Anniversary Trip Miscellany

It's the last day I'll mention the trip...I promise! I just thought I would throw in some of the random things that didn't fit on any other day! And also - though it doesn't seem like a destination you would find on a travel site, if you have a chance to get away to Richmond, I'd say go for it! A little history...a little chocolate...a little amazing Airbnb. :)

Anyway...here are a few peeks at the random! These are in no particular order.

I mentioned that Wayne County is the land of murals. There are 80 some of them in the county, we read. We didn't see them all, of course. But here are a few. 

Murals fascinate me so much. SO much detail goes into them and I can't even imagine trying to paint one.

I almost forgot to tell you this one, but my dad is originally from this area, so one of the things I really wanted to do was go past the house my Grandma had lived in when I was a kid. Not gonna lie...it wasn't in great shape then, and I was SHOCKED to see that it's not only still standing 26 years later, but also appears to still be inhabited. 

And then, you guys, we went to look for her grave. I haven't seen it since the day of her funeral, and there I was, out running around in the snow, looking for this stone. I called my Mom and she was able to mention a gazebo, which I found, and then I finally found the stone itself! Grandma was my buddy when I was a kid, and she never got to know Ryan. It just felt important to me to visit her grave together.

Found some cute things in stores:

You know it isn't a Shafferland vacation without a story, right? On our second day there, we got a text from a friend of mine who lives in the area (hey, Allison!!) who said, "Did you know the dog food factory down the road from your Airbnb is on fire?" 

UM, NO!!!!!!

We actually happened to be driving back to the Airbnb right at that moment, and when we arrived, indeed, we could not get down the block to our parking spot! The fire was about two blocks down, but they were using the hydrant on the corner, and the hose ran across the road, so no one was allowed to drive down there.

And THEN (oh no! I'm not done!) my friend Allison texted back and said, "OH! And by the way, did you know the US Marshals were in town today to pick up a fugitive??"

STOP IT!! WHAT?!?!!?!? She sent me the link and indeed, they had been in Richmond to pick up a guy who barricaded himself in an attic. Nothing a little tear gas couldn't handle, apparently.

Anyway...back to stories. Let's see what else I haven't shown you yet...

Well, speaking of Allison, she and her husband own a company in Wayne County, and she said I should come by their office building to see the mural there. This building is just down the street from the Levi Coffin house I told you about yesterday, and in related news, Levi used to own this building, too. So the mural pays homage to the Underground Railroad. It was actually one of my favorite murals we saw:

Allison showed us that if you look closely, you'll see faces in the tree...all the symbolism. Do you see them? (In the branches.)

And then...it was time to go home. Always sad.

Thanks for tagging along - a hundred days long - to our trip. We hope you enjoyed a virtual vacation!