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IT'S BEEN 15 years or so since I called Virginia's legislature, the General Assembly, home for a few months each winter.
But as I made the long, bone-chilling walk from the parking garage to the Capitol last Thursday, those years of reporting on the legislature quickly flooded back.
Maybe I should say they came shivering back. I braved it without a topcoat back then as well.
I returned to the assembly for a day to see how things have changed in 15 years.
Some changes were obvious, such as the way Democratic rule had been replaced with Republican majorities in both houses.
Knowing that a one-day visit couldn't possibly give me those insights, I relied heavily on local legislators who'd been there then and are still in office today.
I used my eyes and ears to pick up some simple things that have changed, as well.
To start with, the legislature is filled with dozens and dozens of relative political newcomers.
Way back when, there were legislators who'd put in a dozen or so years on boards of supervisors or city councils, then as many years in the assembly.
Many have been replaced by political greenhorns of sorts, full of ideology but lacking in on-the-job political experience.
At times, these rookies rankle the legislative veterans.
Sen. John Chichester, a longtime Republican leader from Stafford County, put is this way: "A lot of them come in here and start putting their noses in things they shouldn't, or tapping sources of revenue that have been historically saved for things like education or roads. We spend half our time now on the defensive, trying to head things like that off."
Legislators on both sides of the aisle gave Republicans, especially new Speaker of the House Bill Howell of Stafford, high marks for streamlining legislative procedures and playing fair--at least most of the time.
Republican Del. Bobby Orrock of Spotsylvania County pointed out that Democrats get more than one or two members on many key committees, unlike Republicans did in the old days.
"When I first got here, many bills never went before a subcommittee," Orrock said. "Democratic leaders just moved them along. That's changed now."
Most legislators said very contentious subjects, such as abortion and a heated debate over the removal of a sitting judge, have made some debates extremely partisan.
"The abortion issue being pushed by the Republican far right has made life difficult for some of their party's middle of the road folks," said Spotsylvania Sen. Edd Houck, a Democrat. "Many aren't happy with some of the extreme positions being put forward."
He added that many of the fiscally conservative members, especially the old guard, are beginning to see resistance to fee increases or new taxes as irresponsible.
"There's a need for essential services that's getting pushed aside," he said, noting that he thinks many in the public get confused and think the state government can operate like the feds, by simply borrowing the money to cover needed expenses.
"We're different," he said. "They forget that our budget has to balance."
For all the serious differences, I found a few changes on the surface that were interesting:
Lobbyists, and others who play the night-and-day game called lawmaking, are now armed with cell phones.
Where they used to simply stand and simmer as they waited in hallways, offices, stairwells and anywhere else they could buttonhole a legislator or two, now they use that pre-ambush time wisely, chatting away on phones that seem attached at their wrists.
Legislators use laptops instead of desktop binders that were forever being updated with reams and reams of paper. Just think of the trees this will save, not to mention the knees of young pages.
Metal detectors at entryways are a stark reminder of how things have changed. Quickly, they become just one more point where lobbyists can stalk legislators.
Most importantly, the food in Chicken's snack bar still offers enough fat-heavy foods with plenty of cheese, mayonnaise and sweets to recharge customers' batteries through long days.
And yes, those little pecan pies I loved so much are still there, tiny heart-attack pills that made many a meal for me way back when.
During my one-day visit, partisan fights took center stage on subjects ranging from abortion to the estate tax.
It was nice to hear one delegate, however, tell the story of fellow House member Lionell Spruill of Chesapeake, who overcame a serious speech defect to succeed in business and politics.
That's the kind of moment I miss from this group after 15 years, more than all the everyday bill battles put together.
ROB HEDELT can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; by fax at 373-8455; by phone at 374-5415; or by e-mail at rhedelt@freelance star.com.