ItsaMallMallWorld

It must be Christmas time!

2009-12-05T18:01:00.004-05:00

I have not been too busy to walk, only too busy to post to my blog. Since the weather has turned colder I have made several trips to Tanglewood for walks. There a many new stores including some favorites from last year like Crystal Cottage, Planet Wear, Tomorrow's Treasures, Aren't You Special, and Hickory Farms. Ah yes, nothing says it's Christmas time like a beef stick! The entire mall has been decorated and it's great to see the looks on children's faces when they walk by. Next week there will be entertainment provided in front of Penney's. Be sure to come out on Tuesday, Dec. 8th at 6 PM to hear the festive music of the Star City Sounds a cappela choral group. They rock!

There are also some new stores like Tailgaters United, Grunters, Starz movies, and a cell phone accessory store.

There are lots of good bargains to be had and don't forget to say Hi to Santa. Ho, ho, ho!

Crisp air

2009-10-08T21:16:00.001-05:00

Is there anything better than cool, crisp air to announce that fall is here? The trees along the greenway at Wasena are starting to change and I'm anxious to see how vibrant the colors will be this year.

I noticed a survey team on the bridge near Smith Park spraying orange paint. Looks like construction will be starting soon.

I have seen a Blue Heron in it's usual place and I wonder if it will be flying south for the winter.

I have been able to walk outdoors several times this week and have always seen other folks along the way. I always enjoy exchanging "Hello"s and collecting smiles.

The Summer That Wasn't

2009-08-12T20:24:00.003-05:00

Trips outdoors for walking have been limited this summer. I have opted for the cool air inside the mall instead of suffering in the humidity. But it seems like this has been one of the coolest summers I can remember in a very long time. With all the talk about the depressed economy I wasn't surprised to notice all of the closed stores at Tanglewood. Then I decided to go to Valley View Mall and was very surprised to see a big difference in the number of shoppers. They too have their share of closed stores. The Rocky Mountain Chocolate shop must not have been able to sell enough of their $8 caramel apples to remain open. I've seen signs for a new shoe store that is currently occupying temporary space and that's an encouraging sign to me. Even though the number of stores at Tanglewood has been declining, the number of mall walkers has increased. Perhaps folks are becoming more self-conscious about the health benefits of walking. I certainly hope so.

Several trips to the river walk were cut short when I discovered that the path was flooded or covered with too much debris to walk through. Where exactly is the "control" in the flood control project?

I have spent many hours this summer learning about stock market trading and, although it mean less time to post, I have really enjoyed it. Of course, I would rather be walking.

Alive and kicking!

2009-05-17T19:08:00.002-05:00

Who says "the mall is dead"? Tanglewood had quite a few shoppers as I completed my walk on Thursday just after noon. There was a sales event being held in the former Waldenbooks storefront that was drawing a lot of shoppers - Equestrian Exchange. Apparently this is a traveling consignment show that makes the rounds in Virginia and North Carolina. If you have any spurs or chaps you need to get rid of, check out their site at EquestrianExchange.com.

A note in the window of another recently opened store that sells trading cards indicated that there is a new baby boy in the world. Congrats to the proud Mom and Dad!

Hopefully the weather will cooperated this week so I can get to some Sox games in Salem. I hear that the team is having trouble winning at home. I'll have to see if I can cheer them on to victory. I really enjoy watching the games in our beautiful stadium. Whether it's for baseball or just being outdoors, come and support our local team and escape the daily routine for a few hours of fun and relaxation. See you there!

Cleanup on Aisle 5..

2009-05-13T19:45:00.003-05:00

Today's cloud cover provided for just the right temperature for a comfortable river walk. Last week's accumulation of debris from the river flooding has been removed and the finishing touches of sweeping away the mud on the roadway was being completed this morning. There were several fishermen and even someone that was fly-fishing. It's always interesting to see the different types of fishermen as indicated by their garb, their poles, their equipment, and ultimately the number of fish on their stringers. Yesterday I passed someone who looked like he just stepped out of an Orvis catalog - coordinated pants, boots, vest, and hat. This man may not have caught a thing, but he sure looked the part. This is in contrast to the man that I saw a few days ago who asked to use my cell phone so he could call a cab. He looked a little scruffy in his ballcap, tee shirt, shorts and sneakers and the only way you would guess he was a fisherman is the stringer he proudly held containing the allowable catch limit. He told me that he didn't have a car but he loved to fish so he was willing to spring for the cab fare. Yep, cab fare - $30, stringer full of fish - priceless!

All consuming...

2009-05-10T19:19:00.003-05:00

Can it be that almost a month has passed since my last post? Well, it's not that I haven't been walking as usual. I have been squeezing my walks into a much busier schedule. I have been attending classes and completing self-study related to stock market trading. Even though I have been involved in the stock market for years, I got out last October as many others did. I wanted to be better informed before entering the market again and I am very pleased with the education I have received thus far. There are many new techniques and tools that I was not aware of that can help the trader to become more successful and I am trying to take advantage of whatever information is available.

I have enjoyed many walks by the river and it seems that more and more people are getting out to do the same. The recent rainfall flooded both of the bridges so that my route had to be modified. It makes me wonder if the flood control project that was completed over the last couple of years still needs some tweaking.

The state of Tanglewood hasn't changed much. One walk that stands out is the day that I watched 3 young mothers walking the mall with their kids in tow. They would stop occasionally and do some exercises and then continue walking. At one point, near Penney's, they actually spread out some mats on the floor and were exercising while one of the toddlers was standing at the end of the escalator and daring the descending stair to catch the toe of his shoe. My heart was in my throat as his mother remained focused on her exercise routine instead of her child.

Today I enjoyed a wonderful brunch with my Mom, Dad, and husband at Horizon Bar & Grill in downtown Roanoke. The shrimp and grits was very flavorful and satisfying and the fried green tomatoes were very tasty. Our party of 8 was seated promptly and everyone enjoyed their meals. We then spent a couple of hours visiting and sharing a bottle of Cornucopia wine at the Valhalla Vinyard wine tasting room and enjoyed the spectacular view across the Roanoke Valley. Wow, what a day! Hope all of you mothers enjoyed your day. I sure did!

Muddy waters

2009-04-04T12:50:00.004-05:00

It's nice to see the sun shining again in Roanoke. Wiley Drive was flooded with the recent rain and remained closed this morning. It was a fine, but breezy, walk this morning and the rushing waters have deposited a lot of debris near and on the bridge. It was good to get out after having spent a couple of days on my couch recovering from some sort of stomach bug. Although, I also walked the mall yesterday. The Easter Bunny garden is a big draw for the little ones passing by but I was too early to actually see the bunny for myself.

I guess that the mall management expects some of the empty stores to remain that way for some time as they have invested in custom made advertisement banners that are hanging in the entry of the former Goody's, Walden Books, and Stein Mart. There is a bright spot, however. A new store has opened to sell collectible trading cards and is also offering some sports related items. Good luck!

An itch you can't scratch

2009-03-28T10:10:00.003-05:00

No, I'm not talking about the sorry state of our economy. I was too enthusiastic in my weeding last weekend and forgot about last year's poison oak or poison sumac (not sure which). I didn't see anything green but there must have been some dead remnants amongst the leaves that I was clearing out. I wore short gloves and in the heat removed the jacket that was covering my arms. I am now blistered with red, itchy, swollen patches that are oozing yellowish fluid. Luckily, my right arm is in better shape than the left and for now the infection in confined to my arms. So, walks this past week were limited. However, I did manage one morning at the river. The Roanoke River was running clear and there were plenty of fishermen wading in it. I saw only lonely mallard duck and I wondered if his mate was somewhere tending a nest. I guess time will tell if I see some ducklings soon.

I also managed one walk at Tanglewood and noticed some activity in the former Steve & Barry's space on the second floor. There was also something going on in the former Walden Books space. Last weekend I attended a seminar in Winston-Salem and I got to spend a short time in the Hanes Mall. The mall seemed very active in comparison to Tanglewood and it was nice to be able to visit Dillard's. The restaurant's I dined in were busy and seemed to be doing well. The signs of our economic climate were definitely not as evident in Winston-Salem as I have found in Roanoke.

I also have signed up to attend the Roanoke Tax Day Tea Party. Hope to see you there!

London, Paris, Rome, Roanoke

2009-03-12T08:55:00.002-05:00

It's too chilly for a walk outdoors and it doesn't look like it's going to warm up any time soon. So I am hanging back on taking my walk this morning and I decided to turn on a morning show on the tube. And what to my surprise should appear but a segment about a new company that recycles t-shirts and allows each owner to add to the story about the history of the t-shirt. The first shirt on display in the segment had a listing of cities down the front of the purple shirt that read - London, Paris, Rome, Roanoke and showed our star as the icon next to Roanoke. How cool is that? So if you're curious like I am, check this out: http://www.re-shirt.net. Do you have a t-shirt story to share?

What a day!

2009-03-08T20:32:00.002-05:00

What a fabulous day for a long walk outdoors. A large red-tailed hawk was being dive bombed by some crows and they were making a loud racket. There were lots of families and kids on bikes and everyone seemed to be having a great time. On the other hand, the Tangelwood parking lot was fairly empty which makes sense to me. Who would want to be couped up at the mall on such a spectacular day?

I didn't get enough of the outdoors so I continued to walk around my yard when I got home. There's a mountain of yard work to be done and I hope that my back will hold out. If it doesn't, I can count on Dr. Chris Lauria for help. He is the best chiropractor I have ever seen, and I have seen many over the last 27 years. Scoliosis is a contributing factor to my back issues and Dr. Chris keeps me going. He is always cheerful and positive and he has this healing aura about him. I was recently in his office and there was an elderly patient that was talking about putting his 103-year-old mother out of the home she has lived alone in and into a care facility and how he would have to move a sizable accumulation of stuff out of her house. Dr. Chris offered to help the man move boxes when the time came. He also offered up the hlep of his son as they both have strong backs. This just confirms what I have known for the past 6 years about Dr. Chris; he truly cares about his patients and is willing to go above and beyond the call. I feel lucky to have him as one of my healthcare providers.

Snowbound!

2009-03-01T22:47:00.002-05:00

The most noticeable effect of the snowfall around my house is the quiet. There hasn't been much road traffic at all and even the snow plow has only made 2 trips that I have noticed. During the trip up the hill, the driver stopped in front of my house to install his chains. Looks like I will not be leaving the house any time soon.

