Concord....Christmas Underway (November 28-29-2014)

During Thanksgiving went back to North Carolina where I had a very wonderful time with my girlfriend (a wonderful dinner she made) and went out on the Friday night after to see some of the city displays such as this street scene of Union Street in Concord, NC. Not many of the houses on that street have been decorated yet but they son will be (if they are not now as I write this). I had lived there for some 14 years and Concord does a really fine job..and the people who live there make some fine places to check out. As I have found, Richmond, VA (where I live now) goes all out: but enjoy both places!

 This is Village Park in Kannapolis, NC...this is their city tree and a couple of little cottages. The one with the line is where Santa is, the other is animated bears. The whole park lit up on November 29 for the First Night. There was a big party and fireworks and then the lights came on, and there was a train ride (the train is always there...the lights are not, through all the light displays. Some of them go back to the Cannon Mill days of the town.  

This was my favorite light displayand like so many it was animated. Some of the others can be seen in the background.
For the Saturday trip went to Amy, her mom, her Mom's friend Barbara, and Amy's friend Sara. We had a really great time, discovered the wonder of "Cuban Coffee".
On Saturday we were Amy, her Mom, and me. It was a very nice time on a very good day. Winter has yet to kick in as it is still (officially) fall, but did have a cold Friday...Saturday was warmer.
Looking forward to some more sights this season.  

Early view of Christmastime from Asheville, NC (November 14-16)

Great weekend, this was actually taken November 14 at Stewart-Haas Racing, where my son Robby and I stopped in to see the shop and the cars there. Of note, on the following Sunday Kevin Harvick won the 2014 Sprint Cup Championship. Nice shop and a fun visit.
We also made a visit to El Amigo for some first rate Mexican food (a favorite place of ours) . Prior to that I went to RideNow to see the new area they created for Indian Motorcycles. They did not have the one I wanted to see (The Indian Scout) but still some fine bikes, and a very cool area to check out. Will have more on my "Racing with the Wind" Page.  

This  photo was taken November 15 from the Blue Ridge Parkway...just a remarkable view from up there on what was a cool day in Asheville, NC. This is one of my favorite places not just in North Carolina, but for that matter, in the world. Nice to be back there (have been a few times) and we had fun for a short bit exploring the Parkway. We made a stop at the Folk Art Center, which I highly recommend if you are in the area.
My second trip to the mountains this year, just a few weeks ago I was on the motorcycle also on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but that was in Virginia.

This is downtown Asheville, we went down there for a while. Love the town as there is a lot to see and do there. We really enjoyed some of the shops in the Grove Arcade. Fun to walk around and check out the sights. There was also some live music on the streets.
After that, we went to Biltmore Village and checked out the shops there (Amy did a bit of shopping as well) and wandering the shops.
We did not make it to the McDonalds near there but have been there before (well, I have) and highly suggest that...it is something unique to see.  

 Made a quick stop to the world famous Grove Park Inn...which is really something to see. It is all decked out for Christmas already and even outside of the season it is a remarkable sight.
This is from the backside of the hotel, which gives a view off in the distance of downtown Asheville (which can be seen at the upper right).
Again we wandered the shops there and checked out some of the hotel. Did we stay there? No, but for a really special occasion it would be a remarkable place to spend a night or two).

This is what we came to see...the Bilmore. Gets a lot of names....such as "America's Castle". It is a sight to behold with over 240 rooms, 40 plus bathrooms, and over 60 fireplaces. It is a just a huge and beautiful thing-especially so at Christmas. We loved the tour of the house and checking out the rooms (and no you dont get to see all of them, but enough to give you a real feel for the place. Tour takes about an hour and a half. It was a wonderful and remarkable visit and one I hope to repeat with my wonderful girlfriend in the year to come.      

To the Parkway (October 25, 2014)

Nice motorcycle ride. Have not posted to this blog for a while...been a lot of exciting things going on with the new girlfriend (who is really wonderful) but did take a ride on the Kawasaki to The Blue Ridge Parkway. Lots of great color in the trees, nice day (not too cold which is wild for late October) and some great things to see.
This is a mountain farm up in the parkway, have some more photos of the trip on the Racing with the Wind blog, but it was a fantastic thing to do.
Love fall, it is a wonderful time to ride, and a fun time in Richmond and beyond. Good trip and a lot of smiles from beginning to end.  

Took this photo at a pulloff on I-64 near the Parkway (as noted a lot of views from up there on the motorcycle blog) but this is a beautiful view of the whole area. Just a great place to go and nice that it is so close. Much like Carolina its not too far here to the sea or to the mountains.
Traffic was not as bad there or on the way as I expected, and that was a happy thing to find as well.

Made a stop in Charlottesville, but with all the fall events and homecoming at UVA traffic there WAS a bit bad. Due to lines there, did not get to eat at Michie Tavern which like this mill is a very old building (dating to the late 1700's) but did wander around a bit and check them out. I ate lunch nearby and got back on the road.
It was a good ride..some 258 miles (some 60 of which were on the Parkway checking out the leaves and the views) but a great time.
Look forward to this every year and was glad I got to do it here in 2014. Fall is one of my favorite times of year, and looking forward to the days ahead.  

