I’m back.

Over the past few months, I can’t count the number of times I have experienced something around town or been in a situation when I wished that I had my camera. (Who’s going to say it never snows in Roanoke anymore?) During my time away from from this blog the past few months my mind still frequently filled with things I wanted to write about, as well as pictures I wanted to take.

However, for one reason or another my busy life took a greater hold of me and everything related to Noke News went on hiatus. But, I’ve missed blogging and I’m coming back. I hope those of who followed the blog in the past will consider following again. So, without further ado…

As far as weather, today wasn’t exactly the best day for me to begin blogging and taking pictures again. The sunny skies early in the week have passed and now there are plenty of clouds, and it’s a bit gloomy outside. Where there are plenty of clouds, there is usually rain and I think Roanoke is in for a decent soaking over the next several hours.

Nonetheless, I went out downtown during lunch and managed to snap a few photos:

A mist hangs over the top of Mill Mountain.

Benches in Elmwood Park seem worn and weathered from the particularly harsh winter this year. I doubt that will stop them from being occupied during the warmer months ahead, though.

During a rather gloomy day I did manage to find some color courtesy of the cars on this train and buildings in the background.

Have a great weekend!

I’m back.

Well, I didn’t intend to take a leave of absence from the site but that’s just what happened. I guess time flies when you’re having fun (or working a lot in my case).

I’ve had many ideas for posts recently, but not enough time to write a full post on each idea. So, I’m just going to kinda give a brief round-up of some ideas to help me get back in the swing of things.

Skunks in Roanoke

Does anyone else think it seems like there are more signs and smells of skunks around town this year? I smell them at least about once a week or more often, usually at night.

I frequently drive between Roanoke and Salem in the evenings (after dark) and more times than not somewhere along the way I catch the whif of a skunk. In fact, just last night I saw one just off to the side of the road. And last week one crossed the street in front of me. At other times they aren’t seen, but they are definitely smelled. Maybe they have always been around, but it seems like I’m smelling them a lot more than I used to.

Relatively Mild Summer So Far

For the month of July so far it’s been fairly mild for the most part. After a short dryspell, a couple showers recently helped the area foliage. Otherwise, the nights have been very mild and sometimes even a little crisp as temperatures dipped down into the 50s and 60s.

There is still August so likely still more than a few hot and humid days ahead, though.

Didn’t Make the Salem Fair

I didn’t have a chance to go to the Salem Fair this year. I just didn’t have the time. Maybe I’m showing my age (I turn 30 this year) but The Festival in the Park is much more my speed. I do enjoy amusement park rides but I like the real deal (such as Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens) and primarily at these fairs and fesitvals I just walk around with friends or family and check out the exhibitors/vendors.

Going to the Movies in Roanoke

The more I go out to movies in Roanoke, the more I realize the best place to go is and always will be the Grandin Theatre. I know it’s probably the weakest theater in the area in terms of technology (picture and sound quality) but the reality is the theater is the best option in terms of a respectful audience.

By respectful I mean an audience that goes and pays for a ticket with the notion that they will actually sit still and watch a movie for a couple hours. Talking, moving around, and being disruptive during the movie and using the cell phone (talking and texting) is rampant at other area theaters in my experience. Most recently I observed it this past Saturday when I took my brother out to see the new Transformers movie at the Valley View theater.

However, I’ve never had this problem at the Grandin Theatre. The Grandin may not have the most comfortable seats, but I’ll make do if it means I can watch a movie in relative peace and quiet. They do have pretty good popcorn, too.

I hadn’t checked some of the visitor stats for this blog in a while, but I had a chance to over the weekend. What I found a little interesting were some of the phrases people typed in a search engine which led them to Noke News.

Common search terms may be for various points of interest that I’ve written about such as the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Bridge.

But, some of the following I consider a bit more uncommon:

(From December 2008)

“cold football game”
“people at cold football game pictures”
“va tech football va game scoreboard picture”

I hope my trip to a bitter cold Virginia Tech football game back in November was a little helpful to these visitors.

“greenway from best buy to hotel roanoke”

They must be referring to Lick Run Greenway.

“i went to vwcc”

So did I! I wrote a post about the school here.

