Mom Wanted

I’m just about out of my head with worry…My Mom lives in Virginia, deep in the country, by herself, and the phone just keeps saying NET WORK BUSY.

You know they just had an earthquake there. I don’t know what that means. I lived in Virginia for the first twenty years of my life and never experienced an earthquake. I moved to California and got used to the ground shaking but I can’t remember my East Coast family ever telling me about a fault line being active on the East Coast.

I do remember my brother telling me that the earthquakes I was experiencing in California were because California was such a sinful place.

After hearing this couple of times, I told my brother that actually what was going to happen was that THE BIG Quake was coming to happen. California, however, would break off the United States and float away, a safe, beautiful island and the rest of the United States would tip over.

Well, with the horrible laws being created in Washington DC., I hope, No, I pray I wasn’t right! But this blog isn’t about my political views. So I won’t say any more about that.

What I will do is post a Mom Wanted sign…If anyone has seen this woman tell her to call Gloria.

More pictures of Mom and the farm are available here: http://cmewander.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-grandmas-garden-is-bigger-than-your.html

The Clock_Tower

Jeanie Koliadko Allen snapped this photo. It is of the clock tower in Richmond, Virginia.

Crossing the Richmond Bridge, I passed this structure a hundred times as a child. But like so many wonderful places. I’m only just learning about it. I remember that when we approached Richmond from the Carolina Side we would see this glimpse.

The building seems to sit still and majestic and just seeing this photograph inspired me to ask questions. Who built this building? Why was it built? What did it mean to the people who built it and even more importantly, what does it mean to the people who preserve it today?

To answer my own questions, I did what every researcher in this century does. I goggled it. This is what I learned:

First: It is called the James Center Clock Tower and its address is : E Cary St and S 10^th St., Richmond, Va. It is part of the Canal Boats and Cobblestones Walking Tours. http://www.zvents.com/z/richmond-va/james-center-clock-tower--venues--1076688

It was built in 1901. It is a historic railroad station and office building. It is currently being served by Amtrak and there are future plans for it to become a northern terminus of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor as well as an intermodal station with Richmond’s city transit bus services. It is also a U.S. National Historical Landmark.

Now I know I have to visit it!