Cusp of Spring

Enjoyed a quiet weekend in the neighborhood in Richmond, which as written is just eight days from the "official" start of Spring. Though have to say as winter goes, this past one was not bad at all. Not a big fan of snow, and sure did not see much of it this year. Temperatures were also very moderate and the season was a great one for my favorite hobby (motorcycling) and also for walking. I enjoyed some great walks over the weekend in Richmond. Went around the park and enjoyed exploring some of the neighborhoods around Forest Hill Avenue. It is a welcome change from where I have lived for the past three years. Even had a nice visit to O'Toole's which is a fun place to drop in.

Move has gone well except for some billing issues with Comcast. Seems I had two modem's on my account, but thanks to some phone calls, and a visit to the office on Iron Bridge Road with a return receipt that (thankfully) I had the foresight to both get, and to keep where I could find it, it looks like it has been straightened out. I tell you this to remind you to always get a receipt; I did so because when I got my old modem read stories that it was possible for this to happen. Overall Comcast is not bad, I am ok with the service, and being connected is vital in the world of today.

Speaking of being connected, I am sort of an aviation nut so a couple of items of interest in that regard. For one, Microsoft Flight is the successor to the discontinued Microsoft Flight Simulator series. I downloaded that over the weekend (a rather hefty download at that) but it is remarkable. If you have ever wanted to fly, its something to check out. They used to say, "its as real as it gets", well I have flown and this is remarkable!

Second, event of note coming up at the National Air and Space annex in Washington, DC. On April 17 (be sure to check though, its a NASA operation, so could change) the Shuttle Discovery will be flying into Dulles International Airport and the shuttle will go on display at the National Air and Space Museum annex there. They have quite a few days of celebrating planned there. The shuttle will arrive on the back of its Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, which is a pretty remarkable sight. The shuttle Enterprise (and that shuttle never went into space, was a test vehicle for the shuttle program) will be going to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum in New York City. I plan to go see it in April, hope to bring some photos back from that visit. The museum is free to visit, but parking at the airport is $15.

Going to be a lot of things coming up in both Carolina and Virginia as Spring fires up. Looking forward to bringing some of them here, and hope you all have a great season.      

Go Figure

Yesterday, enjoyed a nice motorcycle ride, drove back to Richmond later in the afternoon with the air conditioning on . Today woke up to this, and took a walk to Forest Hill Park where I took this photo on this March 5. On the bright side is really nice to look at, and is not really sticking to the roads. It is also supposed to be gone pretty soon, with afternoon highs in the 40's. Certainly has been a wild winter, with mostly a mild winter, but one which will be remembered for of all things-tornadoes in North Carolina (and of course in Southern Indiana as mentioned in the last post.
Wanted to mention that traffic last night was amazing-the CIAA basketball tournament was held in Charlotte over the weekend, and many of the schools are located in the east. It was almost holiday like traffic driving back to Richmond; at times it would almost come to a stop on the highway, and then everyone would move forward again as if nothing had happened. Just ended up being slightly longer getting back.
Fuel prices in North Carolina are in the $3.70 range right now, lower in Richmond by around 10 cents (or around $3.60). In North Carolina though, the gas does not (as a rule) contain Ethanol, so Carolina gas gets better mileage-making the price difference sort of a wash. Not sure what they are, but gas prices tend to be a lot lower in South Carolina-and usually by a considerable amount.      

The First Sunday in March

First Sunday in March...took this photo during a Sunday morning motorcycle ride in Concord, NC. Interesting city which is located some 20 miles NE of Charlotte, NC and is the 12th largest (as of the 2010 census) in North Carolina. It is the home to many of the NASCAR race teams (most of the rest are nearby in the region) and the home to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The #1 tourist attraction in the State, the sprawling Concord Mills Mall is located in Concord, NC (though to be honest I prefer the Blue Ridge Parkway and Asheville, NC) and there are some great roads and interesting places to explore in and around the area.
It was a tough weekend in the area, there were some tornadoes in  Harrisburg, NC (real close to Concord) , and there was some serious damage to quite a few houses. Course it could have been worse, I used to live in the Louisville, Kentucky area and on Friday some heavy damage happened to some nearby Southern Indiana towns and cities. No one died in Harrisburg, in Southern Indiana they were not so lucky. It has been a very strange winter in the nation, the first days of March were some of the ugliest days of the season so far. Thoughts go out to everyone who was impacted by these terrible storms. Once again, this week has seen temperatures in the 80's, thunderstorms and tornadoes, and now tonight as I write this Richmond (where I am as I write this) is under a winter storm warning with the possibility of one-two inches of snow tonight. Go figure! Spring officially starts just a few days from now-can't wait to see what that will bring!      

Station 2 and Chimborazo (February 25, 2012)

 Stopped by Station 2 on a Saturday, neat place to catch some fried pickles (loved them in North Carolina...they do a very fine version which also has a very good mustard based dipping sauce) and a frosty beverage. Took a friend from North Carolina (also by way of Kentucky) there. He spent some 12 years in North Carolina, and never had fried pickles. Fixed that oversight today with the visit. Nice place in a former fire station on Main Street-once again a good example of Richmond recycling of old buildings. Other interesting food selections, and a great selection of beer...including many interesting ones from Virginia which is fun to check out. They don't have a lot of televisions for games, but otherwise its a good place to hang out. They also have outside seating which would be fun on warmer and less windy days. This was not one of those: for this visit had to admire whoever rode that motorcycle on this 50 degree and very windy day. I have been on rides in weather like this-not for the timid for sure!  

