As I was out that way already to pick up my car from the airport (as Meg and Jason had to drive it there to get off okay) I stopped by a repair shop to get my air conditioner looked at. As I waited, I walked around the corner and found a sports bar called "Winners" for somewhere to eat since I was starved. Had a bowl of chili and a hamburger and both were very good. Some retired Navy guys were hanging out there (it was only about 3 or 4 in the afternoon) and they chatted with me because I was still in uniform. Got home and cleaned things up a little, then talked with Meg for a good while. Even read in a book for a while (I organized all my mounds of books, sorting the ones I want to read next).
Today I made the most of my time... woke up after eight and a half beautiful hours sleep, had a simple breakfast, played my instruments, then loaded up the laundry and enjoyed a gorgeous walk on the beach as they dried. Did a little shopping as they washed... I love the location... where else can you do all that when you do your clothes? Upon returning and after putting everything away, I made some fresh spaghetti noodles for my leftover sauce with Italian sausage and mushrooms and watched the current Netfilx film from the mail: Michael Collins (1996) with Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman. After that, I baked another pumpkin pie, took a walk over to our private beach (right at sunset!), then set out for Pembroke Mall upon returning. Picked up some frames at Michael's, and had a little business at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Needed to return something, and pick up a chopper for baking banana nut bread tomorrow. Because I couldn't resist, I picked up a delicious roast turkey salad at Panera, along with a little guac from Chipotle. Was going to watch something else tonight, but I caught up online instead.
Jw
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
With Family!
So on the evening of the 15th, Meg, Jason and Jonna arrived in Norfolk to spend nine days with me! The first two nights were very brief and very late, since work took so long. And Thursday evening, my Darling Michael came for a long weekend at the same time.
We spent our first night together having some of Jason's chicken curry as we watched Persuasion from Netflix. The next morning Meg and Mike dropped me off in Yorktown, then picked me up in Norfolk that evening. And while they were there, I took them on a tour of the ship, from the bridge at the fourth level to my berthing on the third deck. We were all pretty tired by the time that was over, that we drove straight to our favorite local Italian place in Ocean View, Franco's By the Sea.
The weekend was marvelous. Saturday we drove out to Cape Henry to have a look at the lighthouse and the beach near the First Landing memorial. We even saw dolphins not far off shore just before we left. There were also lots of little crabs with homes in the sand. That night we had steak for dinner, along with stuffed mushrooms and fried (or mashed) potatoes.
Sunday was especially relaxing; slept in a long time, and had another wonderful breakfast at home. I baked a pumpkin pie and a chocolate cake in the morning. Mike and I took a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood together later on (after I finished mowing the lawn), then we went and picked up dinner at the Sunset Grill on Willoughby Spit and ate while we all watched The Court Jester again together. That was the film we watched on our first visit... back in 2009!
The 21st to the 23rd, it was just Meg and Jason and Jonna again. I got home between 2:30 and 3 every afternoon, and I adored just hanging out with them. Monday we made burgers with blue cheese on top, then Tuesday, we went out to El Azteca on Little Creek Blvd for some fantastic Mexican. While we were out there we stopped at two thrift stores for poking around and Walmart for a little errand. It was wonderful fun. Our last evening together, we made spaghetti at home. Meg beat me at Phase 10, and I held Jonna as much as I could.
Jw
We spent our first night together having some of Jason's chicken curry as we watched Persuasion from Netflix. The next morning Meg and Mike dropped me off in Yorktown, then picked me up in Norfolk that evening. And while they were there, I took them on a tour of the ship, from the bridge at the fourth level to my berthing on the third deck. We were all pretty tired by the time that was over, that we drove straight to our favorite local Italian place in Ocean View, Franco's By the Sea.
The weekend was marvelous. Saturday we drove out to Cape Henry to have a look at the lighthouse and the beach near the First Landing memorial. We even saw dolphins not far off shore just before we left. There were also lots of little crabs with homes in the sand. That night we had steak for dinner, along with stuffed mushrooms and fried (or mashed) potatoes.
Sunday was especially relaxing; slept in a long time, and had another wonderful breakfast at home. I baked a pumpkin pie and a chocolate cake in the morning. Mike and I took a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood together later on (after I finished mowing the lawn), then we went and picked up dinner at the Sunset Grill on Willoughby Spit and ate while we all watched The Court Jester again together. That was the film we watched on our first visit... back in 2009!
