Hi Everybody,

Join us this Friday in a nice, 
smoke free listening room in
downtown Fredericksburg.

Laurie and Peter

www.laurieandpeter.com

 

Friday, May 9, 7:30-9:30
The Griffin Bookstore & Coffee Bar
723 Caroline St.
Fredericksburg, VA, 540-899-8041

 

        

May 07, 2008 in Artistry | Permalink | Comments

        

        

Just got to work after casting the 160th vote at my polling place. Both mayoral candidates were there and I got a chance to chat with Mayor Tomzak for the first time. No telling yet how this is all going to shake out but I thought that 160 votes at just one polling place by 9:30 was an indicator of a pretty good turnout.

The weather is beautiful and it's a good day to vote. Call a friend and offer them a ride to the polls.

Hugh Mercer School on Election Day

        

...to go to the polls and vote. I'm supporting the mayor for re-election but I will be glad when all the local "he said/she said" is over and off the news pages. Downside of it being over though is that the most excellent coverage of the contest by Emily Battle in the Free Lance-Star will be over as well. This young reporter has set a new and very high bar for local reporting. Congrats to her for a superb job. She should be well up in the running for some of those journalism awards that the paper touts every year.

Meanwhile as you contemplate that, get yourself in the car, on the bus or whatever transport you prefer and hi thee to your polling place and vote for the 3 toed tree sloth of your choice. (Thanks for the image, Clay!)

        

        

... this blog, some 265 posts ago.  I can see how far I have come. I began to think about this today while reading a piece on ProBlogger about how apologetic and self deprecating many bloggers seem to be. I don't have thousands or even hundreds of subscribers like Heather Armstrong on Dooce (over 7500 subscribers) but as I evaluate where I was and where I am I feel a lot better about the whole process. I began writing The Fredericksblog in June of 2006. Here's the first post I put up here:

"My usual morning coffee stop or hangout is Hyperion Espresso on William Street in downtown Fredericksburg. This morning an assortment of some of the usual morning crew were basking in the promise of another moderate summer day and talking about what a unique place Fredericksburg is. I commented that I had this ongoing urge to write about the town but that there was so much to tell about "The Burg" that I could never decide where to start.

On my way to the office this blog name popped into my head along with the notion of setting up a team blog where many people could contribute thoughts and commentary on the area. So, here it is or at least the beginnings of it. I'll be sending out invitations to participate in the next few days and we'll see what happens. Hopefully you'll see some interesting commentary in the future."

Now, going on two years later I have a solid core of people who read my ramblings although they do not formally subscribe ( a quick and painless process, by the way). I've met a lot of really talented musicians, artists, photographers and writers whose creations I have enjoyed a great deal. I've seen a lot of art, heard a lot of music, seen and taken a lot of photographs and the process of creating this blog has enriched my life and broadened my appreciation for all this area has to offer immeasurably. I've developed this blog and the concepts it is built on with no formal training and overall I'm pretty satisfied with the end product, mainly because I see it as a means to enhancing my feelings and perception of this amazing area where I have lived for the past 30 plus years. Thus I offer you who read this my thanks for reading thus far. Knowing it may have been useful to you on some occasions and that it may have enhanced your awareness of all that Fredericksburg has to offer to those who will open their ears and eyes to what's around them is reward enough for the effort and time this blog requires.

        

The Fredericksburg Area Museum joins the excitement of First Friday with a Market Square Concert Series.