Christmas Tree at Short Pump Mall (November 13, 2016)

Nice Sunday in Richmond, after a very cold Saturday it was much warmer on Sunday, and wanted to see the tree at Short Pump in Richmond. Nice big mall, in fact think its the biggest in Richmond. So I got out the motorcycle and headed out. Was light when I did but dark was just a couple of hours away. Stopped at Mom's Siam for dinner and then rode out to the mall. This was well worth the ride, a very nice sight indeed! Love Christmas time and love seeing these sights here.
 
After that, headed back up West Broad Street. Fun to ride at night, and have not done that much on the motorcycle so far, but have not had it all that long. Was fun though as night riding changes the whole thing. Got to be up on your game. Before getting home, stopped at The Stone House at Forest Hill Park and got this photo of the house and the bike. Was a very fun thing to do on a Sunday night.  

Christmas Tree Lighting at Stony Point Fashion Park (November 12, 2016)

 Last night they lit up the trees at Short Pump Mall...did not go to that, but did go tonight to Stony Point Fashion Park. I try to go to that last year, and most years I do. Had a great time. The mall has had a big facelift and they have added a number of things. They have better seating, a dog play area (is hands down the most dog friendly mall in Richmond) and this new ice rink. With the one not being downtown this year got a feeling this one will be a hit. Later in the night it got quite busy. Always a popular event, this year seemed like a lot more people came out. Before the tree was lit at 6PM everyone enjoyed the band the Kings of Swing. They play there every year and are something to listen to. Got a great horn section and in addition to Christmas music they played a lot of hits from the 60s to today,
The tree is amazing, like going to this event because it is close to the house but also in that this is my favorite mall and also my favorite mall Christmas tree.
See, this one has programs that go with the music being played....a light show to go along with the lights. I think that is cool and really enjoy just sitting and watching. They have a lot of great stores and even two that are dog related. One with a lot of dog items and gifts, the other is a dog cookie store. Mollie my Border Collie loved going out there, walking around to check out the other dogs and to get a treat!
Really nice and a great time on a very cold night. Not as cold as it will get but cold enough. Had a cold February for sure as I remember but this was the coldest night in some months. There again though did not keep the crowd away. It was fun to see people react and due to snow machines on the roofs there was snow even!    

This was a welcome sight. There are now fire pits there and those were a nice touch tonight. Stayed for quite awhile and even got dinner there while I was at the Mall. Some new places have opened and some more are due to open in a few weeks.
I am sure to be back over the holidays as it is a favorite stop of mine during the Christmas season as well as other times of the year.
On the way to the house stopped for a Christmas coffee at Starbucks. Earlier put up my Christmas tree at my house. Ready to get this holiday, a favorite of mine....underway.  

Louisville/UVA Football Game (October 29, 2016)

Last did this two years ago....but today went to the University of Louisville vs the University of Virginia football game. That last here was won on a cloudy, cold and rainy day by UVA. On this day it was in the upper 70's and very sunny with not a drop of rain.
Tailgated with some friends from work. Charlottesville is a beautiful city and a fun place to go to. I often ride there on the motorcycle as there is a lot to see. UVA is a beautiful, historic and amazing campus.
This is a photo of the field at left.      

The game was great. Louisville has been (with the exception of a close game with Duke and of course a loss to Clemson) beating opponents with abandon. The Cardinals are currently (as I write this ranked as the #5 best team in the country.
However, this game was very close wire to wire. In fact at half time Louisville was behind and it was a interesting first half to be sure.
I like a good close game even when my team is having a hard time. We are blessed though with one of the nations best quarterbacks.    

This is the band (University of Virginia Marching Band) seen at left. They put on a very good halftime show..I was impressed.
The game came down to the last minute..in fact the last seconds. Virginia scored with a bit over a minute left and then made a two point conversion. Louisville responded in a bit over a minute with a touchdown and also a two point conversion to win the game by a score of 32-25. I had a great time there. Ride up and back (went via car) was very good...traffic was not too bad and the weather was wonderful. Looking forward to doing this again the next time they are in town.  

Fall on the Blue Ridge Parkway (October 23, 2016)

Traveled on a cool (lets just say cold) Sunday morning to The Blue Ridge Parkway to see some fall color. Route started up 60 aka the Midlothian Turnpike. Fun road with a lot of interesting sights (once you get out of the traffic in Richmond). Made a stop here where the bike can be seen. I like cannon what can I say? There is a study going on (from a sign near it) to see if this courthouse was designed by Thomas Jefferson.  

