O' Christmas Tree

click on photo to enlarge

Downtown Roanoke

Friday night we went downtown to check out the annual Dickens of a Christmas...they had a winter carnival going on...last week was the lighting of the Christmas Tree...doesn't it look pretty?!

Linking up with Mersad's Through My Lens

Wholesale Row

click on photo to enlarge

Downtown Roanoke

Looking at the backside of the Roanoke Warehouse Historic District, also known as "Wholesale Row".

Today I am thankful for early morning texts from my daughter Ashlyn! Her boyfriend's best friend found one of the rocks I had hidden for our Facebook group Botetourt Rocks so she texted to let me know he found my rock haha...it's a small world! Also thankful for sunshine! It's going to be a beautiful fall day with lots of sun and blue skies!

Linking up with Michelle's Thankful Thursday :)

Downtown View

click on photo to enlarge

Glass enclosed pedestrian bridge . Roanoke

I've probably shown you this view a few times but I can never resist to take a picture when I'm here...I love how everything reflects in the glass of the pedestrian bridge and downtown always looks so colorful...the mountain straight ahead is Mill Mountain where the STAR is...

Linking up with Mersad's Through My Lens

Rooftops

click on photo to enlarge

Downtown Roanoke

"It's a crack, I'm back yeah standing
On the rooftops shouting out,
Baby I'm ready to go
I'm back and ready to go
From the rooftops shout it out....."

If I say the word "rooftops" I start singing this song in my head instantly haha


Today I am thankful for the older generation with stories to tell! On Tuesday I worked the polls and was at the ballot station with another lady. We had a lot of time together and she told me so much about the history of our county, Botetourt...her great grandparents settled here and it was so interesting to just listen to her tell me about the early days and the original families here! Listen up to these people, they have so much to share!

Linking up with Michelle's Thankful Thursday

Have a great day!

Hartsook Building

click on photo to enlarge

Downtown Roanoke

I've walked by this building so many times...some sort of shop is in it now but I can't remember what and I have never been inside...weird of me...anyways, it was neat learning about its history! Here's what I found:
Roanoke City Market, circa 1925
A black and white photograph of Roanoke City Market, Market Square and First Street SE in Roanoke, Virginia circa 1925. The view is looking south with many people and vehicles surrounding the farmer's market. The Hartsook Building is visible in the center of the photograph.
Thomas Everhart Benton Hartsook was a prominent real estate dealer of German and English descent, who moved to Roanoke in 1891 and opened an office on Jefferson Street. By 1896, he had built the two-story brick Hartsook Building that overlooks Market Square at the southeast corner of Market Street and Campbell Avenue. The building served as his office and residence with his wife and daughter. The History of Roanoke County noted that Mr. Hartsook “purchased a farm of 526 acres, known as the Mill Mountain farm, within 30 minutes drive of the business center of the city, a portion of which he intends to plant to fruit.” Known as the Hartsook Estate, it covered nearly half of the community including some of the eastern slope of Mill Mountain. It is currently a housing development known as Mill Mountain Estates.
Here's the photo they are talking about:

I found all that right HERE
and then I also found THIS interesting news story about his estate and where it once stood...I'm going to have to go look for it! Wonder what happened to it? Obviously this needs more digging around!

Linking up with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures ...on Wednesday :)

Coffee or Dr. Pepper?

click on photo to enlarge

Downtown Roanoke

Aren't these great? From what I have read, both signs date back to the 1940's.

For a little history on Dr. Pepper in Roanoke Click Here and for a little H & C Coffee history Click Here

Linking with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

More Street Art

click on photos to enlarge
Wilson Hughes Gallery. 117 Campbell Ave SW . Roanoke . 24011

The last couple of weeks I have shown you bits of the wall of the Wilson Hughes Gallery....here's the rest!

Linking up with Monday Murals & Through My Lens & Mascha's Weekend Green

Old Car & Photo Shoot

click on photo to enlarge
Downtown Roanoke

There's just something about old cars...
that draw guys in...

Linking up with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures
a little late this week! Ashlyn and I worked the polls for the Virginia Primary yesterday...long day! Fun though...the people we work with are just so nice and fun to be around...and the voters are always friendly...and I didn't know that Meryl Streep's twin sister lives right here in Botetourt County...she came in to vote...seriously, this woman looked exactly like Meryl Streep! I told her so and she said that wasn't the first time she's heard that!

Happy Wednesday :)

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 127

click on photos to enlarge
1)
The Quarter . 19 Salem Avenue . Roanoke
Linking with Weekend Reflections

2)
Downtown Roanoke

3)
Troutville

4)
Troutville

5)
Dalton at 3rd...the boys had their first game last night...not a good start, we lost 5-3...oh well!

That's my 5 this week and I hope you will play along too! Post 5 randoms, link back and visit others! Thanks so much for joining in/visiting!



Have a great weekend!

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 113

click on photo to enlarge

Market Street Walkway . Roanoke

Sorry I'm late for Willy Nilly today...lack of sleep from the day before and first day back at school = wiped out and fell asleep! Here we go:

1) Like I said we went back to school yesterday...our Christmas break is over...I enjoyed it...over too quick...as always...

2) On Tuesday the boys and I went and saw Passengers in 3D...it was good...we all liked it...

3) On Wednesday I took Ashlyn out shopping to get her some things for her Dallas trip...we had lunch and shopped...it was nice spending the day with just her...something we don't get to do too often anymore!

4) We are supposed to get some snow tonight...maybe a couple of inches...doesn't seem like the weathermen really know and have been all over the board with the forecast...

5) Nick got me an Ancestry DNA test for Christmas...I am really excited to get my results back...If you have never noticed before I have a genealogy blog HERE ...I need to get back in it...it has been a while!

