Stay on your own side??!!??!!

Most of the time when I am walking along the river at Smith and Wasena parks, I share the road with bikers. They come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and ages. They will either just go by you or announce as they approach from behind - "On your left.." or "On your right." Even with my headphones, I don't have trouble hearing them announce themselves. Besides that, they usually nod and offer a smile. Yesterday, however, as I walked with my friend and we swapped stories, we were approached by a couple of older gents on bikes. As the lead man approached and facing us, he shouted at my friend and me and said "How about if you stay on your own side!". My first impression was that this man is not a native of Roanoke because I have yet to run into any native that has spoken so rudely. Secondly, we were yielding plenty of room for him and his partner to pass. As they peddled past us, my friend said "And how about if you have a nice day!"

Light traffic

If you venture outdoors today, be prepared to lose a few pounds in body fluid. Whew! I think that JC Penney was trying to keep things as cool as possible because they did not turn on their store lights until it was time to open their doors. Mall-walker traffic seemed light for a Monday and it could be due to folks being away from home on vacation. I was away myself last week on a business trip to Cool Springs in TN. This upscale community has some great restaurants like PF Chang's and Bonefish Grill and stores like Chico's and Black & White Market. One thing I noticed is that early in the morning around 7 AM there are window washers making the rounds to get all that glass clean and sparkling. It really makes the whole area look fresh and inviting; unlike the grunge I saw on many of the storefront windows at Tanglewood including Radio Shack. Yuk! I have noticed some new members of the mall cleaning team but they might need some additional instruction. I noticed a buildup of dust around the baseboards of some of the storefronts.

The clock on the face of Madison Square (the strip mall that was home to Staples) is now reading the correct time. The new face lift is a big improvement and I may actually visit the Texas Steakhouse & Saloon for the first time. Doreen's Gourmet is now open in what was High Point Coffee on Brambleton. Sadly, I went there yesterday and the air conditioning system was malfunctioning so it was less than comfortable, but not unbearable inside. My husband and I shared an Italian wrap which had a delicious combination of meats and cheese. However, the pepperoni that was used did not have the casing removed before it was sliced so we had to remove it ourselves as we tried to eat it. Very unpleasant. The counter person took our order and said we could have a seat. Another staff member brought us our drinks and set them on our table. Then she told us that we could get straws at the counter (I guess it was too hot for her to bring us a straw with our drinks.) When our wraps were delivered to the table, she told us we could each go to the chip rack and select a bag of chips. Another trip across the room that could have been avoided if we had been told to grab a bag of chips when we put our order in and before we sat down at a table. I overheard some other patrons being told that Doreen is continuing to sell High Point coffee and I may visit again for another meal. We'll see.

Barefoot fishing

We've had so much rain from the recent storms that I expected the river to be muddy. However, the water looked very clear on my walk today and I even saw a man fishing while standing barefooted in the water. I thought I was being smart by getting out on the river walk an hour earlier than usual, but it wasn't early enough to beat the heat and standing barefooted in the river was looking like a good idea. I passed lots of folks biking today and there was a bus load of youngsters that arrived with their bikes who passed me as I walked. As usual, I was listening to the John Boy and Billy radio show as I walked and it put a smile on my face for the entire walk. They are a funny bunch. I needed to get enough laughter in to last me through the day of house painting that was waiting for me when I got home. We're almost done!

Watch those toes!

