Richmond

The restaurant was decorated with various Chinese objects, such as lanterns, wood carvings, etc. It had an intimate decoration, although it was bright and sunny outside, it was dark and lighted with dim lights. I like visiting the restroom as it tells the cleanliness of the restaurant. Unfortunately, it wasn't as clean and new as I hoped for.

The menu featured various Chinese foods, and we couldn't decide what to eat. I asked our jolly and friendly waiter what specialty of the day was. He answered that it was Triple Delight made with shrimp, chicken and pork ($5.50). My husband ordered one serving. I told our waiter that I could not eat pork so that choice was not good for me. He replied that they could cook it without pork for me, and he also suggested steamed rice instead of fried rice with ham. When our orders arrived he informed me that as there was pork in the eggroll he did not include it in my dinner. His sensitivity for my diet impressed me, especially, in this day of age wherein the waiters do not even know what is in what food. Our triple delights were very delicious. Mine had beef instead of pork. Our waiter when he came to check on us inquired where we lived. We said we lived in Charlottesville, and unfortunately we did not have a good Chinese restaurant like Tiki Tiki in our area. We would be visiting often if we had one.

Our main aim was to have a tour of the house. However, when we arrived to take a tour we saw that we had time to tour the grounds before the next tour of the house started.

Italian Garden was our first stop. The garden was inspired by 15th- and 16th-century Italy. One side of the garden was bordered with a pergola (a collonaded area to provide shade). When we were visiting, a couple was getting married under the pergola. The groom had a military uniform and an open horse carriage was waiting for them. After the wedding, the bride and groom hopped into the carriage just like in a fairy tale. What impressed us the most was the cascading fountain along the staircase. The marble statues, the pergola, and the cascading fountain are all remnants of the wealth of the Dooleys.

The stairs led us to the Japanese Garden, which is much bigger than it originally was during the Dooley's times. We strolled along the shrubs and the trees, and along a lake which had big colorful fish in it. The shrubs provided shade, and we passed by an old fountain, which used to be spot for resting and enjoying the garden. The second bridge took us near a big naked boulder, that used to provide a beautiful fall for visitors to enjoy.

We followed a path that took us to some part of the wildlife exhibit. Black bears, elk, gray and red fox, bobcats, red-tailed hawks, vultures and owls were some of the animals we saw. All these animals couldn't survive in the wild for one reason or another and found home and protection in the park. On top of the hill was the Petting zoo (Children's Farm). We petted, fed or observe goats, sheep, chickens, a donkey, turkeys, and cattle.

By then we were a little bit tired and thirsty due to the hot and humid climate of Virginia. We decided to walk to the Nature Center which we knew had a cafeteria. On our way to the Nature Center we ran into bison and white-tailed deer. White-tailed deer is pretty common in Virginia but I had never seen a LIVE bison before. When we arrived at the Nature Center, we were dissappointed to see that the cafeteria had already closed for the day. We assumed, incorrectly, that it must have been near closing time for the park and left Maymont without visiting the Manor house.

Although we didn't get to tour the house we had a great time being outdoors.

Before we entered the museum we ran into two big granite orbs or "kugels" (ball in German) representing the moon and the earth at a scale of approximately 1 foot to 1,000 miles. The pressure of the water was able to lift and swirl the massive pieces of granite.

We got tickets for only the exhibits, and it included a planetarium show in the IMAX-Dome theatre. The IMAX theatre was unlike any I have seen before. It was a big dome and the picture was reflected on this dome. First section of the show involved showing pictures taken by the Hobble telescope. The second section focused on the summer sky in Richmond. After the planetarium show we visited the Crystal World and Computers exhibits. These exhibits were quite boring for me. The exhibit pieces were old, and some of them even missed pieces. I was so relieved when my husband agreed to leave this section.

