[from Rachelle – reflections on June 19th]

COLORS OF THE DAY: Grass Green, Maroon & Orange

Driving through Virginia in the summer is very lush. The gradations of green are broken up by the occasional billboard which I find optically stimulating. (I tend to prefer billboards to break up the visual monotony, that’s why I find driving through Maryland eye-numbing)

When we approached Virginia Tech I saw memorial magnets on bumpers in the classic orange and maroon emblazoned in our collective memories during the April tragedy. Most of the evidence of that day has been taken down on the campus. I’m struck with how global the tragedy was but when we walked around campus and Norris Hall things seemed much smaller and much more localized. The famous VT limestones seemed weighty and silent.

Collage #2 is a bit more abstract. I’m tired of the over-literalism of VT images and this seemed appropriate to my mood of the day.

RESTAURANT LOG:

Breakfast: Sheetz in Winchester. We both had the “Seriously Bold Coffee” drinks custom-ordered on a touch pad screen. Nifty! P.S. Unleaded Gas was $2.75/gallon

Lunch: Souvlaki’s in downtown Blacksburg. Seriously yummy cheesecake, slow on service with a busy lunch crowd.

Dinner: Jason’s Deli in Raleigh. Graphics, cleanliness and menu presentation was outstanding but we were utterly disappointed with the price and quality. Jeremiah’s kid’s meal was a microwaved pizza with 3 pepperonis. Jeremiah gives it a “4” which is the lowest score so far on this trip. Rachelle took a trip to the salad bar (passable) and ordered a Fiesta baked potato. I used to eat baked potatoes at Jason’s Deli in Dallas all the time. In fact, I was eating one at lunch time when I first heard about the Oklahoma City bombing so it’s a distinctive memory. I was looking forward to this potato! However, it was shockingly gross, like a pseudo-cheesesteak smashed under a tire. The potato itself was huge but swimming in a pool of butter and orange liquid that calls itself “cheese.” There was supposed to be chicken in the mix but I think I only counted 5 chunks bobbing up and down somewhere. I couldn’t bear to eat more than a couple bites but passed it down to our “never-say-no” friends (i.e. Joe Chen). Dj ordered a sandwich/potato chip platter. Add drinks and it all cost $30. Fortunately, we weren’t there for the food, but for our awesome Raleigh friends whom we met when we lived there from 1995-1997.