February was a busy month but i managed to squeeze in a trip to the Florida gulf with my hubby. It was chilly but at least there wasn't any snow. I managed a walk on the beach and a trip to the Tyrone Mall to keep up with my walking. Even the Tyrone Mall had a few empty storefronts but it was in much better shape than Tanglewood. The mall area reminded me of an airport as there were large TV monitors installed throughout that flashed advertisements.

Goody's and Art On A Mission are both empty and dark. For the first time that I can remember during a lunchtime visit, Chick Fil A did not have a waiting line. That was good for me as I used a coupon to get my first order of their chicken nuggets. They were pretty tasty and the small order was satisfying. I'm sure I ate more calories than I walked off.

During a couple of the warmer days recently, I walked on the Greenway and was amazed at the changing landscape of the river near Wasena Park. I would imagine that a few fishermen are not too happy with the disturbance of their favorite fishing spot. It will be interesting to see the final result of the bulldozing and water flow redirection.

Isn't that the icing on the cake....

2009-01-26T13:03:00.002-05:00

ICING by Claire's is the latest shop to go bust at Tanglewood. During today's walk I noticed that the store is almost completely empty. Personally I never shopped there but it seemed to attract lots of teens on the weekends. One shop I have been loyal to since moving to Roanoke 6 years ago, Lee Nails, is now under new management. I did not see my familiar technicians there this morning and I don't know if I can bring myself to continue to patronize the shop in their absence.

It also appears that MLC Furniture is not moving upstairs but simply using the Steve & Barry's former store entry way as a window display for their current store on the first floor. It's a shame that they aren't actually moving up there because their current space seems very crowded and it's hard to imagine what a piece of furniture would look like in your own home because it's difficult to block out everything else around it.

Good bye Tomorrow

2009-01-19T20:36:00.002-05:00

The snow-covered roads delayed my trip to Tanglewood for a walk, but I finally managed to get there before noon. Another store is closing up shop. Tomorrow's Treasures, which opened around November is packing up. I have no idea what their total sales were, but I hope it was worth the hours they spent unpacking and hanging items over every square inch of wall space. Personally, it made me feel a little claustrophobic just looking into the store. More is not necessarily better. It's kind of the same feeling when I look into MLC Furniture so I am hoping that will improve when they occupy their new space on the 2nd floor. Chee Burger was fairly busy for a Monday and it's probably due to the MLK holiday and kids being out of school. The smell of fries was thick in the air, but I resisted as I didn't want to ruin all of the good I did by walking around the mall.

Movin' on up!

2009-01-15T17:22:00.003-05:00

Some good news for Tanglewood Mall for a change. MLC Furniture appears to be moving into the recently vacated Steve & Barry's space on the second floor. It was no surprise that the number of walkers increased today, probably due to the chilly temperatures outdoors. The 70% Off signs that were seen outside of Goody's have been replaced with signs for 40 - 60% off. On Monday there were people waiting for the store to open and that is something I had not seen before. A store that had opened only a few months ago, Montie's, is now empty. One vendor that looks to be doing well is Chick fil-A. One day while Christmas shopping I was handed a coupon to try out their chicken strips but I haven't been there during lunchtime yet to try them out. I usually stop in the morning for coffee which isn't bad. For the best coffee, you will need to try something brewed with beans from Star City Coffee. I tried one of their custom blends at a wine tasting at Wine Gourmet last December and it was really delicious. I have been back to the Wine Gourmet just to get more coffee. Star City makes custom blends for their clients and that's the blend that I happen to like. Perhaps I will need to have them make me a "It's a Mall Mall World" blend.

Empty spaces

2009-01-08T22:45:00.002-05:00

During today's walk at Tanglewood I noticed some additional empty stores. Sam's Warehouse that sold men's suits is now empty as is Raquela's (I predicted that store closing right after it opened). The mall walker activity was light today and there weren't many shoppers there either. Of course, I arrived just after 10 so it could have just been too early for the crowds of shoppers who would want to take advantage of Goody's 70% price reductions - or not.

During the Christmas shopping season, Valley View Mall was distributing coupon books to encourage people to spend at their stores. I am surprised that Tangelwood didn't do something like this also. I see travel sites on the web that combine offers for airfare, rental cars and hotels so that the end result is a savings for the consumer. I wonder if the store owners at Tanglewood have ever discussed combining their product/service offerings in a way that would encourage business and provide a savings for the consumer in the process. For instance, if I am going to get my hair done at Hair Plus, couldn't they give me a discount coupon to use at Lee Nails for a manicure too; and vice versa? If I am in GNC buying a diet aid, how about a coupon to use for a healthy salad selection at Applebee's for lunch? Referral programs generate business and it seems to me that these trying economic times demand some new ideas for increasing business. I hope that someone can come up with something before the mall turns into a ghost town.

Clean Sweep!

2009-01-07T17:51:00.005-05:00

The elves have been busy cleaning up after Santa and packing away all of the decorations. I didn't see so much as a shred of tinsel when I walked through Tanglewood Mall today. I got a few gifts of Hickory Farms goodies but I will miss not seeing their display again until next year.

A fairly new maintenance worker was cleaning the hallway walls near the lower level restrooms and the solution smelled great. She did a fine job of removing wall marks and grime and actually looked to be enjoying the results of her efforts. You go girl!

The One Stop Cellular store had just a few boxes remaining in the store as I walked by and noticed that they were vacating the premises. The Regis Hair Salon is also empty along with the former Steve & Barry's space on the upper level. Surprisingly, the mall itself looked relatively busy for a Wednesday afternoon perhaps due to the rainy weather. There were plenty of folks lunching at K&W cafeteria but according to my parents their attendence has been down lately too. It's one of the best bargains around though, so I hope they will survive our economic downturn. I would hate to think that I wouldn't always be able have one of their crab cakes or coconut custard pie.

Over the last week I was able to walk the river greenway several times. There were plenty of fishermen joining the ducks in the river. A Great Blue Heron was also looking for his lunch to swim by. I wonder if he is as eager for Spring to arrive as I am.

Black Friday 2008

2008-11-30T11:24:00.002-05:00

Black Friday 2008 is now one for the history books. After my walk on the Roanoke River Greenway I stopped off at Tanglewood Mall. I found some nice gifts at Barnes & Noble and I would have liked to have more time to spend there but I wanted to stop into the mall also and I had guests at home. The mall was busy, but not jammed. I found what I went for in Bath and Body and Jaclyn's Hallmark. As I walked by the Santa station I saw a family with children that were all dressed up and ready to have their picture taken, but Santa was nowhere to be seen. Poor timing.

The stores appeared to be busy but I didn't experience much of a wait time at checkout. Something new I noticed was the security alarms posted by the J.C. Penney exits. As low as the prices are, it seems hardly worth the risk that someone would take to steal something. Stealing is better left to the pros in industry and government who not only do it, but get away with it.

It remains to be seen which day will be more profitable; Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Happy shopping!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-11-22T18:36:00.002-05:00

It's been so cold this past week that Tanglewood presented the best option for getting my walking time in. There are some new stores open for your shopping pleasure. Montie's Collectibles has all sorts of auto racing shirts, hats, and such. Planet Wear reminds me of the former Dragonfly and offers tie-dyed items and funky clothes.

Last weekend's promotion event for our new Salem Sox appeared to be a big success. I even had someone snap my picture while I stood next to the World Series trophy. I must admit, it was very exciting and my timing was great because soon afterward the line behind me grew very long. Going to the ballpark to watch a game on a warm summer night is one of my favorite things to do. So I bought my husband a book of box seat tickets as an anniversary gift (27 years of wedded bliss) in hopes that he will take the hint when baseball season opens in the spring.

Deck the Malls....

2008-11-09T19:46:00.002-05:00

If you've walked into the mall and wondered if you slept through Thanksgiving, you haven't. However, the Christmas Season seems to be in full swing. Decorative flags are hanging throughout the mall along with stars and lights. Santa's chair is ready and waiting for him to receive his adoring fans. Carols are playing and the stores have all of their Christmas decorations and displays up. And the sure sign that Christmas is right around the corner....the Hickory Farms kiosk is fully stocked and open for business. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a beef stick. Ho, ho, ho!

Encouraging site

2008-11-04T22:04:00.003-05:00

A busy day today for sure but I managed to squeeze in a short walk around Tanglewood. It was a lot busier than a usual Tuesday; likely due to kids off from school during the election. In spite of a grim economic outlook, there's a sparkle of of light in 3 new store openings; Hip Hop Fashions, Tomorrow's Treasures, and Aren't You Special. Also, Crystal Cottage has reoccupied their previous space near J.C. Penney. I have not ventured into any of the new stores, but "Aren't You Special" looks to be the most inviting. The displays look organized and thoughtfully designed vs. "Tomorrow's Treasures" where it looks like the objective was to cover every inch of wall space with whatever you could get your hands on. What a mess! I can barely stand to look in the window. Forget about actually walking into the place. It seems like just another flea market stall moved indoors. Doesn't the mall management have any influence over the tenants? They should take some lessons from well-run condominium home owners' associations that have standards for maintaining the appearance and image of their neighborhoods.

Fall Spectacle

2008-11-02T18:30:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks and my travels have allowed me to experience the Fall season in multiple states - driving to Huntington, WV, flying to Chicago, driving to Charlotte. And one of the prettiest places to view changing leaves is along Mt. Chestnut Rd. in Cave Spring.

While in Charlotte I visited the South Park Mall. There aren't too many shopping malls around with Nordstrom's, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, and all of my other favorite stores under one roof. Wonderful! Of course, I couldn't afford to actually buy anything at this mall, but window shopping was lots of fun. These stores may be suffering from our current economic circumstances, but you couldn't tell it from the shoppers who were carrying their bags of purchases.

Since I returned to Roanoke I have managed a couple of walks on the Roanoke River Greenway and I brought my camera along today to snap a few photos. I am enjoying every minute that I can spend outdoors before the nasty winter cold sets in. I expect that the Great Blue Heron that I saw in the river was doing the same.

