Cruel Shoes & Evil Topcoats

In my previous post, I mentioned going to Amsterdam, and that I would have more photographs to share. I certainly enjoyed having my trusty cheap digital camera with me on my journey, and I am sure that the camera has already paid for itself compared to the money I would have spent on film over the past year. The picture there on the left shows my flight path across the Atlantic; or, perhaps they're bird tracks in the snow on a bridge across the Amstel River.

I traveled with David, and assisted him with getting his cats moved to Amsterdam. I was limited to one carry-on suitcase, since my other bag was a cat-carrier. David needed my checked-bag allowance for his second suitcase. I like traveling light, so this was a challenge I welcomed. I packed clothing that was in one color palette, and it worked out very well.

One dilemma was deciding what coat to take. The other was shoes.

I checked average December weather conditions before I packed, and consulted with Suzanne who, after all, has lived there for four years. Sure enough, I was making my first trip to Amsterdam during the coldest, rainiest month. Yippee! I reconsidered my plan to wear my leather bomber jacket with shearling collar. Wet leather is heavy, and not very warming. I decided on my long, dark green coat which is great in the rain. A late warning from Suzanne that the weather had turned very cold convinced me to take the coat's liner. I was dismayed to find that the coat liner filled half of my suitcase. Reluctantly, I zipped it into the coat and resigned myself to a sort of Paddington Bear appearance while I traveled.

A solitary late-night walk in Suzanne's neighborhood.

I dreamed I was a film-noir star as I walked the lonely side streets.
I love my green coat, which hits at mid-calf, because it's versatile and lightweight. It's also evil. In cold weather, the coat and I are sometimes at odds because of the triboelectric effect. I am constantly suffering shocks from static electricity, and am made timid & frightened by blue sparks at my fingertips.

Bridges and canals were everywhere.
Adding the liner to the coat intensifies the static discharge, and I am dismayed to discover that simply touching the coat makes it crackle & pop. Throwing it over my arm guarantees a shock, and taking the coat off after wearing it causes me to waver & worry when approaching any metal object. Nonetheless, I was happy for its warmth in Amsterdam, but I wish it hadn't caused me to be so jumpy.

Many commercial areas featured their own "signature" Christmas decorations, such as this street with chandeliers.
Suzanne advised me to forget an extra pair of shoes in favor of warmer clothing, so I had to choose carefully which shoes to wear. Recently, I have concluded that my athletic shoes are causing my Achilles tendons to ache terribly. It was hard to admit the truth of this. The sneakers, once so comfortable, were making lengthy walks impossible.

At first I scoffed. "Why, it can't be these shoes! Maybe I spent too much time on my feet today," I would muse (I have a desk job). Once upon a time, these shoes made me feel relaxed and at ease. I would slip them on when I came home from work. They were the solution; my "go to" shoes when I wanted comfort. Then they turned on me, but I tried to deny it. I kept putting them on hoping for a different result. My relationship with these shoes was similar to my relationship with alcohol.

I settled on a reliable pair of brown Cole-Haan shoes.


The photograph above shows what it was like taking a bike-taxi tour of Amsterdam. My feet were still tender from the last episode with my cruel shoes, so after we walked a bit one evening, Suzanne suggested trying a bike-taxi. Our driver (cabbie?) was a cheerful young man who was most agreeable, accommodating, and certifiably bonkers. He took us on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and that bike-taxi fit through places it was never intended to venture. At one point, we appeared to be hopelessly jammed between a building and a barrier, but he told us to stay put while he hopped out and hoisted the cab a little to the right, a bit to the left, and we were off again, careening through the crowds and causing people to leap for safety.

"Look at us! We're still alive!"

This might be Dam Square, but it went by so fast...

It's Christmastime in Amsterdam!

A quiet cafe, away from all the noise.
After a couple of days in Amsterdam, I came to a few conclusions based on observation.
There are a lot of bicyclists in Amsterdam, and you'd better watch out for them when you are walking around.
Public transportation can be an efficient, clean, and wonderful experience.
Toilets are in very small closets.
If you ask for coffee with cream, the best you can hope for is a blank stare. Ask for milk.
People get really excited about cold weather & the possibility of ice-skating. Tune in to the local news if you don't believe me.

