A Virginia View Point

I never tire of sweeping Virginia views!

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Life in the Slow Lane

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Joy at The Fat Tuna

“He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”  

~Jonathan Swift

If you are ever in Williamsburg, Virginia and you’re hungry (especially if you are hungry for shell fish), I discovered a place I would drive three hours to go back to.  It is called The Fat Tuna Grill and Oyster Bar.

I was yearning for  seafood  and though it is available “inland” where I live, it is oddly not quite satisfying.  But on our trip to Williamsburg I learned I  had forgotten the joy of consuming fresh oysters on the half shell and big fat broiled shrimp dipped in butter!

And that is exactly what I ordered at The Fat Tuna – oysters on the half shell and broiled shrimp.

Ambrosia!

Bill doesn’t know it yet, but I am planning a calculated semi-yearly blitz urging him to join me in return trips to Williamsburg – just for a repeat of that dinner!  Tomorrow would not be too soon.

But back to my somewhat less than professional food critic’s review:

I was oohing and ahhing so much the smiling Manager came over and touched my shoulder in gratitude for such exuberant appreciation of the chef.

I loved the service too.  “Star” understood  and she was truly a star in bringing us fabulous warm hush puppies and corn bread for starters.  I am off grains of course, but had a taste of each to set me swooning for more.   Selected sides were green beans cooked to perfection and fabulously delicious coleslaw.  And Key Lime Pie for dessert – the real thing!

The Fat Tuna is a casual dining destination – meaning it is not hoity-toity and you don’t have to dress up but it is pleasantly appointed.

Can you tell how much I love this restaurant?

If you love seafood too and you are anywhere near (or even far), The Fat Tuna is the place to go.

 

1433 Richmond Road
Williamsburg,Virginia 23185

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Williamsburg Adventure

Chownings Tavern – Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

The Way We Were

Tavern Reception Team

Bill and I have been escaping the past several days, on a brief trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia – not the first time for sure.  There is always something to see and do and never enough time for any of it.

The main allure of this incredible place is the ability to experience a “living museum”

where you can see and feel the past

whilst knowing you are viewing it from the future.

O.K. I know this doesn’t make much sense but it is perfectly true.

But we had another reason to visit the area this time.

We stopped at the MAI Conference being held at the Williamsburg Lodge!

Our friend, Pete, is the organizer and MAI stands for Mid Atlantic Innkeepers, so it was a conference and trade show for Bed and Breakfast people.

Attendees are either eager Hosts and Hostesses, eagerly Aspiring hosts and hostesses, or eager Suppliers of eager hosts and hostesses.

In any case, they are all delightfully friendly energetic people enjoying courses, classes, and camaraderie dedicated to optimizing the travel experience in today’s bustling new world.

Here are photographs of our friends who were working so hard to make the conference a success.

MAI Organizer Pete Holladay
http://midatlanticinnkeepers.com

Beautiful Friends Phebe and Katherine

Bill Wondering Where We Were

Believe it or not, the Williamsburg Lodge was a stop on our bus route around the periphery of Colonial Williamsburg.  We had lunch at Chownings Tavern along the way.

Bill tried the Shepherd’s Pie with Root Beer to swig it all down.  And I had Brunswick Stew and hot apple cider.  We were serenaded by a lovely lady in period costume who played the fiddle and then we were visited by a fellow who looked like John Adams. Then we heard a fife in the back room.

Talk about being transported back in time!

How I would love to vacation again in Colonial Williamsburg – but via a time machine back to 1734.  Then I would return of course, to all my modern conveniences!

Well, a lunch hour at the Tavern in the restored Old Towne will have to do.

A Colonial Street of Homes

 

Wood Pile at the Ready

 

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Virginia Round Bale Buffer

The sign says, “Stop”,

but if you happen to miss it,

you may be in for a soft landing!

 

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Looking Back, Back, Back

We had dinner at The Pink Cadillac again, since it changed owners.  The “diner” has always been a great trip to the past, and now it is freshly painted, and refurbished.

A fellow came in and asked our hostess what she would recommend on the menu.  Her reply was quick.

“An Elvis Burger, French Fries and a Milk Shake!”

I had not ordered that but maybe next time.  Sounds irresistible if not deadly!

I love the Texaco gas pump and tried to photograph the gas price on the front.  It isn’t clear but it was 32 cents a gallon!  Sometimes I think we are headed back, back, back to the old pricing doesn’t it?

 Oh look!  A real jukebox on the back wall.  It still works and plays a lot of Elvis tunes as well as some more modern selections.

There’s a great feeling at this little diner on the edge of Lexington, Virginia where you just can’t help smiling.

If you come here for a visit, I’ll meet you at the Pink Cadillac for an Elvis Burger, French Fries, and a Milk Shake!

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Stop, Look and Listen

 

Sometimes I drive down my country road and simply have to stop and take a picture.

It’s not that there is anything magnificent to snap.

And it’s not the glorious foliage or even the way the light hits a leaf.

It boils down to a “feeling” and a need to listen to the world.

 

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What’s Up With This?

That is not Dor in the pink socks!

Speaking of marathons, my friend Amy is amazing.  She is little but mighty, plays and teaches the violin, has a truck driver’s license, goes to a jumpology trampoline center for fun, is a teacher’s aid, and runs in marathons.  I like to tell people my BigFoot was the result of running in too many marathons (or a skiing accident), but you must know that is a big lie. I have never run in a marathon.  In fact, I don’t think I have run or even fast-walked anywhere since 1995.  

But today my friend Amy is a contestent (with two of her equally mighty sons) in a unique race in Roanoke, Virginia.

Picture running uphill through office buildings,

parking garages and train yards

in a race called, WASUPWIDIS!

Translated that means What’s Up with This, but by the time you run up the first set of stairs you can hardly breathe so the name has been gasped into a shorter version –  “wasUpwidis.”  The event is offered by Roanoke City Parks and Recreation and Mountain Junkies LLC (home of the trail running and mountain biking junkies of the Roanoke Valley) and is noted by both organizations as “one of the most unique races you’ll ever have the chance to run.”

According to reports, nearly 370 people participated last year with even more expected this year. The object is “to run through, up and over a few of Downtown Roanoke’s landmarks, traversing surprisingly difficult elevations in two of the city’s parking garages and finishing with a breathtaking climb and descent in the Wells Fargo Tower.  You may be able to run and you may be able to climb, but can you do both?”

Good luck Amy!

Above details and information about the WasUpWiDis race in Roanoke, Virginia are from  http://mountainjunkies.net/site/wazupwidis/ .

Mountain Junkies L.L.C.  “home of the trail running and mountain biking junkies of the Roanoke Valley.”

And here’s a video too:

 

 

 

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Look Mom! No Hands!

There is a major freeway in Virginia that boasts a long stretch of empty beauty.

No signs.

No buildings.

No commercial invitations.

No bathrooms either (the only downside).

But this big highway is wonderfully different.

It encourages liesure driving and a happy feeling of  enormous freedom.

The scenery is delicious too.

It is much like bike-coasting down a long softly sloping hill.

And although I know it is not particularly safe, I feel like hollering,

“Look Mom!  No hands!”

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The Hills are Alive

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