So ends Christmas (January 5, 2014)

 My girlfriend and I found it was the last day for the Christmas decorations at the Maymont Mansion, and having been before (and she having not been there in quite some years) thought it would be cool to see. House is amazing, built by the Dooley family at the turn of the century, 98% of the items in it came from them. Its like a time capsule and amazing to see how Christmas was held back in the day. House was one of the first in Richmond to have electricity, though the Christmas trees in the house were lit with candles. The house was donated to the City of Richmond with the death of the wife. 

These are mote of the buildings, Maymont is a real treasure and one of my favorite places to visit. In addition to the house, there is a collection of vehicles (one of which is below, some others at the photo page on this blog) a really neat zoo and in the spring and summer wonderful Italian and Japanese gardens to explore. Not only that as it is sort of hilly, its a great place to walk around. Even some music events are held there. Most every thing is either no cost or low cost (it was $5 a piece to tour the house, and in my opinion well worth it). The Maymont Foundation takes care of the house and the grounds. 

This is a sled in the Carriage House, as I noted the Christmas displays ended on Sunday January 5. I have to say this year in Richmond (and also some other places during the Christmas season) have been wonderful...I had a great time and will have some fine memories.
This will end Christmas 2013 for me, but I will sure be smiling with the memories that I have for this year. Looking forward to Christmas 2014, it is always one of my favorite times of year and think that one will also have me smiling. Hope all of you had a great time, thanks so much for visiting my page and will be bringing you more in 2014!

Views of Kentuckiana (Dec 27-28, 2013)

 Hotel was near  this mega church, Southeast Christian, which is a monster church (those are just some of the buildings, and they have a great big expansion church in Southern Indiana as well). Got an oil change (was due) on the car at a Mobil 1 place across the street (and highly recommend it). Also across the street was Heine Brothers coffee, got me one of those and later after the flight had a beer at Mellow Mushroom. It is why I like staying in the area there, lots of things to do and enjoy in that area. Nice part of town and also many things to see as well.  

This is my old grade school, formerly known as Greenacres in Clarksville, Indiana. Now its this big new huge building (though the old one is still there, this is sort of an "addition") . Went to see the old schools, and liked that. Did a bit of exploring in Southern Indiana, which this trip (previous post) included over it. Nice time though and a good place to be. Had some good years there.
During this trip went to Sellersburg, New Albany, Speed, Clarksville, Jeffersonville, and also got some time in Louisville, Kentucky...its all close together. Lived at times in both Indiana and Kentucky.    

This is in New Albany. Think they are celebrating (judging by the signs I saw) 200 years. Great city, with a lot of old and many new, buildings. This one is old, but very cool (also was not open..damn the luck). During the three previous photos Mollie was with me, most places not as dog friendly in Indiana as they are in Virginia (where dogs are welcome and generally found everywhere).
Was fun to explore though and had a good time seeing all the sights and it was fun just being there.  

Went to Cunninghams on the river with my son, his wife and my two grandkids. Great place to eat, you get both a lot and some of the best fish I have had in Louisville ever.
Got quite a few good places to eat, it's a fun town. Not sure it is a food centered as Richmond is, which is getting to be quite the foodie town it seems, but a lot of old classic places and a lot of new too. I like to eat whenever possible at non-chains (though they have their place) and this was a good one to visit. Very down home, and a lot of really good service, with great food!

Went to see my family on Saturday in Southern Indiana (flew with my cousin the day before) but on the way came across signs for Kentucky Speedway. Mollie (who traveled with me) had never seen it, so took her there, and its in the background. Had a great time seeing the track, and in fact a fantastic time with my family in Northern Kentucky.
Trip was just a remarkable thing, and I had a lot of fun being there. Think I should have stayed a bit longer, as it sure was a lot of fun from beginning to end. Think I said it was the best trip ever, looking back...I believe I was right.   

Over Southern Indiana (December 27, 2013)

 First off I put a few photos on my Flickr photo page, there is a link to that page here. Got to fly with my cousin Mike over Southern Indiana, and that is one of the photos at left. Was a beautiful day for a flight and due to who the pilot was, it was a very special day.
We flew in a Cessna 172 which he flew down from Ohio and we then bopped around the Floyd Knob area. Flew over my grandfathers house (both of our grandparents have passed on) but it was cool to see it, and I got a good photo of it. It was a real cool experience.

 We went from Floyd Knobs to Madison,  Indiana (having taken off from Clark County Airport near Sellersburg, Indiana) and I got this photo of Madison and the Ohio River.
Tough to fly in the Louisville area, as the big airport there -Standiford Field- has a lot of traffic due to the UPS hub there and it is a pretty restricted area due to that. Flying around Southern Indiana though was a real blast, and I was real happy to be up in the air again. Flying and motorcycling are two things I really enjoy, but only riding is something that I was able to get into myself. Still though, love to fly and these were some amazing sights.

