20

Apr. ’14

Very Fine Outings

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It was a very fine, although busy, week and my wife and I had plenty of fun.  I thank the Activities Department, here at Imperial Plaza, for having so much to do and making sure it is all very interesting.  No one could ask for any more from their hard work and the care of all the concerns of everyone.

I will start with the trip to The Riverside Theater in Fredricksburg, on a beautiful Wednesday morning, for a wonderful lunch and a nice play.  Like the normal dinner theater the waiters and waitresses were the actors/actresses for us.  The musical was great although it did not hold mine or my wife’s interest.  To tell the truth, with a full belly, I almost fell asleep.

Thursday evening, my wife went out with The Red Hats to the dinner/theater at The Swift Creek Mill House Theater.  She told me it was like Thursday’s theater but the music was better because it was all from the sixties.  The women (I know a lot of them because I go out on the majority of excursions) wanted to know why I didn’t accompany them to the theater.  My wife told them I didn’t want to come to a women’s outing.

I haven’t gotten onto my bicycle but twice this week because, like I’ve said before, I’m a fair weather rider.  It was kind of cool and, although bundled up like a mummy, I still had a wind chill factor on my face.  I will try to do better and I know the weather will have to get warmer.  Some days I just want to sit and write an article or two for Yahoo Voices (pocket money).  There is work to be done around the apartment also.

By the way, the Harp Trio was great last Monday evening.  I really enjoyed the music and I won the door prize, their latest CD.  I listened to the CD and put it on my computer for some good music while I do my thing.  From what Ron say, there are some great things coming to the auditorium.  Stick around for more and greater things.

I have written more and more for Yahoo Voices and I am now up to seventeen articles and counting.  Look me up and pass me on (this article and that one).  Take care and I hope you had a Happy Easter.

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11

Apr. ’14

The Great Outdoors

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Those that missed the trip to Washington and the cruise on the Potomac missed a grand day.  The weather co-operated and there was no shortage of fun, good music and great food.  Ron and Tracy took a lot of pictures of people and I took many sightseeing pictures especially close-ups of the take offs and landings of the planes.  I even have some good shots of the helicopter before it landed.  From what I understand, there will be other great trips.  Don’t miss the next one.

I am still vigorously riding my bicycle and now I am all over Lakeside, Dumbarton, Stapes Mill and Broad Street.  It feels better than just riding in Bryan Park.  I am almost ready to go further than I am now but I must first get the gel seat Ron was telling me about.  My rear end is killing me.  I don’t have much back there and the bike is trying to take what’s there.  I’m sore as hell.  My legs are doing fine and, in fact, I surprised myself by getting back to Imperial Plaza quicker than intended and I wasn’t even winded.

The drivers out there are crazy dangerous and here I am on a bicycle in their way.  I had a crazy lady turn into a car lot, right in front of me, and then tried to park in the row of cars along the sidewalk.  Instead of stopping at the edge of the side walk, she went out a little further and almost hit me.  Riding a bicycle is not crazy, it’s the drivers out there that are crazy.  As I said in an article I had in Yahoo Voices, the drivers only care about themselves and, if you get in their way, you will be hurt.

There was a big accident, here at Imperial Plaza.  A woman was driving to the rear of Dogwood apartments and as she came around the corner of the building, instead of turning, she kept straight.  She hit a car so hard that she knocked it into another car and pushed both vehicles two parking slots away.  She was not injured but the vehicles were badly damaged, at least one was totaled.

Don’t forget the last blog, see me on Yahoo or contact me and I’ll tell you how.  Have fun, spring is here outdoor activities are starting and I see people in the garden plots.  Take care!!!!

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06

Apr. ’14

Finally It Is Spring

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I’m two days overdue but there is an excuse.  Its spring and I’ve been out enjoying it as well as doing other things.  Yes, that means I’ve been riding my new bicycle and I’m doing ten miles a day, to start.  Ron and Tracy, from the Activities Department at Imperial Plaza, want the three of us to travel by bicycle down the trail from Richmond to Williamsburg and back.  I’m game and I’m getting into bicycling shape as quickly as I can.  As time go by I will increase the mileage.  That is why I bought a computer for my mountain bike.

