What a treat it is to have a day off during the week!

With a meeting in Richmond on Monday and a conference in Williamsburg from Wednesday through Saturday, it just made sense to stay in the Eastern part of the Commonwealth.   My friend Becky lives in Ashland, and I was lucky to spend last evening with her and our friend Tim.  This morning when she left for work, I left to explore the town of Ashland.  I enjoyed a hot breakfast blend and a bagel while catching up on email, blogging, and bills at Ashland Coffee and Tea.

Ashland is another historic train town and much of the quaint downtown area has a train theme.

Freight trains pass through town on a regular schedule and even better, you can still take the passenger to various places in Virginia and the Northeast

Ashland is more than trains, however, and the architecture of the buildings and the neat little shops and adornments made it difficult to put the camera away and made me reluctant to leave.  I adored this sculpture of J Malcolm Pace III, also  known as “Jay”.  The plaque reads “Newspaper Editor / Publisher, Community and Church Leader, Randolph Macon College Supporter, Musician, Friend and Family Man”.  What a tribute!

And then there are the windows …

Eventually, I had to move on to the next stop: Downtown Richmond.  I spent 7 years in Richmond while attending the Medical College of Virginia and I have always loved the downtown area.  Too may folks who live in the suburbs never leave the land of malls and chain restaurants and what a shame that is.

Today I discovered the Canal Walk, a project to restore a canal system that was started in 1784 and was heavily damaged during the Civil War.  It truly is a walk through history!

With time running short before I had to leave for my next stop, I found myself at Sam Millers Restaurant on the cobblestoned Shockoe Slip.  The bartender Nathan, in addition to bringing me a yummy cup of crab soup and a Southern Tier stout, was a good source for information and directions.

Finally, I could delay no longer and it was time to leave for Gloucester to meet my friend Janet for dinner a at wonderful Thai restaurant.  Gloucester would be a fun place to explore and I plan to return when it’s still daylight!  But tonight, the rain began to fall and I still had one hour to go before arriving at my final destination: Williamsburg – home of my parents and the 2013 Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners Conference.