Probably not a good idea, since I'm at work. Actually, this will be a busy week, trying to cram all the end of month reports into three days so I can enjoy time off over Thanksgiving. The picture there at the top was taken at Chesapeake Beach, also known as Chicks Beach, in the city of Virginia Beach. Morris & I took a day trip recently, and I brought back some pictures to show you.
That's the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which connects Virginia's mainland with its Eastern Shore. When my grandparents were visiting from Iowa, my grandfather & I used to sit on the beach and watch the bridge being constructed. When it was completed in 1964, it was considered an engineering marvel, spanning 17.6 miles from shore to shore. I grew up a couple of miles from this stretch of beach.
We ate lunch at Jenro's Diner (two thumbs up!) where we had excellent sandwiches and caramel-apple pie with ice cream. Then we meandered into Norfolk. The photo of the car above was taken in the Ghent section, which is similar to Richmond's Fan District. The next two pictures are of houses in Ghent.
(I love this next house...I want to hang out in that third floor room and read books)
Before we went from Virginia Beach into Norfolk, we drove through my old neighborhood. It looked very quiet and pleasant. There was a twinge of anticipation as we turned down the street where I lived. How would my old homeplace look? Would trashy people be living there now, with cars up on blocks and a passel of brats squalling in the front yard? I was so happy to see that my old house looks almost the same as when my parents lived there. A few trees have been removed, but the swing that my dad put in the side yard in the mid-70's is still right there. My high school friends & I used to hang out there and talk.
The house looks neat as a pin, and I was so grateful to see that the current owners obviously love the place as much as we did. All of my childhood memories center on this modest 1950's suburban home; I never lived anywhere else until I left Virginia Beach for Richmond.
So, may I present to you my first home. The first picture shows the house, and the next picture shows the side yard. If you look close, you can see the swing in the yard; if you squint, you can barely see my dad's shed way in the back of the yard.
Okay, sorry for the quick post, but I've got to get back to work. Just wanted you all to know that I'm here & well. If I don't see you before then, have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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9 comments:
Oh Mr Bill, I'm so sorry to have awakened you.
On my trip back east this summer, we drove by my old homestead. Like you, I was afraid of what it might look like. But the old place looks great! I took pictures with my phone and sent them to my brothers, and weren't the surprised.
I took out your buttermilk coffee cake recipe yesterday and plan to make it this week. Have a happy T-Day, Bill!
I am loving the photos especially the car, have a good week ;-)
I've been across/through the bay bridge/tunnel a couple of times and it is a neat experience.
I also love that whitish stone house. It reminds me somewhat of homes in central Europe.
Your first home is quite nice. What great curb appeal!
What a beautiful house, and how nice that the owners are taking such good care of it.
My mother never wanted to see her childhood home again, fearing that it would be Quite Awful, though I hear that that neighborhood in Queens is really well looked after (she'd never have believed it though). We used to take little trips to Brooklyn to see my dad's old haunts when I was little (just like they do in Annie Hall, only my dad did not grow up under the Cyclone in Coney Island).
The Chesapeake Bay tunnel is the first under-water tunnel I ever went through. My uncle is Navy, retired now, and they've lived in Va. Beach for eons. I was a little kid the first time in the tunnel, and I remember being afraid that it would spring a leak and we'd all drown.
Reckon I didn't check in here often enough lately because I missed your post. I have seen that house and your entire street on Google maps, street view. It reminds me so much of where So and I grew up.
Hope your Thanksgiving was blessed and glorious!
There are a lot of things to do after getting out of drug rehab. Napping is a favorite of some :)
http://www.newmethodwellness.com/therapy-groups.html
Fantastic photos. I'm from VA Beach as well, and I don't ever remember it looking so sweet!
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