Category: neighborhood

John Joseph Tornatore III

Skippy behind the counter
John Joseph “Skip” Tornatore, III, 78, of Charlottesville, passed away on Monday, March 12, 2018, at the University of Virginia Medical Center, The Daily Progress has his obituary.
Mr. Tornatore and his wife operated Helen and John’s Grocery at 123 Franklin Street for many many years.
H&J Sign
Skip and Nadine had what you needed when you needed it. The place was a store with more…
Skip with the twins set #1
Skip was a kind, gentle caring man.
ELD JSD JJT
His stock appealed to young and old alike. My favorite item was his custom sandwiches.
The store was a gathering place for long time Woolen Mills and Hogwaller residents.
His friends were legion.
He is missed. Thank you Skippy!

West to east walk along Route 250

ultimate bliss
Car broken, walking home. Started in the Meadows Neighborhood, Angus Road.
Crossed 9 lanes of Route 29 in 14 seconds, the allowed time. (GPS track from the Meadows to the Woolen Mills, 4.37 miles)
The area around the intersection of Hydraulic and Route 29 is the focus of ongoing Council and Planning Commission discussion, a possible amendment to the 2013 Comp Plan to qualify for VDOT “smart scale” funds… Close your eyes and ears. Ugly.
Beech forest.
East of the Hydraulic/Rt 250 Bypass intersection there is a pedestrian trail through west McIntire Park (thanks to Parks and Recreation and Chris Gensic).  Beautiful… The trail parallels the north edge of the 250 Bypass running through the beech forest behind the fire station.
The trail dead ends into the back of the YMCA. I walked around the front, entered the door. Tried to get a tour. No. They didn’t have anyone available who could show me around.
East of the YMCA Parks and Recreation has begun installation of a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks to connect west and east McIntire Park.
Meanwhile, this is the 250 Bypass sidewalk crossing the railroad tracks.
After crossing the railroad tracks, the Rt 250 north sidewalk disappears.  Made it to Park Street  via the median, then walked North Downtown, Martha Jefferson and Little High neighborhood streets and sidewalks the rest of the way home. The pedestrian connection will be better soon. It is happening.

Magic

Wes Swing (left) Devon Sproule (right)
Fern Hill Concerts arranged an evening of music September 24 at the Woolen Mills Chapel

Wes Swing
Wes Swing and Jeff Gregerson started the evening. Full house. Sweet sound in the 130 year old building.

Wes Swing

30 x1028 px box

Devon Sproule was enchanting.
It was a beautiful evening.
It was a beautiful evening, rich with sound, as a town we are graced with musicians.

Non-conforming use

South elevation
1307 East Market. The City’s website gives the date of this building’s construction as 1920.
West elevation
It has been there for many years.
Once upon a time it was open for breakfast. For the past 15 years Jinx Kern opened it for lunch.
Once upon a time it was open for breakfast. For the past 15 years Jinx Kern opened it for lunch.
TV Corner
It was a storied place, a repository of 20th Century cultural ephemera and excellent barbeque.
gone
The building was knocked down in May. (photo by neighbor Greg Gelburd)

Neonate with teeth

dinner rule 1 eat
There is so much going on for the young dog, forcibly removed from siblings and mother, dealing with new everything, food, surroundings, people, words, rules, order, life and death everywhere.
puppy on exam table
visited Georgetown Vet on day 2. Been going there since 1974.
11 pounds
get weighed, evaluated, osculated, prodded, checked out up and down.
asleep at the point of transaction
made lots of new friends, exhausting.
dog phrenology mistake
Back at home, mistakes to be made. Neonate with teeth, curious about everything, the curiosity can be deadly, so the little dog has to be taught, chaperoned, watched, socialized. Fortunately, she was very cool about getting her head stuck, she waited, calmly.
New challenges at every turn, stairs…
New challenges at every turn, stairs…
Learning new means of conveyance, puppy as camera...
Learning new means of conveyance, puppy as camera…
carpetbag
going to meetings and attending quietly.
Pearl the wonder dog
Introduction to other (fully immunized) members of the pack
stopping traffic on Market Street
Cars, walking on a leash. The limitations and dangers of the new world.

Porch Life

porch night
“Porch life” is a term social historians have applied to the gathering of family; neighbors and friends which took place regularly during fair weather on the verandahs or front porches of many of America’s homes around the turn-of-the-century. Such use of porches was a strong tradition until after World War II. —From Porch Swings to Patios

Karl

Karl and Z in Greg's front yard years ago.
Karl Ackerman and Z in Greg’s front yard years ago.

Karl David Ackerman passed away on the evening of Monday, October 24, 2016, at the age of 61, after a long struggle with cancer. Born on July 27, 1955, in Washington, D.C., he spent his childhood abroad in Norway, Thailand, and Taipei, as part of a Foreign Service family. He attended Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, the University of Maryland, and Boston College, where he earned a B.A. in political science. His deep love of books and reading led him to a job at Barnes and Noble when it first opened in Boston, and then to the Savile Bookshop in Washington, D.C., where he met Jennifer Gorham. They married in 1980 and lived together in New Haven, New York, Washington, D.C., Cabin John, Maryland, and Lewes, Delaware, where Karl wrote his first novel, The Patron Saint of Unmarried Women. The couple moved to Charlottesville in 1992. A second novel, Dear Will, was published soon after. Writing fiction was Karl’s passion throughout his life. For the past 15 years, he also worked in business with his brother John. Renowned for his dedication to public engagement, Karl spent many hours laboring on behalf of the Charlottesville Public Schools, the Woolen Mills Neighborhood, and the City of Charlottesville. He served for several years on Charlottesville’s Sister City Commission and on the Woolen Mills Neighborhood Association Board. Karl loved telling stories, planting trees, observing birds, making bread, walking along the Rivanna River, playing basketball, watching soccer, “dot” painting in the spirit of Aboriginal art, and loving his family deep and well. As his close friend and fellow novelist Lisa Howorth wrote, “He was kind, generous, honest, sensitive, handsome, very smart and perceptive, a good writer, and hilariously funny, and he cared deeply about all people.”Karl is survived by his wife of 36 years, Jenny Ackerman, and his two daughters, Zo Claire Ackerman, 24, and Elinor (“Nelle”) Kathryn Ackerman, 21. We give heartfelt thanks to the many friends, family, and caregivers who helped Karl through his difficult illness and created such a powerful net of love and support for us all. A celebration of Karl’s life will be held at The Haven Sanctuary on Saturday, November 19, 2016,at 10:30 a.m. The address is 112 West Market Street, Charlottesville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Karl’s name to the Hospice of the Piedmont or The Haven.