Almost 500 Nurse Practitioners have gathered in Williamsburg for the 2013 Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners conference. The conference is an opportunity for learning new concepts, gaining knowledge, and advocating for improved health care for all citizens.
It is TIME for transition and change in healthcare and to move away from the territoriality that is promoted by certain healthcare providers!
For now, a few quick pictures from the Williamsburg Lodge.
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.
After a most excellent meeting , I found myself with 4, count ’em, FOUR, hours to myself! Amazing!
Knowing that I would have time tomorrow to look at some of Richmond’s older architecture and shop in non-chain stores, I decided to use this time to get some work done. I located a huge bookstore complete with free wifi and delicious unsweet tea. After purchasing the obligatory book (obligatory because I can’t ever walk into a book store and not buy at least buy one book), I sat down to work.
Sure enough, I was soon distracted by the sun shining through the big windows and on the various objects around me. I wandered the book store for an hour or so, shooting whatever caught my eye. I guess I attracted attention because the very nice store manager came up, introduced himself and informed me that the store did not allow photography without corporate permission. I explained that I was an amateur photographer and was practicing indoor shooting. I then showed him my pictures and offered to delete. He looked at them, was incredibly kind and said no problem – keep them.
Yeah, I’m not impressed with them either! haha!
Nah, they aren’t that bad … and his gracious attitude will be what I carry with me from that store (besides the mystery that I will read at night after long days in my upcoming conference).
Classroom Decorations
Casting Shadows
Plastic Wrapped Bibles
Through The Shade Brightly
How lucky I am to travel, explore and meet with dear friends!
What a great way to end Day 2!
Why a post combining trains and building art? Mostly it’s about timing.
I am on the first night of a 7 night / 8 day, mostly business trip around Virginia. As I was trying to get out of Radford and head on down the road to Richmond, I was drawn to two scenes that I see almost on a daily basis. I’m not sure what made me stop to take pictures today, especially since I was already running late, but … have camera … well you know.
Trains and building art could easily fill several posts, but today, a few pictures will have to do.
Radford has been a railroad town since the 1850s when the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad (later the Norfolk and Western Railway) came through. The population grew dramatically as did business, industry and education. Passenger rail service no longer exists in Radford, but the railroad through the city is still a major component of Norfolk Southern Railway’s Roanoke to Bristol route. As is typical of those who live in a railroad town, it is easy to become immune to the sound of the trains and their whistles as they pass through the city.
The structure pictured below sits right behind the railroad tracks. I am sorry to say that I do not know what it is … I was guessing a water tower. A quick FB call out to local Radford folks revealed that most agree, especially given it’s proximity to the rail yard. I’m hoping I can learn the date it was constructed and any other interesting bits of information as well. We’ve got some serious history buffs in our little city. I’ll pass on what I learn!
Since I posted this morning I have heard from several who tell me that the tower served to store water for use by the steam engines.
As buildings are renovated or unfortunately torn down (or fall down), art in the form of advertisements is often revealed. Radford, like many localities, has many more examples of building art than just those pictured here. These particular ads were revealed when the City of Radford took down an old partially burned out building (which even had a tree growing in it) and created a community courtyard. This lovely little area is now called Carson’s Courtyard.
This next building sits right across the street from Carson’s Courtyard and the art provides a lovely backdrop for the Farmer’s Market.
‘
And as you look past the brick wall, you will once again see the tower.
Day 2 – Richmond
I love all seasons and types of weather – seriously!
If you follow my blog at all, you’ve heard me express joy for rain, ice, snow and wind, as well as sun and the beauty of fall.
What I particularly love about a seasonal change is that a new season starts arriving right when you are tired of the one you are currently experiencing (obviously, I would not be a good one for living in a southern locality).
Yesterday, I posted pictures of ice … today it’s about the signs of spring … and a few minutes practicing in the macro setting!
I am rarely cold, but for some reason this unexpected ice storm has me chilled to the bone!
Still … it’s easy to find the beauty!
First, from the inside looking out …
As I noted in the previous post, I captured a few different pictures yesterday. Back at home and in the process of editing, I realized that these four photos had a similar theme and needed to be posted separately.
Older structures but still very much in use!
I tend to be an organizer … a doer, planner and task master … with few outlets for creativity. Photographing what I see around me and blogging about the stories of my life and the lives of those that I love, may just be my only creative outlets.
Yesterday, as I was rushing to take lunch and visit with a dear friend and from there, head to a birthday celebration at a local winery, I felt such a strong urge to stop and photograph the scenes around me. What I photographed wasn’t so amazing as much as it was the time I took to do it. It gave me a few moments to breathe, to compose, and to embrace bit of creative energy.
And it felt good (as did the wine I drank afterwards)!! I enjoy red more than white, but this vignette at the table nearby caught my eye.
Another post will follow shortly but the four other pictures begged for a different venue.
I’ll never forget the thrill I felt after purchasing my first motorcycle!
I was just out of the motorcycle safety course, had a brand new, crisp license in my wallet and I needed a bike! I didn’t know much, but I did know that I wanted something small, used and practice worthy. I did not want to make the mistake of many new riders, who purchase a brand new “big” bike and, many drops and near accidents later, either sell or leave it sitting there, rarely to be ridden.
Enter my sweet little Honda Rebel, 28 years old with a $1000 price tag. The perfect starter bike for me! Three months later, I had learned much and was ready to move on up to a bigger, more powerful bike. I was a bit sad when I sold that purple rebel and hope it treated another newbie as well as it treated me. Read a bit more about that here: https://lifeonthebikeandotherfabthings.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/learning-to-ride-part-1/
A tinge of sadness was soon replaced with tremendous excitement after the purchase of my 2008 HD Sportster 883L. It too came to me used, although I was only the second owner and the odometer read just 3oo miles. The goal for this second bike was to grow in confidence, comfort, and skill. I’ve put almost 15,000 miles on my Sportster, taken week long solo rides each August these past 3 years, and ridden many, many miles with friends. What an amazing time I have had on this bike!
You can read more about that here: https://lifeonthebikeandotherfabthings.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/learning-to-ride-part-2/
Last week, my bike went into the shop for the annual oil change and check up in preparation for the riding season. (It needs to be said that I’ll ride all year long despite colder temps, but the snow this year has kept me to only a few rides since November). As is not uncommon with “adult toys”, there are things to be done to this bike … some tweaks and some upgrades … and all of that costs MONEY!
What to do?
Spend a good chunk of change to get this lovely little bike ready for the year, and to upgrade it a bit?
OR
Trade it in and get the third and final bike?
If you’ve read Learning to Ride, Part 2, you’ll know that my goal all along has been to eventually sell the Sportster, the bike I have called my intermediate or “middle bike”, and to then purchase the bike of my dreams. The biggest obstacle to that, of course is financial. A new bike means a monthly payment … ugh!
But I can feel a new one calling my name. Just the thought of it is seductive. In fact, tomorrow I will pick up the Sportster from the shop and bring it home. Next week, I’ll be visiting my friend Jay and start talking about a new bike. I don’t know what that bike will be (and I may not be able to work out the financial side of things) but in the meantime …
Isn’t this one a beauty?
The 2013 Fat Boy Lo.
Just add some saddle bags and a windshield and I’ll be ready for the road.
I’ll keep you posted …
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 