Suzanne's apartment is a half-block from the Amstel River.

Boats and buildings line the Amstel River.

This house near Vondelpark featured lovely decorative sills.

We ducked inside the Nederland Filmmuseum to warm up when we visited Vondelpark.

I loved the tile in the lobby of the Filmmuseum, and I probably looked like an idiot taking a picture of the floor, but I wanted you to see it.

Suzanne & I spent part of an afternoon strolling through Vondelpark.

Cool car with nice paint job.

After walking the city, we stopped at Suzanne's shop for some warmth & comfort.

Ah...The Taco Shop! Conveniently located just around the corner from Suzanne, Brett, and David's new apartment. We enjoyed their Mexican food on a cold night in Holland.

Centraal Station, where I boarded a train to Schiphol Airport for an interesting trip home.

Here I am on the pre-dawn train to Schiphol Airport.

How long will it take me to get home? Will I be able to find my car at Dulles Airport? What obstacles will I face before I get to snuggle up in my own bed?

Stay tuned for more adventures on & off Planet Bill!

My Christmas Season

Christmas morning started with live Christmas music at 6:30 courtesy of Robespierre. We were all thrilled that he brought his cello to play before our early morning meeting. He played very well (who knew?), and many were astounded to learn that he's not just another pretty face.

Later that morning I went to a Christmas brunch at Robert's home, and then to dinner with Lazarus at his parents' lovely home. It was a fine day spent with friends.

Prior to Christmas, I experienced the fun of the Holiday Boat Parade on the James River at a party at Rockett's Landing with Sadie, Sheldon and Robespierre. Then we went to an art show, where we met an interesting pair of potters from Rosewood Pottery. Sadie bought me a beautiful frost green serving bowl.




Next, I took a hastily planned trip to The Netherlands to visit Suzanne. Below are a few pictures from Amsterdam, with more to follow soon. It was quite cold there and it snowed; a harbinger of getting stuck in Detroit for three days on my return trip because of winter weather.








Once I finally made it back to Richmond, Morris, Robespierre & I fortified ourselves with Greek food from Athens Tavern one evening, and then strolled down Monument Avenue to see the decorations. We noted that many houses had scaled back this year, and were not lavishly turned out for the holidays; a sign, no doubt, of the economy. Before we went to dinner, we went to Rosewood Pottery where our new pals, Janet & Kathleen, gave us a tour of their studio and explained the pottery-making process.




Was the owner of this poor car out of town when the blizzard hit? Would any of you like to buy a red sportscar...cheap?


Ah, back at my desk with my feet propped up. Those are my new shoes that I bought at Suzanne's shop. They are handmade, and they feel like butter, I tell you. The gazelle hide came from a domesticated herd that was raised to feed villagers in Africa. Suzanne offers incredibly beautiful handmade products at La Naranja. Be sure to stop by when you are in Amsterdam!

Prettige Kerstdagen!

Where in the world is Planet Bill? What does Prettige Kerstdagen mean? The questions will be (briefly) answered right away.
Prettige Kerstdagen means pleasant or merry Christmas in Dutch, and Planet Bill has temporarily relocated to Amsterdam. I have my trusty camera with me, but will have to wait until my return to the states before I post them for you.
I had a unplanned, unexpected opportunity to make a swell little visit to my friend, Suzanne, and took a flight to Amsterdam Monday. It's cold here! We arrived yesterday at mid-day, and spent the day relaxing at home, and this morning I am going with Suzanne to her shop in the Oud West section of the city.
I accompanied David, who is moving here with his two cats, Brenda & JJ. The cats traveled well, if reluctantly, and slept at our feet during the night flight. We all had to wait at Dulles for a few extra hours before departing for a replacement aircraft. Something about the original plane's toilets exploding or catching fire or somesuch. Once we got under way, the flight was quite pleasant, with minimum turbulence or squalling babies. The cats were models of composure, showing remarkable forbearance for spending over half a days time in travel carriers.
Stay tuned...more to follow!