The 21st to the 23rd, it was just Meg and Jason and Jonna again. I got home between 2:30 and 3 every afternoon, and I adored just hanging out with them. Monday we made burgers with blue cheese on top, then Tuesday, we went out to El Azteca on Little Creek Blvd for some fantastic Mexican. While we were out there we stopped at two thrift stores for poking around and Walmart for a little errand. It was wonderful fun. Our last evening together, we made spaghetti at home. Meg beat me at Phase 10, and I held Jonna as much as I could.
Jw
Monday, October 14, 2013
Easy Going!
Today has been a wonderful break... many thanks to Christopher for his endurance and fortitude in coming to America. Maybe he wasn't a perfect person, but he certainly contributed a great deal to the outcome of human history and still is an outstanding role model for anyone lacking courage.
Last night I finished up the TV series on another visitor to America... I said goodbye to Stephan Fry as he finally reached the Pacific Ocean. I found out some new things about the country, including places I'd really like to see... and was excited to see him going places and doing things I've done myself... In the next to last episode, he gets to ride in the Sentimental Journey across Arizona that I saw in person (in Phoenix) in March 2010. I'm very jealous!
When he went to an Auburn Football game, he made a statement during the pregame ceremonies that I liked: "I really don't know of anything that sums up America better... that's simultaneously preposterous, incredibly laughable, impressive, charming, ridiculous, expensive, over-populated... wonderful... American." It was pretty neat with the crowd screaming the lyrics to God Bless America, while a few fighter jets flew by overhead. Stephan's face at that moment was priceless.
I ate out for every meal! I haven't eaten out very much at all lately, so this was a dramatic change for one day. Started out with a crabmeat omelet at the Sandfiddler Cafe, then on my way to go shoot archery over in Hampton, I stopped at Panera Bread and had a hot turkey panini sandwich and a Greek salad. Picked up a couple frames for postcards at Michael's, then shot a few rounds at the archery range. Baked the leftover pumpkin pie materials when I got home, then went to church. I'm sorry to say I fell asleep after a while (it was a good sermon though... I'll have to listen to it online), since I never took a rest after a long watch and a full morning. After communion and singing, I went to dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill again, this time off of Battlefield Blvd, which wasn't far from church. The Seahawks won as I ate.
Today, I slept in, had a bountiful breakfast at home, then proceeded to clean the house... like a deep clean! Then I took some things to the thrift store, picked up some tacos for dinner next door, then got my car's breaks repaired just down the street. While waiting I had dinner, read in Neptune's Inferno and looked through a book I picked up at the thrift store... Rijksmuseum Amsterdam... a little picture book of paintings from their art museum... and that was a good bit of fun, purchased for $1.99. And then I talked with Meg and my parents for a good long while, and that was best of all.
Jw
Last night I finished up the TV series on another visitor to America... I said goodbye to Stephan Fry as he finally reached the Pacific Ocean. I found out some new things about the country, including places I'd really like to see... and was excited to see him going places and doing things I've done myself... In the next to last episode, he gets to ride in the Sentimental Journey across Arizona that I saw in person (in Phoenix) in March 2010. I'm very jealous!
When he went to an Auburn Football game, he made a statement during the pregame ceremonies that I liked: "I really don't know of anything that sums up America better... that's simultaneously preposterous, incredibly laughable, impressive, charming, ridiculous, expensive, over-populated... wonderful... American." It was pretty neat with the crowd screaming the lyrics to God Bless America, while a few fighter jets flew by overhead. Stephan's face at that moment was priceless.
I ate out for every meal! I haven't eaten out very much at all lately, so this was a dramatic change for one day. Started out with a crabmeat omelet at the Sandfiddler Cafe, then on my way to go shoot archery over in Hampton, I stopped at Panera Bread and had a hot turkey panini sandwich and a Greek salad. Picked up a couple frames for postcards at Michael's, then shot a few rounds at the archery range. Baked the leftover pumpkin pie materials when I got home, then went to church. I'm sorry to say I fell asleep after a while (it was a good sermon though... I'll have to listen to it online), since I never took a rest after a long watch and a full morning. After communion and singing, I went to dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill again, this time off of Battlefield Blvd, which wasn't far from church. The Seahawks won as I ate.
Today, I slept in, had a bountiful breakfast at home, then proceeded to clean the house... like a deep clean! Then I took some things to the thrift store, picked up some tacos for dinner next door, then got my car's breaks repaired just down the street. While waiting I had dinner, read in Neptune's Inferno and looked through a book I picked up at the thrift store... Rijksmuseum Amsterdam... a little picture book of paintings from their art museum... and that was a good bit of fun, purchased for $1.99. And then I talked with Meg and my parents for a good long while, and that was best of all.
