Richmond dancer debuts with Riverdance
When the Irish dance troupe Riverdance kicked off its 25th anniversary North American tour this year, someone special appeared in its high-stepping cast: the troupe’s first Black female dancer. Morgan Bullock, from Midlothian, said she’s been mesmerized by the dance style since she first saw it at age 10. She makes her professional U.S. stage debut in the production. She recently... READ MORE
Springtime at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
As Alfred Austin, English writer and poet said, “To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body but the soul.” Rated second on the Travel Channel’s list of top botanical gardens in America, the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a vast playground of architectural design, plants and flowers. What can you do at Richmond’s world-famous garden? Wander its 82 acres, bask in a... READ MORE
Loving a frumpy car — and proud of it
When two old-ish people buy a new car, they fall into one of two camps. Camp One: Let’s buy something zingy and silly, to prove that blood is still coursing through our veins. Camp Two: Let’s buy something dowdy and reliable, a bit like us. Eleven years ago, my wife and I did not have to ponder for very long. We chose Camp Two. Thus was born our Bu. The Chevrolet people call ... READ MORE
Read these books for a dose of nostalgia
The Bibliophile One of the prerogatives of aging is looking back through rose-colored glasses at the world inhabited by our younger selves. These books will reinforce your perceptions that the good old days were just as great as you remember. Look: How a Highly Influential Magazine Helped Define Mid-Twentieth-Century America, by Andrew L. Yarrow, 384 pages, Potomac Books hardcover,... READ MORE
How to cope with loss and find new love
“Love is one of the most joyous things that anchors the human experience. That’s why it’s so hard to give it up.” Those are the opening sentences of Finding Love After Loss, a book published last fall about the challenges of widowhood that addresses how to cope, survive and maybe find love a second time around. According to the 2020 Census, there are 11.37 million widows and... READ MORE
The play’s still the thing for over 20 years
In this season of discontent, the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company offers solace in the beauty and drama of theater. From its modest beginnings 20 years ago, the company is now among the 15 largest Shakespeare theater companies in the country. Its repertoire has expanded beyond the Bard to feature more modern classics. In fact, its new season opened in February with the company premiere ... READ MORE
When, where and how to prune plants
Master Gardeners often get questions about how and when to prune correctly — and we also get questions about how to “fix” shrubs when pruning has gone wrong. The first piece of advice is to reduce the need for pruning by selecting the right plant for the right place, including the appropriate cultivar. For example, crape myrtles range from ‘Natchez,’ which grows 30 feet... READ MORE
Watch Bob Levey carbon date himself
By now, we graybeards should have stopped declaring that the good old days were always good. Our grandchildren are our reality check. “Oh, so you thought TV with rabbit ears was so great, Grandpa? Well, now we have 1,000 channels on cable.” “Oh, so you thought a cross-country train was a big deal, Grandma? Now we can make that trip in five hours.” As for rotary-dial... READ MORE
Teacher helps others with their memoirs
It’s difficult for anyone to put the hard truths of their life on paper. But Valley Haggard, a Richmond writer, teacher and mentor to many, seems to have found the formula. In her “Life in Ten Minutes” class sessions, Haggard teaches writers and non-writers how to share their innermost secrets — from their traumatic experiences to their greatest joys. “When you tell your... READ MORE
New insights about George Washington
The Bibliophile Our first president remains the focus of research by historians 290 years after his birth. These books by older authors shed light on fascinating aspects of his multifaceted life. First and Always: A New Portrait of George Washington, by Peter R. Henriques, 240 pages, University of Virginia Press hardcover, 2021 Historian Peter Henriques has spent a distinguished... READ MORE
