I went out for a bit yesterday after it stopped snowing.

I have been planning a little post about all of the trail work that has been going on in Mill Mountain Park over the past two+ years. There is a small group of volunteers who along with Paul Chapman, Mill Mountain Park Supervisor, meet for trail work on Friday mornings and I was able to go out with them a few times last spring before things got a little too busy. The work they have done is outstanding and things are starting to really take shape on the once abandoned southeast side of the mountain. The Wood Thrush Trail has been open for some time now and can be easily accessed from the Star trail parking area at the bottom of the mountain. The newest trail is the recently opened Virginia Pine Trail which shoots off the soutwest end of the Wood Thrush Trail and ends up down in Garden City.

I was talking with Paul this weekend and he told me about the new trail map they have just published, so if you are interested in a great trail hike right in the middle of the city, this little map can be right handy. The new map can be accessed by clicking the image link to the left.

There are so many positive things going on in Roanoke, and Mill Mountain Park is one of the best. So, enjoy!

Cheers!

Kemper

Every time I set foot in the Taubman Museum I get this swell of pride that is hard to explain. I think about the generosity of the many people who made this wondrous architectural work of art possible, and I am so proud to be a part of it in my little way. Friday night was such a time at the opening night of the RVSPCA’s Best in Show exhibit featuring the work of local artists to benefit the RVSPCA. The opening night was hosted by the Taubman Museum and it brought out hundreds of enthusiastic supporters for this most worthy cause.

I contributed a piece to the show which I titled “Jack with Stick” and I was pleased to find out that it had sold before I even got there! I was only an hour late getting there for the start of things, but unfortunately I was too late to snatch up my favorite piece by local artist Mary Bullington. Nevertheless, I was pleased that Jack was able to contribute in his own way to the organization that helped him get such a great start in Life. Jack and I donated 100% of the proceeds to the RVSPCA. I also wanted to thank whomever purchased the piece and say that I hope you enjoy it for many years to come. This piece means a lot to me, and I hope it does to you as well.

So, if you haven’t had an opportunity to see the Taubman, you missed out on the freebie. But, please go and join the support of the thousands who have been so impressed with Roanoke’s newest jewel to the crown.

Kemper

Just a little promo. Come on out and see the Taubman and help the RVSPCA. I have a piece in there and have donated 100% of the proceeds from its sale to the RVSPCA.

It’s the pitter patter of little feet around my house these days. Four of them!

Jack arrived today via the Roanoke Valley SPCA and he promises to be the most awesome dog. Of course, you can never tell when they are only 2 months old but there are signs that I think point to what I value most in a dog.

1. Attachment and loyalty – he cannot hardly stand to be out from under your feet and curls up right by them when you’re sitting at the desk or at the table.
2. Affection – he loves to be cuddled and to have his ears and neck rubbed, and he will give you an occasional lick on the hand as a token of his appreciation. He fell asleep in my lap this afternoon and guess what – he snores just like me!
3. Submissive -one sign of a good dog is whether they will allow you to hold them on their back….kind of like a baby. I’ve always been told it is a submissive behavior that dog experts look for when selecting guide dogs and service dogs. He loves it.
4. Trainable – even at this young age it is pretty clear that he learns commands such as “sit” and “come” very quickly.
5. Cross-Bred – ok, I love purebred dogs, especially labs and Goldens, but one benefit of having a beautiful mutt is that they often don’t suffer some of the recessive gene traits such as hip dysplasia that are prevalent in purebred dogs. Jack’s parents were pure-bred dogs, but one was a Weimaraner and the other a German Wire Hair Pointer. Both are great dogs and he seems to have gotten the best traits from both breeds.

I can’t thank the folks at the RVSPCA enough for the great care and love they show all of their animals. If you have never seen this facility, you really should trek out there, especially if you are contemplating getting a dog or a cat. It is a great place to find the perfect pet and you are doing your community a great service by starting there when you are in search of an animal companion. They also have a foster pet program which is what Jack was a part of. Caring people take these animals in and host them in a loving home until they are ready for adoption. I don’t know all of the specifics of what the RVSPCA does (and it is A LOT) but they are another reason that Roanoke is such an awesome community to live in.

So, like any proud new dog parent, I have a few pictures of the pup. I’m sure there will be MANY more to come.

My house was built in 1910 and around that same time, trees were planted so that the street would be lined with the most beautiful shade producing trees of all varieties. Sadly, all of these trees are nearing the end of their life and one by one, they are having to be taken down when they start to become dangerous. But living in the City of Roanoke has one more great benefit in that you can have two trees planted in front of your home on the right of way between the street and the sidewalk. This reforestation project will ensure that Roanoke remains a green city and will have avenues planted with trees that make for a beautiful streetscape.

So today was a sad day in front of my house as it was the day the city came to take down one of the last of three remaining original trees on this block. Deadwood pruning had extended the tree’s life for a while, but this year it started to drop limbs the size of large trees with one crashing down on a car parked in front during a spring windstorm. So it was time for the tree to go and late this morning came a knock on the door by the Grim Tree Reaper.

So as things progressed, I took a few shots to remember the last few minutes of the life of a tree that had served many, many generations that have come and gone on this block.

The guys who took care of things were nice enough to oblige my request for a slice of the trunk that I am going to turn into a coffee table for one of the porch chair groupings. That’ll be a pretty cool memorial and proof that trees provide a lasting benefit to everyone. Take care of your trees, they don’t grow overnight and you sure do miss them when they have to go.