Frost on the pumpkin

2008-10-20T11:43:00.002-05:00

This morning's cool temperatures brought lots of walkers into the mall today, including me. It actually took me a few days to recuperate from a trade show that I attended in Chicago last week. I spent many hours on my feet and the padding on the cement floor helped, but it's still cement after all. One highlight was getting to see the play "Wicked" by Stephen Schwartz - the creator of "Children of Eden" that was recently performed by Logos Theatricus here in Roanoke. I highly recommend this show, especially if you're a fan of the Wizard of Oz. The costumes were great, the staging was magnificent and the actors performed brilliantly.

I wonder if the cool temperatures caused some of the store keepers tardiness today. Kay Jewelers was just raising their gate at 10:09 today. When I walked past at 9:45 there were 2 clerks scrambling to get the show cases filled and I thought to myself that they would certainly not be ready by 10:00. I didn't slow down enough to see if one of the clerks was the same one I saw last week who was strolling around the store in bare feet (and they were dirty and disgusting). I guess she missed the class on proper business attire and presenting a professional appearance.

I noticed some activity in the former Dragon Fly space. Perhaps they are coming back for the Christmas season or there must be someone new going in.

The trees, they are a changin'

2008-10-03T20:39:00.006-05:00

On this past Wednesday's walk by the river I noticed it was being stocked with fish. This morning there were quite a few folks fishing them out of the water. Although the water level is low, the water looks relatively clear. But I still don't think I would eat the fish. The air was so clear and crisp and I just don't think the sky could get any bluer that it was today. I didn't see any pigeons but I did see a large red-tailed hawk. His belly must be full.

As I walked past the trees in Wasena Park I was thinking "Didn't I just take pictures of these trees at their peak of color?" There's just a smattering of color now, but these cool nights are sure to promote further turning. It's hard to believe another year has flown by.

One reason I wanted to make sure I walked today is because I knew that I would be dining out tonight and would probably eat too much. Now that my stomach is full, I'm thinking I should have walked an extra 5 miles. Dinner at 202 Market in downtown Roanoke was everything I knew it would be. I had CAMEMBERT CHEESE RAVIOLI with apricot, white chocolate and smoked cashews as an appetizer. The nuts must have been ground into either the ravioli dough or the filling as I didn't bite down on anything crunchy. The white chocolate ribbon and apricot flavors blended very well with the cheese and there were also some champagne grapes sprinkled onto the plate. The presentation was spectacular and the blend of textures and flavors was amazing. For my entree I chose the PASTRAMI SALMON that had a light apple wood smoke flavor, crème fraiche potatoes, and green beans. The salmon was cooked to perfection and had a crust on the outside but was very moist and tender on the inside. There was a foam over the salmon (wasabi?) and it was a large portion. It is surely the best salmon I have had at a restaurant. I probably shouldn't have had dessert, but who could resist? For my sweet I chose BANANA PANNA COTTA with caramel popcorn and banana clouds (little puffs of flavored cream). The texture of the panna cotta was so rich and creamy and had a potent banana flavor. The crunchy popcorn was a great contrast. Of course I had to have a taste of everyone else's meal and every bite was so delicious - mussels and cheesecake with yuzu air included. My Mom and Dad split a steak that they both raved about. Our waiter was very attentive without being annoying and displayed suitable professionalism. If you would like to sample flavors that you could not imagine combining on your own, give 202 Market a try. It will expand your epicurean horizons.

Sleepy heads

2008-09-18T15:14:00.007-05:00

I guess I'm not the only person that feels less energetic when it's gloomy outside. I got myself to Tanglewood for my morning constitution and at 10:00 there were stores that still remained closed. It was dark in Belk up until just a few minutes before opening time and the door on the first level actually remained closed until 10:05 with patrons waiting outside. There were even gloomy faces on shopkeepers, although I'll bet it's more than just gloomy weather that brings a frown. I don't know about you, but it always cheers me up when someone smiles. Like the woman who works the counter at Chick Fil-A. She always seems to have a smile on her face like she did when she waited on me this morning as I ordered my coffee.

There's a new vendor in the center of the mall near JC Penney that is selling jewelry items and looks to be doing repairs as well. She worked without any direct lighting at her workspace and probably missed the sunshine more than the rest of us as she worked with her magnifying head gear and hand tools on a tiny gold chain.

Steve & Barry's University Shop now displays "liquidation" sale signs. I heard a report on the news the other night that the Tanglewood store will remain open as other stores in the area close so I'm not sure what the life expectancy of the store will be given that they are "liquidating."

Mystery boxes

2008-09-18T15:14:00.004-05:00

I was ready to walk early this morning and the fog had not cleared yet. Down to the river I went and the fog lifted to reveal a cloudless sky. The cool temperature prevailed long enough for me to get my walk in without feeling like I would spontaneously combust. In front of the rail station there are 3 boxes being built near the walkway. I had met the Roanoke Parks and Recreation Superintendent at an event earlier this year and mentioned to him that I have seen exercise stations in other towns along their greenways. I put in my 2 cents that it would be nice to have them in Roanoke too. Could this be what the mystery boxes are being built for? It will be interesting to see how they turn out.

During my mall walk earlier this week I noticed some activity at the former Stein Mart and I wonder what the removal of the old lettering from the store windows could mean, if anything. I think it would be the perfect spot for a DSW shoe warehouse store. I've been in a few around the country and am always amazed at the variety of shoes to be found under one roof.

The old Walenbooks store is empty again after the used book sale that took place last weekend. I haven't seen that many people in line awaiting a store opening since Black Friday.

An awkward moment

2008-09-11T08:53:00.003-05:00

Throughout Tangelwood's first level the kiddie rides have recently been upgraded. I love to watch the faces of the little ones as they pretend to drive a vehicle that gently shakes them around. Yesterday as I approached one of the rides in front of Belk, there were a couple of "older" guys who could not resist the draw of the ride's empty seat. One crammed himself into the tiny seat and his buddy was taking his picture using a cell phone. Then along comes the mall security guard to chide them and tell them to move along. These 2 passed by me on my next trip around the mall where I could get a better look at them. I'd say they were at least in their sixties so rides like these were most likely not available in malls when they were kids but this day they would not be denied. Here's to the child within! No harm, no foul.

A Quiet Tuesday

2008-09-09T19:15:00.003-05:00

I had hoped for a walk by the river this morning but rain was falling as I left the house so I opted for Tanglewood. It seemed quiet to me as there weren't many other walkers that I had to dodge as I made my way around the mall. I actually heard music when I passed by Hayden Music. It sounded like someone was practicing a keyboard lesson; not bad. I noticed some activity in the old Foot Action space. Preparing for a new tenant perhaps. The former Walden Books store has been loaded up with used books in preparation for this weekend's book sale to support the American Association of University Women. Personally, I am looking forward to going to the Greek Festival this weekend so I hope that the weather cooperates. I should put in a few extra miles of walking this week so I won't feel so bad about the baklava that I'm sure to indulge in. Opa!!!

Ugly at any price

2008-09-06T09:36:00.004-05:00

There are plenty of sale racks at Tanglewood stores offering the last of this summer's clothing remnants. The prices have been slashed and I was sure that I would find a great bargain on something I could use. But, alas, ugly is still ugly at any price and that's pretty much what's left on the racks. I'll pass until I can afford something that I will actually wear.

I stopped in for a closer look at Kay Jewelers and was warmly greeted by a sales associate who gave me the grand tour of their new space. She also shared with me that Kay offers repossessed items on their web site at significant savings. (I searched the web site but couldn't find a thing about this.) The displays take advantage of lighting, the open corner store placement within the mall and window display design. It is totally the opposite of what I see when I pass the newly opened Raquela's. What a mess! I can't even bring myself to walk into that store. It looks as though everything was thrown into the air and wherever it landed on a shelf, there it sits. Just looking into the doorway I feel like I am being assaulted by random displays rather than invited in by attractive displays to explore further.

Walks have been limited this week as I am saving energy for performances in "Children of Eden" with my fellow Logos Theatricus players this weekend. Our first performance was last night at the Jefferson Center and it was a blast! There are still 2 performances left to enjoy tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Y'all come!

Back from a family visit

2008-08-29T21:57:00.003-05:00

I traded my walking time last weekend for a spontaneous trip to CT to visit my daughter and her family - well, mostly my grandson. He will turn 3 in September and I know that before long he will be turning 13! To make this trip I first rode by car with some friends who were going to Long Island to visit their daughter. They dropped me at the train station after 9 hours of travel by car and I only had 5 minutes to spare to make the train to the ferry terminal. When I got off the train, I needed to take a taxi to the ferry and there wasn't one available so I phoned for one to pick me up. I arrived at the ferry with only minutes to spare before the trip across the sound. My daughter picked me up within a few minutes and we then drove about 45 minutes to get to her house. When I finally arrived after 13 hours of travel, my grandson spotted me and ran into my arms and lavished me with hugs and kisses. I could have turned right around at that moment and still have thought that the short trip was worthwhile.

Meanwhile at home, Kay Jewelers is operating out of their new storefront and it looks great. The design and lighting are stunning and the entire store seems to have a golden glow. Even the saleswomen have golden hair. I tried on some clothes in JC Penney and was thankful for the fan that was running in the dressing room. It really helped.

Since I had lots of appointments this week I didn't get to walk as much as I would have liked, but I hope to catch up this weekend.

I wish all of you a great Labor Day to do the things that you enjoy (hopefully without labor!)

Summer Celebrations

2008-08-15T21:50:00.002-05:00

It seems that celebrations of events make time fly by. I'll bet that those competing in the Olympic Games would agree. Earlier this month we celebrated my mother-in-law's 90th birthday, which is actually tomorrow. About 50 family members and friends gathered in her honor. I was most proud of our daughter who flew with our 2-year-old grandson from CT to here and then drove with us 5 hours across West Virginia to visit for her Granny's special day. Of course, the airfare from CT directly to Roanoke was unreasonable and so we opted for an affordable fare to Raleigh which meant an extra 6 hours of driving. We had a great, albeit short visit. We are now in the midst of plans for my Dad's 90th birthday in November and it almost seems like time is running short.

On the mall scene, last week I walked at Tanglewood. I got back to my car and thought about something I wanted to buy at A.C. Moore. As I started walking toward the store, the skies grew dark and the drops started to fall. I ran back to the car and decided to wait for the rain to stop as I didn't want to try and manage the large item I intended to buy along with holding an umbrella. Then I heard a tapping on my car window and turned to see a woman standing there with her umbrella and asking me if I would like to walk with her into the mall so I wouldn't get soaked. This is why I love Roanoke. Take note rude bicyclers!

