Take Me to the River

This past weekend I spent some much needed time on the water with my RVA Scavenger hunt team. Paul's family has had property on the Rappahannock River since 1978 in a tucked away community where most people venture out on golf carts and everyone is greeted with a wave and a warm smile. It's the kind of place that reminds me that life is meant to be enjoyed as much as possible with good company, good food, and good ol' mother nature.

Only an hour from Richmond, it's the perfect getaway for those days when I need to feel sandy mud between my toes and the sun on my carefully sunscreened face. We headed out on the boats to a small beach where neighbors were water skiing, sunbathing, jet skiing, and swimming with their dogs. We spotted tons of birds, snakes, fish, crabs, & even jellyfish... (eek!)

Me with "Baby Girl" Montalvo

Rachael wondering what took us so long to do this!

If we had a tent I would've stayed the night..

The infamous Sea Chaser

Found this on our hike

Tough life of the rivah people

After we had enough of the river, we played cornhole, swam in the pool, and ate tons of watermelon.... all in all, a fantastic way to spend a summer Saturday in VA.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

A Date with Picasso

Last week I had a date with Picasso. Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, the one and only.

Last semester I took History of Modern Art to satisfy a humanities requirement (apparently the humanities from my first BA were outdated or something... but that's a whole different discussion) and I got to know Mr. Picasso better than I ever had before. Admittedly most of my academic career has been spent toiling with chemicals and microscopes and not much of it has involved art, but it doesn't mean that I don't adore it just the same! I head to galleries and museums every chance I get and I have I spent a lot of time daydreaming about Parisian Bohemian life in bygone eras. I like to think I went to cabarets in a former life.

Anyway, when I heard the news that the Picasso exhibit was coming to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, I was first in line to get a ticket! OK, so that last part isn't true. I fully intended it to be, but then I thought about the crowds and the busloads of giggling middle school kids and decided to wait a bit.... which turned into me finally going at the last minute, mere days before the exhibit shipped out to the next city.

Not surprisingly, I was utterly blown away. My $150 text book didn't do his work any justice. Not even close... the colors and textures were breath taking. You can't get that from a text book! I believe art is an experience, and let me tell you by the time I left the museum I felt like I'd had an absinthe cocktail or two. Just being close enough to see every brush stroke gave me chills. Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics... wow. His styles were constantly evolving throughout his incredible life and with each new room of the exhibit I felt a new level of awe.

Sadly, brilliance and talent don't have anything to do with compassion and decency, and ol Picasso was pretty much a jerk. He was a womanizer and at times abusive and cruel towards his many mistresses and family. His larger than life personality seemed to win him more friends than enemies, and his influence permeated the entire culture of the 20th century. I am the first to admit I can't get enough of the sordid details from his tumultuous marriage and subsequent string of tragic lady friends. More than one of them took their own lives in the end...

My very favorite Picasso is the portrait of his Russian ballerina wife, Olga, presumably painted when they were still living together (apparently he refused to divorce her because he didn't want to fork over half his money, but he just moved on with his life and had more children with other women anyway). Her eyes are so full of sadness, it's as if she knew she loved a man who could never love her back the way she wanted to be loved... there's a lot of beauty in melancholy, I think.

Of course, pictures of his work have almost nothing to do with the real thing. Seeing these pieces in person is indescribable. I mean... I just crossed something off my bucket list, and I will never forget the way it felt to be surrounded by so much passion and genius.

Dominion Riverrock Filthy 5K Mud Run

What the heck is Dominion Riverrock? Weeeelll it's a 2 day outdoor lifestyle festival that just happens to take place a few blocks from where I live. Kayak acrobatics, freestyle bike competitions, music, food, beer, and yes, a mud run. There was even an above ground pool for an air dog competition. I think I spent close to an hour just watching dozens of dogs jumping off a platform into a pool over and over.  Some confused pups were trying it for the first time and it was hysterical to watch! Too bad my mutts want nothing to do with water beyond drinking it.

One of the great things about Richmond is that we have a gorgeous riverfront with the backdrop of the city skyline. I live smack in the middle of downtown, but when I walk my dogs it's not uncommon for me to see bald eagles, otters, snakes, racoons, ducks, geese, opossums, herons, etc. The James River Park system is amazing, and anytime I feel like ditching sidewalks for river rocks, I can take a 5 minute walk and do just that. The woods are so thick you're completely unable to tell you're in the middle of the city... I love it!

Friday I participated in the MGD 64 Filthy 5K Mud Run, which was a blast! I was MAJORLY disappointed that yet again I had camera problems. After charging not one but 2 batteries overnight, my camera worked for about 30 seconds... it's an Olympus Stylus Tough (aka me-proof), which means I could have taken it with me through the mud, dropped it in the river, and tossed it over the finish line and it would have been fine. I was so pumped about being able to snap pictures during the race and I ended up with zero. So all these are from image searches. UGH!