Fun in the RVA (August 2-3,2014)

 Interesting weekend, had some clouds, but went out with a friend and his girlfriend, and also went out with the girlfriend's sister (and she was real nice). Amy came from North Carolina (my old stomping grounds where she lives) and wanted to see some of Richmond. So we tried. Did not get to take her out on the motorcycle, but for the most part the rains did hold off and we got around a few places.
Went to the Dragon Boat races, which was a lot of fun, very oriental and very cool. Had a great time. Saw some other people from work, and really enjoyed being there.          We also went to the Canal, which was a lot of fun. Some neat art there, and a nice time. We also got out on the Canal boat which was a great time. I think the photo with the drawings was an old water plant. At any case, was a cool place to walk and I had never seen or done the boat trip. Well worth the visit.   

After a great dinner the four of us had dessert and a couple of glasses of wine at The Jefferson. That is an amazing place, very old, and very cool.
Lots of history there, but that is common in Richmond, this place is history in my book. Many, many cool things to see and do here, it has been a pleasant surprise.
Day one was a lot of fun, and Amy had a good time.

On Sunday, Amy and I went to Hollywood Cemetery to check out some of the sights there. Among the things to see the Pyramid which is a monument to the Civil War and the 18,000 Confederate Soldiers buried there. There is also 2 US Presidents, the only President of the CSA, and a lot of former Richmond movers and shakers. It is a beautiful place.
Later we joined up with Tina and Tony and went to the Stony Point Fashion Park, and then supper at Baja Bean Company.
Great time, and looking forward to her next visit which will be in a couple of weeks.
Glad I was able to spend time with good friends, a fine woman, and show her some of this very interesting area.  

Redskins Training Camp (July 27, 2014)

 Washington Redskins to be exact, and yes that is RGIII in the yellow jersey, walking onto the field. The team has its training camp in Richmond, VA, nice facility and fun to go there on a rainy day in Richmond. Unlike many sports, football is played in the rain (and as it seems practiced in it too). Told that crowds on the weekends can be terrible, but thanks to the rain that was less than you would think, though still a very good turnout.
It was fun to see all of this, its right downtown and not very far from where I hang my hat...maybe a 5 or 10 minute drive. Traffic was light and parking was no problem. Got to park on a nearby street ...parking lots (which charged from $5-$10) were not very full today. There were a lot of food vendors (food being kind of pricey as you would expect) but a good assortment, and also a lot of interesting things to see and do. There was also a nice team store just past the entrance. No charge to see the practices though some of the later ones (New England Patriot and Fan Fest) will require a free ticket to get in.

Kicker seen here was pretty cool....he could really boom the ball. Got to see them run a few plays and do some other drills.
I am a big football fan, though my favorite teams are the Chicago Bears, but still think it is cool that they have this here in Richmond. Like to get out and see things, and though I had been there last year, practice was not under way during my visit.
This is the second year for the camp to be here, and they have made a few changes for this year. There is a lot more food, and they have also improved the parking. Some of the further lots have shuttle busses to get there and back. At any case, it was a lot of fun.

Seen here is the sun of Jerry Rice, not sure if he will make the team or not, but he is there now. Saw his Dad play a few years ago when I lived in Louisville, Kentucky at a Colts/49er's game.
Fun area where the camp is held, lots of good places to eat (also many in the camp area, but others outside of it) and there is even the baseball stadium nearby as well as a very cool movie theater-so plunty to do between sessions. They have the early morning practice (around 810 though was late) and a walk thru practice around 4. If in the area, make it a point to check this out.  

Fireworks in the RVA (July 5, 2014)

Nice time...not far from me is the Virginia War Museum (I go there quite often, its a very neat place, and its free...plus I was a member of the USN for four years).
Liked this photo I took of Richmond, just before dusk, prior to the fireworks show which was said to be the biggest one in Virginia. It was actually centered from Brown Island which is right on the James River, this is above it, but thought this would be a great place to see the display. From the number of people there, I think I made the right call. Was my first time to see this display.  

It was a very good show. Said to be over 3000 shells, and the skies really got lit up. I did not have a tripod, but did manage to get a few photos of the fireworks...most of the time I think I was watching as my jaw dropped.
It was a lot of fun, a great crowd, and a fun display that lasted well over 30 minutes. As a bonus the museum was open before the display...my neighbor had never been there, and got to show him some of the sights inside there.
It was a very, very fun night and was glad to get to enjoy it.

Bit of History in the RVA (July 1-2, 2014)

 Good couple of rides....on July 1 went to Shockoe Hill Cemetery which is the sites of the graves of John Marshall (3rd Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court), a number of Richmond Mayors, one VA governor, some Union spies, girlfriend of E.A Poe, and soldiers of the Civil War and back to the Revolutionary War. It is an interesting place, was made when the graveyard at St. John's Church got filled up.
There is a lot of history to be seen here in Richmond, and in fact a lot of it can be found at every single turn to make in this city.

On July 2....riding with a purpose (looking for a building I have to visit on the 14th) went by this historic Confederate museum. This anchor was salvaged off the wreck of the USS Virginia. I was  at Hampton Roads a few days ago...there on March 8-9, 1862 the CSS Virginia  and the USS Monitor. On the 8th the Virginia sunk two wooden US warships and damaged a third, but the Monitor arrived that night and the next day fought the Virginia to a draw.
In May 1862 Norfolk fell, and the Virginia trapped was blown up in the harbor to escape capture. That actually happened on May 11, but this anchor was salvaged and also a propeller shaft which is also on display at this museum (and a photo of that is on my Racing with the Wind Motorcycle Blog.
Short ride both days as the heat and humidity are both rising. Felt like 102 both days early on....which does not not make for the best motorcycling. Still, enjoyed getting out early and escaping the heat of the midafternoon.