Richmond, Virginia - April 2012

Main attraction - seeing Amy Thurmond present her Senior Dance Project. She will graduate from VCU in 2 weeks. Thurmonds, Alice Mumford & Jerry McDaniel, Fran Whaley and Melanie in attendance representing the Nexus Sunday School class. Good meals with friends, a stay at the Jefferson Hotel, tour of the VA state capitol and Ginter Gardens. Delightful weekend in support of a young woman we all consider a "little bit" ours.

The Thurmond Family - in Richmond to see Amy present her Senior Dance Project
In this statue, George Washington wears his uniform and is standing beside a farmer’s plowshare. His left hand is on a bundle of thirteen rods, to stand for the unification of the thirteen original colonies.
at the State Capitol in Richmond - bronze sculpture of brothers reuniting after being on opposing sides in the Civil War
informational plaque in the Capitol
bust of Patrick Henry (ancestor of Melanie's on her maternal grandmother's side). He served as the Commonwealth's seventh governor.
Sandy, Fran, Jerry, Alice and Dave at the state capitol
Fran & Alice discuss the modern art panels in the Capitol - they will let us know when they figure out their meaning (they conferred on their matching clothing the night before)
tulips intersperced with decorative glass bulbs
white tulips
blessed thistle (medicinal plant for kidney and prostate)
carnivorous plants
Fran enjoying the gardens
foxtail fern among lilies and daffodils
climbing onion - a very unusual plant
orchid

Virginia State Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson - inspired by the Maison Carree in Nimes, France and based on classical Roman temple design. It is often referred to as Mr. Jefferson's Temple.
day clock in the Jefferson Room
Alice, Jerry and Sandy at the State Capitol
The original July 4 United States Declaration of Independence manuscript was lost while all other copies have been derived from the original document.
rows of desks in the Old House Chamber
Sandy was riding high all weekend
celebrating Amy at the Jefferson Hotel
glass bulbs were popular, but pricy
white tulips (my favorite)
the rose garden - over 1,800 rose bushes
carnivorous plants
lots of beautiful blooming pots
stargazer lily
bromeliads
the Children's Garden

nandina showing its beautiful colors on the Capitol grounds
window in the top of the rotunda
light fixture in the Old Senate Chamber
looking up at the top floor gallery
plaque in the Old House Chamber
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond VA - fountain and conservatory
where the red hat ladies got their inspiration
orchids
birds love the gardens, this robin flew at me as I was trying to get a still picture
lots of tulips and daffodils
stargazer lily
wall of oncidium sweet sugar orchids
tree in the children's garden displaying some of their work

marble statue of George Washington in the rotunda of the VA state Capitol in Richmond - we were told this was the most valuable piece of marble in the US
current House Chamber
statue of George Washington in the rotunda of the VA state capitol
bust of Meriwether Lewis
Robert E. Lee - statue in the Old House Chamber
modern art at the State Capitol
dancing fountain in front of the conservatory
frilly tulips
orchid
varigated azaleas
calendula
Jaboticaba tree - fruit is purplish black, with a white pulp; fruit is borne directly on the main trunks and branches of the plant. One of these is located in the butterfly house at the Museum of L&S in Durham.
some type of rhododendron?
shrimp plant
one of many places to sit and enjoy the atmosphere - this one was in the children's garden