 Photo of the James River seen here was taken at Chimborazo Park in the Church Hill area of Richmond. Certainly one of the most interesting and historic areas of the city, there is a lot to see and do in that area. Some of the oldest houses, some great historic sites (such as St. John's Church, which is where Patrick Henry gave his famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech) and some more great places to get a meal or to lift a glass. I like the old (and working) gas streetlights to be found there, and quite a few parks such as this one. Have been here before-the big "Childsavers Motorcycle Ride" ended here last year.

The park though in the Civil War was the site of a Confederate Military Hospital which was at the time the largest in the world. It also was unusual in that those who went for treatment there had a roughly 90% chance of leaving there alive. None of the buildings from that period survive...the building in the background is the Visitor Center which was a former "weather station" (if I remember it right). The museum inside has a number of Civil War items, and you can see a free film on the history of the hospital there. Also of interest are some of the neighborhood houses in the area...they are very old as well.  

A Walk in the Park (Feb 24, 2012)

Crazy weather in Richmond this winter. Last Sunday...a very impressive snow storm. Five days later....its in the low 80s here. Good day for a morning walk in Forest Hill Park. Historical marker at left gives a history of this park, which like many things in Richmond, has a long and interesting history. I have walked it before, and find it a very beautiful park to explore. In the spring (not that many days away) they have a very neat Farmers Market there, fun to wander around there, and to check out the people and of course the dogs of Richmond. This is a dog friendly city. 

 The lake at Forest Hill Park is very cool, and offers "catch and release" fishing. The lake just a few years ago was cleaned up. There are trails nearby (watch for bicycles and fast moving joggers..but they are very cool) and there are also a number of grills to cook out in. The park gets a lot of use, shows a bit of wear and tear-but as we get older don't we all? You can also see some damage still from the hurricane a few months ago-amazing how it just pulled trees up from the ground. That was one remarkable day, and real mess for many who went without power for quite a few days after the storm. 

I enjoy this area of town, and as a new resident to this area, already enjoying the change after three years in the Midlothian Turnpike area. Liked this "Blues Brothers" display on Forest Hill Ave. I have also enjoyed lunch and a beverage with my wife Patty at O'Tooles, and a nice dinner during the Sunday snowstorm at "Crust and Creme."  Both had very good food. I even enjoyed a lunch at a McDonalds with an outstanding music selection playing. Now I am not far from the Pony Pasture, and some other interesting areas are sure to be found. Looking forward to some great times here!  

Moving day and the Snowstorm

Another view of the Stone House at Forest Hill Park, and a view of the replica sign at this very interesting park. It is also now a neighborhood feature for me, made a move to this area over the weekend. After living just off Midlothian Turnpike for the last three years have moved to this new area. Will be a nice change to have a new part of town to live in and explore, plus love the new apartment. I think its going to be a great time here. Move went really well, not having a whole lot of things to move really helps- did this whole Richmond/Charlotte thing with the plan to keep things here basic. Paid off with the move.  

On Sunday February 19 (the day after the above move) snow all day though light got suddenly heavy Sunday night, and we got the first (and so far only) significant snowfall for the winter. It has been a very unusual winter thanks to some strange weather patterns and frankly a whole lot of luck. Often we have had rain on warm days this winter (and often it has been amazingly warm) and dry cold days (though they have been few and far between)  but this was a major snowstorm. However by the next morning, awoke to clear streets as work by street crews and warming temperatures cleared the roads. By the following day, only bits of the storm remained. With forecast temps near 70 by the end of this work week, nothing at all should remain of the one day winter wonderland.   

First February Saturday in the RVA (February 4, 2012)

 Nice day in Richmond, went exploring with a friend from work-Keith, who is standing in front of The Stone House which is located in Forest Hill Park. That park is one of my favorite places in Richmond, and soon I will be relocating from my current apartment to one in that area. Looking forward to some new places to explore in that area, which is one of my favorite in Richmond. I have been in my apartment for the past three years, and am looking forward to a change (helped by a rather hefty rent increase). There are though some good values in Richmond, though it does take some looking. 

 I enjoy playing guitar, Keith and I wandered over to Short Pump. Liked this Fender line of "Pawn Shop Guitars" which is pretty cool. Sam Ash and Guitar Center are virtually side by side (a short walk from each other) which I have always thought is sort of nuts-but seems to work for them both. Not the first time I have seen that sort of thing, but among the most successful. Fun to check out all the items for sale there, there are some very interesting musical instruments and among those two you can pretty much find about anything you want. I also enjoy Richmond Music Center which also has some interesting instruments to check out.
While in Short Pump we also made a stop at Quaker Steak and Lube. Enjoyed some of their fine chicken wings and a frosty cold beverage. Often went to the one in Concord, NC for their bike night, and the Richmond version will also start their bike night (which happens on Wednesday) in a few short weeks.

Finally, made a stop at Velocity Motorcycles, which is one of my favorite motorcycle shops in Richmond. They always have some interesting bikes-used bikes from Italy, Japan, Germany and England (as well as the occasional Harley-Davidson) , and many of them are restored classics. They also sell Royal Enfield motorcycles. There you can also find riding gear, and other items of interest to bikers. They also have motorcycle rental, and a very nice maintenance department. They sell new Royal Enfield motorcycles (the 500cc Bullet) which is now made in India and China. In the photo at left, there is a Ducati in the window, one at left and black bike at right is a German made BMW.  
Not paid to say nice things about any of these places, these are just places that I enjoy visiting from time to time. Fun to get out and explore this fine and interesting city, but sometimes its fun to enjoy things that I enjoy when back in North Carolina. This was a very fine day indeed!