Sinanju's Cross-Country Adventure (long)
Nov. 3rd, 2010 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sinanjuWhen last we left our intrepid protagonist, he--by which I mean I--was busy packing and cleaning up the basement and garage for the eventual sale of the house. The week we were scheduled to flying to Virginia, after weeks of little or no apparent movement, things began moving swiftly:
We rented a car there and then drove to Lynchburg, VA. Let just say this about that. I hate that fucking city. I don't remember having this much trouble driving there when I grew up in the area, but I don't think we took a single trip to or from our hotel when we didn't get lost. Between trying to find 29 North, 29 North Business, 29 South, 29 South Business, 501 N, 501 North Business, 501 South, and 501 South Business....gah! There are two separate 29s and 501s in that city and the signage is...less than adequate.
And you can't get a decent map of the city to save your life. All the maps are the sort that show only the main routes--and god help you if you get off of them and are trying to find your way along the surface street. Snippy and I worked not to snap at one another as we got lost over and over again, reminding ourselves (and one another) that we're not the enemy, we're on the same side. Frustration, fatigue, and grief make for short tempers unless you're careful to remember that.
We called my parents and arranged to see them that evening, then collapsed into bed to take a nap. We (eventually) found our way out of Lynchburg and got to Brookneal. We visited with my parents for a couple or three hours before heading back. It was good to see them, especially my dad. He was tired, though, not having slept well. We got lost and frustrated but eventually found the hotel. We slept like the dead that night.
Lather, rinse, repeat. We drove down to visit my parents again on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. My dad was feeling best on Saturday after sleeping hard Friday night (better living through chemistry). We even brought him a couple of fast food burgers by request--not something he's really supposed to eat, but at this point it doesn't matter all that much. My youngest brother and my sister showed up on Sunday, so I got to see them for a while as well.
We visited with them for a couple of hours Monday evening, but didn't stay longer because I think by then my dad was pretty much visited out. He's weak at the best of times, and frustrated by his limitations. There are things he simply can't do anymore, even simple things. I'm glad we went to see them, though it was hard too. I don't expect to see him again, and leaving that last time knowing that was really tough. Snippy has been incredibly supportive through this whole thing. She's been through it with the loss of her mother a few years back, and I appreciate her caring and help more than I can say.
While in Lynchburg, we tried a few new restaurants. Outback Steakhouse for one. Great steaks, but the rest of the food was merely adequate. Ruby Tuesday was a big mistake. We left most of our lunch uneaten (when I ordered an omelette, I didn't expect something that looked like it had been deep fried). We also went to Cracker Barrel, which they don't have out here. Snippy really liked the chicken and dumplings, and I very much enjoyed the sausage and biscuits I had; we went back and had breakfast the next day. Good food.
We also tried the Stikfire Grill. It's a newly opened restaurant in Lynchburg, not part of a chain. Their motto (on their sign): Everything Tastes Better On A Stick. They only opened a month or two ago. The exterior looks rather upscale, but inside you order from a menu at the counter and they give you a pager so you can claim your meal when it's ready--not at all what we expected when we got there.
You can get skewers of steak, chicken, or shrimp, along with rices or pasta, soup, salad, and so forth. Snippy's Thai Noodles were way too sweet for her, but we liked the skewers. Our biggest complaint about the place, though, is that it was cold. It was cold outside, and the place has lots of large windows--single-pane windows with no insulating value. When winter really comes on, they're going to suffer unless they really crank up the heat or replace the windows with some that provide better insulation.
On Monday we drove out to the National D-Day Memorial...which is closed on Mondays, alas. So we visited Poplar Forest instead. That was Thomas Jefferson's retreat from Monticello, which I'd never heard of before. Turns out that's because it was only recently purchased by a group to restore it and the work is ongoing.
We had an excellent tour guide, Mr. Hiner. I found Poplar Forest a lot more interesting than Monticello, mostly because it's not completely restored. He talked a lot about the history of the place, who owned it over the years, how it was acquired, and the work being done to investigate its history and restore it, which I found fascinating. They've done a lot of research (both via letters and other documents, and actual archaeological digs) to discover outbuildings, the layout of the lawn/gardens during Jefferson's day, and construction and contents of the house.
There were even actual archaeologists (no Indy hats or whips, though) at work there, on a dig site complete with string grids and a gal lying on the ground with her arms and head in a hole, slowing working at the site. They're currently trying to find out exactly where various plants or trees were planted, and what plants they were so they can restore them. The grounds are a long way from finished.