Jw
Friday, October 11, 2013
A Few Things
With all the duty I've been standing, it's no wonder I barely have anything to talk about.
Wednesday, October 2, I managed to do something out of the ordinary, though... Cinemark in Chesapeake played Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, and I made it in time for the last showing. Disappointed I missed To Kill a Mockingbird, a couple weeks beforehand; but seeing Jimmy Stewart larger than life was thrilling anyway. Someone in the audience gasped when the murder was done... I was on edge, myself, even though I've seen it a few times (first time as an adult, though - goodness, did I ever pay attention to details as a kid? A lot of it seemed new).
I baked a pumpkin pie last week, and only finished eating it tonight! I've been really lazy about dishes and laundry, but I forced myself to take care of both those things yesterday after a couple-hour nap when I got home from the ship.
I haven't ate out very much at all... I'm so wiped out when I get home, I usually have something quick, like soup and sandwiches. But Tuesday this week, I did go out to Franco's By the Bay for some delicious spaghetti... and I got a half order even then. After dinner, I went on to deposit a recent check from my Dad, then decided to go to Pembroke Mall just to poke around. I tried out Bed, Bath & Beyond for the first time... and I found lots of neat things... a few for deployment and a few for the house.
I've been playing my horn and cello... and today, while stuck in traffic on Tidewater after picking up a couple things at the store after work, I killed time (it took an hour and a half to get home from Walmart) by listening to and watching YouTube videos of The Piano Guys... which is all cello, all the time! Made me not go crazy! I started with their Lord of the Rings video, and that was probably because it was in my mind... I rented the second and third movies from the library the other day and watched them together... the way I've always wanted too... without any of the long, drawn-out, annoying, and dull scenes with Frodo, Sam and Gollum. It went a lot faster, was more congruous and enjoyable.
(On different occasions) I also watched Spencer's Mountain (1963, Henry Fonda), Letters From Iwo Jima (2006, Clint Eastwood)... the battle from the Japanese perspective... which was very interesting. And tonight I finished Road to Rio (1947), the last Road picture that I've seen. Lately on Netflix, I watched Merrill's Marauders (1962, Jeff Chandler), A Bit of Fry and Laurie (from the 80's), and more of Stephen Fry in America (2008), which is very fun and interesting... and another viewing of the highlights from Jane Eyre (1983, Timothy Dalton) because I love it so very much. It's so faithful to the book... shockingly good for 1980s TV. Of course, it is BBC.
Also tonight, I started a puzzle upstairs... so I have lots of choices of things to do around the house.
Jw
Wednesday, October 2, I managed to do something out of the ordinary, though... Cinemark in Chesapeake played Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, and I made it in time for the last showing. Disappointed I missed To Kill a Mockingbird, a couple weeks beforehand; but seeing Jimmy Stewart larger than life was thrilling anyway. Someone in the audience gasped when the murder was done... I was on edge, myself, even though I've seen it a few times (first time as an adult, though - goodness, did I ever pay attention to details as a kid? A lot of it seemed new).
I baked a pumpkin pie last week, and only finished eating it tonight! I've been really lazy about dishes and laundry, but I forced myself to take care of both those things yesterday after a couple-hour nap when I got home from the ship.
I haven't ate out very much at all... I'm so wiped out when I get home, I usually have something quick, like soup and sandwiches. But Tuesday this week, I did go out to Franco's By the Bay for some delicious spaghetti... and I got a half order even then. After dinner, I went on to deposit a recent check from my Dad, then decided to go to Pembroke Mall just to poke around. I tried out Bed, Bath & Beyond for the first time... and I found lots of neat things... a few for deployment and a few for the house.
I've been playing my horn and cello... and today, while stuck in traffic on Tidewater after picking up a couple things at the store after work, I killed time (it took an hour and a half to get home from Walmart) by listening to and watching YouTube videos of The Piano Guys... which is all cello, all the time! Made me not go crazy! I started with their Lord of the Rings video, and that was probably because it was in my mind... I rented the second and third movies from the library the other day and watched them together... the way I've always wanted too... without any of the long, drawn-out, annoying, and dull scenes with Frodo, Sam and Gollum. It went a lot faster, was more congruous and enjoyable.
(On different occasions) I also watched Spencer's Mountain (1963, Henry Fonda), Letters From Iwo Jima (2006, Clint Eastwood)... the battle from the Japanese perspective... which was very interesting. And tonight I finished Road to Rio (1947), the last Road picture that I've seen. Lately on Netflix, I watched Merrill's Marauders (1962, Jeff Chandler), A Bit of Fry and Laurie (from the 80's), and more of Stephen Fry in America (2008), which is very fun and interesting... and another viewing of the highlights from Jane Eyre (1983, Timothy Dalton) because I love it so very much. It's so faithful to the book... shockingly good for 1980s TV. Of course, it is BBC.
