Anthony's on the Hill, Richmond, Virginia

Anthony’s on the Hill is an Italian Restaurant located in The Church Hill district area of Richmond. It is one of those little neighborhood restaurants that I wish was in my neighborhood back home in Pittsburgh. The restaurant was small and had a few tables. It has a full menu, pizza, and take-out orders. The place also has delivery service.

It was a comfortable place, and the food was truly fresh and delicious. My salad was one of the freshest house salads I have ever eaten. It was packed with crispy greens, black olives, fresh tomatoes and croutons. But it was the balsamic dressing that made the salad so good.

The bread that came with the olive oil for dipping was also great. Both the balsamic vinegar and olive oil was the best that I ever have ever tasted! My eggplant parmigiana was freshly made, and the home made marinara sauce was delicious.

Everything at Anthony’s on the Hill is made fresh on a daily basis. The waiter was friendly, the bill was reasonable, the surroundings, comfortable and the food was top notch. If I lived in the area, this restaurant would be my weekly stop, where everyone would know my name and visa versa.

Historic St. John's Church in Richmond, VA

I sat down in one of the dark wooden pews and drank in the beauty of St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. My thoughts were that this was such a solid, quiet, beautiful, church filled with history. I felt excited knowing that Patrick Henry gave his “Give me Liberty or give me Death” speech in this church. I was overwhelmed with so many other feelings as well.

When our guide talked about Patrick Henry, the Virginia colonists, taxation laws, and ended with the rallying point of Patrick Henry’s speech, I felt that if I were there at that time, I would have jumped up and yelled, “Count me in!”

It’s hard to believe that this church was around in 1775, and that speech was given on March 23, 1775. It boggles my mind to know that the church was built and completed in 1741, and has undergone improvements, expansion, and renovation. But mostly I am amazed and happy to see that it is still standing today.

St. John’s Church is one of the oldest churches built and designated a landmark. What’s more amazing and comforting to know is that it is still an active church with a thriving Episcopal community of worshipers. 

A Trip to Richmond, Virginia

Both my friend and I were ready for our road trip to Richmond, Virginia, to begin. Our trip started out early enough and we eventually got to our destination late that night. Our strange trip took a long time and we were in some of the back roads of West Virginia. But the scenery along the way was beautiful.

Suni, my friend, had planned our itinerary and I was looking forward to going back to Virginia and visiting a few museums. The trip was planned to coincide with Suni’s birthday and to take in the special flower exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where there would be five Vincent van Gogh paintings included.

The Marriott Hotel that we stayed in was in downtown Richmond. It was within walking distance of a number of interesting sites. Other places we would drive to. We did walk around and see some of the neat architecture, the Capitol Building, The Confederacy Museum, and the Valentine Museum. Other places were farther and we had to drive to them, like the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, the historic Church Hill area, St. John’s Church, where Patrick Henry gave his fiery speech, “Give me liberty or give me death!” We also drove along Monument Blvd where there were huge statues of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Jeb Steward, Arthur Ashe, and others.

Richmond is a rich city with an interesting history. There are a lot of things to do and see for those interested in the Civil War history or just the history of a pretty city.

Our trip back home went smoothly. The best part of traveling with a friend is the camaraderie and laughter, no matter what happens along the way!

Respect for LeBron

Win or lose, I have a new found respect for LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player. When LeBron left the Cavs a few years ago, I felt angry and disappointed. To be honest, I also knew that he would win an NBA championship with the Miami Heat.  I was jealous of that fact.

When LeBron decided to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers and come back to play, I was leery but secretly excited. Here was the Akron, Ohio local boy, who was first signed by Cleveland when he was 18 and right out of high school. Now, the ‘prodigal son’, has returned and I, along with the rest of the Cavs fans have embraced his comeback and story.

I never thought he could carry this year’s team this far. I hoped but thought it might take another year or two to make it to a play-off game. I think LeBron’s maturity had definitely helped and set the tone of play for this team. While watching the team play, one can see the influence and camaraderie of the team itself.