Another reason I am late getting this out is my writing.  As some of you know I write for Yahoo, pacifically Voices for the Yahoo Contributor Network.  I put in three, four or more articles a week and will do more as time permit.  For anyone that wants to see my articles, without looking at all articles under Yahoo, this is how to do it.  Go to Yahoo home page (Yahoo.com).  On the left side of the homepage, under the Yahoo banner is a column of features.  At the bottom of those features is…more Yahoo sites.  Click and hold it there and a menu window will pop up.  Click all products and a directory will pop up.  Click Voices and on Voices homepage put my name in the search box at the top of the page (Robert Threatt).  I hope you enjoy the articles.  I have been constantly writing for a while and many articles already have been removed.

I was at the White Squirrel watching the people play the WII, in particular, bowling.  They all seem to be having a lot of fun, especially my wife (Alba) and she is the top scorer (I guess that’s why she is having so much fun (smile)).  I also took a long walk today.  I don’t know how far it was but I walked from Imperial Plaza to the Valero on Lakeside and back up to the Bryan Park Ave. entrance to Bryan Park.  I stopped to watch two teenage boys fishing, then a man (he said he was sixty) at the tennis courts learning to ride his unicycle and, lastly, all the soccer games being played.  I wasn’t winded and it was fun.  Come join me next time.  Contact me and I’ll tell you when.  Take Care!!

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28

Mar. ’14

Retirement Is Wonderful

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Retirement……..I was never this busy when I was working but, I guess, staying active will make me feel younger and spry (or so it is said).  I feel good and being here at Imperial Plaza is a way of making sure I stay good.  I finally received the tire pump for my bicycle and, weather permitting, I will start back to bicycling.  My two son-in-laws want to cycle with me when they can.  That should be fun.  I just can’t wait for the three of us to be bicycling in Bryan Park and around the grounds of Imperial Plaza.

The White Squirrel is open.  It is a small café, next to the restaurant, and it serves, for now, breakfast and lunch.  Their menu is great and the prices are even better.  What makes the place so good is the serving of beer and wine.  I have been there twice, one breakfast and one lunch, and I have complaints.  Maybe it will get better as time passes but I have my doubts.  The service is slow, you have to hunt for someone to get a bill and the tables are always short of sugars in the bowl.  I guess I’ll have to wait because I don’t want to say anything to the supervisors and get someone in trouble or even fired.

One good thing about being retired is you have all the time in the world to do whatever.  All this week I did just that, I did whatever and that amounted to nothing.  I just can’t explain what it felt like except that it felt good.  I believe I accomplished some good writing with all that relaxed time.  A couple of articles I’ve been working on are almost ready for submission.  After I finish this I will get back to work on them and try to have it ready by tomorrow night.

I have a writers club meeting in the morning.  It is usually the third Saturday but the third Saturday in April will run into Easter.  The writer’s club is a great group of people and those of you that write and don’t belong to a club should consider joining one.  There are several here in the Richmond area and each one is different yet the same.  In other words, they tend to accomplish the same thing by meeting at different times on different days with different people.

By the way, I was told the article I did two weeks ago did not print out.  Everything is there except for the body and I have tried to put the body in place without any luck.  If I have people that want that article reprinted, I will do so, just give me the word.  Until the next time……Take care, be good and keep reading.  It really helps if you would pass my address on to others and hit the like button.  This way I won’t think you want a dislike button.  Bye-bye!

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23

Mar. ’14

Travelling

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I’m back again to talk about retirement here at Imperial Plaza.  When you get to be my age, people in the age group start dying and that is why my blog is late.  I was in North Carolina at a funeral and decided to look around while I was down there.   First, let me say, I am glad to be a Virginian and to be in Virginia.  It’s funny how you never appreciate a place until you are not there.  To compare North Carolina to Virginia, Virginia wins.  I guess the people of North Carolina will say the same thing but we all look through “rose colored glasses”.

I’ve been to many, many places around the world and I have found something in each place that would make me want to stay a while.  I really can’t say the same thing for North Carolina except for the larger cities.  Anything outside of that and I can’t see it.  The only thing I can say good about the state is the condition of the paved roads.  I also see there is a lot of work being done to build new roadways.  The roadways are smooth, fast and non-congested.

The thing that bothered me the most (or am I spoiled) is other than a large city there are no lights or sidewalks.  Here in the Richmond area someone would end up being “road kill”.  People here are crazy compared to down south so maybe they’re not that bad.

Being retired gives you all the time you would need to go to things like that and stay awhile instead of rushing back.  Take your time and scout around and go to other places.  Being retired means you don’t have a clock to punch and no one to answer to (my wife may have something to say about that).  I love to scout around and see the country, any country.

