East Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth & Norfolk, and Back Again

A rather full day of sightseeing, eating out and shopping... making one big circle around Hampton Roads.

Got up before 8am again (just barely), and this time went back to my favorite cafe in the area... the Sandfiddler Cafe in East Beach, just five miles down the road from here. From there I continued on the freeway to the Greenbrier Mall, where among other things, there is a Coast Guard Exchange. I got the idea during my last underway of buying the solid blue Coast Guard parka (same style as ours) to go along with my solid blue coveralls (since the only working coat we have is the black liner to the camo parka). Have to get permission to wear it though, so we'll see what they say. I can return it when we get back if it's a no. It was fun to see what they have in a CGX, as they call them, anyway. Got a frame at Michael's and a couple books at B&N while I was waiting for it to open.

Then I got back on the freeway and swung around I-64 and I-464 back to Portsmouth. Found free parking (the town is dead on Sundays in the winter!) and had some lunch at a Chinese buffet. Stopped in a Dollar store for a couple things, then made my way to the waterfront and the Naval Shipyard Museum. This was a pretty awesome collection and presentation for a little, one-room building and a $2 admission. There was yet another piece of the CSS Virginia, along with models and photographs... and a woman's 2nd class US Navy uniform from WWI! They say there were over 11,000 Yeoman (F) [for Female] during the war that held stateside jobs... sort of a precursor to the WAVES. Loved the wool skirt and cape... ugh! They were nicknamed the Yeomanettes. :)

Next on the haphazard agenda was a trip across the Elizabeth River to the MacArthur Memorial Museum. I had been trying to find a good time to go for a while, and this was it. They had a half-hour film in one building, then the former City Hall/courthouse was the actual memorial. He and his wife are buried there... the rotunda has famous quotes by him, the names of all his military campaigns, and flags of all his commands. The museum starts just outside it and wraps around and to the second floor. At the very end are his famous cap, corn-cob pipe and sunglasses, just as you see in all the pictures. Although marked with lots of questions about his last campaigns, it was very impressive, and interesting to look at.

I tried stopping at Bob's Gun Shop on Granby St, just to look around, but it was closed. I continued on my way and went to dinner at The Ship's Cabin, a seafood restaurant across the street from the breakfast place. Back at home (whew!), I watched the other movie I rented the other day... The Descendants (2011, George Clooney) that I've always been sort of interested in seeing since it came out. It ended up being pretty good, although kind of heavy. Set and filmed on location in Hawai'i, so there were lots of scenes that made me remember my trip to Oahu in 2007. Returned the rentals, and then here I am. Staying up too late one more time. :)

The oddest thing about today was the fact that I forgot to bring a camera and my phone's battery died while I was in Portsmouth. So I saw two museums without any way of taking pictures... it was a new experience for me. Oh, and while I was getting gas (same town), an ambulance came to the intersection nearby with sirens and lights going... and two cars continued through the intersection as if nothing was happening...  and I managed to navigate all these roads without any electronic device after Chesapeake! Good-ness!

Fun day!
Jw