“is it going to snow in roanoke va this winter”

Well, it did snow a dusting here in Roanoke back in December. Not much has fallen since then aside from some flurries. There is actually a chance of some today.

“is k&w open on christmas in roanoke,va”

I’m not sure, I went there on Thanksgiving, but that probably wasn’t much help.

“noke city va”

I just thought it was cool that somebody searched using the “Noke” slang.

“pictures of fried wingettes”

I have no clue about this one….but I hope they found this site interesting.

Some 3 or so years ago I reserved the domain name for this site. I thought the name was catchy, but I had no idea what to do with it. So, for the longest time over many months the website sat idle with “Under Construction” pasted on the homepage.

Then, sometime in late 2007 I was introduced to this whole blogging phenomenom. Blogging has been around for years, and I found myself starting to regularly follow various blogs on topics such as personal finance. Being able to read about stuff written by real, everyday other people was cool.

In some small fashion I wanted to do the same here in writing about my experiences in Roanoke.

For those of you already out there blogging you may have experienced some of the following already. For those considering starting a blog (on any topic of your choosing), I implore you to give it a shot. Here are some of my own personal experiences from the first year as a blogger:

That not only local area residents read your blog

I’ve received some friendly emails and comments from people who may have once called Roanoke home, but are now living in different parts of the nation. And they are still interested in some of the goings on in this quaint city of Southwest Virginia.

That I’m now more inclined to visit places around town I otherwise wouldn’t have

This site has given me the extra push to visit places and areas I may not have otherwise gone. For example, I never would’ve gone to Brown-Robertson Park, or ridden a bicycle along Lick Run Greenway if not for this site. I mean, they’re supposed to be “bad” areas, right?

That make no mistake, blogging is work

Blogging is really a fair amount of work and is basically a part-time job. At minimum I spend 5 hours during a typical week with all things Noke News, and sometimes as much as 10-20 hours a week going around and taking pictures, then writing up posts. But, I view it more as a hobby than work. Sometimes, since I usually keep my camera in the car, I just drive around for a bit and look for a great photo opportunity.

Other blogging opportunities

And finally, that after getting through a year with this site I’m persuaded to launch another blog sometime in the next few weeks. To get ahead of the game, I have written a few dozen articles for that blog so everything will be easier to manage. (The new blog will be on an entirely different topic and I probably won’t mention anymore about it here.)

Well, that’s it. Again, I encourage you to find a topic or topics you like or want to know more about and consider starting a blog of your own. And if you do, send me the link!

A short and informal dissertation about why this blog tends to focus on the bright sides of Roanoke.

As readership of this blog has increased modestly over the past several months I have become more and more conscientious about what I post. I don’t mean that I censor myself or place restrictions on what topics to post about. But, I mean that I genuinely try to provide thoughts, pictures, and overall hopefully enjoyable insight into a few of the many aspects that make Roanoke unique.

Long-time and new readers alike can proabably pretty easily observe that as a whole Noke News tends to focus on positive aspects of Roanoke. I suppose this came about naturally. I live here, as do many of you, and it makes sense to me that I should write more about the pluses, and not so much about the minuses. If I wrote too much about the minuses this site would actually seem to me to be a series of reasons to move away.

And that’s certainly not how I feel and it’s not the message I want to convey.

Now, I know Roanoke does have its share of crime, hot-button issues, crooked politicians (or just plain irresponsible ones), poverty, and other unpleasantries.
 
Those negatives exist without question, but in large part I’ve choosen not to put them in the limelight or give them publicity on this site.

Why?

Well, it’s not because I don’t have a personal opinion on a particular matter.  The answer is simply because I sometimes find that Roanoke is victim to a bit too much negativity already. And I believe there are many other unique and favorable aspects about this great city that are more deserving of the limelight.

From a greenway down by the river, to a quaint park with paths made out of pebbles and small boulders for sitting, to a meaningful memorial at the top of the mountain, there really is a lot of neat stuff around Roanoke.  Even now in looking back at the over 120 articles posted here I’ve only scratched the surface in mentioning just a handful of them.

But, to me all of this stuff deserves a place at the front of the line (or on the front page) every now and then. And I’m here to put it there.

