On Country Music from a Connecticut Friend

This post on Country Music sums up pretty well my own opinions. Sorry Hol.

My two worlds collide...

Found on a wall in Moorestown, NJ

Seven

Spoiler: It was really good.

Too bad it came out 3 days before the Bar... oh well. We got through it without learning much from those who has already finished it twice or thrice.

I love how those books dominate the others on our shelf. I am rather proud of the random arrangement of subjects grouped by authors' last names... we are very eclectic in our books!

Ceil's Summer Party

Post-Bar we are back to having a life. Thank the Maker for Ceil and her amazing parties.

We played mini-golf!

What funny Emmie had watching us!

"Could you please make that shot, Ladies??"

It was a beautiful day for a stroll on City Island.

No one got a hole-in-one on the last hole, no free games.

Emmie found the putters quite amusing!

I like this particular golfer. Even if he did beat me.

What sweet couples. Does Chad know??

After the golf the gents went to the batting cages and the ladies took a train ride.

When the train started up Emmie was not sure she liked it.

Then the whistle blew and she loved it.

After the Island we headed home to the Ceil abode to have dinner and play Bocce.

Sabella and Layla joined us.

The Hmann also joined us. We thought he had gone to ground in some foreign country to avoid his crazy friends, but it seems he was just busy.

Ceil's brothers were quite charming, even if they would not look when you tried to take their picture.

C'est fin

The bar exam is taken. Theoretically, that means there should be some return to regularly scheduled life. Including, most likely, posting on our blogs.

The Bar - Part6: Day Two-Going Home

On the way home we stopped in Staunton and enjoyed a nice dinner at the Mill Street Grill. They came highly recommended by the Guide. They had a live jazz band, stained glass windows, and excellent food. Definitely a good end to the trip.

The Bar - Part5: Day One-Afternoon Session

At noon I headed back to the Civic Center, and we enojyed the dry weather. You can see how great everyone looked for the test. These guys did not have sneakers on... go them! At this point they only had 3 hours left on the MBE... for those of you who care, the Multi-state Bar Exam.

Closer view of the Hotel Roanoke and the flower garden in town.

So in the afternoon, my feet were so tired and blisted from walking all over that I went back to the mall and watched Ratatouille. Pixar did an amazing job, as usual. It was very funny, and sitting in the theatre was a relief.

This is the view leaving Roanoke. Hurray the Bar is done.

The Bar - Part4: Day Two-Morning Session

The second morning was much like the first. I took Jonathan over to the Civic Center and then went off to find a Panera and a Barnes & Noble. I did not retrace my steps to the first mall, but found a second, and nearer one. It housed both the stores I wanted as well as a pharmacy. After getting lunch, band-aids for my blisted feet (all that walking) I ducked into the bookstore and bought a copy of the most sold book this year. I know it came out days ago, but to avoid temptation while finishing up studying for the bar I refused to get it until today. So now you know.



Then I went back down town, left the car in a convenient lot and enojyed the History Museum. It is almost just an excuse to talk about the heroic Southerners and the barbarian Northerns. They did have a few other things of interest. Including this necklace. The name Roanoke is said to have originated from an Algonquin word for shell (see shell necklace above). Booyah Galen.

The staff in this piucture is a Northerner's approach to how to properly remember the Civil War. Whoever he was, carved all these questions and answers into the staff. For example, What happened at Fort Sumter?

The Bar - Part3: Day One-Afternoon Session

At noon I trekked over to the Civic Center to take lunch to Jonathan. It had rained all morning, and it pored as I was waiting. We decided to have a picnic up at Saint Andrew's church. It has a lovely view over the city and Jonathan had wanted to see it.

After I returned him to the Civic center I pulled out the Guide and chose a place for dinner. Then I drove into the center of the city looking for the "Center in the Square." It is the building above and it houses three museums, the Art Museum of Western Virginia, the Virginia History Museum, and the Virginia Science Museum. I could not find the little niche in the city where this building is, so I drove around for about 10 minutes and then found a parking lot to leave the car. Then I walked around for about 45 minutes before I found the place. Girls may not be able to keep a map in their heads, but I had one in front of me. Fortunately, Ceil called just as I was setting off from the car. She kept me amused and listed to me curse the city for its lack of decently finable museums. I did make it the the building and got to see the art museum.

I do not think that I have very good taste in art. But I did enjoy most of the paintings that I saw. There are shops all around the building, and they are quite adorable. The city seems to have done a great job investing in this little space.

After checking out the Museum Gift Store (and getting a brass lamp topper, the little thingy that hold the lamp shade onto the lamp, shapped like a pineapple) I headed back to the Civic Center. Our friend Galen was taking the bar at the same time so we all headed out to dinner. After a pleasant Mexican meal, we returned to the hotel. Jonathan studied and I read Madeleine L'Engle's The Arm of the Starfish, at the recommendation of Erendis.

The Bar - Part2: Day One-Morning Session

I dropped Jonathan off at the Civic Center in Roanoke, where he spent 12 hours over two days taking the Bar. It is not really an impressive building.

The rest of Roanoke is rather interesting, some of it is very modern, and some is very old. The Hotel Roanoke (Tudor style building on the leftish) is 125 years old. It was built in 1882, and styles itself as world-class. I am sure it is, but I did not check it out. There was an army of black-clad scholastics moving back and forth from the Hotel to the Civic Center (they are only about a block apart).


Feeling very independent, I struck out to hunt some lunch. While I was trying to get out of the city... it is criss-crossed by road that go no-where or run into the railroad tracks. Rail travel is very important to Roanoke, and is responsible for much of the wealth and notoriety of the city. Roanoke, formerly Big Lick (for the salt licks in the area), was chosen as a major rail hub. Consequently, the city grew up around the rail lines. Which makes driving interesting. There are only a few roads that connect the center of the city with the Civic Center.

When we drove into Roanoke on Monday night, looking for the Civic Center, Jonathan pointed out this beautiful church. We could only see the spires. As I was hunting lunch, I passed close to the church and went for a detour. It is Saint Andrew's Catholic Church.

I proceded to use the Guide to find a local mall, knowing that where there are malls, there are young people, and where there are young people, there is food. I did find the mall, and a Panera. Though it was only 0830 I ordered lunch to go, got some funny looks, and stowed our sandwiches in the cooler. Now I had fulfilled my responsibilities and was ready for adventure.

So I drove back to the town center. I found the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Being the wife of my husband, the daughter of my father, the granddaughter of my grandfather, the sister of my brothers, etc., I could not pass up the change to see all the things that go.



The following are for all the men in my life.

See the real cobbled parking lot of the museum?? Very charming.

Old Truck & rail thingies made into a sign... Jonathan knows what they are called, Grandpap!

Packard, definitely my favorite of the lot.

Rocket car.

Old cars and Dwight!

Me, capturing the magic for the men!

Even, little red sports cars for Mother!

Gas was really cheep back then.

Old and New - VT's racing car

Even a PCC for Papa!!

Trains for Grandpap! They were moving one of the trains that day, so the admission was half price. Imagine, paying less to the see the train move!

The wings portion of the museum is under reconstruction due to lightening damage.

This hand car was so darling, I could not resist.