Today Ben and I took our first real excursion into the wilds of Richmond. That is to say, we went somewhere that wasn’t VCU, the airport, the farmer’s market, Target/Kroger, or a bar/restaurant. We rode our bikes out to Belle Isle this morning, which was so much more incredible than I even expected it to be. Who knew there were places to swim, canoe, kayak, and rock climb just a few miles from our house?! Plus, it’s a great place to ride. I predict we will spend a lot of time out there. We spent close to 3 hours there today, just roaming around, taking pictures, wading in the river, and eating a delicious picnic. Aside from the unseasonably warm temperatures (90-something!), it was a gorgeous day well spent. (More pictures in my flickr.)

Tonight: Bollywood dance night at Cous Cous. I’ll report back to let you know whether it was amazing or SUPER-amazing. Happy Saturday!

Friday is my no-school day, thank God. Studied a bit, returned some stuff to Ross, did some early bday shopping for Ben, got groceries and had to go to no fewer than THREE stores to find tahini because I decided $9 a jar at Ukrop’s was beyond ridiculous. (Finally found it at Kroger on Broad Street for less than $4.) Braved the rain to check out First Friday. We ended up only really exploring one gallery, which was super crowded and sweaty. But they had some interesting exhibits. Drinks at Penny Lane Pub, then home.

Saturday, as mentioned, was the day of non-stop rain. After Ben got home from work we went to get our composter, buy him some duck shoes for work, and of course we had to stop at a frozen custard stand we saw. Dinner of polenta and Italian spinach while watching season three of The Office.

Sunday Ben had to work. I spent the morning studying, biked to the farmer’s market, did some housework and almost finished organizing my craft room. Started to wonder what was up when Ben wasn’t home from work by 3 (he usually gets here around 2:30) and wasn’t answering my calls or texts. Tried to chill and reminded myself that it’s not uncommon for him to be so busy he can’t even look at his phone. Couldn’t remember him telling me he had to stay late, but thought it was plausible that he did, what with all the extra billionaires’ planes they were having because of the race (the NASCAR Chevy Rock & Roll 400). Forgot about going to church because I was trying to figure out where my husband could be. Kept busy with some more studying and flickring til about 5. Started making dinner. Dinner was ready around 6. Still no Ben. Decided I should drive to the airport and see if he was still there or if I should start freaking out. Figured if he was still working, he’d be starving, so I fixed him a bowl of food. He was there, and he was hungry, and I felt pretty silly for all my worst-case scenario imaginings. Poor guy didn’t end up getting home til almost 8. That’s a 14-hour day. Stupid race.

Well, I may have killed my dear little Tommy-Toe (you might say he was an unfortunate casualty of the move), but at least my avocado is alive and well (with a debt owed to Jess):

Also in the vein of planting/growing/fertility, yesterday we bought a composting machine! We got it for a steal thanks to this post that I just happened to spy while perusing the Church Hill People’s News for interesting happenings yesterday. I can’t wait to set it up and start making dirt.

In other news, we survived Hanna unscathed (although there were some pretty bad car accidents in Richmond during the rain, but thankfully no major flooding or other damage that I know of), and it looks like we’re out of the path of Ike. Yesterday was non-stop rain and wind, but it’s gorgeous out today, so I’m gonna ride my bike down to the 17th Street Farmer’s Market and pick up some veggies before church. Then it’s back to more delightful reading about stanzaic forms in poetry and theories of teaching composition and rhetoric. Hope your weekend was happy!