Took this looking out the front window of the plane, nice view heading forward. It was a smooth flight and for sure gives a real different view of where you live.
Flights are usually not too bad, and for those who dont have cousins who are pilots, for a small fee pilots will take you up and show you what the birds see (though at a much faster speed than birds can fly).
It was just a lot of fun to check out the sights and to see some places from above. I miss doing that, and enjoyed this a great deal.    

This was a quarry just outside of the Clark County Airport (as you can see in the upper right the flaps are down as we are coming in for a landing. Made two takeoff and landings, one each both at Clark County Airport and one each at the Madison Airport. Had never flown from the Madison Airport but had been there a few times when I used to go to the Regatta there (for the Hydroplane races).
As I said a remarkable experience, and a lot of memories to keep for a long long time. 

On the Way to the Ville (December 26, 2013)

 Headed to Louisville, Kentucky on December 26, it was a beautiful day to travel. My dog came with me, though she had little choice, but is a good traveling companion-not much for talking, but a good listener. Took this photo at Exit 99...road there to the left says "Blue Ridge Parkway" and to the right Skyline Drive. Got a feeling my motorcycle and me will be revisiting this exit in the months to come. At any case, had a great time stopping there for a short while and seeing the view. There is a hotel there, but read some really bad reviews on it...thats a shame with this view. No big deal though, I had miles to go.

 This is the refinery in Ashland, Ky..this is just a small part of it, which is located pretty much right across the Kentucky State Line from West Virginia. Like going though that state (though do have two toll booths) but sure is a fun state to travel through.
Kentucky is also a lot of fun, nice views and  good roads for the most part. Trip went really well, it might be a long trip but its very scenic. I had good weather on the way up, on the way back a few days later, it was raining most of the way...for some reason that seems to be the pattern. Maybe Louisville is sorry that I am leaving( though could be that it rains a lot there).  

 While not so Tacky Light (that is what they call it in Richmond) there are some amazing houses in many places...this one is in Clarksville, Indiana and is certainly a local favorite.
I like seeing the sights in the city of Louisville too, though with this trip did not have much time to explore there. Entire trip was three days, went to see my family and to visit some of the sights there, but not so many this year. Did get to see some of the area from a unique perspective though and that was fun.

 This is a local flower shop, liked the look of it. Came back on my last day because across from it is a very fine doughnut shop called "Williams Bakery" and enjoy eating there (and did). I also made it to the White Castle which is also pretty much a requirement for a visit. It was a very good time food wise and family wise.
Fun to see some of the sights there, and especially during the Christmas season. 

This was in downtown Jeffersonville, nice light display. Downtown Jeffersonville also has a ice rink (as does Richmond, VA) and it gets a lot of people on it, though not the night I was there.
Think the next section of this page will show you a look at Southern Indiana from an angle that most of us never get to see. Thanks to my cousin, got to do something again that I love, but dont often get to do anymore (though did in the USN when I was in a Patrol Squadron). Those will be the next section that I put up.
Thanks for visiting!

Christmas Day Lights (December 25, 2013)

 Christmas Day, Kaye, Mollie (the border collie) and I went out to see some more Christmas lights-went to the Glen Allen area of Richmond to see this one. A really remarkable house with quite a number of things to look at.
This time of year, it is something to just get out and see what people do..I have often said few cities do Christmas like Richmond, VA and these photos and a few prior are certainly evidence of that. I like wandering around the city to see the things that have been done.

 This is a view of the house from across the street, just a remarkable thing, and fun to see on a winter night (actually was a warm winter night in Richmond, with temps in the 60's, we got to experience a spell of really good weather.
In fact winter to this point has been remarkable, with even some good motorcycling and no snow. The mountains to the west have blocked that which has been heading our way.
At any case, this was a real marvel to behold. 

We came across this house while heading to another one, and this was something to see too. I liked how they put a fire truck (to the right of the garage) into the display, and yeah..thats the real deal (though not sure where it came from).
I would imagine that this is a fireman's house, we saw the house, turned around and went to check this out.
As I said, always amazing things to see here.  

Finally, there was this third house, we had seen it in the day time, but it was remarkable at night. Can't imagine the amount of work (or the amount of the electric bills) that these houses have, but sure is a joy to see this time of year.
I have enjoyed the places we have seen this year, plan to see a few more before New Years and before they turn them all off.
I went on a road trip right after Christmas, and have a few photos to share from that visit to Louisville, Kentucky. Did a few very interesting things while I was in the Derby City.

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!