Virginia

 

What a wonderful place! I was a volunteer official photographer at the 2004 Shenandoah Valley Apple Blossom Festival, and then took some time to see the sights, some of which I'd read about at length in an historical context. Absolutely bloody marvellous country.

First, a word of gratitude. I stayed with Becky and Terry Long, who were remarkably generous hosts. They spared no effort to make me feel welcome and to show me the sights, as well as putting up with me in their lovely home. I think they should run an hotel. Terry is a fellow Mac fanatic - we videoconference regularly with iChat. Becky works in the Accounts Receivable department of a local firm. More I can not tell you, as that is about the limit of my understanding of finance - just ask my bank manager!

I enjoyed every minute of my trip, and also felt a renewed certainty about my political ideas. Visiting my all time political hero Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello was as close as I'm ever going to get to a pilgrimage - if anyone ever had his head screwed on, it was him. Charlottesville and the University of Virginia looked really interesting too, but I only saw them in passing as the signage to Monticello isn't that great and Charlottesville itself is more like an English town - the road system is anything but a grid - so we were lost and I only glimpsed some of the buildings from the car.

The first part of my trip was taken up with being a photographic duties, which was actually a good way to meet people and find my way around. At an official dinner I briefly met Nancy Redd, Miss Virginia 2003, and had all my assumptions about beauty queens turned on their head. Far from being dumb, as I had erroneously assumed, she had a degree from Harvard, had won $225,000 on "Who wants to be a millionaire", and as well as being interested in feminist issues, was also "Miss Swimsuit". I'd have liked to talk with her a bit more!

I fell for the Virginia countryside, the quality of the light, the shopping, the people and just the general politeness and friendliness of everyone I met.

The Virginia countryside, especially in the Shenandah Valley and the piedmont is just glorious. True, there are places in the UK that are just as beautiful, but here in Virginia you're a good way south of the UK, and the flora and fauna are completely different. Bears, flying squirrels, chipmunks, humming birds, rattlers,  - everything is different and fascinating. There also seem to be more hours in the day! Obviously the popuation density is a lot less than the UK too, which to my mind only adds to the charms. I absolutely adored Virginia.

I love the way Virginian males call each other "Sir". In England the term has all sorts of class connotations - by calling someone Sir you are acknowledging their superiority. In the States everyone's equal, so everyone gets called "Sir". It's very polite sounding and falls so pleasantly on the ear.

I had my first ride on the back of a Harley, and in a helicopter; I ate food in diners; I tried my first snow crab legs: I visited Mt Vernon, home of George Washington, and a small part of the Smithsonian in DC. It was all go every minute I was there, and at the end my suitcase weighed 62 pounds with all the clothes I bought, which were cheap before the recent fall in the Dollar (2004), but at 1.90USDs to the UKP are ridiculously inexpensive by UK standards (now, in 2007 it's over 2.00 USDs to the UKP). Hauling that monster case back to Cirencester, particularly as the return flight was delayed resulting in a missed connection, was the final reason for my arriving back home in a complete state of exhaustion, but with a great feeling of having a whole new world opened to my eyes.

To cap it all, the flight was cheap too - £218 UKPs inc. return with British Airways, booked on the web. The money I saved on clothes went a long way to covering this.

I think the best thing to do is let the photos speak for themselves.

Thanks to everyone I met in Virginia - you have a wonderful State and Country.