The house itself is not yet completed either. It's an octagonal house with a single wing. A second wing was probably intended eventually but never built. They're restoring it slowly, on the same schedule Jefferson built it, using original or period materials where possible, reproductions where necessary, and only including modern items** where absolutely necessary. The house is octagonal, and half of it will be left unfinished, with the wooden and brick structures exposed to reveal the underlying, uh, structure. The other half will eventually be finished to look as much like the original as possible.
All in all, it was a very informative and entertaining visit, and I recommend it to anyone who passes through the area. On Tuesday, on our way back to Roanoke for our return flight, we hit the D-Day Memorial again. We didn't take a guided tour, just wandered around on our own. We'd seen it before, about five years earlier, on a previous visit. It wasn't completed then, but it is now. It was quite moving, though frankly I found the Poplar Forest site more interesting.
We flew out of Roanoke to Philadelphia, then back to Portland last night. Another seemingly endless flight on a crowded*** plane. Five and a half hours crammed into a tiny space. I spent a lot of time reading, and got up two or three times to use the bathroom, or get water for Snippy from the flight attendants--and to stretch my legs at least briefly.
*and his two college-educated sons, who can't find work in their chosen professions; fortunately they have a family business to keep them gainfully employed, even if not the way they'd planned.
**The one wing of the building has a flat roof and can be accessed from the house. It had no railing in Jefferson's day, but the building inspector requires one now. So they added one, but "made it as ugly as possible so there would be no chance anyone would think it was part of Jefferson's plan."
***Both outgoing flights and the flight from Philadelphia to Portland were completely full. Only the short hop from Roanoke to Philadelphia was mostly empty, and that was in a tiny jet with even more cramped seats than the others so it felt crowded too. Recession/depression or not, a lot of people are flying. Maybe they were all flying midweek (like us) to save money and the flights are emptier on weekends, but I don't know....
- We got the bid on the handyman work and accepted it, and the handyman* was around on Thursday and Friday, doing exterior work. He's off on vacation this week, but will resume working on the house next week--which will be fun, because there's a lot of work to be done inside.
- We spoke to a landscaper who will cleaning up the yard and prepping it to show off to potential buyers. We haven't heard from him since, so Snippy contacted our realtor and got his number. Landscaping will be forthcoming, we hope.
- The realtor wants to have a showing for other agents next week (the house won't be completely ready, but they can see what's been done so far and get a feel for the property), and starting show the house a few days later. Yipes! It's really real now.
- The storage pod will be delivered tomorrow afternoon and we'll by busy loading it Friday and Saturday (and Sunday, most likely), as well as scaring up and packing up whatever else needs to go into it before it gets carted off on Monday.
- We'll need to get the kitchen and bathroom sparkling clean, and keep the whole house showroom ready for the indefinite future. And be ready to vacate on short notice so it can be shown around. That should be fun....
We rented a car there and then drove to Lynchburg, VA. Let just say this about that. I hate that fucking city. I don't remember having this much trouble driving there when I grew up in the area, but I don't think we took a single trip to or from our hotel when we didn't get lost. Between trying to find 29 North, 29 North Business, 29 South, 29 South Business, 501 N, 501 North Business, 501 South, and 501 South Business....gah! There are two separate 29s and 501s in that city and the signage is...less than adequate.
And you can't get a decent map of the city to save your life. All the maps are the sort that show only the main routes--and god help you if you get off of them and are trying to find your way along the surface street. Snippy and I worked not to snap at one another as we got lost over and over again, reminding ourselves (and one another) that we're not the enemy, we're on the same side. Frustration, fatigue, and grief make for short tempers unless you're careful to remember that.
We called my parents and arranged to see them that evening, then collapsed into bed to take a nap. We (eventually) found our way out of Lynchburg and got to Brookneal. We visited with my parents for a couple or three hours before heading back. It was good to see them, especially my dad. He was tired, though, not having slept well. We got lost and frustrated but eventually found the hotel. We slept like the dead that night.
Lather, rinse, repeat. We drove down to visit my parents again on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. My dad was feeling best on Saturday after sleeping hard Friday night (better living through chemistry). We even brought him a couple of fast food burgers by request--not something he's really supposed to eat, but at this point it doesn't matter all that much. My youngest brother and my sister showed up on Sunday, so I got to see them for a while as well.
