Norfolk, VA

We had a lovely train run from Ohio to Virginia.

The weather was finally warm enough to spend time on the vestibules.
Passing through the mountains, I saw many interesting houses half-buried in the woods.
Leaves are just starting to appear on some of the trees, and the grass is new.
The fresh mountain air was wonderful. For a while our train followed a stream where
locals were fishing or sunbathing. I saw donkeys, llamas, horses, goats, turkeys, chickens,
and cows. What a beautiful change from the city!!

Train going around a bend:


Snuggling up to a mountain:


Interesting houses:




White cliffs on the river:


These guys stopped working on the bridge to take pics of us :D


All week we had wonderful weather. Pity we can't do shows outside :P
Scope Arena (interesting building, huh!):


Throughout the week I spent as much time as possible outside.
On Friday we had split shows, so after the first show I went to a nearby
pawn shop with several of the band guys, then Brett and Catfish (latest trumpet sub) and I got
some really good sushi. After that they went to see a movie at the mall, and I
took two-mile trek to a farmers market!

On the way it started to rain, and I dove into a nearby shop for cover.

The owner was super nice! He roasts his own coffee right there in the store.
He gave me a bag for free! I was supposed to share it, but the production office
uses a Keurig and the wardrobe dept. had enough coffee for the week.
So I kept half for myself and gave the other half to Ashley (preshow host/equestrian).
It's very good! The flavor is rich and delicious.
Thank you, Chris, for your generosity!

At the farmers market I picked up some produce, and of course a loaf of bread.


It's from Sugar Plum Inc., an organization dedicated to teaching baking skills to people with disabilities.
As you can see from the website, these guys make all kinds of tasty treats!
The farmers market only carried their bread, so I got a 6-grain with molasses.
It's a small oval loaf, smaller than it looks in the picture, and it's kind of chewy. The molasses gives
it a really nice strong flavor. And it's the perfect size for poached eggs too :)
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