More changes are in the works at Tanglewood. Accent flags have been hung from many of the columns. Nice touch. The new exterior and signs are now visible for Kay Jewelers and I hear that they will be operating out of their new digs on Monday. Now if they can just improve the occupancy level in the rest of the mall...

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

2008-07-27T12:50:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-21T11:05:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-11T19:31:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-07-09T13:26:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-08T21:38:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-07-02T15:41:00.003-05:00

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!

Good to be home.

2008-06-22T20:20:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to get back into the swing of things since returning from a week visiting my daughter and her family. It's been a long time since I had to keep up with a 2-year old. I'm sure that my walking improved my endurance in order to better cope with the terrible twos temper tantrums. Whew!

I enjoyed my walk along the river but I am wondering if the plantings there are supposed to be some kind of eco experiment. It looks like a wheat field along the flood control banks. The begonias and salvia plants provide an attractive display in the median planters. No sign of the little ducklings on this trip though.

At Tanglewood Mall the former jewelry store is now just some blank walls. The new store, Raquela's, has a window display but the glass is still covered with paper. The sign above the store doesn't really describe what they will be selling (if indeed they are actually able to sell enough to stay in business.)

Since my husband and I have started the project of painting the outside of our house, my walks may be more limited. We shall see.

Summer has arrived!

2008-06-04T09:59:00.002-05:00

I'm glad that I got my walk in at the park on Monday because today it was just too hot. I walked around the outside of Tanglewood for one lap and then opted for the air-conditioning inside. It was earlier than usual and I'm glad that I finished up before 10:00 when JC Penney opened. Even with their entry doors closed, I could feel the heat radiating from the store as I passed by. I was there over the weekend and wanted to take advantage of a sale that ended at 1:00. I took some things into the dressing room to try on but before long I was dripping with sweat and could not wait to get out of there. I can only imagine how hot it is on the upper level.

As predicted, Charlotte's Trinkits is gone, and Crystal Cottage has closed for the rest of the summer and will reopen November 1st. The new store next to Merle Norman still has paper in the windows. The layer of dust continues to build on the display items in the MLC Furniture store entryway. The Game Stop appears to be getting a new sign over the store (unless they are either leaving or moving) and the former jewelry store is under construction.

My parents usually visit the K&W Cafeteria each Sunday and took notice of the reduced crowd this past Sunday. I sign of the times perhaps.

The Heat is ON

2008-05-28T17:14:00.002-05:00

Since I don't enjoy walking in the rain I opted for a Tanglewood walk. The storefront next to Merle Norman has pink and pastel print paper in the windows so I don't think that there's a sports shop or Army surplus store going in. Still lots of banging and grinding noises coming from JC Penney. I think that enclosing the escalator area in plastic wrap has had a significant impact on the airflow - or lack thereof. As I walked past I could feel a rush of hot air. I could not imagine trying to shop there in that stifling heat.

At Steve & Barry's University Shop there were workmen installing spot lights the entire length of their window displays. This means that the dirty windows will be even more noticeable now.

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

2008-05-25T21:46:00.002-05:00

Wow! The weekend's not over yet, but so far it has been great! I volunteered with Eventzone for the festivities this past Thursday and Friday night. I met some wonderful folks, heard some great musicians, and even saw myself on the TV newscast. Hubby and I had breakfast at the newly opened Brambleton Cafe and I had the best cheese blintzes ever. The coffee was also superb. I can't wait to return for another meal.

During my mall walk on Thursday there was some activity in the vacant store next to Merle Norman and it looked as though they were sprucing things up for a new tenant. Apparently, sprucing up is not what is going on at MLC Furniture. The same items have been located at the entrance for some time now and there's a layer of dust over most of it. Not a very welcoming presentation to the buying public. At the opposite end of the scale is the Hallmark shop. Everything is well lighted, bright, organized and inviting. "Inviting" would not describe what I saw going on at JC Penney. It looks like they are getting a new escalator and there was a lot of loud banging going on behind the plastic sheets that were installed around the escalator area.

Today's fantastic weather drew me to the river for an invigorating walk. I think I spotted a Green Heron flying over the water and I looked for him as I walked but never spotted him again. I did see a duckling swimming with his mama though. I thought it strange that there was only one, however. I also spotted an egg shell beneath the bridge but I didn't see any baby pigeons. Perhaps the hawk I saw a few days ago has been helping himself to easy pickin's.

Growing coffee klatch

2008-05-20T14:59:00.004-05:00

Since it was so cloudy the morning I opted to walk at Tanglewood. It didn't appear to be very busy this morning except for the dining area outside of Chick-fil-a. There's a group of seniors that I see there on every morning mall visit. This growing coffee klatch has even celebrated the birthday of one of its members. It's so good to see these folks out enjoying each other's company and also walking and getting some exercise. When the sun decided to peek out of the clouds, I went outside to walk around the parking lot. I thought to myself, "I wonder how many places there are in this country where one would feel safe enough to walk behind a mall building?" I have traveled extensively around the country, and I can tell you that there aren't too many malls where this is the case. In addition, I took note of how tidy everything was - even in the back. I only saw 2 cigarette butts and one wad of chewing gum. Oh, and I also noticed while I was walking inside that the drooping security camera cable in front of Goody's has been reattached properly. Good job.There's also a new store, Charlotte's Trinkits. I guess they did not talk to the previous owners of Whimsy Gifts. This looks to be like another flea market outlet store and I predict that they will soon suffer the same fate.

As I was walking near Firestone I noticed a small, sandpiper-like bird that I have been trying to identify. In the process I discovered this web site that I'm sure will come in handy in the future (even though I have not yet found the bird I was looking for). Check this out:
http://www.whatbird.com/

All cleaned up..

2008-05-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

It was nice to see that the mess left by recent river flooding of Wiley Dr. has been removed. For those of you that missed it, here are some shots of the pile of debris that resulted from the "flood control" area near Wasena Park. Pardon me, but exactly where is the "control" part of this project supposed to be evident?

Welcome rain

2008-04-21T21:38:00.003-05:00

Even though the rain was falling this morning, there was a break in the clouds long enough to make a few outdoor laps at the mall. Plenty of folks were taking advantage of the free blood pressure screenings. There were lots of familiar faces that the weather brought inside. I've been walking long enough that I'm actually noticing physical changes in some of the walkers. There is one distinguished looking gentleman with a head of striking white hair. He has significantly reduced the girth of his midsection and always walks as if he is on his way to a meeting somewhere. Then there's the old gent that walks with the aid of a walker. His gait is a slow shuffle but he's doing great for an 87-year-old.

Today's comedy was provided by a malfunctioning automatic door by the Cheeburger entrance. It reminded me of the TV commercial where someone approaches a door saying "Door open." but the door doesn't open and the person walks into it. I watched some folks who approached the door and actually bumped it when it didn't open. Luckily, no harm done.

Walking Buddies

2008-04-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

Another glorious day with beautiful weather and plenty of springtime buds to enjoy. And if that's not enough, there are my walking buddies that shared my walk this morning. We have a good time visiting as we walk and it makes the time pass even more quickly. Today I pointed out the diminished pigeon population. I believe that this is a result of some hawks that I've spotted in the area. We were all wondering when the most recent accumulation of debris will be removed from the river at the bridge. Perhaps it will happen during this weekend's Earth Day activities.

During a recent trip to the Tanglewood mall, I noticed lots of window washing going on. Guys were climbing up and down ladders and doing a fine job of cleaning the outside of the windows above A.C. Moore. Let the sun shine!

Someone's on the same wave length

2008-04-08T15:02:00.002-05:00

Well during today's rounds I did see a maintenance person wielding a dust mop over some of the kiosks in the center of the mall. I hope they get to the awnings and signage around Bath & Body Works. There was a pro window washer cleaning the AC Moore windows, even though they are covered on the inside and you can't see through them.

Have you noticed the CBS sign in front of Belk that reads "It's a mall world"? Catchy eh?

Back from Connecticut

2008-04-07T12:44:00.002-05:00

Connecticut was cold and Spring hasn't sprung there yet. It was warm enough to visit the new "blue back" shopping area in West Hartford, however. I enjoyed a wonderful meal at the new Cheesecake Factory with my sister, niece, and daughter. So, it's back to the mall to walk off all of the pizza, cannolis, and Girl Scout cookies I indulged in.

Dragonfly is now empty as I suppose their season is over. I wasn't expecting to see Henebry Jewelers empty, however. I understand that Kay Jewelers is going to move into that space. Other than that, not too much changed over the last week. MLC Furniture needs to get a dust rag out as there is a layer of dust thick enough to write in on some of the displayed items in the entryway.

Easter is officially over as all of the bunny habitat has been removed.

Blooms are bustin' out all over...

2008-03-18T13:53:00.003-05:00

What a great time of year in Roanoke. Fine weather days are encouraging lots of blooms around the valley and soon we will have spectacular views to take in. The Easter Bunny has been making appearances at Tanglewood and the photo area that was prepared for him is very bright and cheery. There's even a working water wheel and several automated characters hidden amongst the flora. There's also lots of sales going on at the mall to take advantage of.

Some visiting family members joined me for a trip to Wasena Park on Sunday to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. They noticed the progress on the flood control project that has been completed since their last visit. New trees have been planted and I'm sure we will get used to the new views over time. One thing I have wondered about, however, is what happens to all of the flood water when it reaches the same narrow bridge viaduct?

Great mall weather

2008-03-07T14:20:00.002-05:00

Since it's too nasty outside to do much of anything, you might as well take a few laps around the mall. I've noticed some new security cameras mounted, but it's a shame that whoever strung the cable across the ceiling did such a crappy job so that you can see the wires hanging down.

Spring cleaning should be on the storekeeper's agenda. There are still lots of dirty windows and some floors could use a brushing. Look at the entrance flooring in Suit City and compare it to the entry to Cozy Corner.

I got to thinking about safety when I noticed the new cameras and started looking around for fire alarms. On the entire lower level in the center mall area I saw only one alarm that could be pulled in an emergency and it happens to be on the inside of Belk's entryway. So if the store is closed you can't get to it. I noticed some fire extinguishers however and a CPR defrib unit. I guess the best device to have in an emergency is a cell phone.

