AZ Comes to VA

This past weekend, my parents came to visit us from Arizona.  They hadn't been out to Virginia since a year ago at Christmas and decided a visit was long overdue.  They took the red-eye out of Phoenix on Friday night and arrived mid-morning on Saturday -- blurry eyed and exhausted.  The flight to Atlanta had been on AirTran which didn't have seats that reclined, very little leg room and with the severe storms dotting the deep south that night, they had a very bumpy ride into Atlanta.  All of this equals very little sleep.  But an hour nap and a shower quickly refreshed them and we were off for a weekend of fun.  Dave was unfortunately absent all Saturday as he was adjudicating a choral festival down in Newport News.  

The first order of business was OF COURSE to give love to all of the furries at our house -- especially Rusty.  As I grew up with a Golden Retriever (Katie), my family has a very special place in their heart for dear old Rusty.  The second order of business was a scrumptious lunch at Buzz & Ned's BBQ and then on to Maymont Gardens.  April/May is really a LOVELY time to be in VA and I was soooo pleased that the Azaleas were still blooming for my mom to enjoy!!!  

On Sunday, Dave excused me from singing at the High Mass and I raced home after the Low Mass to be with my parents.  We took a lovely stroll through the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and even saw some blooming tulips (my mom's favorite!).  When Dave was done with Mass, we took the afternoon to journey through the Petersburg National Battlefield which is a fascinating area of Civil War history.

Jeff Bob & Dave Bob at it again.  [No, they didn't have to unclog anymore sinks BUT my dad DID fix our office door.  It has never closed properly and I asked Mr. Handyman to look at it.  And voila -- within 10 minutes, that door was shutting properly.  Nothing that a box cutter and a screw driver couldn't fix.  He is amazing!]

Notice the badge.  Dave is now a Junior Ranger.  :-)  During a video and talk at the Visitor's Center, Dave correctly answered a question about the 3/5 compromise in the Constitution.  [Can you tell me what the 3/5 compromise refers to?!]  For answering correctly, he was made a Junior Ranger :-), complete with a badge!  He almost proudly wore the thing to dinner that night!

Dinner that night.....ahhhh!  Word has spread fast since Mary Shoemaker and Dave Franek visited us last Labor Day about a little Richmond gem call Bottom's Up Pizza.  My parents almost immediately questioned us about the place upon their arrival.  Fortunately, a trip there for dinner was already in the works.  After an afternoon of walking battlefields, pizza was definitely the way to go.  And what a treat for my dad!!!  He is quite the lover of trains.  My great grandpa worked on trains and one of my dad's first jobs was working derailments of trains.  Well, this place sits RIGHT next to the train track downtown [the picture below is from our table -- no zoom!]

Over 1 1/2 hours, we had 4 trains come through.  It was great!!!!  And, right as we were leaving....an Amtrak!!  And one of the conductors even waved to my dad!!

Yay for Bottom's Up!  Great beer (the bartender made his own mixture which was delicious), great nachos (the chili makes the whole thing)....and fantastic pizza!!!!  Mom and Dad treated me with a very literal picture of "Bottoms Up"..... :-) ..... but I decided to be kind and NOT post that one!

On Monday, I had to work so Dave took over playing Mr. Host.  He took them into Orange County (no, not in southern CA) and they went to James Madison's house, Montpelier.  In my humble opinion, this house....over all of the other presidential homes we've been to in VA....has the most stunning grounds and view.  It looks at the Blue Ridge Mountains and is surrounded by rolling green hills.  Beautiful!!!

After touring the house and surveying the grounds, Dave decided that a bit of the vino was in order so he took them to the Barboursville Winery.  There, they sampled wine and indulged in meat and cheese platters -- while I worked on financial reports and database implementations.  :-)  A trip to the Barboursville Ruins (a home that Jefferson designed and built for the governor of VA at the time...which burned down) completed the day and they returned to Richmond.

We finished the day...and their trip with a delightful dinner at Comfort in downtown Richmond.  Chain Restaurants are fine.....they serve a purpose and have fine food.  But Dave and I prefer the local places...especially when people are visiting!  Why take them to someplace they can go to at home?!  Comfort is a great little place that ....as its name states....serves southern Comfort food.  We're talking Catfish, Meatloaf, Grits, Collard Greens, Mac N'Cheese (and not from the blue box), .... all slathered in warm butter.  And don't forget the Whiskey/Bourbon.  Two whole pages of the different kinds of Bourbon that they provide boggles the mind.  Here are two "Virginia Gentlemen" [the kind of bourbon they had that night].

Tuesday brought an end to their trip.  After they took a walk with the dogs while Dave and I worked, I put them on an airplane home.  :-(  It was a DELIGHTFUL trip!!!   Virginia is a beautiful and Green (as my dad kept commenting) and wonderful place to live.  The ONLY down side is how far away we are from family.  But...as I have learned my great-great grandma used to say...."Thy Will Be Done".  :-)  We love you Mom & Dad!