Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Unexpected Richmond


urban wildlife
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar
I was driving along today on the Mayo bridge when I glanced to my right . I was immediately struck by the view and pulled over at a little park just south of the James. I had to walk back along the bridge and get that picture.

I am fortunate that the Mayo bridge features generous sidewalks on both sides and the traffic, although fast, was not too heavy. In fact people regularly fish off of the bridge I was standing on today. It is such a popular spot for fishing that the city installed multiple waste barrels on both sides of the bridge.

So camera in hand I wandered around the area taking pictures of whatever struck my fancy. I even ventured down to the edge of the James. The river is very low now and in some parts up river by the rapids you can almost cross it by hopping from rock to rock. But down by the city proper the river smooths out and rock hoping is out of the question. The oddest things I encountered by the river's edge was a still serviceable, white construction helmet and the distinctive smell of clean wet cardboard.


fall color
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar
Up on the bridge the views were lovely. This one in particular is my favorite. It really shows the contrast of the James River and the city of Richmond. In the picture there is a definite feel of autumn. The colors are not nearly as bright or as garish as you would find up North, but they are there. The drought we are experiencing has muted the colors even more, however I did spot a flash of scarlet on a vine growing just a few yards away from the bridge.

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