Right around the corner

2008-03-03T19:20:00.002-05:00

We've had 2 great days in a row for outdoor walking. The river level is very low so it would be good to get some drenching rain. There were fisher men and women out yesterday along with lots of families enjoying the parks. The air was so clean and fresh and the smell of freshly spread wood chips wafted through the air. There was lots of bird activity today and I spotted some bluebirds, a flicker and a tree swallow. Work on the flood control project continues with dump trucks and backhoes in full swing.

Last Wednesday at Tanglewood I noticed some folks with clipboards. Thursday there were boats and race cars on display throughout the mall. By Sunday the cars were gone and the Easter Bunny display was being built. Easter is so early this year that it will be over before we know it. The number of mall walkers continues to grow and it's good to see so many older folks out getting some exercise. My dear mother even went and got herself a pedometer to measure her steps. She insists that walking around the house is sufficient, but I've explained that you need to get and keep your heart rate up, not just put in the mileage.

Maybe you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

Feels like Spring!

2008-02-18T21:14:00.002-05:00

What a great day for an outdoor walk. The river walk was very pleasant this morning. However, my walks along a stretch of Gulf coast beach the week before last was just the best. The temperature hovered around 73 and the breeze was blowing just hard enough to cool me off during my walk. Spectacular! It almost made the Patriot's loss bearable.

The past week I walked at Tanglewood. Since my Dad's doctor said he needs to walk 30 minutes per day, he accompanied me. I had told him about another elderly man that I see often completing his daily constitution. Like my dad, this man also walks with a cane and has a very short shuffling stride. At the end of my walk I went to get my dad and found him sitting on a bench next to this man. They struck up a conversation and my dad was telling me what he had learned. I told him that was nice and perhaps they could walk with each other next time as it makes the time pass when you have someone to walk with. My dad replied, "No, he's too slow for me."

Not much changed in the week I was away. Most of the storefront windows still need cleaning. Big sales are in progress and I noticed some new cable being strung along the ceiling. The most noticeable change is the growing number of walkers. It's getting to be more challenging to walk without bumping into someone. Perhaps the message of walking to improve one's health is finally sinking in.

Slow progress

2008-01-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe how many more people I have seen walking at Tanglewood this week. There are almost too many to count but I would estimate that our numbers have grown upwards of 50 people in the morning. I can't speak for what happens during the afternoon, but in the morning there's a good crowd. There have been some men on the roof over the top of Applebee's but I can't tell what they are doing. I see some of the regular cleaning crew have returned and they were busy cleaning glass. I could smell fresh paint, but couldn't actually see anything that looked freshly painted. Kudos to MLC Furniture for cleaning their windows this morning. Additional effort was required to move furniture out of the way to make the glass accessible. On Monday morning as I passed by outside of Stein Mart, I saw a gentleman who was wearing a dress shirt and tie, and looked to be a store manager, outside on the sidewalk cleaning the glass doors. Finally, someone who realizes that the first thing we consumers see is the glass on the storefront. I wish that the mall managers would require all of the east-facing store owners to stand outside of their stores at 9:55 AM when the sun shines brightly on their stores so that they can see how truly grimy the glass is. Bath & Body Works also needs to clean their sign and lamps on the north facing wall. It looks like it's been quite some time since anyone passed a dust rag over it.

Come on people! Shine, shine, shine!

Tailgaters anyone?

2008-01-26T23:10:00.000-05:00

I counted at least 2 dozen walkers at Tanglewood today and it actually seemed a little crowded. Many of the walkers looked to me to be over 60 and I felt proud of them for doing something to maintain or improve healthy exercise habits.

There are still many smudges on the windows that need to be cleaned up but at least the plants are looking good. When I arrived just after 10 this morning I noticed that Tailgaters remained dark and locked up. Did someone oversleep?

Tonight I helped a friend celebrate her birthday and had dinner at Carlos restaurant. I ordered the special of sea bass encrusted with pistachio nuts and served with a shrimp cream sauce. It was delicious and the portion was one of the largest I have ever received. It was cooked to perfection and though I tried my best I couldn't finish it. However, I did manage to eat half an order of tiramisu. Yum!

Sparkling windows on the rise

2008-01-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, what d'ya know? Today I actually saw what looked like a professional window washer busily addressing those nasty finger prints on the store front glass. He had a bucket of washing liquid, a squeegee, towels, and a a tool belt. When I saw him cleaning the Hallmark card store windows I thought he might be an employee fo theirs. But on my next lap I noticed him working across the hall at Henebry's jewelers. He will have his work cut out for him if he every makes it upstairs to Steve and Barry's.

Another thing I noticed is that there is a new employee at Radio Shack. I do believe it's Jamey Singleton our beloved ex-weatherman. I think that he probably has a lot of fans that think he got a raw deal and are wishing him well. At least I do.

Have a sparkling day!

Goodbye river guardians

2008-01-13T16:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's weather was perfect for a brisk walk by the river. One can't help but notice the large piles of trees that have been felled to make way for the bench cutting project to continue. I understand the need, but it's sad nonetheless to see these great old trees lying in pieces on the ground. The Great Blue Heron sat on the riverbank in the same spot where his roosting tree home used to stand. The best part about the walk is that I was sharing it with my son and his wife who were visiting from Charlotte for the weekend along with their little teacup chihuahua.

The house is quiet once again.

Movin' on up!

2008-01-10T16:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I enjoyed a long walk at the river but today was cold and raw so I was off to the mall. It's only been a couple of days but there have been some nice changes made. The lower level now sports 3 nicely furnished seating areas. This will provide a comfortable setting for all of the gentlemen who are waiting on their wives to complete their shopping. The trash cans have also been updated with new enclosures with rounded top surfaces. Of course this means I will not be able to rest my coffee cup there when I start to get warm and I stop to remove my jacket. Oh well, it's worth the sacrifice to have a nicer looking trash container.

As for the windows, there are still plenty of smudges to clean up, but I saw some personnel actively cleaning glass.

Two stores have closed up shop. Whimsey Gifts and another shop that sold sports related dodads are gone. Both stores were lacking any sort of merchandising appeal and didn't offer anything to the general attraction of the mall. I don't believe they will be missed.

What season is this?

2008-01-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

Anyone waking from a coma and walking outside today would be totally confused about what season this is. What a beautiful day by the river. There were plenty of other folks walking, biking, and fishing. River widening work continues and I watched a man operating a back hoe at lightening speed. It was a bit unnerving as he swung the hoe quickly and came very close to a bridge abutment while he was moving some rocks around. A new temporary fence is being erected on the opposite side of the road so I guess that's what will be dug up next.

The Great Blue Heron flew in to assume his usual fishing post in the river and the male ducks are still competing for the attention of a fewer number of females. A friend that walked with me yesterday tells me that we have a shrike hawk in the area. I admit that all I could distinguish was the pigeons that were trying to escape the hawk's grasp and I witnessed the same scene today. Again I could see something diving at a pigeon but I couldn't tell what type of bird it was. That's why it's best to have an expert bird watcher with you. I do.

Clean those windows!

2008-01-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

Now that the temp has dropped so sharply I feel like I might have had my last walk outdoors for a while. So it's back to the malls. Both Valley View and Tanglewood are having great sales, but I suspect that others like me are just shopped out by now. There's also the fact that most of the display racks are in a shambles. As of last night, the kiosks have cleared out of Tanglewood which made it much easier to walk without bumping into people that had been squeezed into the limited remaining pedestrian area. Not every shop at the mall was successful this season and Whimsy Gifts has closed up shop. The lights have been turned on in the former Stein Mart space as if it's being prepared for inspection. Hmm.

Maybe all of this moving out has stirred up some dust, and it has settled on the glass storefronts. What a mess! The worst of it seems to be Steve & Barry's but just about every piece of glass seems to be covered with grimy fingerprints and dust. My walking partner and I talked about the malls we liked in New Jersey where everything sparkles and there are comfortable living room-like seating areas throughout. Even with new bench seating, we have a long, long way to go.

A break in the clouds

2007-12-29T16:35:00.000-05:00

It may have started out rainy but when the sun popped out I was on the river walk and loving it. The breeze was just enough to keep me cool during the last half of my walk. The start of my walk wasn't very pleasant though as I had stepped into a pile of fresh dog poop and I stopped at several puddles along the way to try and wash off the mess. I have a dog myself and am happy to see owners walking their dogs along the path. But for goodness sake, why not use the baggies provided or bring your own for cleaning up after your pet?

As I walked past the play areas I thought about how nice it was to have 2 of my grandson's here at Thanksgiving. I could almost see their shadows peeking from the ladders and slides and their smiling faces.

Sale, sale, sale!

2007-12-26T19:28:00.000-05:00

The traffic at Tanglewood started out light, perhaps due to the weatherman's prediction of a "wintry mix". But by 10:30 it was very busy as the skies were clearing and the temperature was rising. There were lots of deals and I took advantage of some price reductions at Stein Mart.

I got to use a gift from my hubby; a pedometer. I logged in 3.02 miles and 7669 steps! I wonder how many steps I need to add to work off the 6 lbs. I gained since Thanksgiving.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T19:30:00.000-05:00

I started out to walk the mall today, but when I assessed that the parking lot was near full and the temperature was above 45 degrees, I opted for Wasena Park instead. There's been a lot of progress on the river flooding project and they have even cleaned up some of the deadwood that had accumulated near the bridge. It looks pretty good. I saw that the Great Blue Heron is still in the area as he was fishing in the river. The tree where I had seen him roosting in the past has now been removed. So I guess he has found himself another. As I walked today I thought what a perfect place it would be to have a Christmas light festival. I have been to several of them in the past where there were funds raised for charity. My New Year's resolution will be to make some inquiries and see what can be done to get a light festival going in our area.

Yesterday I walked the mall and it was relatively quiet. I expect that it was because many church goers were still at mass. I noticed that Steve & Barry's has everything on sale for $8.98 and the store was the busiest that I have seen. They must have realized what a good price point is for their merchandise. I also noticed that they have the grimiest windows in the mall and that makes for unattractive window displays. Tsk, tsk.

I purchased some batteries at the new battery store on the second level. I hear that after only 7 weeks in business they are running in the black.

Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the preparations for Christmas this year. The cookie swap, the baking, the shopping, and the decorating. It's too bad that our children will not be here to see any of it and I will especially miss not sharing it with our grandson. But there's always next year.

