virginia is for lovers

that is their state motto apparently. they have bumper stickers that say that. west virginia is "almost heaven." and richmond virginia's city motto is "easy to love."

and i have to admit i agree. i am in love with richmond virginia. i am in love with the whole state of virginia. it is a bit funkier and a bit quirkier than it's southern companions in confederacy. also built heavily on civil war history, as well as colonialism, virginia takes you very carefully down that historical road. always including various points of view and being respectful and cognizant of the wrongs done to others in the european dominance of this country.

jamestown virginia, the first lasting british colony in america, was founded four hundred years ago in 1607. in april three ships sailed up the james river. if you saw the NEW WORLD movie (which i strongly recommend as it is beautiful and strange and delicate and it is a terence malick movie who is my favorite director) anway if you saw it you know this story. we went to the jamestown settlement where costumed folks reenact the ways of life back then. there are ships and a fort and an indian village. i got to grind corn. there are lots of kids exhibits, like furs you can pet and stuff like that and darin said, "i miss jarom and bella."

okay but let me tell you a little bit about richmond. once again, it is an old old city. all the houses are narrow and brick and two or three stories high with little porches and balconies with plants and flowers. we parked right next to a community garden. there are different ethnicities seeming to live a little more comfortably and harmoniously next to each other than in other places. there is a big college called virginia commonwealth college so you see all kinds of students and there must be a fashion school because there's a "fashion district" called carytown.

best of all there is a place called 821 Cafe that has vegetarian sausage and all kinds of other vegan and vegetarian options, and cheap! they have grits and omelettes and pancakes and vegan biscuits and gravy and rosemary potatoes and that is only breakfast! there is strange and wonderful art on the walls and it is a little place so it feels cozy and homey and the waitress (there's only one working) her name is heather and she is married and very easy going and chatty and nice and there are people at the counter chatting with her that she obviously knows. all talking about funny little stories from their lives and i am thinking they sit out on their porches hanging out together and rEADING BOOKS because reading books is a big deal in richmond and kids are too. the only bad thing about the cafe was that you can smoke inside. which is very very odd and disgusting but the old man with a very long beard who looked like an old storyteller was the one smoking, so what can you do?

we went in the best "toystore" ever. it was almost like a toystore for adults because of all the bright colors, mexican style paper flags and dia de los muertos pink and orange hanging skeletons, weird postcards and art supplies. but also every crafty and unique toy for kids you can imagine. a big reading area. everything painted yellow, hot pink, green, blue. vibrant and alive and the young people working there so smiley and funky you just want to hug them. that's richmond!

in a vintage store darin showed interest in these antique photographs. there was a heavy set blond gal working there who had her nose buried in a book the whole time which made her very intriguing to me. she didn't try to watch customers or be chatty, she just read her obviously engrossing book. but when darin started looking at those pictures she explained to him all about how special they are - i think they are daguerreotypes - in tiny pressed tin frames. he learned something new! that store was cool too because it was hot and there were old magazines kind of flung all over the place and glamorous scarves and jangly jewelry and capes and tiny boys' suits and little switzerland dresses and so forth. random and exciting old old treasures.

fun to look, ,hard not to buy, but we already spent way too much money on books!

now we are in kentucky. we have passed glorioius fields of bluegrass. the limestone bed underneath this states apparently feeds and enriches the kentucky bluegrass which in turn gave the foundations for the products that made kentucky wealthy: whiskey (somehow made with stream water enriched by bluegrass?) and racehorses whose bones become strong because of their excellent grazing food. neither one is something i am all that interested in but by default we are thrown into derby madness. the queen of england is here for the derby even! geez. i always thought it was kind of ajoke, how people dress up fancy and wear big hats and strut their stuff at the derby. i just don't get horseraces but hey, it makes some people happy.

i just want them to treat the horses right. especially after finishing listening to the book on tape of When Elephants Weep. which we loved. the stories about various animals are completely delightful, like they make you squeal with joy sometimes to hear them. not that i needed any proof that animals experience rich emotional lives. it is a good book though.

speaking of books, maybe i better wrap this up. i am still only skimming the surface of all my endless prattle i could give you. but alas i must go read Lolita! it is addictive, hooray!

i am sending you all hugs and kisses and tons of love!