Day Tripping

Sometimes I feel like unless I blog about it, it didn't happen. The list of things from 2011 I've yet to blog about include a discussion I attended with Justic Ruth Bader Ginsberg, my bout with pink eye, and getting a marriage proposal from a stranger at the metro fare card machine. Even though at this point they are as much as five months old, I swear they will be blogged about. But, for now, I'll start with something I've yet to write about, which was my trip to Richmond two weeks ago to spend the day with Mom.

After three years in D.C., we discovered over Christmas that Richmond was about halfway for both of us, thus the perfect distance for a quick day trip. As mom was "homesick" for me and I desperately needed to both get out of the city, and unashamedly, see my momma, together we descended on the city.

The last time we were here was when we took a few days after I finished summer school in 2004 to visit Charlottesville and Richmond. But our interest this time was less in the city's sights -- of which there are many -- and more in the city's stores.

My bus got into the city station about a half hour early, leaving me time to wander past closed store after closed store before settling by a statue to read. (It was barely 8 a.m.; glad to know there's a good reason I'm not usually up then.)

Once mom arrived we got breakfast and planned the day, starting with the Carytown area to work our credit cards a bit.

The consignment store Clementine was just as good as I'd heard and allowed me to significantly expand my wardrobe for a fairly insignificant cost.

We got a mid-day snack at a diner and strolled the cute streets, shopping and browsing as we went.

Mom really wanted to shop at a Pier One and an Anthropologie so we went out into the suburbs a bit for some more shopping. I almost crashed due to having to wake up in the 4s, but was able to rally to head back into the city for dinner and enjoy a few Richmond sights.

After a recommendation from our parking lot attendant, we got dinner at The Hard Shell. Mom had steak and I had shrimp and we both enjoyed ours immensely.

After we ate I tried to get a picture of just the two of us. I guess it's been awhile since doing the "squeeze together and hold camera out" picture because after several tries a few nice guys offered to take it for us.

And then one slightly tipsy fellow asked if he could be in a picture with us. He was sweet enough, and from Alabama, but drunk people that want to be in pictures just amuse me. One time this happened during college when the drunk son of the governor jumped in my picture. Not sure if this guy is the son of a governor, but he's forever in my digital photo album now.

After dinner it was time for goodbyes as I boarded the bus back to D.C. and mom turned the car toward home. It was a busy but great day and one I'm sure will be repeated in the future.