Where Have I Been?

The year has flown by on winged feet, hasn't it? I decorated the office for Christmas earlier this week with a little silver tree with blue ornaments atop a bookcase, and a Santa and a red & green basket filled with chocolate candies on my desk. I already need to buy more candy; the people who drop in have been like vultures.

Friday night, after work, I went out to dinner with a buddy, and snapped the top photo of a porch in the Fan District. I'll be taking more pictures for you as more homes are decorated for the holidays. Many of the houses on Monument Avenue put on lavish displays, and I'm waiting for the illumination of the Christmas Cadillac.

I know that Christmas comes at a predictable time each year, but why do I always feel caught off guard? There's always too much to do in too little time. I enjoy the holidays, though, and I can certainly admire how my mother always seemed to have everything running according to schedule. She sent out boxes of Christmas cards, wrapped & packaged gifts and took them to the post office to mail to distant friends & relatives in time for Christmas delivery, and filled the cupboards with homemade goodies for guests. I remember the feeling of good cheer when people would drop in for a holiday visit. Christmas was a wonderful time of year in my childhood home. Here's a really easy recipe that my mom used to make, in addition to the cakes, pies, fudge, cookies & bars. These are so simple a child could make them, and they are quite tasty.

Butterscotch Crunchies
5 cups cornflakes
2 small packages butterscotch chips
3 tablespoons peanut butter
Melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a double-boiler until smooth. Place cornflakes in a large mixing bowl. Pour butterscotch mixture over cornflakes, and fold in carefully to coat thoroughly. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Allow to cool & set until firm.

This post, however, is more about autumn photographs, before it gets too late to share them with you. You will see the transition from early to late fall in the pictures. In October I traveled to Roanoke to attend an AA state assembly. Roanoke is three hours from Richmond by car, and it was the first time I've been back there since I got sober. I used to have extended business trips there, sometimes being there for months on an assignment. Boy, did I drink a lot out of loneliness and boredom in those days. I wasn't ready yet for sobriety, but I could have been meeting people & making new friends. This time I was in the midst of hundreds of people like me who enjoy the fun of a sober life.

I took the smaller highways, and the picture below was taken in the small town of Buckingham. The town was established in 1818, and the original courthouse was designed by Thomas Jefferson, but it burned down in 1869. Buckingham is home to Yogaville, where many of my friends have gone for retreats. I'm not sure what the building in the photo was before it was left to the elements, but I've been looking at it for years while passing through the small village, and wondering what it was.

(Possibly the Whately Mill from The Shuttered Room?)

My route took me through Appomattox, where Lee surrendered to Grant. Most people assume that this was the official end of the Civil War, but it was not. It was certainly the nail in the coffin, however, and effectively determined the outcome of the war. When I was little, my parents & I took an overnight trip to tour the historic park, and we stayed at the motel pictured below. It looks pretty much the same as it did in the 1960's.


Here's an old country store & service station, which now sits empty at Mount Rush. By the way, the abandoned building is Mount Rush, because there's nothing else at this crossroads other than a house or two. This could be the business opportunity you have been waiting for.


Here's what I'm talking about. You can use the example below as your business model. On Route 60, on the outskirts of Buckingham, I found an old gas station that has been painted pink and turned into a massage parlor. I didn't have time to stop to inspect the interior, but it probably looks fabulous. I'm all about adaptive re-use.



Below is an example of the pleasant countryside. I'm so much happier when I am traveling on the forgotten highways. Interstate highways are fine if I absolutely have to travel as fast as possible, but I prefer the interesting sights that can only be seen when you travel the old roads.


Before it was time to put her boat to bed for the winter, Sadie took me out for an end-of-season cruise. We left around twilight, and it was a pleasant, slow ride. Darkness came swiftly, so there were not any opportunities for a shutterbug, but I did get an okay shot from the water of the Boathouse Restaurant glittering at night. Several of us have enjoyed their Sunday brunch, and the view of the James River as we dined.