During the play-off games, my admiration and respect for LeBron has grown. I have watched his face and have seen his sheer determination, focus, drive and desire to win. He has helped to bring the team this far. He has ignited his teammates.

LeBron is a pure physical machine. The look on his face during the games, says it all, no words are needed.

Win or lose, I have gained a profound respect for LeBron James.

Teachers Who Rock

I remember a few teachers who taught me when I was younger. Some of them stood out because they were good teachers – maybe a bit strict but they were fair. Others were plain nice and some down-right horrible. But even now, 5o+ years after the fact, I can still remember some of the teachers that touched my life, like Sr. Frances de Sales, Mrs. Schneider, Sr. Raphael, Sr. Visitation, and Sr. Blanche.

Now, while sitting through my oldest grandson’s 8^th grade graduation, I was first thinking how proud I am of my grandson, Matthew. By the way…congratulations, Matt!!! Then I started thinking about some of the really good teachers that stood out in my kid’s life from Kindergarten through High School.

There were a number of religious and lay people who stood out. First there was Sr. Ruth, principal of St. Theresa’s who always took a stand and never backed down. Then there was Pat O’Connell, besides being a good teacher, she just loved students and made all of them feel special.

But there were really two teachers who were the best: First there was Mrs. Wist, who taught Kindergarten at Franklin Elementary School. Mrs. Wist was beyond special…somehow words are hard to describe this extraordinary woman. She walked everywhere, and that included back and forth to school. My two youngest children had her, one year apart. Her lessons were never the same and they were never boring. She made sure that she changed her lesson plans. But even in her late 60s, she was as fresh as a young seasoned teacher. She definitely was young at heart. She approached her teaching with love, excitement, and fresh eyes. She even took her teaching out of the classroom and would invite her students to her house, for dinner, in small groups, where they dressed up and sat at the table with Mrs. Wist and her husband, who was the Mayor of Franklin Park, and talked and later played games.

When Mrs. Wist retired, she left a real legacy and millions of memories throughout the community, through all the children she taught, and the families that she touched.

The night of my grandson’s graduation from St. Sebastian School, it was the end of his grade school journey but it was also the end of another special teacher’s journey, Mrs. Ravis. Mrs. Ravis, 7^th and 8^th grade Social Studies teacher, was retiring after 30 years of dedicated teaching. She had taught five of my children, and my grandson would be the last Gauntner that she would ever teach. She loved my kids and grandson, and in return, they loved her. Mrs. Ravis was a wonderful Social Studies teacher, full of life and energy in her classroom.  Every other year, she would have a Great Americans Day where the students would dress up like a famous American and they would celebrate with a program and a special cake. Mrs. Ravis has a big and loving heart, and her students and the families saw it, every day. Mrs. Ravis also had battled cancer, took a leave of absence, and came back to teach. She has shown courage to all who have met her.

So…I especially want to send kudos out to Mrs. Wist and Mrs. Ravis for all their years of teaching and for all the love and knowledge that they have given to their students!

51 year Championship Drought!

I’ve been watching the Cleveland Cavaliers play and win their Western Conference. They are now resting up until they meet the Golden State Warriors on June 4^th to play for the NBA Championship.

I have always been a fan of the Cavs. I will also be honest…I was disappointed in LeBron James when he announced on national television that he was taking his game to South Beach. And I rooted for every team that played against the Miami Heat.

When LeBron came back to the Cavs, I thought, okay, whatever. The owner of the Cavs, finally got it right, went out, and got a good supporting cast to play with LeBron. The team already had Kyrie Irving.

With the sweep of the Hawks, the Cavs will have a much needed break to rest and heal. I realized that the Cavs are four games from winning their first NBA Championship. In a city with three major teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland Browns…Cleveland has gone 51 years without winning a championship game of any kind. The last team to win a championship was the 1964 Cleveland Browns football team. The three teams have reached 143 seasons without a championship. That is a very long time, and I for one, am thirsty for a championship in Cleveland.

I definitely liked one of the signs that was on television during the Cavs game – ‘Team Work makes the Dream Work.’  I am a believer now!