A bunch of military guys in their fatigues ran in the 5K which I though was great. There was a chick in a wedding dress and a few tutus and clown wigs here and there, but my favorite getup was a girl dressed in all white spandex running gear with bunny ears on her head band and face paint whiskers... she ran alongside a guy in a dark green sweatshirt and pants with a big rubber garbage can lid strapped to his back painted like a tortoise shell. OF COURSE my flippin camera failed me and  I nearly tossed it in the garbage I was so irritated. These would have been suuuuuch great pictures! OK I'll stop whining about it now I swear.

Anyway the trail involved running across an overpass, through some gorgeous trails at Belle Isle,  rock hopping, and even running waste deep in the James. It rained all day, so the trail was extra muddy and the rocks were super slippery. I remember the smell of honeysuckle following me almost the whole time, which was kind of nice considering things like BO, mud, and fish from the river were what I was expecting to smell. The finish line was basically just a mud pit with dozens of people belly crawling in it... and let me tell you, this was some COLD mud.

We won't discuss my race time...worst ever! I blame my waterlogged shoes. After the race I enjoyed my free beer (Yuengling...not MGD 64.. I was stoked we had a choice!) and walked around all the vendor's booths, stages, and event posts. Luckily there was a bag check and a wash off station, but I ended up jumping in the river to rinse the mud off like most of the others. I was still filthy, but something about walking around covered in mud with a beer in my hand made me happy. I finally headed home and was able to get a lame picture of the remnants of my mud bath.

Can't wait for the next mud run/obstacle course! They're soooo much more fun than other races. : )

Belle Isle & Flying Squirrels

I had another gorgeous day off on Monday & this time I spent it lounging 

by the James River and then watching the sun set at The Diamond. 

Belle Isle is a small island just a short walk upriver from my neighborhood 

in the heart of downtown. A giant suspension footbridge hangs beneath 

the Robert E. Lee overpass, allowing park goers access to the island. 

It's often referred to as "the rocks" by locals because... well, there

is a collection of giant flat rocks on the river bank. Since Virginia Beach

is about 100 mile drive, sunbathers tend to set up towels and beach

blankets and pretend the rapids of the James are waves of the Atlantic. 

Belle Isle also offers bike trails, hiking, picnic shelters, rock climbing, 

and of course, sunbathing. People (and dogs) swim along the shoreline, but 

personally I'd rather navigate rapids in a raft with a guide. I've also seen

people fishing with nets, which is actually more entertaining to watch than you'd think. There's plenty of wildlife to watch, trails to hike, and ruins to explore..

Most days you can catch a group of kayakers expertly avoiding giant rock collisions.

Belle Isle pond

Of course, it goes without saying that this island is full of history. After 

all, it's in Richmond! It was first explored (by a white man.. because, duh, 

Native Americans had been exploring it for centuries) by the one and only

Captain John Smith in 1607. As far as anyone knows, he never took 

Pocahontas here, though. Throughout the years the island has been home to a

nail factory, fishery, village, and even a Union soldier prison. 

Once manufactured nails, wire, & horseshoes

In my rush to spend maximum time in the sun, I stupidly decided to drive 

the short distance from my place to the park entrance at the suspension bridge. 

The tiny dirt parking lot is makeshift at best, and I barely managed to squeeze 

my truck into a space. After my day in the park, I returned to find that getting 

out of the parking area was going to be next to impossible. It took me almost 

20 minutes and plenty of swearing, but I did it. I may have left a rude 

note on a car or two. They're lucky I didn't take a piece of their bumpers. Idiots. 

Who does this?

I headed home, spent some time at the dog park with Rocko & Bowser, 

and met up with my Scavenger Hunt Team in front of The Diamond for 

a Flying Squirrels game. We were greeted at the front gate by a 

live band playing "Mustang Sally" and some Raiders Cheerleaders (local arena

football team). This is only the second season of our AA Minor League team. 

At first I wasn't crazy about our mascot, but now I love him.. 'ol Nutzy. 

It could be way worse... I mean, we could be the Savannah Sand Gnats 

or the Winston Salem Warthogs. Plus the red & black is pretty snazzy.

Go nutz!

To be honest, in many ways minor league games are more fun than the

majors. For starters, we sat directly behind home plate and were literally 

front and center to watch our beloved Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox 4-2. 

It was exciting to watch pitcher Ryan Verdugo's AA debut, allowing 2 runs on

4 hits in 5 innings which happened to be the longest outing of his career. It was 

pretty sweet to have front row seats to the Squirrels' first home run of the season

thanks to switch-hitting Jose Flores. Aside from baseball, there were dancing 

drag queens, bizarre contests, and the celebrity appearance by pro wreslter

George "The Animal" Steele. Did I mention the amazing junk food & beer? 

Fabulous view...

Thankfully George kept his shirt on.

Go Squirrels!!

I'm so glad Rachael brought her sweet kids to the game. 

After all, they're the honorary members of the RVA Scavenger Hunt Team! 

 

RVA Scavenger Hunt Team