We wanted to see the train exhibits when I ran into the sign that shows the direction to the "Sherlock Holmes and Clocktower Mystery." Being a fan of Sherlock Holmes I persuaded my husband to follow me to the track level. My husband half-heartedly followed me as he thought it was going to be pretty boring. What a surprise! We ended up spending more than an hour going from one Chapter to another, reading info, observing the set and listening to the taped conversations. When we arrived at the last chapter we still did not know who the killer was and why he killed. We went back reread, and I even checked out the Cheat Boxes. The last part was an enclosed room where an appointed time was posted on the door for consultation. "A live character" greeted us in Sherlock Holmes' Baker Street office and asked if any of us knew who the killer was. Finally, the truth was out. (No clue for you).

After the mystery exhibit we visited several other exhibits, Bioscape, Bio Lab, in the building, and even sat in a lecture and observed a dissection of a cow's eye. However, we must be too old, and the museum not up to our taste, we decided to leave the museum. We were lucky as we left the museum the Pendulum hit another piece. Maybe with the new addition and new exhibits this museum may improve, but till then don't go there expecting an exciting day out in the science museum.

You can have a day visit or camp like we did. The camping fee is $20 (+tax) per night. The price includes swimming in the new Aqua Center and boat launch. Although we camped at a tent site we had access to electricity and water. The campground had a picnic table, lantern holder and a open fire place with grill. There was firewood available for $3 a bunch. (Honor system: get the wood, put cash in a box.) The restrooms and showers were located centrally and we didn't have to pay extra to take a shower. At the entrance to the park there was a small store where you can buy small drinks and ice cream. We also bought supplies from a Food Lion grocery store, which is less than two miles away.

Beaver Lake was popular with people who like fishing. When we were there, we saw a young kid catch a big fish. I tried in the evening, but was not successful. We were hoping to eat some fish for supper. (You need a Virginia fishing license and you can buy the bait at a tackle shop in a nearby town.) Beaver Lake was covered with lilies in July that provided one of the best scenes in the park. Swift Creek Lake is much bigger in size and you can rent canoes, rowboats or paddleboats. We rented a canoe and explored the lake.

The highlight of our camping was the special interpretative program, Moonlight Canoeing, which was organized by the rangers. We set out canoeing in the Swift Creek Lake near dusk, while bats flied over our heads and followed the rangers who gave us information on beavers and the dams they build. On our way to the beach where a campfire awaited us rangers showed us various types of dams the beavers built. We cooked hotdogs and s'mores on the campfire and listened and joined the singers who sang campfire songs. We left our canoes on the beach and took a hayride back. It was nice clear night and the moon seemed big and orange. (Only, the exhaust of the tractor wagon was not high enough and we had breath in the fumes.) This interpretative event was $10 per person.

For camping you can make a reservation by phone (804) 796-4255 or internet The internet reservation has a $3 service fee.

In conjunction with the touring exhibition Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet! Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) organized an exhibition on Van Gogh and Gauguin titled Van Gogh and Gauguin: An Artistic Dialogue in the South of France. On December 1888 Van Gogh and Gauguin traveled 50 miles from Arles to Montpellier to see the private collection of Monsieur Bruyas. Gauguin had seen the exhibition once before, but it was the first time for Van Gogh. Although the exhibition inspired both of the artists their differences in their views of art caused them to argue about the pieces. Gauguin argued "paint imagination," while Van Gogh argued "paint experience." Their paths separated after Van Gogh cut his ear off, but their different views on art and life had already severed their relationship. There are scripts from Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo about the exhibit and the pieces, as well as, his relationship with Gauguin. There is a model of the yellow house they lived and worked together. The pieces in the exhibition were loaned from many different museums in US and abroad.

Both exhibits are a must see for any art lover. The exhibits were very informative and inspiring to the artists and regular folks alike. It took me more than two hours to see both exhibits and during those two hours I was transferred to France in the 19th century. Even after two days my mind wonders back to exhibition and I still think about the pieces I saw and the descriptions I read. The entry fee for the exhibition is $7 for adults, $4 for kids and students with ID.