I hope that you and yours have a very blessed and joyous Christmas.

God bless us, every one.

Taking Advantage of Dry, Warm Weather

2007-11-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. My time spent with my son and daughter and grandchildren was precious and fleeting. We had some great food, played games, and walked at the park, thanks to the great weather.

During each of my walks outdoors by Wasena Park over the last few weeks, I was sure it might be my last of the season. Surprisingly, it has remained warm enough to continue walking outdoors vs. at the mall. Of course now we pedestrians must share our outdoor experience with the construction teams that are digging away at the river bank. Work seems to be progressing quickly and I'm glad that they chose this time of year instead of having to cope with the mess and the noise throughout the summer months.

Naturally, with the holidays approaching, the mall traffic (auto and pedestrian) has increased and it's more difficult to walk without bumping into anyone. It is nice to see all of the decorations though and it makes the walk more interesting. I have noticed increased security at Tanglewood including guards who drive around the parking lots in a security vehicle. There's also additional security cameras and new faces on the guards patrolling the mall on foot.

Many vendors that have set up temporary shop in the center isle on the lower level which also cuts down on the pedestrian space. There's also some new vendors that occupy store fronts that have been empty for quite some time. The sad thing is that they all look like flea market stalls. There seems to be no sense of window decorating or merchandising. Just stuff thrown up onto walls and hung in windows. Exceptions are a new store on the upper level that sells all types of batteries and one on the lower level that specializes in 'tailgating' gear. GO TECH!

One More Glorious Day

2007-11-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

Since I was at church for All Soul's Day mass until after noon, I decided to walk afterwards at the river instead of going this morning to the mall. What a glorious day! Although most of the leaves on the trees are still green, there are a few that are completely turned and really beautiful shades of gold and orange. The river water is running clear and there were a few fishermen dropping lines from the bridge. The resident Blue Heron was also standing in the water looking for his next meal.

Last week's rain storms carried lots of debris toward the bridge and it's now clogging the water flow beneath the bridge. I hope that the debris can be cleared soon as it detracts from an otherwise pleasant view.

We didn't get any Trick-or-Treaters last night so now I have to hide all of the candy we bought. I will save it to give to my grandson when he visits at Thanksgiving. My daughter tells me that he enjoyed being a monkey. How cute!

Open for business

2007-10-31T14:20:00.000-05:00

Cheeburger's is now open but if you don't want to stand in line for lunch, make sure you're there by 11:30. Don't know when/if I'll try it as I'm not a big burger/fries person. I wish they would straighten one of the crooked pictures on the wall but I guess they have other priorities just now. Hmm, I wonder if they have chocolate malted shakes....

If you haven't visited the upper level lately, go and check out the new tables and chairs that are located between Steve & Barry's and Chik-Fil-A. There's plenty of room to sit down and take a break.

There are more Christmas displays going up and I've actually started my holiday shopping already. Usually this means that I'll be spending more because late in the season I'll forget what I already bought and buy for the same people over again.

I hope that someone gets busy cleaning the store windows as they are looking somewhat grimy. I did notice workers on the roof and it appears that they are trying to patch some of the leaks that were discovered during the recent rain storms.

The store that just opened recently (to replace the 'flea market' style clothing store) selling women's clothing looks like it's already bit the dust and I could see lots of jewelry displays when peeking through the brown paper that lines the windows.

Looks like there are some new pianos in the music store and it was nice to hear someone actually playing as I walked by. It sounded better than the music being piped throughout the mall.

Practice, practice, practice!

2007-10-19T19:35:00.000-05:00

The new wait staff at Cheeburger's could be seen practicing this afternoon. I didn't actually see any food being delivered by I did notice some orders being taken. It looks like it must be getting close to the grand opening. I heard that the price of a cheeseburger is going to be $8. For that, I hope they plan on delivering those burgers with an abundance of side orders.

There are some new carpets sporting what looks like a new mall logo that I saw at the entrance doors. Nice touch.

A new clothing store has opened where the last "flea market" clothing store was. I didn't go inside but noticed that this time around there appears to be a lot more clothing in the store.

I lunched with a friend today at 202 Market and indulged in their "tapas" offerings of the day. There were at least a dozen different choices and every one was delectable. From the roasted asparagus to the chicken salad puffs, every bite enticed you to try the next. My mojito was delicious as well and if I closed my eyes I could imagine drinking it at sunset in Malory Square in Key West.

Ahhh......

The Joy of Walking

2007-10-17T15:26:00.000-05:00

What a spectacular day for walking outdoors! I missed yesterday as I was site-seeing with friends, but it's obvious what was happening along the greenway. All of the beautiful red salvia plants have been plucked from their concrete flower boxes. It's a shame because I think they still had some life in them. However, what I saw today probably would not have happened if the flowers were still there.

As I walked at my 3.5 mph speed, an oncoming runner approached. A nice-looking, bearded young man with orange shorts and blue shirt. He was not running in the pedestrian lane, but instead he was running along the concrete lane divider. As he approached each of the empty flower boxes, he leaped over them! The joy he was experiencing was evident in the broad smile he wore while continuing to run and jump and seeing this made me joyful as well. This feeling was enhanced further as I saw at least 7 men fishing by and in the river. And these were real, bare-legged men - in the water! Don't know if anyone caught fish, but on a day like this it wouldn't matter.

Getting Close

2007-10-12T18:43:00.001-05:00

The new hamburger joint is looking closer to an opening. Employment interviews are being held at a card table outside of the restaurant door and there are many busy people inside. The tables and chairs remind me of those in the kitchen I grew up in - Oh so many years ago.

My last couple of walks through the mall before opening time remind me of being in NJ at dinner time. You look across the Hudson at Manhattan and watch the lights of the city come up as the sky grows darker. That's what the mall feels like when the dark stores begin to prepare to open and start turning on their lights for the business day. Some don't open on time, however, and the delivery person from FedEx is window shopping as she waits for the doors to open at a jewelry store. I think about the factory I once worked in where a whistle blew to signify when workers were to be posted at their stations and begin working until the next whistle blew for lunch break or to signify the end of the work day. The factory was a plant where metallic items were "chromed". One of the memories I have is that the restrooms had a large round station in the center of the room where many people could wash their hands simultaneously in a sink that had water flowing from the center similar to a fountain. Some years later I would be talking to a co-worker who told me that he had also worked at a factory that had a similar setup. He said that he had never seen anything like this before in a men's restroom and on his first day of work he went to use the restroom and thought that the sink was a community urinal. One of his co-workers had come into the restroom and expressed his dismay at seeing him relieving himself in the sink and explained what it was supposed to be used for. Thinking about this story still makes me chuckle.

No, The Sign is Not Misspelled

2007-10-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

My Mom accompanied me to the mall for my walk yesterday. I had to explain that the "Cheeburger, Cheeburger" sign was not misspelled. The holes on the outside of the building over the sign have been fixed and you'd never know they were there in the first place. When I looked inside to check out the progress I had a wonderful feeling of nostalgia that came over me. It's kind of retro with some George Jetson thrown in. It's about the closest thing I've seen to a Jersey diner complete with metallic walls and neon lighting. The pink and blue tiles definitely take you back to the fifties.

The clothing shop that reminded me of a flea market display has disappeared; no surprise there. The most consistent activity is the maintenance staff that works diligently to keep the mall looking clean and tidy. I so appreciate that.

Where Did September Go!

2007-10-03T17:50:00.001-05:00

Gosh, I can't believe it's October already. Tomorrow is my birthday and I am combating a cold. Our performances of "Children of Eden" went very well but I think that my contact with our child performers is what led to the cold I now have. I have not walked for the last couple of days but I hope to tomorrow.

Since the mornings have been nice and cool I have been walking at the river. There is a Great Blue Heron that I've seen wading several times. He looks like he is moving is slow motion as he hunts for a meal.

The new hamburger joint at the mall is showing steady progress. I do hope that they are going to fix the holes in the facade above their sign above the storefront. The new customer service kiosk has freed up one of the store spaces which will add to the inventory of empty stores. It seems that the number of mall walkers has increased over the summer and I see a lot of familiar faces as I make the rounds. I am curious to know if the mall management has established guidelines for window displays because the newly opened clothing store on the first level looks like what I would expect to see at a flea market; although I have seen better displays at Happy's.

The Belk upgrade continues and the new carpeting and tile are a big improvement. The shoe department looks like it has shrunk considerably. I wonder if that means there might be another shoe store coming soon. Hmm?

Practice, practice, practice!

2007-08-30T15:17:00.000-05:00

Although I have continued to walk with some regularity, time for posting has been short with all the traveling I have been doing this summer. We went to Connecticut to visit our daughter and her family and to attend a day of racing at Saratoga, NY. Seeing our grandson was wonderful and there's not much that can compare to a beautiful day at the races at Saratoga Race Track. We had some early winners although our winnings were left at the track. Oh well, there's always next year.

We also went to visit our son as he had traveled to Greensboro with his baseball team. I found a fantastic shopping mall area on Friendly Ave. and am anxious to visit there again. I also spent a weekend visiting our daughter-in-law in Charlotte and explored an outstanding mall there. They actually had a Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus under the same roof. At Tiffany's there was a handsome young man holding a tray of champagne to draw in customers. Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory was tasty, but not what I ordered so they comp'ed me for my lunch.

Now it's back to Roanoke but it's been so dreadfully hot that I have only walked a couple of time by the river. The new trees have been planted near the lot behind the Ramada Inn and they look much better than the weeds that were there previously.

At Tanglewood Mall the new escalator is up and running and the walls in front of Goodies have been spruced up with attractive tile and fresh wall covering. Stein Mart has moved to their new space and they had some great sales for their grand opening. Belk is still under construction and I was glad to see that the recent mess that left a layer of dust over the handbags had been cleaned up.

It seems that another store has vacated the mall. The sports shoe store is gone and I'm not surprised. I never saw anyone in there to buy anything. I had looked at tennis shoes once, but the prices were too out of line with local competition. I guess they were trying to cover the cost of all of the TV sets that were hanging on the wall.

JC Penney looks nice after their recent improvements and the furniture store's improved lighting and new window displays are much more attractive.