One evening after work, I met my friend Linus at a nearby Starbucks for coffee & conversation. Linus recently had back surgery, so he's out & about in his neighborhood taking walks to aid his recovery. One advantage of a slow walk is being able to enjoy sights that are easily missed from a moving car. Linus urged me to take some daytime pictures of a beautiful little maple tree on Grove Avenue at the peak of its fall splendor, so I dashed by there the next day. I wasn't one bit disappointed.




I've been admiring a 1961 Chrysler that sits in a parking lot on the side of Church Hill, so I stopped to take a few shots one Sunday.
Ah, the exuberance of fins!



This '61 model has a friendly, slightly zany expression. The 1960 Chryslers looked bellicose.


This isn't the clearest picture because of the glare, but I can't resist an old dashboard. You can't see it from this angle, but this car featured the "pushbutton" transmission.


Morris & I decided to go on a ride one Saturday afternoon, and after some indecision about the direction to take, ended up driving south and then east. This put us in Hopewell, which is a tired little industrial town at the convergence of the Appomattox & James Rivers.

There is one section of Hopewell that neither one of us had visited called City Point. It was quite pretty and somnolent. We went on Thanksgiving weekend, so I figured that everyone was inside taking naps. We parked near old Appomattox Manor, and it was hard to believe that this silent & still setting was, briefly, one of the busiest ports in the world.

The rivers meet at City Point



Boy, if these walls could talk! Appomattox Manor remained in the same family from 1635 until 1979. Benedict Arnold led his British troops across the plantation during the American Revolution, and the property was used by General Grant as his headquarters during the Siege of Petersburg during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln vacationed here just a few weeks before his death. At the time of the Civil War, Appomattox Manor was a 2300 acre James River plantation.

Federal forces recognized the strategic value of this point that watched the two rivers. An enormous supply depot & railroad facilities, and a huge hospital were built here, and the resulting port was the busiest in the world during the Petersburg siege. The capture of Petersburg and its railroads led to Lee's surrender about a week later.

When the Eppes family returned at war's end, the house was in shambles and the plantation was all but destroyed. Somehow, the family was able to prevail and rebuild.

A quaint & curious little building on City Point.
Town Hall? Schoolhouse? Quaker Meeting House?
There was no plaque to inform us.

Our last photograph shows an old house on the outskirts of downtown Claremont. When we left City Point, I asked Morris if he had ever been to Claremont. He replied that he had not ever been to Claremont. I asked him if he had ever heard of Claremont. He allowed that he had never heard of Claremont. So we went to Claremont.
Claremont has a population of 343.

Claremont is a town that seems forgotten, almost like one of the Miskatonic hamlets in an H.P. Lovecraft story. You have to turn off a two-lane road, and travel several lonely miles up a road that dead-ends at Claremont. Clearly, the town experienced a period of commercial activity, and anticipated more prosperity than ever arrived. There is a tiny traffic roundabout, and a couple of rows of dilapidated vacant storefronts. There is at least one structure that may have been a hotel. A church or two. All have a forlorn look, as if the parade came and went, and they have given up on its return.

Going Home Again

Hey! Keep it down. I'm trying to catch a few zzzz's.

Probably not a good idea, since I'm at work. Actually, this will be a busy week, trying to cram all the end of month reports into three days so I can enjoy time off over Thanksgiving. The picture there at the top was taken at Chesapeake Beach, also known as Chicks Beach, in the city of Virginia Beach. Morris & I took a day trip recently, and I brought back some pictures to show you.

That's the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which connects Virginia's mainland with its Eastern Shore. When my grandparents were visiting from Iowa, my grandfather & I used to sit on the beach and watch the bridge being constructed. When it was completed in 1964, it was considered an engineering marvel, spanning 17.6 miles from shore to shore. I grew up a couple of miles from this stretch of beach.