We visited with them for a couple of hours Monday evening, but didn't stay longer because I think by then my dad was pretty much visited out. He's weak at the best of times, and frustrated by his limitations. There are things he simply can't do anymore, even simple things. I'm glad we went to see them, though it was hard too. I don't expect to see him again, and leaving that last time knowing that was really tough. Snippy has been incredibly supportive through this whole thing. She's been through it with the loss of her mother a few years back, and I appreciate her caring and help more than I can say.
While in Lynchburg, we tried a few new restaurants. Outback Steakhouse for one. Great steaks, but the rest of the food was merely adequate. Ruby Tuesday was a big mistake. We left most of our lunch uneaten (when I ordered an omelette, I didn't expect something that looked like it had been deep fried). We also went to Cracker Barrel, which they don't have out here. Snippy really liked the chicken and dumplings, and I very much enjoyed the sausage and biscuits I had; we went back and had breakfast the next day. Good food.
We also tried the Stikfire Grill. It's a newly opened restaurant in Lynchburg, not part of a chain. Their motto (on their sign): Everything Tastes Better On A Stick. They only opened a month or two ago. The exterior looks rather upscale, but inside you order from a menu at the counter and they give you a pager so you can claim your meal when it's ready--not at all what we expected when we got there.
You can get skewers of steak, chicken, or shrimp, along with rices or pasta, soup, salad, and so forth. Snippy's Thai Noodles were way too sweet for her, but we liked the skewers. Our biggest complaint about the place, though, is that it was cold. It was cold outside, and the place has lots of large windows--single-pane windows with no insulating value. When winter really comes on, they're going to suffer unless they really crank up the heat or replace the windows with some that provide better insulation.
On Monday we drove out to the National D-Day Memorial...which is closed on Mondays, alas. So we visited Poplar Forest instead. That was Thomas Jefferson's retreat from Monticello, which I'd never heard of before. Turns out that's because it was only recently purchased by a group to restore it and the work is ongoing.
We had an excellent tour guide, Mr. Hiner. I found Poplar Forest a lot more interesting than Monticello, mostly because it's not completely restored. He talked a lot about the history of the place, who owned it over the years, how it was acquired, and the work being done to investigate its history and restore it, which I found fascinating. They've done a lot of research (both via letters and other documents, and actual archaeological digs) to discover outbuildings, the layout of the lawn/gardens during Jefferson's day, and construction and contents of the house.
There were even actual archaeologists (no Indy hats or whips, though) at work there, on a dig site complete with string grids and a gal lying on the ground with her arms and head in a hole, slowing working at the site. They're currently trying to find out exactly where various plants or trees were planted, and what plants they were so they can restore them. The grounds are a long way from finished.
The house itself is not yet completed either. It's an octagonal house with a single wing. A second wing was probably intended eventually but never built. They're restoring it slowly, on the same schedule Jefferson built it, using original or period materials where possible, reproductions where necessary, and only including modern items** where absolutely necessary. The house is octagonal, and half of it will be left unfinished, with the wooden and brick structures exposed to reveal the underlying, uh, structure. The other half will eventually be finished to look as much like the original as possible.
All in all, it was a very informative and entertaining visit, and I recommend it to anyone who passes through the area. On Tuesday, on our way back to Roanoke for our return flight, we hit the D-Day Memorial again. We didn't take a guided tour, just wandered around on our own. We'd seen it before, about five years earlier, on a previous visit. It wasn't completed then, but it is now. It was quite moving, though frankly I found the Poplar Forest site more interesting.
We flew out of Roanoke to Philadelphia, then back to Portland last night. Another seemingly endless flight on a crowded*** plane. Five and a half hours crammed into a tiny space. I spent a lot of time reading, and got up two or three times to use the bathroom, or get water for Snippy from the flight attendants--and to stretch my legs at least briefly.
*and his two college-educated sons, who can't find work in their chosen professions; fortunately they have a family business to keep them gainfully employed, even if not the way they'd planned.
**The one wing of the building has a flat roof and can be accessed from the house. It had no railing in Jefferson's day, but the building inspector requires one now. So they added one, but "made it as ugly as possible so there would be no chance anyone would think it was part of Jefferson's plan."
***Both outgoing flights and the flight from Philadelphia to Portland were completely full. Only the short hop from Roanoke to Philadelphia was mostly empty, and that was in a tiny jet with even more cramped seats than the others so it felt crowded too. Recession/depression or not, a lot of people are flying. Maybe they were all flying midweek (like us) to save money and the flights are emptier on weekends, but I don't know....
