Belle Island

	5/22/2009 - Richmond, Va. Downtown Loop Auntie Donna was interested in seeing some of the potential bike rides Richmond offers after recently relocating here from California..
	John and I were happy to show her the sights. In the process, I was able to learn more Mammy stories. Auntie Donna had learned a new Mammy story from my dad the prior evening and now I had a chance to hear it. I should mention first my grandmother had a reputation for being cantankerous and with good cause. For about a decade, my grandmother and father worked together at IBM. On the same floor to boot. One day, there was a note left by the coffee machine from my grandmother letting everyone in the office know if they didn't clean up their mess, she was going to break their arm. Oh my!
	So with the feeling my grandmother's spirit followed us, we toured Richmond. The top of Belle Island offers a wonderful view of the area. The East Coast has gotten plenty of rain this year and the James River was swollen and fast.
	A little photo of my handsome honey and myself.
	One of the bridges leading off the island.

	5/16/2009 Richmond, Va Back in the Saddle Again Yesterday, we did our springtime ritual.
	We climbed on our bikes in Chesterfield and head toward the city, so we could ride the downtown loop. It is about a 19-mile loop. After 6-months of riding shorter distances, it normally shocks my legs to do the route. I was pleasantly surprised by my leg's reactions. They withstood the challenge better than expected. Crossing the bridge from Belle Island I took some photos of the swollen river. The last time I looked down from the bridge, kayakers were walking in the water pulling their boats. Not today.
	It looked downright trepidacious.
	Since we crossed the river as we passed through Belle Island, obviously we needed to do it again to return home. John stopped and took a photo of me on the Nickel Bridge.
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