Went past the Parkway and made a stop in Lexington, Virginia. Very interesting town and well worth a stop. This was my second visit there and was shorter than the previous one. Still did a quick walking tour from the Visitor Center (which is very nice) to William and Mary College. Very nice school and enjoyed seeing it again.
Much of it was not open and besides had seen the museums on my last visit.

Did make it to the Parkway. Always a fun and great ride with amazing views. Riding it is fun and even sort of feels like flying. You look out from much of the road and seems like you can see forever. Lots of very nice curves along the way as well but they have a 45 mph speed limit which the park rangers are happy to enforce and I am told that is a pretty hefty ticket. Was quite a crowd there to see the leaves, some of the lookouts were pretty crowded.  

In fact did not get to go to the Farm near Humpback Rocks...it was packed. The roads though were not bad (have been on it in North Carolina where it was bumper to bumper...none of that in Virginia so far).
Color was ok....mostly yellow and orange and a lot of green with very little red. Not sure this will be a big color year. Seeing much the same early on in Richmond. Made this trip though every fall (and a few other times during the year) and plan to do it again next year. I have also posted a few photos on my "Racing with the Wind" motorcycle page about this ride. Covered just short (as in less than 1 mile) of 300 miles during the course of the day. Was smiling from ear to ear during every single one of them.    

Skydog at Music in the Park (October 2, 2016)

Quite a crowd for the last "Music in the Park" for 2016. This free series of shows has been held for the past few years in Forest Hill Park in Richmond, and I am happy to say as it was announced from the stage, that it will be returning for 2017.
I have been to most of them this year and always have a good time. Never any problems there and almost as much fun as the music is seeing all the people and their dogs (cause this is Richmond after all.  

The band tonight was "Skydog" which was an Allman Brothers cover band, and I have to say a very good one. Lots of people know this band, and it is quite popular. Usually a really good turnout but this was a especially large one.
It was a nice sendoff to this years series and the music sounded great. I am looking forward to doing this again next year...of course though there are a lot of exciting things coming up for the months ahead here in Richmond.

Hogtober (October 1, 2016)

 A favorite event held each year is Hogtober in Libby Hill Park (which is in the Church Hill section of Richmond). I have gone the last few years though not last year as it was rained out. With all the rain of the past week (over seven inches) it was iffy...but they held it and further rain held off. There was a lot of craft beer and some really good bands. The band at left was a David Bowie cover band, and they were really good.

In addition to the bands (there were four during the day) and the craft beer there was food. Many of the local BBQ restaurants and a few others were on hand. No admission charge (though food and beer cost of course) and a whole lot of people in what is one of the most interesting and historic neighborhoods in Richmond. Libby Hill Park is cool when nothing is going on and features some great views of the city. I have in past posts quite a few photos of those. It was a very good day and I had a wonderful time.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers (September 25, 2016)

Went on Sunday September 25 to Pocahontas State Park to see George Thorogood and the Destroyers. I had seen him and the band many years ago at City Fest in Charlotte, NC. Have been a big fan of his music for a long time and have enjoyed his music for many years. So hearing that he was playing in Virginia was a real thrill.
The show was an outdoor show and  it was a very nice venue. Had never been to the event site there and it was really nice! I brought my own chair as I had a lawn seat.

Lots of refreshments on site (food, cokes, water and of course beer) and for a change at a concert prices were reasonable. Often times its a real gouge but did not feel like I was getting robbed at the vendors.
Virginia people are wonderful in my experience and fun was had talking to some of the people. It was a very behaved crowd and mostly to be honest an older bunch though there was a good number of younger people there as well. The band was very tight which is to be expected as they have played together for a very long time.

As for the band he did pretty much all of his old favorites with Bad to the Bone played as the last song of the regular set. Funny thing he said during "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" as people sang along was..."oh have you heard this before? Well you are going to hear it again". It was a real fun show. Encore was very good. The man has not lost a step over the years...the songs were good and he certainly has a lot of energy.
Enjoyed the band, the venue and the trip there and back was an easy drive. Was not hard to get in or out of there. I look forward to seeing them again, or for that matter, other concerts at the Park.