We left Sanford, North Carolina and went to Fayetteville, North Carolina and Pope AAF/Ft. Bragg.  It was great seeing another military installation that I rarely have a chance to see.  There are changes that, in my day would never have flown, really surprised me.  They did not have a Class VI (liquor store) or a NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) Club.  My wife and I ended up at a Ruby Tuesday, in town, because they only had fast food places on base.  This would never happen in my day.

Instead of reversing and taking I-85 back to Richmond I took scenic I-95 and it was a delightful ride.  Traffic was running smoothly and the average speed was around 80 to 90 miles an hour.  There are always fools and I-95 had its share.  There was one driving in the dark without lights.  Then there were those passing me when I was speeding along at 90 in a 70 (what can I say.  I speed on the interstates).  Other than that, there was no trouble anywhere along the way.      Until the end of the week..TAKE CARE!

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15

Mar. ’14

This And That

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08

Mar. ’14

Graves Mountain and Imperial Plaza

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The people at Imperial Plaza that did not take the trip to Grave’s Mountain Lodge for lunch missed a fantastic trip.  I was in my apartment thinking, before we left, about the road conditions and the weather in general because of the recent snows.  To my surprise the roads were clear and dry and very few pot holes.  Thumbs up for the state of Virginia which is not like the state of Georgia and never have been.  Then the scenery can be added in and it made for a wonderful ride.

Those of us that went on the trip had the pleasure of travelling in the new Imperial Plaza bus.  Of course our favorite driver, Terry, was behind the wheel and Ron led the way, as usual.  However, Terry and I were looking at the bus and, of course, inspecting it as we looked at the rear camera that had a large display for the driver.  Then we found a leak on the right corner of the windshield that came from the snow that was on the roof of the bus.  Always something but it’s better than the other bus which had most of the windows leaking and, at times, the person sitting next to a window would get wet.  Now, that’s all gone and a smoother ride to boot.

We had a delicious meal and fantastic table talk and the usual beautiful view out the window.  The weather co-operated and the day was wonderful and it wasn’t too cold.  If I were to eat there every day, I would be big as a house and then some.  It was a lot and I could not have eaten everything; I was stuffed to the gills.  Then we left for our favorite stop, The Yoder Store.  There is so much there to choose from that I usually find myself spending more than I counted on, but it’s all good.  Then there are the small corrals with all types of animals in them.  In the goat corral there is a long ramp that wraps around the corral, slowly going high in the air.  The goats will walk to the top and wait for someone to get a cup of grain and send it up for them to eat.  If you want to see pictures of this, you need only to contact me.

I enjoy these trips, they are simply wonderful and, being selfish, I don’t have to drive.  So far, everywhere I have travelled with Imperial Plaza it was Terry driving and a couple of times Ron drove and, of course, the James River Bus Line.  My wife kids me about overly enjoying myself and, yes, I am enjoying Imperial Plaza.  More residents should go on these trips and enjoy themselves also.

Until next week, all take care and join me on some of these trips.  There is plenty room or there can be a second bus.  Let’s have some fun together.

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02

Mar. ’14

Warm Weather Is Coming

This week has been a really good week in that I have been very busy.  Imperial Plaza has had a lot of things going on but I have had to cut back because I have crucial deadlines coming for my writing.  I hate to cut back but either I have a lot of external fun or I have my writing fun.  However, I must continue what I have started until it is finished and then I can get back to other things.  That also means writing this blog once a week instead of twice a week.  I guess some of you have noticed that I have already begun this and not by intention but by accident.

I am also looking toward the future in that spring is almost here and the weather will be warmer and more conducive for being out of doors.  I have made plans to get a new bicycle and restart my bike riding all over the place.  What places?  Well, Bryan Park and all over Lakeside or I may go to the baseball park and back or who knows where else.  I will just go riding to where ever.  But that will also take away other things which mean I will have to make critical decisions on which things to bypass and which things I will maintain.  I really enjoy getting out with the Imperial Plaza people but first things first.  With so many outings scheduled on Wednesdays, I will have to keep Wednesday open as much as I can.

The Dinner Dance was great with good music and food.  The band Second Floor is always great and they kept the dance floor full.  Being that I was already inside, because I helped get things ready, I took the table in front of the band and reserved a seat for my wife, who was coming later.  When the doors opened, there was person after person coming to the table to get a seat and to reserve the rest of the seats for friends who were not there yet.  When I said the chair beside me was for my wife, I was asked to move to another table and that they were always at the front table.  When I said no, they got a little angry but moved to another table.  I finally was situated at a table of eight with only five of us there, up front and right in the middle.