If I hadn't decided to walk at Tanglewood this morning, I might have missed the excitement. As I made my rounds on the upper level I noticed a small group of people outside of Belk's looking over the railing to the bottom of the escalator below. It was about 10:00 AM and what they were observing was an elderly man whose right shoe had become wedged into the stair mechanism and tripped the emergency shutoff. He was supported under his left arm by another man. As I watched several men on their knees handing each other tools of varying sizes and trying to unscrew and remove the portion of the stair cover that was holding fast to the man's shoe, I was thankful that the victim wasn't a screaming child. The man was stellar even though it was noticeable that the length of his right shoe was at least an inch shorter that his left. Finally, one of the workmen asked another to retrieve a crowbar. He was able to remove a piece of the stair cover, but, alas, it was not the piece that covered the man's toe. When the crowbar appeared, the workman was able to pry the cover up far enough to release the man's shoe. He groaned and seemed to be in pain at that point. He was ushered into a waiting chair and the workmen and security people tried to comfort him with gentle pats. It was obvious by now that the man's foot was swollen as it appeared to be larger than his left foot. I was surprised that no one tried to remove his shoe or elevate his leg in order to alleviate some of the pressure he must have been feeling. Just then the EMT folks arrived and removed his shoe and sock. I was glad not to see any blood although the nail on his big toe look purplish. The man was soon loaded onto a gurney and whisked away by 10:15.

One reason I wanted to share this is that I always thought that some sort of material would need to be hanging off of your shoe in order to get it caught in the escalator's stair landing mechanism. However, this man was wearing loafers. There was no tassel, string or lace hanging off of the shoe. It was not the man's pants that caused his foot to become stuck. It looked like the sole on the tip of his shoe simply got wedged beneath the lip of the stair landing and sucked in until the emergency shutoff was engaged. I've often noticed kids riding up and down the escalators for fun. I will be more nervous for their safety in the future now that I have seen what can happen first hand.

As for other observations, Steve & Barry's is running their '$8.98 for everything in the store' sale. Just today I heard a news report that they are filing for bankruptcy. I wonder who will take over their retail space.

JC Penney may have a great escalator, but I won't be stepping into the store as long as I can feel the heat emanating from the store entry as I walk by. It's hard enough to stay cool in this muggy weather and if I'm going to try on clothing, the store had better be cool.

Beat the heat

It seems lately that the morning hours have been warmer and muggier than later in the day. I opted for walking at Tanglewood and enjoyed my first cup of coffee on Chick-Fil-A. Some changes I noticed are that the new Raquela's store is now open and has lots of accessories on display. I wonder what their business plan looks like because I don't see much that separates them from the established merchants that already offer the same sorts of goods.

It looks like the escalator at JC Penney is back in operation but I didn't actually venture into the store. As usual, there were lots of sale racks at Stein Mart and I wished I had more time and more extra cash for shopping. The change that most surprised me was to see that the furniture displays at MLC Furniture have been rearranged and some of the dust has been cleaned up. The displays look like someone actually took some time to make them represent a room versus just setting out a bunch of stuff and then leaving it there to collect dust. What an improvement!

Jacklyn's Hallmark is advertising for Christmas ornaments. A bit too soon to be thinking about Christmas if you ask me.

A.C. Moore has a large display of scarecrow dolls but I'm not ready to start thinking about my fall decorations yet. Let's just enjoy the summer first.

Our house painting project continues and the scattered rain storms haven't helped our ability to complete this task. I'm thankful that Sherwin Williams was having a paint sale over the 4th holiday so at least we were able to save a few dollars. And there's nothing that spruces things up like a fresh coat of paint.

Great painting weather!

I'd rather be getting my exercise by walking than painting, but that's what I've been doing. Luckily I have help from my big, strong son. I had been to the river on Monday and Tuesday this week and enjoyed the cooler temperatures. I noticed a new backstop that has been installed at one of the tennis courts next to the skateboard park. It looks like it was put there so that a person can get a return off of the wall when they don't have someone to play with.

I spent this past weekend in Atlanta and enjoyed shopping at the stores that we don't have here in Roanoke, like Chico's, Soma, and Black & White Market. But best of all I enjoyed the restaurants that we are missing, including Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's, and PF Chang. The lines for these places are always out the door and I'm sure that they would do well here too if the planners would just get past the fact that we don't have a million people living here.

Oh well, break time is over and there's still lots to paint.

Happy 4th!