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April 2026 (Part 04)

Richmond VA

We headed to Richmond for the weekend, an escape timed with our 31st wedding anniversary.  We headed down on Saturday morning in time to join a trolley tour of the downtown and learn a bit about the history and major sites.  Some interesting facts, but we were both struck by the number of empty storefronts in the city.  We did stop for a quick walk through an overlook of the bend in the river which gave the city its name of Richmond on the James when  it reminded Major William Mayo, who was commissioned to lay out a city grid in 1737, of Richmond on the Thames in England.

We wandered through the city after lunch.  Heading across the James and back on two pedestrian bridges.

Had to take a picture of the Barret House to send to Gretchen.  Also wandered by Gen Robert E. Lee's house where he lived for a while after he surrendered to Grant at Appamattox.

Our route took us by the state capital, which had a monument to historically significant women in Virginia to balance the titans surrounding the status of George Washington.  The place was packed with high school seniors taking pictures for prom.

We had tickets to see the comedian Henry Cho, who put on a great show.  The Carpenter Theater was rather gaudily decorated.

On Sunday morning, we headed out for a trip down the James River on a pontoon boat.  Amazed at the number of Blue Herons.  Also saw two bald eagles and a ton of double-breasted cormorants.  Had not really seen immature ones before, which have a white breast, instead of the all black of mature, breeding adults.  Kind of upset, in moving to the side of the river to give way to this tug boat and barge headed up river, we hit something in about 16 feet of water, damaging the motor.  It sill ran, but our speed was limited, making for a long trip back up river.

The home of Jimmy Dean was on the river.