We ate lunch at Jenro's Diner (two thumbs up!) where we had excellent sandwiches and caramel-apple pie with ice cream. Then we meandered into Norfolk. The photo of the car above was taken in the Ghent section, which is similar to Richmond's Fan District. The next two pictures are of houses in Ghent.


(I love this next house...I want to hang out in that third floor room and read books)


Before we went from Virginia Beach into Norfolk, we drove through my old neighborhood. It looked very quiet and pleasant. There was a twinge of anticipation as we turned down the street where I lived. How would my old homeplace look? Would trashy people be living there now, with cars up on blocks and a passel of brats squalling in the front yard? I was so happy to see that my old house looks almost the same as when my parents lived there. A few trees have been removed, but the swing that my dad put in the side yard in the mid-70's is still right there. My high school friends & I used to hang out there and talk.

The house looks neat as a pin, and I was so grateful to see that the current owners obviously love the place as much as we did. All of my childhood memories center on this modest 1950's suburban home; I never lived anywhere else until I left Virginia Beach for Richmond.

So, may I present to you my first home. The first picture shows the house, and the next picture shows the side yard. If you look close, you can see the swing in the yard; if you squint, you can barely see my dad's shed way in the back of the yard.




Okay, sorry for the quick post, but I've got to get back to work. Just wanted you all to know that I'm here & well. If I don't see you before then, have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

6

The very first thought that popped into my head when I woke up this morning was

"Today is Scott W's sixth anniversary of continuous sobriety!"

Scott and his blog, Attitude of Gratitude, have been part of my own journey into sober living nearly from my beginning steps. I have come to know him as a good friend, as well as a blogger whose site always offers thoughts on living in gratitude. Scott also selects some wonderful quotations each day to share with everyone.

Six years ago, Scott decided that tequila was not his friend, so he went out to find new pals in the rooms of recovery. Through these new friends, he started a new relationship with himself and the Higher Power of his understanding. Scott was there to extend the helping hand of Alcoholics Anonymous across the miles when I reached out as a questing and bewildered newly-sober alcoholic.

Scott, you are a blessing to me and many others, and I am grateful for you.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Somewhere around here in the House of Planet Bill, there's a box containing all of my report cards and other school records. It's probably in the guest room, a.k.a. junk room, ironing board room, lower attic, and someone-else-could-use-this-so-don't-just-throw-it-away room. There is a bed in there somewhere, so I usually call it the guest room.

I don't need to look at my elementary school report cards to know what the teachers carefully noted on most of them. Little cautionary messages like "Billy has trouble paying attention in class" and "Billy stares out the window and daydreams." Today, I would probably be saddled with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder and drugged into illusory compliance. I was usually simply bored to distraction by the slow pace of instruction. I also liked to daydream.

History lesson were especially wearisome. Good Lord, how many names and dates would I be forced to memorize? Why should I care on which exact date a certain battle was won or lost? There was never a connection made that these were real people, just like me, who had hopes and fears. I wanted to know whether they were fat or thin, grumpy or light-hearted. What was this man's favorite color? Did he like to climb trees like I did? Did corned beef hash with that egg on top make him as queasy as it did me everytime I saw it on a plate? How did they tidy up in those outhouses without rolls of toilet paper?

Growing up in Virginia, history lessons were inescapable (except by daydreaming out the window). Cape Henry, the site of the first landing of permanent English settlers in America, was just a few miles from my school. Adam Thoroughgood House, the first brick home in America, was within walking distance of my classroom. Everywhere I turned, someone notable had been tramping around before I got there.

Now that I live in history-rich Richmond, I have a real interest in events from the past. It also helps to be sober, because now I actually get out of the house to go visit historical places. I have deep gratitude that I am surrounded by so many different places that formed the fabric of our nation, so to speak. I am filled with awe to think that I am walking the same streets as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Robert E. Lee, and Abraham Lincoln.

During the past few years, I have been exploring the history of the Civil War. Virginia saw more battles during this horrible conflict than any other state. I'm currently plowing through the third volume of The Civil War by Shelby Foote. Today's post is about the night Richmond was abandoned by the Confederate government. Most of this information was taken from Mr. Foote's book, with a few other snippets I've gleaned elsewhere thrown in as well.