Another element that has infringed on walking time is the great amount of time I have been devoting to a musical performance that I have volunteered for. My parish, Our Lady of Nazareth, is sponsoring the performance of "Children of Eden" by Stephen Schwatrz. This play is slated for Broadway in 2008 and our group has been working very hard to be ready for our Sept. 21st - 30th performances at William Flemming High School. Hope to see you there!

Great outdoor walking weather!

2007-07-23T21:26:00.000-05:00

It's been much too nice outside to walk the mall. Yesterday I hiked with a friend through the Nature Convservancy at Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve. We walked about 5 miles in 4 hours through the beautiful wooded forest. The part of the trail leading down to the creek water was the most strenuous but it was worth the effort to see the water rushing over the rocks. It was great to be able to walk without suffering from the heat and humidity. Today's walk through Smith and Wasena parks on the Greenway was also very pleasant. An area of the path near the Ramada Inn parking lot has been prepared for planting of trees and shrubs and it will be an improvement over the many weeds that were growing there previously.

Since the forecast for tomorrow is about the same, I'm looking forward to another fine morning constitution.

Thank Goodness for Air Conditioning!

2007-07-10T16:09:00.000-05:00

On super hot days like today, it's great to have a cool place to walk. I would have thought that since I have been away for a few weeks, I would have noticed more changes. Things I did notice are that the new escalator in front of Penney's is in place, there's a great sale underway at Stein Mart as they prepare for their move to new quarters, and there's a large red curtain covering a wall display at Jaclyn's Hallmark. Could the cover be hiding Christmas ornaments? I'm afraid that it's just too soon for me to be thinking about anything Christmas. Since I walked the mall yesterday too, I visited Belk. It was like an obstacle course because workers were repairing floor tiles and had several areas of yellow tape strung around their work areas. I wonder what store will be taking over the Stein Mart space. It sure would be nice to have a Kohl's close by. Maybe even a Home Goods store like the one I have visited in Northern Virginia. If you would like to voice your opinion about what stores you would like to see here in Roanoke, visit this site to register your choices: http://roanokenet.roanokeva.gov/MyRetailRoanoke/?Open

Stay cool!

Birds of a Feather

2007-07-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

Walks in the park along the Roanoke River continue as the weather continues to cooperate. Yesterday I noticed a pair of what I believe to be Red-Tailed Hawks. Perhaps their presence explains the reduced numbers of pigeons nesting beneath the bridge overpass. Today I noticed a pair of Great Blue Herons flying along the river's edge. It would be great to see some offspring during future visits.

Summer's Here!

2007-06-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry that posts have been absent the last few weeks but I've been visiting family and friends in CT and MI. In Canton, CT my daughter and I visited a wonderful shopping mall that is open to the outdoors. Normally this would be great but rainy weather put a slight damper on things. The great stores made up for it, however. It's the only place where I have ever seen a Sigrid Olsen store and they also have J. Jill, Clearwater Creek, Chico's, Talbot's, and Ann Taylor. There are also some unique shoe and handbag stores that I haven't seen elsewhere. All in all a great shopping experience.

Next was a trip to Detroit, MI with a visit to the Somerset Mall. This upscale mall is home to Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Burberry among other greats. This mall is also home to some of my favorite restaurants including P.F. Chang's and Capital Grille. Ah, so many stores, so little time! If you happen to be in the Troy area, this is one mall you won't want to miss. Here's a virtual tour you can check out: http://www.thesomersetcollection.com/virtualTour.asp#

In the meantime, progress on Tanglewood continues and the new escalator is now in place. Like many others I am anxiously awaiting the opening of our new Ivy Market and will report on my shopping experience.

New Security

2007-05-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

Busy day today so my close proximity to the mall made it the better venue for today's walk. I noticed four new security cameras. At least, I think I would have noticed them before today if they had been there all along. Work is continuing on the new Stein Mart store and it's great to see that there are two window displays on the outside of the building. As I walked by the music store a clerk was vacuuming the carpet. Is it me, or does it seem odd to you too that there was no sound of music coming from the store? What are they thinking? I think most of the other women at the mall would agree that the sound of one vacuuming is not going to entice your typical female shopper into the store.

Not much noticeable progress on the new escalator in front of Penney's so they must be working on infrastructure. I hope I'm there when they actually bring in the new equipment so I can see what it looks like before it's wrapped in its cosmetic outer frame.

The windows of the MLC Furniture store were dotted with pink sale flyers and I could see pink stickers on a lot of the floor merchandise. I have seen many of the same pieces in the same place on the floor for months! This is in contrast to Stein Mart where much of their merchandise is moved every day. I think the latter is a much better approach to selling. Every time I visit Stein Mart I will see something that I didn't notice before. And if I see something that I really like, I will buy it because I know it may not be there tomorrow.

Lastly, I took special notice of Lee Nails store window. The owners proudly display their Buddha which always has an offering usually consisting of fruit. Today, however, the offering was a very large Hershey's chocolate bar. The smile on Buddha's face seemed extra large today!

Segway Test Drive

2007-05-18T18:44:00.001-05:00

Today my walk consisted of a trip around downtown Roanoke. First stop was to have lunch at Thai Orchid Restaurant. I had the Tom Kha Gai soup, which was so flavorful and delicious with the limegrass, coconut milk, and cilantro broth. I also had a chicken and vegetable dish with peanuts, but they left out the green pepper so it was lacking in the flavor department. I also ordered my favorite, Thai iced tea. Yummy!

Next, it was on to the "Green Day Awareness" exhibit so that I could test drive a Segway Personal Transporter. What fun! I was surprised at how easy it was to maneuver. I don't know how long this link will be active, but if you forward to time stamp 1 minute and 49 seconds you can see me tooling around the parking lot. But don't blink or you might miss the show.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/category.asp?C=100383
Select the "Auto pollution is also a health issue" link.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T19:20:00.000-05:00

I've been too busy with gardening these past few days to be out walking. But today was a day of rest and I went with my family and some neighbors to Chateau Morrisette for a wonderful buffet dinner. The ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway only added to my enjoyment of the day and I hope you will enjoy a couple of shots from the trip. I am also including some shots from my last walk this past Thursday when I went with a friend to the Jefferson National Forest near Pembroke for bird watching. We saw about 2 dozen different kinds of birds and it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. I wish that I had picture to show you, but those little buggers are just to fast for me to shoot with my camera.

Birding Trip

Spring Cleaning

2007-05-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

It was still a little on the cool side this morning, but I decided I'd rather walk the park than the mall. As I approached the bridge over the river I noticed that the water was flowing more freely. Then I could see the reason why. Someone has been doing some Spring cleaning of all the debris that was blocking the flow tubes under the bridge. It looks a lot nicer without the branches, cans, bags and other junk. Fisherman lined the river banks hoping for a bite and the bluebirds were popping in and out of the houses that have been provided for them to nest in. There was no sign of the mama and baby ducks I saw during my previous walk and I'm hoping that they weren't swept away along with the debris.

Let There Be Light!

2007-05-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

Too rainy and cool to walk outdoors today. Besides that, I needed a manicure. So, off to the mall I went. For cryin' out loud it's only been about a week and there are so many changes! The escalator in front of Penney's is now completely removed and there's not even a stray bolt to be found. The tobacco shop and news stand on the second level has been replaced by gift shop. The entrance to the new Stein Mart location from within the mall was open for peeking inside and workers were building the window display cases facing into the mall. The best mall improvement I noticed, however, is the new lighting in the MLC Furniture store. I have always thought it was too dimly lit to be inviting for browsing and it now looks so bright and welcoming - good Feng Shui feeling. Now, if they would just add some covering to those Hair Plus windows.

House and Garden walking tour

2007-05-02T19:18:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday I logged around 3 miles of walking throughout South Roanoke while participating in the House and Garden Tour. Although I had visited Fork in the Alley Restaurant, I never realized what beautiful homes are located within a few blocks walk. I think the entire neighborhood looked great with manicured lawns and trimmed hedges. Oddly though, except for the other tourists, I saw hardly any signs of life outdoors. This seemed peculiar since the weather was so gorgeous. I was impressed with the organization of the event. Each home had an attendant in just about every room and it seemed that great care was taken to minimize the effect of many people trekking through the rooms. Not a stray twig or weed was to be found in the gardens and I wondered which owners did their own gardening and which ones hired landscapers. I will look forward to future events as I enjoyed this one very much. As an added bonus, my friend and I had lunch at the new Tony Pope's Restaurant. I love outdoor seating and their porch provided the perfect dining spot. The special being offered was roasted pig and paella. I opted for homemade pasta with wild mushroom and Parmesan cream sauce. It took an extraordinarily long time for us to be served (I guess they had to make the pasta from scratch) but it was worth waiting for. YUM!

As for Monday and Tuesday, I walked the Smith and Wasena park route. I was curious as to the distance so I drove it as closely to the actual route as I could and was shocked to learn that it's about 4 miles! The warm sunshine and singing birds provide enough interest to take your mind off of the distance. I even noticed a lemon-scented fragrance in the air but I couldn't determine which blooms it was coming from. The Blue Heron was keeping cool in the river and I guess he must like Roanoke enough to stick around.

Today I walked around downtown Roanoke. Market Street is sporting the new blue and white stripped awnings. I must say that I prefer the original yellow and white. The upgrade also means that other older awnings look all the worse next to the new ones. There were lots of potted flowers, plants, and herbs for sale today and thought the market seemed busy for a Wednesday afternoon. I'll be back for the Strawberry Festival this weekend as I can't resist the shortcake. Of course that means walking a few extra miles to work it off!

Trimming up

2007-04-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

It was far too nice outside to walk the mall today. Maintenance crews were going about their business of cutting the grass and wacking the weeds along the greenway by the river. I didn't know that mowing machines were made with such wide cutting blades. If I had a machine like that I could finish mowing my lawn in about 10 minutes. The tulips escaped the last freeze and are in beautiful bloom. Birds were calling out to their mates and fishermen lined the river waiting for a bite. I passed other walkers and bikers and suspect that, like me, they're trying to "trim up" too. Hopefully we will have many warm weather days ahead as beach season (and bathing suit season) approaches.

A time to tear down

2007-04-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

The past few days I've been doing my walking in Asheville, NC and Huntington, WV while visiting with family. After driving for nearly 1000 miles, it's good to get home. In all those miles, however, it was heart warming to see the tributes to the Hokies along the way. Things seemed a little closer to normal today and there were more smiles than frowns on the faces of the people I passed. Ever wonder what the innards of an escalator look like? Well, I snapped this picture from the stairs overlooking the dismantled escalator in front of Penney's. Now it's time for rebuilding - in more ways than one.

