Richmond Revisited: Day 6 / Lunch & a Lid Quest

Excellent geographical happenstance! 

My old friend, Doug plus sometime roommate / theatre husband had since moved from VA to FL but just so happened to be back up in the city at the very same time.  =  Much delight! 

We decided upon a lunch date at a new place Zzaam! as recommended by a former colleague.

It was a very giddy road-trip from VA Rep over to Carytown.

Back!  Together!  Again!

Tasty colourful Korean lunch

I had given myself a Quest before flying out: 

having lost a lid for one of my Mason Ball jars,

I was after a replacement. Doug joined me in my search...
Posh K.Roger, into the chemists...  hmm, no such luck....

Doug also had some items with him to donate to Fan Tastic Thrift.
We ventured over...                    

                Easily the happiest 45c I'd spent this trip!           

Aha! Success!

The Fresh Market.

You walk through the doors, you're greeted by classical music & a sense of calmness. Then the second set of doors open & you see all the pretty flowers & you take a deep breath & smell the coffee.
           .... It's all in the first five seconds really. 
                                                                              ~ Sarah

 Each time an Official Function was declared in the shop, it seemed that Sarah's journey post-work that evening would take her not to Posh Kroger of Carytown but to The Fresh Marker, purveyor of fine goods, heightened choice and definite Party Food options.
  Over time, I heard her wax lyrical on the delights of shopping there and as my last week approached, I decided it was high time to discover the delights of Fresh Market for myself.

Marcia provided me with my Grand FM Tour. The free coffee samples helped us on our way as we explored each aisle and counter, marvelling at the choices of deli goods, jars upon jars of fancy food stuff. It's kind of like a little bit of Waitrose, plus a smattering of M&S,
& an awful lot of Booth's thrown into the mix.

Out of curiosity, we went to look at their beer selection. It was then that I happened to glance up above the milk fridges & saw Buttons. My costuming brain switched on...

Wait - what, Buttons?!

Period attire alert!

Fancy groceries require fancy displays too! The best of it was that neither Marcia nor Sarah had ever looked up so far above the shelves to notice them before; I mean, why would you?

The Grand Tour stepped up a pace as we stared ceiling-wards for more. Turned out they were everywhere across the store. How terribly smart! How dashingly historic! 

The Verandah

Horse & Home

Books & Desk & Luggage

 

 Gotta love your local Fresh Market!

Watermeloning & Wall Art #18

I wasn't going to go to the Watermelon Festival. 
General consensus was that it was usually too hot, 
too crowded, just too much. But then the day dawned unexpectedly cooler and I was persuaded to attend. 

Being in its thirtieth year, it felt to be much more an excuse for a festival (generic stalls et al) than something as creative and imaginative as the Bacon's 1st one. But we walked down Carytown & back and eventually came up with themed goodies to appease me. 

i) My tasty watermelon smoothie (above), resplendent with melon chunk & plastic flower.

ii) Themed cupcakes inside Carytown Cupcakes; a bite too much for some. 

Oh & amongst the dogs spotted on the streets, this very cool attired trio!

From Richmond Mural Project, Sonni's mural on Portrait House:

End of Run Signals...

Yes.

Party Time!

Goodbye Professor. Goodbye WFW... 

So long Trouble,

Thank you lovely actor-types!

  So long River City. So long!

We started on the Saturday, with Hardywood. 

VA Blackberry release day!
Summer in a pint glass.

Exciting times.

                              ^ See?                                                            In a cone too! Woo, Gelati Celesti.

This is what Strike looks like.

So many lovely empty & available hangers again!

My Word of the Week.
Although I'm calling it "Sparkle".

It being Jenny's last week in town, there were also some final explorations to be made.

Galaxy Diner, Carytown:

                   Where they serve you Kitchen Roll                       Jenny drove the Pickle Car in Busytown;                 
                                instead of napkins. Hah.                                  hence the excellent always-Awkward Pickle face.

I'd never noticed this particular store before but
it's sort of hard to overlook a Royal Watermelon baby.

Sarah organised drinks at Strangeways.
 

This time I got to meet Mike in person & he gave
us a tour of his workspace, both interesting & insightful about the actual brewing process.

<  Mike identifies the lactose (used in cream ales &
 milk stouts) & talks through his selection of tea leaves,
 as added into the Curiosities beer.

 We got to meet the "three sisters" of bourbon barrels:

 

I discovered a Strangeways beer with my very name on it.

Hurrah!

Plus a sneak preview-tasting of the Strangeways' Sour
due for release later on that week.

Namely, 'WORD!' They're all about the blueberries at the craft breweries at present.

Lunch prior to Camp at Willow Lawn,

A sandwich shop even more elaborate than Subway.

Branded red Sharpie's have a certain appeal. Tick! Tick!

More on Camp soon. We had crafting costume fun!

Wall Art #15: Thirty Years of... Watermelons.

I picked a good mural trail on my walk home from Carytown last night, sighting a few more from the Project. Thought I'd shared this one first as the event kicks off on Sunday. 
This might be one of the few festivals I actually opt to miss: 115,000 people & 3,000+ watermelons in the afternoon sun sounds a bit too much for me on those small streets. 

A Week Plus Some: In Pictures

RVA summer colours, turning pink by the Dairy!

It's been kind of humid too...

"Greg, it ain't easy. All I need is an opening. You remember the pitch? 

  What can I use? What's new around here?"

 

The other day: Teddy Grahams, three-in-a-row!

With the opening of Steel, the final one of three back-to-back shows, 

we Officially Functioned like never before.

This one included we 4, 

Theresa (MM hat designer extraordinaire), Lynn (Busytown designer), 

Lesley+Ivy ("The Costume Shop ") responsible for finishings on MMs Pick-a-Little Ladies 

along with Abby; as well as Liz, our Go-To for period research & dress patterns.

Quite the crowd! OF  #12

When I thought about how many years of combined costuming were under that one roof ... 

Wow.  :) 

I discovered a new brewery, Parkway.  

I like their artwork (as well as the fact they do Blonde).

 

Being based in Salem, VA (about half an hour's drive from Roanoke),
I know their landscape well ... winding roads & starry hills.

This week,  

the fabulousness of Mellow Mushroom, new to Carytown. The pizza place which all 

the elsewhere-kids rave about. They're very happy to see it arrive here.

 

Record Wall.

Lowly Worm gracing the doughnuts at Busytown, Willow Lawn.

There was a Wednesday night going spare
so this happened:

New release! The Double IPA, better known as the "Dipper".

Plus Piiigs.

A Trip to the Trailers!

 
where the other ⅓ of extant stock from "dead shows", likely
to be revived sometime, reside on Southside. We were on
a Quest to relocate some Important Costumes for a Fall tour.

Four Velveteen Rabbits found!

Friday afternoon = 

BOWLERAMA!

 The annual staff summer social.

 

Doug-Squish-Hug.   :)