feast, shake it, repeat

How I love a sunny and warm day. Especially when it’s clock spring forward day. I hate to admit it, but if I never saw anything but sundresses in my suitcases again- I’d be one happy camper. Sweaters be gone forever!

Sun and warmth- you make me want to do and be everything…

My sunny day today included morning coffee with bedroom window wide open, then off to zumba to sweat out all the garlic I had in my dinner last night. Ladies, gents- I am telling you if you have not zumba’d before and you want to sweat your money maker off while you’re shakin’ it, try this salsa, meets hip-hop, meets belly dancing, meets Bollywood moving. We ended my class today with a Latin soul train that would’ve made even a corpse rock out. I am in love with zumba.

After shakin’ it off, naturally I had to put it back on at Millie’s for brunch with a crew of fun people:

Millie's Restaurant

(Whoopsie! I am forming a bad habit of gobbling up all my delicious food before snapping a shot of it, so all you get this go around is the classic Millie’s table juke box.)

A walk around town was a must after the brunch feast, so away we went meandering around the canal walk and flood wall:

Floodwall entrance

Downtown Richmond, Virginia

I love the sound of traffic and trains. Underneath the train tracks:

View from under train tracks

Somebody needs to let this guy out! He clearly has spring fever just like all of us:

Indian atop Lucky Strike

Happy springing forward!

What will you do with more daylight?

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look who showed up in my inbox!

I wrote about a “nice man” I met in Minot, ND (pronounced my-knot) on August 5th last year. Minot was my last stop before entering Canada on my way to Alaska. I found a Starbucks, got my java and camped out like I often do when I’m on the road. While I was there a gentleman chatted with me from a table near. I gave him my card and told him what I was doing. I never heard a word from him, and like others I meet in my travels, I often wonder if they ever log on to check out this site. What a great surprise today, 7 months after I met this gent, I get the following note from my contact form:

Nice man in Minot Starbucks? Thanks! It was a cold day for anyone in shorts, but your Vermont sweatshirt must have helped. Great to see the Big Loop completed…James Ryan

How cool is that?!

He thought the website contact form didn’t work, so I got this message on Facebook too:

Meeting you on a cold Minot day in Starbucks reminded me of my own journeys in Europe many years ago. Cold, but cheery, and with a mission. Glad you completed your journey north and around, and are on to your next ones. I tried making the posts work on your website and could not, but was showing my daughter your website this morning and thought I would try again. Nice man in Minot, how sweet…James Ryan

You all know meeting and talking to new people is my most favorite thing to do on the road. Contacting or keeping in touch with those I have met along my journey is a special thing to me. I’ve learned from every single person I’ve meet, and often made friends for life. I have ended up staying with some of these newer friends, they send me photos of their kids and grandkids and share stories about their lives. That is just the coolest thing to me. The best part of making new friends in the most random of places, is that I continually see that we are all the same. Everyone can relate to each other in some way. I have found overall, that perfect strangers are much nicer, more generous, and willing than anyone would ever believe. I love that- it keeps me inspired.

Thanks James Ryan from the Starbucks that day back in August on my journey of a lifetime. You just made my day. I hope you will keep adventuring and stay in touch!

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meet lily

Lily

Yes, this is a real child- not a doll. Can you even stand how adorable she is? I want to eat her!

Lily is the granddaughter of a reader whom I met a couple years ago. We keep in touch via email fairly regularly and I always ask about the grand baby so he sends photos. Of course I had to ask permission to post this one. This kid is a Cheerios model in the making!

Thanks for sharing a BLR kid B! Now tell me, how far does she have you wrapped around her little finger?

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