Like Rome, it is said that Richmond was built on seven hills. Richmond also burned, like ancient Rome. Much of Richmond was spared, and I've included below a few photographs I have taken of antebellum buildings in the city. I took all of the color pictures - except for the vintage classroom picture at the top - with my cheap digital camera; the black & white pictures are archival photographs taken after the Union troops captured the Confederate capital.

Abraham Lincoln declared that securing Virginia's Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson (inspired by the Maison Carrée), was a priority for the Union troops. There were several hours, however, when this building stood unprotected, and it is probable that its lone position at the top of the hill was the only thing that spared it from destruction. The pictures toward the bottom of this post were taken on a visit I made to the Capitol in September.

St. John's Church at nightfall, scene of Patrick Henry's Liberty or Death speech

On a Sunday morning in April, 1865, a telegram from General Robert E. Lee was delivered by a War Department messenger to the President of the Confederacy midway through the morning service as he was seated in his pew at St. Paul's Church. The Confederate head of state left the church immediately, silently. Twelve hours later, Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled Richmond by rail, and before the presidential train departed the station, the streets of the city were choked with panicked citizens, pillaging marauders, and convicts whose guards had abandoned their posts. Mobs stormed government storehouses seeking food, and looters smashed merchants' windows looking for anything of value they could steal with impunity.

The Keeper's Cottage in St. John's Churchyard

The fall of Richmond was at hand. The Confederate forces were pulling out, leaving only demolition squads behind to begin torching the tobacco warehouses and munitions buildings. The city officials protested, but there was no ranking member of government left to delay the army's orders.

Detail of a home on Church Hill

A south wind nourished the flames, and soon they leapt from the tobacco warehouses to the enormous riverside grain mills, the largest flour mills in the world. As smoke and flames belched from hundreds of windows at the Haxall and Gallego Mills, the city was jolted by the explosion of a nearby magazine.

This was followed by a another, much closer, that was described as volcanic in its violence. The national arsenal, with 750,000 loaded projectiles, was being destroyed and the explosions went on for hours. A diarist wrote "the earth seemed fairly to writhe as if in agony. The house rocked like a ship at sea, while stupendous thunders roared around."

A House on Grace Street, Church Hill District

Meanwhile, at Rocketts Landing, Admiral Raphael Semmes saw to the destruction of his James River Squadron. When his three ironclad warships blew, he wrote that the sight was "grand beyond description. The explosion...threw all the shells, with their fuses lighted, into the air. The fuses were of different lengths, and as the shells exploded by twos and threes, and by the dozen, the pyrotechnic effect was very fine." The citizens of Richmond, many of them women whose husbands, sons, and brothers were off fighting the war, were likely too terrified to find any beauty in the night's sights and sounds.

A Richmond Street in Ruins

By this time, both railroad bridges out of the city were impassable with flames. Only Mayo's Bridge had been kept open for the departure of the rear guard, and barrels of tar and stacks of pine knots placed at intervals along the length of the bridge signaled its imminent destruction. Shortly before dawn, the brigadier of the rear guard saw his troops across the bridge and gave the order to the engineer in charge, "All over. Goodbye. Blow her to hell."

Aftermath of Explosion at Confederate National Arsenal

Across the river, a retreating horseman observed "The old war-torn city seemed to prefer annihilation to conquest." The fires on the city's banks had spread laterally for nearly a mile, and the flames were spreading north up the hills toward the heart of the city. Residents were burned out of their homes, and looters had to run with whatever they could carry.

Sunset on the James River near Rocketts Landing

Two days after Richmond burned, Abraham Lincoln made an extraordinary visit to Richmond, about one week before he was assassinated at Ford's Theater. Perhaps I will tell you about that soon. Below are pictures of the Capitol, which underwent a complete renovation between 2004-2007, just in time for a visit from Betty Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II.

This, and the following photographs, were taken at the Virginia State Capitol