The Aftershock

2007-04-17T18:20:00.000-05:00

I walked the mall before meeting a friend for lunch today. It was quiet. People were still gathering in front of the television in Radio Shack. There were lots of conversations and people shaking their heads. I spoke to my sister on the phone while I walked. Her son will be starting college in the fall, likely at Tufts University. It's amazing how one day can change enthusiastic thoughts of him starting college to thoughts filled with trepidation. We discussed the difficulties of teaching kids how to be safe without causing emotional trauma from the lesson. In the aftermath of yesterday's terrible events, life continues. Workers were busy constructing the new mall entrance and the new Stein Mart entrance.

I met my friend for lunch. We hugged and struggled to hold back tears. She had good news about some of her former students who were at the scene yesterday and is still awaiting news about others. I listened to the governor and the president speak at the afternoon convocation service. I agree with Governor Kaine that the VT students that spoke on camera throughout the day yesterday were well spoken and poised. I hope that the world will remember them as the true ambassadors of the Virginia Tech student body and that their courage will overshadow the shooter's cowardice.

I continue to pray.

Too sad for words...

2007-04-16T15:01:00.000-05:00

Normally I would have already been on my way to the mall at 9:00 AM for my usual walk after visiting my chiropractor. Not this morning. This morning I came home first to get my tax documents together for mailing since I had an appointment for car repairs at 11:00 AM and had some extra time on my hands. The television was on and the news of today's VT shooting consumed the air waves. In my wildest dreams I would never have imagined what the following hours reporting would bring.

I dropped off the car and walked to the mall for a nail appointment and then to complete my normal walking routine. But nothing about today has been normal. As my nail technician has a television in the store, I watched news reports in disbelief as the reported number of dead and injured climbed.

I thought that perhaps continuing with my walking schedule I would be able to release some of the stress I was feeling. That didn't happen. A crowd was gathering in front of the television screens at Radio Shack. As my eyes met those of fellow shoppers and mall walkers, I found myself wondering which of them knew what was going on. Then thoughts turned to my own children. I thanked God that they have completed their college studies and did not have to experience a tragedy like this. Then I prayed that God would continue to watch over them and keep them safe.

I picked up my car and drove to church to pray. I left church in tears and I'm still in tears. I feel like I could pray for the rest of my life for those that died and are suffering from today's events and still have not prayed enough.

God help us all.

Sunrise service

2007-04-09T16:54:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Now it's time to walk off a bit of that ham. I got to Tanglewood a bit earlier than usual and so more of the stores were still dark inside. As I made my rounds it reminded me of watching things come to life with the sunrise. One by one the store lights come up and shoppers start to infiltrate the mall walkers. I guess that local school systems are on Spring break as I noticed lots of school aged children with their Grandparents. It made me a little melancholy as I missed my own grandson who left this morning with my daughter and son-in-law to return home after their Easter visit; short but sweet.

I imagine that the Spring garden will be dismantled as the Easter Bunny has moved on. The young man on the mall's cleaning staff was busy working on the mall benches. He painstakingly used his rags to clean between every wooden slat in the benches. Now that's Spring cleaning!

The folks who sell nuts in front of Belk's were setting up their goods today. I wondered where they prepared their nuts and if they have every considered actually making them at the mall. When I was at the Valley View mall on Saturday the smell of the nuts cooking was irresistible and I expect that they sell a much larger volume because of it. In fact, it seems to me that a vendor would consider appealing to as many of the senses as possible when trying to sell their products. Take for instance the furniture store that has a wall of Grandfather clocks. On all of my trips walking past the store I have never heard any of them ring. Wouldn't it be great to hear what the clocks sound like?

Boutique Day

2007-03-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

The skies looked threatening so I opted to walk the mall instead the park. It was later than my normal walking time and although the mall was relatively quiet, Stein Mart was buzzing. It seems that today was Boutique Day and Karen McNew was scheduled to give a health talk to be followed by a fashion show and refreshments. I only learned of this as I passed a sign in front of the store as I walked by. There were some chairs set up in the boutique department but since I had a luncheon appointment I couldn't stick around to participate. Too bad. It might have been fun. I did enjoy shopping for bargains though like the bed ensembles for 50% off. I hope the sale is still on when I have the money to spend.

The spring flags are hanging around the mall to announce Spring's arrival. The Easter Bunny was sitting for pictures today surrounded by a garden bursting with colorful flowers and cherub-faced little ones with wide eyes. That's right, the "Easter Bunny", not the Spring Bunny.

Too nice out for walking inside

2007-03-22T21:53:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's all those years of working indoors and often not even seeing the light of day that compel me to spend as much time as possible outdoors when the weather is so wonderful. Of course, the warm Spring weather means yard cleanup time. My aching back! That's OK because I have a great chiropractor and a fantastic massage therapist to keep me in shape. I first visited Dr. Chris Lauria before I even moved into my house upon relocating to Roanoke. I have been under the care of a half dozen chiropractors in the past and Dr. Chris is the best by far. He cares about his patients and offers wellness tips beyond chiropractic adjustments alone. He offers workshops and workouts to keep his patients healthy. He is always cheerful and I actually enjoy my visits.

My massage therapist is Jean Saade of Elegant Look Skincare. I have had therapeutic massages for the past 25 years and Jean is the very best at deep tissue massage therapy. His massages are like Lay's potato chips; nobody can have just one!

New and improved Jaclyn's Hallmark

2007-03-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

Even if I didn't have a reason to visit the new Jaclyn's Hallmark store I would have anyway. The bright lighting and colorful items on display are so attractive. But I did have a reason to explore because it's my mother's birthday on Saturday and I was looking for a gift. I explained to a sales associate what I was looking for. She led me to an area where there were similar items to what I had described, but not exactly what I was looking for. I thanked her and then continued exploring. After about 10 minutes the same sales associate approached me holding an item that was very close to what I had asked about. Since it was a promotional item I ended up buying it along with some greeting cards. I found it refreshing that this person kept looking for what I had described and even tracked me down in the store to show it to me. Now that's salesmanship!

On the bench

2007-03-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

You miss a few days of walking at the mall and suddenly there are walls where windows used to be. And the benches that are typically filled with old gents shooting the breeze while waiting on their wives have been relocated to a center isle in the mall. Based on the erection of the newest interior wall, I guess there's no hope that there will ever be an inside entrance to TJ Max. I hope that won't be the case when Stein Mart relocates.

I spent a couple of days this week near Leesburg in northern VA. A shopper's paradise! I hope that in the future we have shopping venues that will compare with those of our neighbors to the north. Of course, if that means we also need to build on every square inch of land and congest all of our roadways with traffic in order to get it, then forget it. I'll just take a little shopping trip now and then.

A busy Friday

2007-03-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what a difference a couple of days can make in setting up a new store. The new Hallmark location is almost put together and I'm sure that the staff will be relieved when the move is over. It's been interesting to see the changes in the mall as stores have moved from one location to another. I sometimes wonder, however, what were they thinking? For instance, why would TJ Max move to a spot that is not accessible from inside the mall. I used to shop there every time I went to the mall. But since they moved I have only visited the store twice. And what were the owners of the upper level hair salon next to Belk thinking when they decided that the exterior walls should be made totally of glass? I don't know about you, but when my head is wet, or covered with coloring solution, the last place I want to be is on display at the mall with strangers gawking at me as they walk by. I have never seen more than 2 people in there at any one time and they are usually men. They must be the kind of men that like the attention. Well, maybe that's the clientele that they're trying to attract. As for the new Chik-Fil-A location, it's a winner. I had hoped to grab a coffee for my walk today, but it turns out that noontime is a heck of a lot busier than first thing in the morning. I walked past the counter 3 times and the number of customers in each of 2 lines never dropped below 8. No problem. I just walked over to Starbucks at Barnes & Noble for my brew. The only problem there is that it tests your willpower to avoid getting a piece of cheesecake to go with that.

Keeping in clean

2007-02-26T19:49:00.000-05:00

Upon any trip around the Tanglewood Mall you will notice workers with cleaning carts that go about their business of trying to keep things clean. The glass doors and upper level barriers are usually sparkling even though there is still a lot of construction and mess going on. I have witnessed the tile around the fountain being scrubbed and garbage containers being cleaned up. Now, if they can just get all of those empty storefronts filled. I'm not sure if the empty stores are spoken for and just not up-and-running yet, or if they are available. At any rate, based on the top picks at MyRetailRoanoke.com I don't see much space that would be suitable for any of retailers listed, at least until Stein Mart vacates its current space. Personally, I think it would be great to get a DSW Shoe Warehouse. After all, you can never have too many shoes.

In the beginning...

2007-02-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

It's official. I am over the hill. I know this because I surf along with a wave of seniors as we complete our daily constitution at the mall. Our local mall is currently under renovation, much like those of us attempting to renovate our bodies. When I first relocated to Roanoke, VA I joined a local gym. Then came the downturn in the housing market and the subsequent elimination of my mortgage software consulting engagements. So, along with trimming my frame, I needed to trim my budget. I have exchanged my use of state-of-the-art training equipment, and choice of eight TV shows to watch while walking, for seeing a store window designer's latest imaginings come to life. Based on the selection of daytime TV programs available, I feel that I have traded up. I have discovered that I can get my Monday morning coffee for free and sip as I walk (you can't do that at the gym). I can also stop in to my favorite stores to see if that special item I've been eyeing has gone on sale. I can enjoy seeing the little ones giggling with delight as they ride on the carousel. It sure beats watching the size 2 anorexic twenty-somethings stair-stepping and resisting the urge to approach them and say "EAT SOMETHING". I feel that walking at the mall has also had a positive impact on my powers of observation. It's actually a much more stimulating environment than the gym (well, a different type of stimulation - wink, wink). For example, I've noticed a number of seniors that are dressed as if they've just shopped Steve & Barry's University Sportswear. I think we'll see this fashion trend continue because their clothing prices are great for anyone living on as limited budget as a college student. Of course, with fairer weather approaching I will naturally trade the mall walk for fresh air and sunshine and the views from a local park or greenway. So, if you've only been talking about starting that exercise program, stop talking and start walking. See you at the mall!