Dustin Comes to Richmond

sarahwilk24
Oct 28, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Jul 19, 2025

The Boat House

2,096 pieces | Zhegao: 423

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, October 2024

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

October 28, 2024

In late October, Hunter's brother, Dustin, came to Virginia from Mississippi to visit both of his siblings. He spent most of the week in Alexandria with his sister, Rachel, but graced Sarah and Hunter with his presence on his first visit to Richmond in the five years Hunter has lived here. He got into Richmond on the eve of October 28, and Sarah met Dustin for the first time. They decided to take him to see Sunday Park near their house, and to eat dinner at The Boat House. Dustin ordered shrimp and grits, and Hunter had what he always has at a seafood restaurant: fish and chips. Sarah couldn't eat anything on the menu, but enjoyed the chance to get to know Dustin a little better.

The Black Cat

999 pieces | Larcele: KLJM-05

Assembled by Dustin Williams, October 2024

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

October 28, 2024

They returned home and sat down at the dining room table to assemble some brick sets. Hunter worked on the grand piano (now part of the "Our Entertainment" exhibit), and Sarah put together the LEGO Tiny House (part of the "Our Quirky Life Together" exhibit). They gave Dustin the option to select a set that he wanted to work on, and for some unknown reason, he picked a micro-brick set where almost all of the pieces were the same dark color: a black cat meant to represent the couple's tortie, Delilah. It was probably one of the most tedious sets they had, and Dustin had moments while putting it together where he grumbled in frustration. He finished it before returning to Alexandria. We're sorry to inform him that we ended up getting a custom Delilah set made and no longer have as much use for the tedious micro-brick black cat he put together. So now it just represents the struggle he experienced while putting it together, as well as the struggle Hunter had in putting it back together when Delilah "accidentally" pushed it off a shelf and it broke up into several chunks.

Rest in Pieces

410 pieces | MOC Building: JC104

Assembled by Vanessa Reyes, March 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

October 29, 2024

When trying to figure out what sights to show Dustin, the couple decided to show him the stranger side of Richmond by stopping at Rest in Pieces, an oddity shop known for its taxidermy. When you first walk in, you see a giant taxidermy giraffe, and as your eyes adjust to the dim light, you start to see a whole jungle of taxidermy animals appear. The walls are covered in various mounted heads, including a two-headed cow. Some of the taxidermy animals are for sale, but a surprising number are just for display. If you're not interested in full-size animals, perhaps the smaller animals and various organs in jars would be more appealing. Of all the strange things in the store, the most bizarre is the human fetus in a jar, as well as the full-sized human skeleton that is suspended inside a cage. Those remains are not for sale, as made clear by the signs posted that say that selling human remains is illegal. Dustin seemed sufficiently impressed by the strangeness of the shop. Sarah and Hunter like to take all out-of-town visitors to Rest in Pieces to see their reaction to it. It's a genuine Richmond original for sure! They left without buying anything.

Hollywood Cemetery

1,281 pieces | ZITIANYYOUBUILD: 89854

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, January 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

October 29, 2024

A couple of blocks from the oddity shop is Hollywood Cemetery, the next stop on their whirlwind tour of Richmond. Hollywood Cemetery is enormous, spanning 135 acres overlooking the James River, and is the burial site of two former U.S. presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler (and one wannabe: Jefferson Davis). It's an active cemetery to this day and also the resting place of many Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. It's a place of fascinating history, as well as an arboretum featuring many ornate mausoleums to admire. The view of the river is one of the best in the city, which is what they admired most during their stop. While stopped at one of the river overlooks, they also encountered a joyous surprise: a herd of goats! They were kept behind a fence to do some landscape maintenance, so while it wasn't possible to pet them, Dustin, Hunter, and Sarah enjoyed watching them for a while. They wandered through the cemetery on foot for a short time, looking for the James Monroe Tomb, but couldn't find it. They gave up and did a little more driving around until they found the way back to the exit (it's the kind of place you can get seriously lost in!).

Maymont Farm

489 pieces | LEGO: 42617 (retired)

Assembled by Andrew Deese, February 2025

Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)

October 29, 2024

They stopped next at Maymont and took Dustin to the farm section so that they could pet some goats. Maymont did not disappoint on the goat front! There was also a donkey! Maymont is a free park and Richmond treasure that features curated Japanese and Italian gardens, a Gilded Age mansion open for tours, and a farm sanctuary home to bears, bison, and even a bobcat. They spent some time at the farm before visiting the owls, raptors, and other big birds that are part of their avian sanctuary. They rounded off their trip by seeing the koi fish and crossing the stepping-stone floating bridge across the pond in the Japanese garden, and walking under the ornate trellis covered in climbing vines in the Italian garden.

Grand Staff & Stein

85 pieces | Unbranded

Assembled by Hunter Williams, December 2024

Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)

October 29, 2024

At the end of the evening, Hunter recommended taking a quick stop at a bookstore before going somewhere for drinks and dinner (in that order). Little did they know, however, that this little bookstore had a secret. Hidden behind the shelves was a speakeasy, accessible only if you knew the password. Fortunately, Hunter knew what it was (it changes from day to day, but Hunter knows a guy [the guy is named Google]). Once inside, they admired the dark wood of the sprawling bar, the dimly lit ambiance, and the Postmodern Jukebox music playing on the speakers. They sat in a quiet corner to themselves and ordered crab dip, meat on a stick, and plenty of booze. Sarah's mom also joined them for dinner. It was a great way to cap off an action-packed day in Richmond (seriously, how did they do all of this in one day?). When they got back home, Dustin continued working on his tedious black cat micro-brick set, laboring under the belief that the black cat would have a more prominent role in the museum exhibit than it does.

Dustin came to Richmond, and all we captured was one stinkin' photo where Dustin's whole face isn't even in the camera. The rest of the images you see on this page are shamelessly stolen from the internet.