|
Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)
Hello again, Fellow Classmates!
While many of you were out-of-town or spending time with relatives and friends during the Winter Holidays, we left our 68-78-degree surroundings in the Desert and ventured to Richmond for my Cousin Frankie Wolf's 80th Birthday, ---- and what a surprise!
The temperature in Richmond was about 19-20 degrees during the weekend, and the water pipes in our hotel were frozen, leaving us EACH waiting for l5 minutes for the shower every morning during our visit. It was hard to get out of the building on time, but we showed up for every event --- even if a bit late!
I was so glad to see Arleen Zell Kates and her Sister Sandy, Lois Miller Padow, Sandy Gross Schneider, and Jane Norwood Boykin at Padow's last Friday! It felt like we were back in "Lunch Period" at TJ again! Eddie Schneider was there, too, but "my dear Joel" spent an hour sitting in his car and talking on the phone to some of his clients (who will not allow him him enjoy a vacation without a consultation), so they never had a chance to get acquainted !
The rest of the weekend was full of explorations in "Revitalized Richmond." We completed our "Annual Tour of l9th Street & Vicinity," where my Dad grew up, and I took a lot of pix of "The Old Neighborhood" which I will post as soon as my photo-page on this computer decides to cooperate with me and allow me to upload more than the few pix which appeared this morning, after I entered them all yesterday and many suddenly "disappeared." That is always a place to "relive old memories." The old synagogue across the street from my Grandparents' house is now a brand new condo, but they left the Jewish "Stars of David" over the doors! They were doing street repairs on the corner, so I could not record on film the view of my Grandfather's Stable, where he kept the Horses and Mules he Auctioned periodically. However, I did take a great photo of "St. John's Church," where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech, so I could share it with Southwesterners who do not know "The History of Richmond," and "Edgar Allan Poe Museum" (where I was finally told he did NOT live; it merely houses some of his possessions and writings! His childhood home is "long gone," according to the Gift Shop Manager.). There was the old Church which lost its steeple during a bad storm, plus the iconic Main Street Railroad Station and the tall hill where my Sisters and I used to roll down on our sides when we were kids. There are a lot of newly-painted stores in downtown Richmond, and the neighbor-hood is very lively; another generation has moved in, and it is strange to see VCU students walking down the streets there........A little further away, we met my Sisters and Cousins for Brunch at Max's, a refurbished restaurant with a winding staircase to the upstairs dining room and a ceiling-high bar and more dining space on the first floor; the food on their menu was delicious.
Outside the front door of Max's stands a brand new statue of Maggie Walker, the First Black Bank Owner in the U. S. A., surrounded with a circle of concrete labelled: "TEACHER, BANK OWNER, INSURANCE COMPANY OWNER, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER," ETC. I'm sure that folks in the Southwest have never seen or heard of our Southern Heroes in this light, so I will become the "Messenger of Good Tidings" when I reach my Yuma home next week! (I learned that Maggie Walker was the woman who organized the "Bus Boycott" in Richmond during the late l950's. I remember that one of Richmond's high schools is named after her. The statue of this attractive woman is a tribute to her strength and courage!)