I had already talked to some of the people that were setting up the room, about how people show up early and reserve seats at tables for other people and that most reserve seats are for people that don’t show up for the event.  The others, which were setting up, also mentioned that they knew who would be at which table.  So, I upset the applecart by being at a table I shouldn’t have and by refusing to move.   Sorry about that but isn’t it first come first served?

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20

Feb. ’14

Thanks Terry!!

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It’s been a while again since I’ve last written something on this blog.  I have a couple of things to write on and I am hoping I have enough room to do it.  Having enough room on this free blog, with the amount of stuff in my head that want to get out, is a challenge in itself but I try.  As it is said…”nothing is free”, at least very little is free.  Here at Imperial Plaza, there is so much that is free that I use a calendar to keep track and it stays full with a lot of things that I cannot attend or it’s featured at the same time something else is featured.

I have met so many people here at Imperial Plaza that have said either they can’t (although the Imperial Plaza Staff bend over backwards to ensure people having movement problems can attend everything) or they don’t have the funds (although there is so much free stuff I miss over half because of time or it is the same time as another free event).  A guy made me a little angry the other day by saying no one told him.  I just asked him if he could read.  There are fliers and posters and word of mouth.  Fliers are even bought to the apartment and all a resident have to do is go to the door and retrieve the flier and read it.

Thursday we went on a road trip for lunch at the Virginia Diner via the Jamestown Ferry.  The trip was wonderful, the food was great and the company was very good.  We all expected a bad weather day but even the weather was good.  A little windy and only occasional sun but all in all it was still a great trip.  I’ve always said, if things are going too good, watch out.

We were on the way back to Imperial Plaza on I95 North.  Terry was driving along smoothly, just passing over route 10 in Chester, approaching route 288 when a rear tire on the right side blew with a load “BANG”.  Ted and I were sitting over the tire and it scared the XXXX out of us.  Terry was cool and didn’t panic. With the bus rumbling on, he slowly and safely guided us to the side of the interstate.  Ron and Terry got off the bus in order to inspect the damage.

Ron got back on the bus, informed us about the damage, which a bus was coming for us and not to worry.  It took a little over an hour for the other bus to reach us.  The way I was counting it was inside ninety minutes, from flat to heading back.  My hat is off to Terry for handling the bus so well and staying with it while we drove off.  Then he drove us R.O.M.E.O.s (Retired Old Men Eating Out) on our once a month eating out the next evening.  Again……THANKS TERRY!!!!

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14

Feb. ’14

My Week

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What a week this has been.  Last week Gypsy was postponed to this week because of snow and snow threatened to cancel it for this week.  I kept a close eye on the weather forecast and the timing for it all.  After talking to Ron, here at Imperial Plaza, he assured me he would postpone if the weather would strike before we get there or while we were there.  We were lucky, the snow hit while we were on our way back on Interstate 95, just a few miles north of Hanover.  When we got back to Imperial Plaza, the snow was coming down.  It looked beautiful.

Gypsy was a wonderful performance and the meal was simply great.  It has been a while since I last went to a dinner theater.  I have never been to Riverside Dinner Theater and it was great.  I will return as soon as I can but I have so much going on, here at Imperial Plaza, that I don’t know when that will be.  I’ll try to make it sooner than later, if possible.

I mentioned I was entering a book contest and I was to mail in the first part, well, I mailed it in.  Keep your fingers crossed for me and wish me “Good Luck” in making it to become a finalist.  In the meantime, I must write the rest of the book because if I become a finalist I will have a very short turnaround time to get the rest of the book to them.  The first part was only 5,000 words and the rest must be at least 20,000 words or more therefore I will have to get a head start.  That can’t be done overnight and edit too.

Today is Valentine’s Day and my wife and I went to the Valentine’s Day luncheon in the Richmond Room.  There were quite a few people there and the place looked beautiful.  I was impressed.  The meal was great, as always and the music was good.  Two women, that played the harp, were there.  I remember going with Imperial Plaza, last December, to a performance where the Harp school performed with the entire classes of harps, including the smallest kids.  It was great and I would like to see them again.

There was a lady at our table talking about how the residents go to an event an hour or more ahead of time and when the door open they will go in, get a table and then reserve all the seats for the friends who will come later.  A lady, at our table, was doing that and the people never arrived.  Personally, I don’t think that is fair but I am at a lost on how this should be stopped.  Maybe someone, brighter than me, have an idea.

Well, I’m at the end and I hope you have enjoyed my rambling on (or is it venting) but until the next time, stay warm, stay safe and I’ll see ya.

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