When I moved into the nabe five years ago, it was late one night as I was unpacking a load from the car and there came this friendly little hello from the porch next door. I couldn’t see who it was, but it was certainly a welcoming tone from the impish little voice coming through the railing. He always spoke in “uptalk” as I liked to call it, his little voice ending in crescendo with every phrase or sentence. As it turned out he would be there with the same cheery greeting whenever you saw him.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see this little two year old standing there with his father, barely able to see through the railing. He was my welcoming committee, and over the next few years, he and his mom and dad would become the best friends and neighbors you could ever want.

Then the move. You hate it when people you come to know and love find circumstance pulling them away from you. It doesn’t seem fair to anyone, but you kind of have to accept it. The only bonus is when they come back to visit and you get to reconnect. Watching those kids change and grow leaves you with strange sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Like you’re somewhat a part of their history so you get credit for their future, too. Hey, I knew you when you were barely able to talk and look at you now.

It leaves you feeling a little older, too!

Well, like most young families, they grow a bit here and there. Theirs did, too. Now there is Lucy, little sister of Eli. Just as cute and about the same age now as the little fellow who greeted me from the porch all those five years ago.

Last year I snapped a few pics of them while they were here. This year, I updated Lucy’s picture while her mom fed her a bowl of cereal at my table. They’re both awesome kids, and adorable…..even with a face full of Gerber’s. Here’s to great neighbors and the people who become such a part of your life, just because you moved in next door.

Thursday was a beautiful summer day and what a better way to spend it than in downtown Roanoke to participate in the celebration of our new Art Museum of Western Virginia by signing and then watching the last piece of structural steel be hoisted and fitted on the west roof.

I am a HUGE advocate of this generous gift and am certain that even the critics will be convinced that this is a great thing for Roanoke once the building is completed. It will be stunning as we can already tell by this artists rendering..

So here are a few shots of the signing and hoisting event and then I’ll close this blog with a few shots of the fountain in front of the #1 Fire Station. It was indeed a gorgeous day!!

Then, I wandered on over to the fountain in front of Fire Station #1 and took a few shots….

What do you think this one below looks like…….I’m thinking panther…

Awesome new restaurant opened in Grandin Village recently and I would be certain this one is here to stay. The Issacs Restaurant (there is a menu on their web site) specializes in Eastern Mediterranean foods with salads, appetizers, sandwiches, and entrees a VERY reasonable prices. I think the three of us got a good sampling of the menu offerings and everything was delicious.

Apparently they are going to be open for breakfast as well, trying to fill a need in the Grandin area for quick full blown breakfast fare at reasonable prices.

I feel so fortunate to live withing easy walking distance of both Downtown Roanoke and Grandin Village. Really, Grandin has everything you really need with the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op and the Mick or Mack, The Grandin Theater, a book store, Pop’s Ice Cream and Soda Bar (with it’s fine weekend entertainment!), a furniture store, consignment shop, pharmacy, and coffee shop. Not to mention all of the great restaurants.

I will never forget the last two days as long as I live.

Yesterday was one of those surreal experiences most people never even experience, thankfully. It started out when I got to the gym and the news was tuned in on the locker room TVs. It started out with reports of one fatality and several injuries in a Virginia Tech shooting. But by the time I had finished swimming laps, there were over 30 people dead and numerous injuries in what turned out to be the deadliest shooting ever in the history of the United States. A shocking event that had stunned the country.

Yesterday I pretty much stayed glued to the TV and decided to go to Blacksburg today to see the campus and try to reconcile some of this so that it felt at least somewhat real.

I got to Blacksburg at about 8:30 am and came in on the Prices Fork exit, passing by the new Alumni Center which had turned into a sea of news satellite uplink dishes.

I proceeded downtown which was eerily deserted, then parked near Mike’s Grille and began to walk toward campus. When I got to Squires, there was the first indication of what had happened…a black poster with white lettering on the doors…..

On to the War Memorial which overlooked a near deserted Drill Field, a place which would normally be full of people crossing to classes at this time of the morning.

As the day progressed, I wandered about a campus that was deserted by students and filled with assorted media reps from all over the world. They were all looking for their story and apparently there was not much success to be had as the students who were milling about were reluctant to talk.

I spent a lot of time photographing those places that are so familiar to me. But today, they were just different. There was a feeling of sadness that dripped from the air, a stark contrast in mood to the backdrop of a beautiful sunny spring day complete with the usual Blacksburg wind whipped up by the tail of an almost passed Nor’easter. That storm had actually made the task of saving the lives of the most severely injured that much more difficult as it precluded the use of Lifeguard 10 to transport them to Roanoke.

I was photographing the lobby of Burrus Hall, trying to capture the two half staff flags framed by the front doors, when a figure quickly appeared in the viewfinder and rushed through the door. It wasn’t until I had taken the shot and looked up that I realized it was President Steger on his way to his office to begin what was likely the most difficult day of his career. I realized that I had captured Dr. Steger in one of the sequence shots. I always take sequences of flag shots because it is difficult to capture the best moment of their unfurl.

Later, as I was shooting the breezeway that tunnels through Burrus Hall from the exterior sidewalks, Dr. Steger left the building on his way to a meeting in Williams Hall and I got this shot. I just can’t help but think how alone he looks here. He’s did a great job yesterday answering reporters questions at the news conference, making it apparent that he is an accomplished leader.

The rest of these shots speak for themselves for the most part. As I finished up near the VT memorial set up for last night’s candlelight vigil, I signed the memorial and took this picture of it..

Afterwards, I got three requests to be interviewed by reporters who had apparently taken footage of me signing the memorial. Answering their questions really brought home what all this had meant to me. It has been a sad, sad two days and I’m pretty sure I will think about this everyday for a while.

This campus will never be the same.

Norris Hall is in the far background….Burrus Hall is to the far left…