In between 2 delicious meals at "The Grapevine Restaurant" and "Peking House" in the West End and "The Greatest Show" at the movie theatre near the old Broad Street Station (now "The Science Museum"), we participated in religious services at our still-beautiful Temple Beth-El, and stood in line at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art to see the New Exhibit of the 2,000-year-old Warrior Statues, built by order of the First Emperor of China for his gravesite. It is incredible that a small number of the original 1,000 statues have survived that long, without a crack or crumble in their construction; each one is life-size or larger! The Exhbiit also includes sculptures of a Horse, a Goose, and many Gold Artifacts found in the gravesite. If you have not yet seen this portrayal of Chinese History, mark it on your calendar before it leaves Richmond. You will never feel the same after viewing it! - it is like "living inside a World History book for an hour or two! "
While walking through the Exhibit, I met an older woman who asked where we lived now and advised me to see Louis Ginter Park before we left town. On our last day in Richmond, we drove l5 minutes from our hotel in the West End to see the Park, which was dedicated in 1984, on the grounds of the Ginter's Homestead. Walking out on that chilly morning, we were astounded to find the architecturally-appealing and warm Greenhouse, which displayed magnificent Lilies and Orchids in many beautiful colors and sizes, plus the Christmas Tree with "Flowers Made of Ribbons," and the glass cases full of small plants, illustrating the story of "Thumbelina" with adorable tiny dolls. It was interesting to see a collection of our "Southwestern Desert Plants" on the opposite side of the Greenhouse, as well as the Herb Garden outside, which labels many of the flowers and plants with names of those vitamins & spices I often see at our Grocery and Drug Stores: Echinacea, Thyme, etc. One of the names on the brick walk near the water fountain belonged to our former next-door neighbor on Seneca Road; she was an active member of the Richmond Garden Club, and I remember how my Mother used to exclaim over the flowers in her backyard. Inside the Visitor Center, I saw a familiar name on the wall - either Alex Claiborne Robins or his Dad - honoring his donation to the Park. I hope many of you were able to enjoy this during the Holiday Season; if not, make a short trip there before the Exhibit ends! I saw a flyer at our hotel with a photo of the Spring Flower Show and I wish I could be there to see it, but Joel always works "Tax Season" in April, so I will just have to fantasize about it, and maybe one of you can photograph it for me to enjoy long-distance!
The "piece de resistance" during our trip was a visit to Miss Tankard's house on New Year's Day! My older Sister from Ohio and I had not seen her during the past 55-60 years! - but my middle Sister from New York has made frequent visits to her "Little House in the Woods," which I discovered was just a short distance from Gwynn McNaught's former "Home-by-the-River" in Matthews and Arleen Zell Kates' home in Deltaville. (I think we have now driven past the sign for Matthews County 3 times since last May, and I never knew it existed until then!) We 3 Sisters all agree that Miss Tankard was THE BEST TEACHER we ever had, and she made a huge impact on all our lives! She was so excited that I had traveled 3,000 miles to see her, and my other Sisters - at least 400-800 miles each! Miss Tankard and her Roommate harvest Oysters in the Creek behind their house each year and give them away to friends and relatives! They also have a little dog who begged to join us until they gave in and brought him into the living room to get acquainted. Their house is similar to Gwynn's former home in Matthews, with a long room on the left side in the back which overlooks the pier on the creek, and where they have an elongated Early American table for serving dinner to visiting family members. The entrance to their living room is via a ramp, leading to several stairs going down toward soft chairs and a sofa, in front of a built-in fireplace. It was so comfortable sitting there, we could have stayed for hours, but we had to leave for the long drive back to Richmond. It was such an enjoyable afternoon, preceded by lunch before our visit at a Family Restaurant on the outskirts of Williamsburg and my middle-Sister's "Required Visit" to the huge Antiques Store, where I was only able to see one and a half aisles of "Souvenirs of Yesteryear" before they said, "Time's Up!" I hope we are able to visit the area again soon, because I love to "go back in time" to the people and memories I had when I was young! Miss Tankard looks very well for her 89 years! She is a true "Survivor!"
(This TJ Website is the ONLY one I can access this morning. My Yahoo! Mail and Facebook pages crashed yesterday, and I have to find my way back to "The Internet" again, even though I spent 2 hours or more with an "Apple Techy" yesterday afternoon!) Such good memories fill my head from our trip to Virginia. Now we are back in Phoenix again, and Joel turned on the Air Conditioning last night when he came home from work, because it was 81 degrees, and he said it was "Too hot!" I guess he doesn't count his blessings, now that we were no longer in 19-degree weather!)
Take care, All ! - and keep my pretty City and State in good health and welfare until I am able to visit again. I often get homesick for the place where I grew up and the folks I knew there! I still haven't figured out how I ended up on "The Other Side of the Country," l5 minutes away from California & Mexico! Who knew, while I was standing on the corner of Grove Avenue & Libbie, waiting for the bus to Westhampton School, that I would someday have to travel so far to see my first home? Seneca Road is still peaceful, quiet, and beautiful, with its Georgian Brick houses standing strong, and I am living in my little condo in the hot, hot Desert of Arizona!
|
