I think this spot is best suited for what I have to say and think after trying https://coowiththedove.wordpress.com/. It seems to have the most history. So maybe I'll let the stories begin again.

Blog Life update: May 17, 2022

This another attempt at this. Writing is the hard part. The sketchbook/Journal has been my goto way of expressing and documenting my life.

Thanks to Sugar for this:

A Richmond trip summary by day…

Michael and I arrived Monday and after checking in to the Omni Richmond Hotel, we took a walk and discovered we were only a few blocks from the James River. We found ourselves on the Canal Trail, which took us to Browns Island. From there, a walkway led us to the T. Tyler Pottersfield Memorial Pedestrian Bridge, which spans the James River. There is an installation at the start of the bridge titled Three Days in April 1865 that recounts how the former Capital of the Confederate States of America fell while many of Richmond’s people fled as fire consumed the city. I found the poignancy of the many quotes along the bridge’s walkway thought-provoking. On the other side of the bridge, I was surprised to see a rock climbing wall made up of abandoned train trestles, which I thought was a rather clever idea.

Following our walk, we got cleaned up and ate dinner at Westham Tavern, the hotel’s restaurant. We shared an appetizer and a salad, followed by red velvet cake. Michael especially enjoyed the two Old Fashioneds he ordered (Bare Knuckle Bourbon, cane sugar, black walnut bitters, and burnt orange).

On Tuesday, we decided to walk to the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University, which was a few miles from the hotel. Our walk took us by the Virginia State Capital, which due to ongoing renovation was surrounded by a fence that shielded the view of the front of the Capital building. The Capital grounds, however, were really pleasant and nicely landscaped.

Our route took us down Broad Street and when we got to the Arts District, I enjoyed seeing the colorful murals that were on many of the old buildings. This area was an eccletic mix of some new but mostly old buildings, that were primarily occupied by galleries, boutiques, and restaurants – with a few business offices thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of empty storefronts, which seems to be a sign of the times.

ICA, our destination, is a non-collecting institution that showcases changing exhibitions. I found myself impressed by its modern building and spacious gallery spaces. I may have this wrong, but I believe there were three exhibitions on display while we were there. I especially enjoyed Gideon Appah’s Forgotten Nudes, Landscapes.

On our return trip to the hotel, we decided to walk a different route and ended up on W. Franklin Street, which took us to the Richmond Public Library. The library was old-fashioned looking (in a good way), still housing a long row of wooden card catalog file drawers and old time lamps.

Dinner on Tuesday evening was at Casa Del Barco, a Mexican restaurant on the Canal Walk. Its decor made good use of all its empty liquor bottles. They lined the ceiling, stairways, and window ledges. We sat on its patio overlooking the canal. The food was good and Michael enjoyed his drinks, but my margherita was possibly the worst margherita I have ever tasted. It was like drinking what I imagine rubbing alcohol tastes like.

Following dinner, our walk took us to the James River Pipeline Walkway. The pipeline juts out from the riverbank with a metal catwalk resting on top of the pipe, which is under a railroad viaduct. To access the catwalk you have to climb down a metal ladder but it was well worth the effort. I found the area along the walkway really peaceful and in addition to the great views of the river’s rapids, I saw several Great Blue Herons along the riverbanks.

On Wednesday, we took the bus to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to see the Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France exhibition. While I was wowed by the exhibition, I was even more impressed by the museum itself, which included collections from different periods from all over the world. There were also galleries dedicated to artwork and jewelry bequeathed to VMFA by Paul and Rachel Mellon. I must have mentally said wow at least 50 times as I walked through gallery after gallery. Visual overload at its best. I should mention that there was also a sculpture garden outside complete with fountains and nicely landscaped garden areas. Nicely done, VMFA!

Following the visit to VWFA, we spent an hour at the hotel pool swimming and enjoying the sunshine. We then had dinner at Capital Ale House, which was a short walk from the hotel. We shared bbq beef ribs, a few sides, and apple pie ala mode – all quite delicious.

Thursday was a free day of sorts and we planned to hike to Belle Isle, which is an island in the James River. Unfortunately, we discovered the pedestrian suspension bridge to the island was closed for repairs. Consequently, we crossed the Pottersfield Memorial Bridge instead and walked north on the Manchester Floodwall Walk. We sighted several birds in flight along the river that I believe were ospreys. After this walk, the rain that had been threatening us all morning got a little heavier and we headed back to the hotel, with a short stop at Dunkin Donuts along the way.

After a break, we ventured out again to check out the White House of the Confederacy on Clay St. in Richmond’s historic district. Built in 1818, it was the main executive residence of Jefferson Davis, the sole President of the Confederate States of America. From there we walked west on Clay St. to the Valentine, a museum that has been collecting and preserving Richmond stories for over a century. Too cheap, to pay the $8 museum entry fee, Michael and I were browsing the gift shop when we were approached by the museum’s director, William (Bill) Martin, who asked if we wanted to see something special. He is a notable person in Richmond and was even on the TV show Mythbuster. What he wanted to show us turned out to be Edward V. Valentine’s sculpture studio, which is housed in an old carriage house adjacent to the museum. The studio was full of several busts and figures of Confederate notables, including many of Robert E Lee. Given the current sensitivity about displaying Confederate war heros, he was looking for our input on what we thought should be done with this collection. I suspect Martin has shown many other people Valentine’s studio seeking their input as well. And in the end, I believe he will find a way to display these historical pieces in a manner that addresses the sensitivity to what they may represent to many people. Listening to him was interesting and I am glad that Michael and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I felt honored for this opportunity to vist Valentine’s studio.

We opted to eat our last dinner in the hotel restaurant, where I am pretty sure Timothee Chalamet (or his clone) was tending bar. I selected a crab cake sandwich and a Long Island. Michael selected a salad with chicken and an Old Fashioned. We were just two old footweary travelers sitting in a bar reminiscing about all the things we had done and seen all week.

Friday we headed back to Ann Arbor.

There are a lot of little stories I left out in this summary and maybe I’ll take the time in the next few weeks to write about them. But it was a good get-away and I’m glad we made the effort to go. Are we both a little wiser after experiencing not only today’s Richmond but also our step back into Richmond’s history? I hope so.

June 14,2022