselves. My advice at the restaurant is to come very hungry as they give you a lot. Prices are also not bad at all for that they give you. It was a very fine day. 

 As noted, went to Louisville downtown which reminds me (and a number of other people) of Richmond. They are real good as reusing old buildings and there are a number of them there (while there are some in Charlotte, not nearly so many as the other two mentioned cities). Louisville is a good mix of the old and new. From Richmond it is around 560 miles...a long drive but very pretty going though the mountains. I enjoyed it, and had some good weather going up, though mostly rain on the way back. We extended the trip to take care of my brother, had some things to do for him. 

 On our last night we ate at Joe's Crab Shack on the river, though a chain the food is (and always was) outstanding. We also had good service.
The Belle of Louisville is very cool, it is a very real (not a replica) Steamboat, in fact next year it celebrates 100 years. I used to ride on it from time to time, used to have some great rock and roll and dance cruises back in the day. Still does some remarkable stuff, and there is even a steamboat "race" during the Kentucky Derby.
If you get the chance during a visit, be sure to take a ride on this classic-it is something to see. 

Finally, came the trip back. Stopped again in West Virginia at Tamarack where I saw these quilts. It was a great time there, love visiting those sort of places and the ride back was wonderful (even with rain as I mentioned earlier). View from the mountains of Virginia was wonderful. Not quite peak fall color up there as I write this, but it is not far away. I hope to get the motorcycle back there in the near future...sure like to see that, and it is a great time to ride.
Lots of good memories even though this was a sad sort of visit, but sure glad I went on this journey.