Well that is my 5 this week and I hope you will join in too! Post 5 randoms, link back and visit others! Have a great weekend!


I'm linking with Weekend Reflections
and Photo Friday

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 112

click on photos to enlarge
Sites from downtown:
1)

Elmwood Park
This guy was about to lose his pants...I waited for him to move to the side so I could get a picture of the fountain ahead but it just wasn't happening so whatever...funny thing is we kept seeing him randomly pop up all over the place while we were walking around haha...

2)

Doors of the old Norfolk Southern Building

3)

Up ahead is the old Norfolk Southern Building I mentioned in #2...it was just recently purchased as Norfolk Southern relocated their headquarters down to Atlanta... Linking with Weekend Reflections

4)

Center In The Square...on a nice day one of my favorite things to do while downtown is to visit the rooftop on Center In The Square...it provides such a great view of the city...

5)

This is a view from the rooftop of Center In The Square looking back the way we walked in...see that big building on the left? That is the old Norfolk Southern Building...you can also just make out the fountain to the right of it that I showed you in #1...this is the way we usually walk into downtown...starting at Elmwood Park and down past the fountain!

That's my 5 this week! I look forward to seeing your randoms! Don't forget to link up and visit others!! Happy New Year!!

Colorful Downtown

click on photo to enlarge

Pricey townhouses along Norfolk Avenue . Downtown Roanoke

Linking with Wordless Wednesday

Revisiting Colonial American Bank

click on photos to enlarge

Colonial American Bank . Downtown Roanoke . 1926

This gorgeous clock might look familiar to you because I showed it to you HERE not too long ago but in that photo you couldn't see the pretty green details. I love, love, LOVE this clock!

Linking up with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 110

click on photos to enlarge
1)

These 2! I have the best time with these 2 boys and my heart will break when they are older and more independent and have less time for me. Such is growing up...(downtown Roanoke)

2) And then:

as we were walking away from the above location we saw this! I mean really!! It's not often we eat fast food but when we do you can be sure I am going to eat every.last.french.fry! I'm not even going to lie about that!

3)

Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge
"History: The former First Street Bridge (which was also called the Henry Street Bridge) underwent a $4 million renovation in 2007 and reopened as a pedestrian bridge renamed in honor of the slain civil rights leader. The narrow bridge once provided a vehicle crossing over the railroad tracks between downtown and the Gainsboro neighborhood, where Henry Street was the retail and entertainment hub for many black Roanokers before “urban renewal” projects wiped out much of the neighborhood. The bridge was repaired numerous times over the decades and was closed to traffic in 2000. Since reopening in February 2008, the bridge has been a primary walkway for people who live in apartments in the renovated Norfolk and Western headquarters, who attend classes at the Roanoke Higher Education Center or who just want to admire the bronze statue of King at the north end of the bridge and listen to recordings of his speeches. It is the last steel truss bridge in Roanoke." Found that HERE along with a list of historic bridges in Roanoke...I need to make that my mission to visit each one and snap a photo!

4)

Statue of MLK Jr at the bridge in #3
In the 2nd photo you might recognize the white building to the right from Tuesday's post!

5)

"I have a dream" MLK Jr. bridge

That is my 5 this week! Please share your 5 randoms with us! Link back, visit others! Thanks so much and have a great weekend!

Market Street Walkway

click on photo to enlarge

Downtown Roanoke
The walkway takes us over the train tracks, but look up, more train tracks!

Today, on Thankful Thursday I am thankful for a wood stove and a wood delivery guy who delivers wood when you need it! We have some cold weather today and overnight with crazy windchills...starting out tomorrow morning at about 10 degrees with windchills bringing us to zero! Bundle up!

Linking with Michelle's Thankful Thursday

Jefferson Street

click on photo to enlarge

Downtown Roanoke

Taken the Sunday after Thanksgiving...Sunday's are pretty quiet downtown...

Woolworths

Campbell Avenue . Roanoke . circa 1920's

I've loved this art deco sign since first seeing it. I've always wondered though why it is called "The Woolworth" and in my search for info this morning I learned that this building has had several different lives but nothing has stuck since the Woolworth days and it now may or may not be apartments...I saw where they were converting it to apartments and office space but that is about how far the info went that I found and when converting they changed the name to THE Woolworth...guess it makes it sound fancier...I prefer the original though. I guess I'm more traditional :)

Linking up with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

Parking Garage

click on photo to enlarge

These cut outs brighten up a boring old parking garage on Campbell Avenue . Roanoke

It sure is hard getting back into the routine after a nice 5 day weekend!

Linking with Monday Murals

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 103

click on photos to enlarge
Scenes from downtown Roanoke:
1)

2)

On Sunday after we were finished at the Go Outside Festival, we headed downtown for a late lunch at Texas Tavern...now we've eaten here quite a few times and I've shown you a few pictures but I have never taken a picture from across the street so I told my guys to stand in front while I snap a photo...

I zoomed in to get a closer look...and then when I got home and downloaded my pics I realized that I cut off the top of the building...the cute little curvy part that gives it that extra character and says "Texas Tavern"...now how did I miss that?...anyway...

3)

I was trying to go for a Beatles Abbey Road thing here but my people don't cooperate...

4)

5)

Isn't Roanoke a beautiful city? I just love downtown!

That's my 5 this week...I hope you will join in! Post 5 randoms, link back and visit others! Have a great weekend!


This week has been a doozy...Christian's car broke down and while it was in the shop for a few days, I played Uber driver getting him to and from school and I just didn't have my normal morning routine...now that he has his car back I shall have my regular schedule again...knock wood!

Heironimus

click on photos to enlarge

This was a department store based here in Roanoke since 1890. It's been closed since I've lived here. Not sure what is going on with the building...probably be taken over by fancy lofts eventually!

Linking up with Signs, Signs