In other words, I think being positive about Roanoke can be contagious and I hope to pass it on.

Wow, the 100th post! 

Every so often I like to take a moment and talk about Noke News and a little on how this all came about. (And, as it turned out, my birthday was during this week. So, I kinda took the week off from my active photo and note taking duties for the site.)

Thank You

First on the list is a thanks to you for reading. Some of you have lived in Roanoke your entire life, others moved here some years ago. And still others lived here once before and even though now living miles away are still interested in some of the happenings in and around the City.

No matter your reason for visiting, this site is basically my little corner of the web where I can write about something we all share in common, a fondness for the Roanoke area.

And, through the site and with most every post, it’s my intention to provide reasons (informal testimonials if you will) of instances where Roanoke is evolving or unique and ultimately explain why I choose to continue living here. Roanoke is not perfect, but certainly is a one-of-a-kind kinda place and that’s all I hope to show.

What am I forgetting?

What else would you like to read about in the Roanoke area? And what would you like to see pictures of? Contact me directly or leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to take some photos and write up a post about a topic you recommend.

I’ve been operating this blog since January 2008 (and updating a bit more consistently since March) but I’m not sure how long you may have been a reader.

So, I wanted to take a minute and revisit some of the more popular posts thus far (determined by page views) and I also threw in a couple of my personal favorites.  All in no particular order.

I hope you enjoy.

Exploring Roanoke - Views of the Wachovia Tower
Take a journey and see downtown Roanoke’s tallest building from the ground looking up, all the way to the mountain looking down.

Thelma’s Chicken-n-Waffles, Uniquely Delicious Combination
This is actually one of the top 3 visited posts on Noke News.

Exploring Roanoke - An Introduction to the Greenways
Have  you heard about or noticed signs for Greenways in our area? Read this post to learn a little bit about the basics of these roadways which are built for non-motorized traffic only.

The Open Windows Time of the Year
A tribute to the wonderfully seasonal temperature we as Roanokers experience, especially during Spring.

Exploring Roanoke - The Railwalk
Take a stroll along a neat exhibit downtown which sheds some light on Roanoke’s railroad heritage.

Views of Roanoke - Late Spring ‘08 Nature Edition
A few beautiful photos in and around Roanoke taken during this past Spring.

Little Fish in a Big Pond (or a Roanoker Visits Chicago)
If you’ve grown accustomed to the relatively laid back lifestyle that is Roanoke, and then taken a trip to a “big city” I think you may know what I mean.

Exploring Roanoke - The Roanoke River Greenway (Part 1)
One of the more well-known greenways in Roanoke, and for good reason. In a still ongoing series, I explore the entire nearly 6 miles of this one-of-a-kind pathway which runs along the Roanoke River.

A Final Visit to Steve’s Famous Hot Dogs
Just before it closed a few months ago, I stopped in one last time at Steve’s (which had been there for as far back as I could remember) for a hot dog combo.

I recently added the NewVa logo to the sidebar here at Noke News, and I wanted to take a moment and briefly explain the whys and whats behind the addition.

From the NewVa website:

NewVa is the brand and visual identity for the region of western Virginia that encompasses the Alleghany Highlands, the Roanoke Valley, and the New River Valley.

I see it as a way to unite Roanoke and neighboring cities, towns, and counties, and overall help to promote those things we all enjoy or want to see in our adjoining communities.

In addition to the website, there’s also a publication produced and distributed which more or less acts as a welcome guide to much of the Roanoke area.

The magazine touches on many things ranging from the climate we experience, to education, economy, and the culture of Roanoke.

Neat stuff to read, even when being a lifelong resident. Some of the information I already knew and some I forgot I knew (such as wireless internet being available in parts of the downtown area) and was thankful for the reminder.

Even taking into consideration my college days at Radford University, I’ve never lived outside of the NewVa region in my entire life.

While some of my highschool classmates were anxious to leave the area in search of bigger and better things, that bug just never bit me. Today, I live minutes from the hospital where I was born and merely across town from the house where I spent my childhood and teenage years.

And, certainly by choice rather than circumstance, I’d prefer things no other way.