Virginia Beach
wandering
Virginia Fine Arts Museum
This museum has a nice variety of art from many eras. I liked the Faberge exhibit – so much gold! The outdoor art and grounds were spectacular.
American Civil War Museum
Richmond was the capitol of the Confederacy and this museum does a nice job of explaining the history of the war and details of the fight.
Maymont Park
A beautiful park, mansion, stone barn and gardens once owned by the Dooley family. This is the perfect spot for a picnic and walk or bike ride.
Belle Isle
A footbridge takes you to Belle Isle. Trails along the James River are stunning. Used as a Union prisoner-of-war camp during the Civil War, Belle Isle is now a popular place to walk and hike.
Church Hill
Church Hill is a historic district that overlooks the city and the James River. Libby Hill Park offers a prime view of the city and St. John’s Church is where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
Hollywood Cemetery
The Hollywood Cemetery is a primarily confederate and two US presidents burial site. 18,000 confederate soldiers are buried here. The cemetery is like a garden and well-maintained. It was established in 1849 and runs along the James River. The variety of tombstones and crypts were really fascinating.
Richmond, VA
Out and about in Carytown and the Fan District.
40th College Reunion
40th College Reunion. I don’t necessarily recommend going from 0 to 40 without any intervals of visits. But, that’s what I did given that my school was on the opposite coast of where I was living.
This weekend I spent celebrating my 40th college reunion for my AA degree. I was lucky enough to attend Oxford College of Emory, a small, intimate campus about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta. It was the perfect size given that my high school graduating class was 28 students! Most kids went on to Emory in Atlanta for their last two years of college, I actually transferred to University of Florida because I was required to take care of my brother.
The weekend started with happy hour in a hip part of midtown Atlanta on Friday night. It was an intimate way to start the festivities and some folks did not attend the actual reunion on Saturday, so it was good to be able to attend both the happy hour and the reunion the next day.
It was fun to walk the campus and go on a tour and have memories drop into my brain randomly. And even though the campus has changed and grown a lot, the original campus was alive and well, in my mind. The tour guides were students, and I loved their energy and enthusiasm. They enjoyed asking us questions about what campus was like when we were here. I told our tour guides to watch our reactions as we wandered campus because in 40 years they would be in our place going through the same thing and that 40 years happens quicker than you can imagine.
The day started with lunch at nearby Covington, which apparently is the town of Mystic in the Vampire Diaries series, which I have not watched. In college, I did not have a car so rarely left campus, except to visit TCBY in Conyers. Oh, the simple times.
I then spent the rest of the day on campus in a variety of activities. I think the best thing I visited was Dooley’s Tavern. So many memories of drinking, dancing and hanging out in that dilapidated, musty basement. So sad that it is now closed. As I walked through it, there were three current students asking me all kinds of questions of what it was like in it’s heyday.
It was fun to reconnect with old classmates, although many that I truly remember were not there. I wonder what happened to them. Overall, everyone looked great and seemed to have found happiness in their lives. I am so glad I was able to attend.
Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta
Never wanting to get too comfortable, I accepted a dog sitting gig with Trusted Housesitters in the city (as opposed to where I am staying in the suburbs). I’m staying in the Old Fourth Ward which is MLK Jr.’s birth place and a popular neighborhood to live in Atlanta since it’s on the Beltline, Ponce City Market (a previous Sears warehouse) and Krog Market (food hall and shops).
What I love about the neighborhood is its walkability and numerous cafes and restaurants. There’s also a ton of green space including the Historic Fourth Ward Park.
It’s obvious it’s trendy because there is construction everywhere. But the kind of construction I hate. Small, modest, historic homes are being replaced with monster modern monstrosities. I know it’s the thing to do – it’s happening in Portland, too.
The dogs got lots of walks as I meandered the neighborhood. Scotch and Pete got along well and the weather was perfect. It’s so easy to make a dog happy with just walks, treats and scratches behind their ears!
seniyegroff 