Also tonight, I started a puzzle upstairs... so I have lots of choices of things to do around the house.
Jw
Sunday, September 29, 2013
A Whole Two Days Off!
I've had a real weekend! And it was wonderful!
Yesterday morning as I got off around 8am, I stopped by the grocery on the way home for juice, milk and Parmesan cheese for my leftover spaghetti at home; and I picked up a little sushi for lunch too.
Went through the mail, watched Mansfield Park (from Netflix - which I had seen before) as I ate a big breakfast. Then I couldn't help re-watching some Jane Eyre (1983, BBC) that I had watched last Sunday... I loved it so much, I thought about it all week long during the underway. Took a couple-hour nap since I was so tired from Friday's duty day.
Wrote more posts online for my Darling's weekly song project, then watched an episode of Fawlty Towers and Midsomer Murders. How bout that for contrasting TV shows! To finish the relaxing day out I watched The Lilies of the Field (1963, Sidney Poitier) that I enjoyed very much. I didn't bother with doing much of anything since I knew I had Sunday as well. Had a nice little chat with Linda before going to bed though.
I managed to spend this Sunday pretty wisely, only missing out on one thing I planned to do. Woke pretty early without an alarm around 8am. I cleaned up right away, even cleaning the house before breakfast. Breakfast was neat because I used the "perfect pancake" pan that I got online after seeing Grampa and Gramma's earlier this month. And even though I burned them a little, they were still pretty good. Listened to Enya and Michelle Tumes while I ate.
Then I packed up the laundry and my new paperback copy of Captain Blood and headed over to Ocean View for some beachfront reading in the brisk fall breeze. While the laundry dried, I drove across the street to the library where I purchased some printable sheet music (Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, May It Be & Only Time). By the time I made it home I had time for an episode of Fawlty Towers before going to church. And church was very good... an introduction to the topic that will last until Christmas: seeing God's plan for Christ throughout the Old Testament. He preached on 1Cor. 2 (Paul teaching about the fulfillment of "Moses and the Prophets" and the story from Luke 24 of Jesus "opening up the Scriptures" to his unknowing disciples after the resurrection, showing them God's plan for himself.
Back at home I played my new music on my horn... all five flats in a couple of the pieces... and re-learned a few fingerings for D flat and A flat... not very common key signatures. Enjoyed it a great deal; I love those Phantom songs.
Jw
Yesterday morning as I got off around 8am, I stopped by the grocery on the way home for juice, milk and Parmesan cheese for my leftover spaghetti at home; and I picked up a little sushi for lunch too.
Went through the mail, watched Mansfield Park (from Netflix - which I had seen before) as I ate a big breakfast. Then I couldn't help re-watching some Jane Eyre (1983, BBC) that I had watched last Sunday... I loved it so much, I thought about it all week long during the underway. Took a couple-hour nap since I was so tired from Friday's duty day.
Wrote more posts online for my Darling's weekly song project, then watched an episode of Fawlty Towers and Midsomer Murders. How bout that for contrasting TV shows! To finish the relaxing day out I watched The Lilies of the Field (1963, Sidney Poitier) that I enjoyed very much. I didn't bother with doing much of anything since I knew I had Sunday as well. Had a nice little chat with Linda before going to bed though.
I managed to spend this Sunday pretty wisely, only missing out on one thing I planned to do. Woke pretty early without an alarm around 8am. I cleaned up right away, even cleaning the house before breakfast. Breakfast was neat because I used the "perfect pancake" pan that I got online after seeing Grampa and Gramma's earlier this month. And even though I burned them a little, they were still pretty good. Listened to Enya and Michelle Tumes while I ate.
Then I packed up the laundry and my new paperback copy of Captain Blood and headed over to Ocean View for some beachfront reading in the brisk fall breeze. While the laundry dried, I drove across the street to the library where I purchased some printable sheet music (Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, May It Be & Only Time). By the time I made it home I had time for an episode of Fawlty Towers before going to church. And church was very good... an introduction to the topic that will last until Christmas: seeing God's plan for Christ throughout the Old Testament. He preached on 1Cor. 2 (Paul teaching about the fulfillment of "Moses and the Prophets" and the story from Luke 24 of Jesus "opening up the Scriptures" to his unknowing disciples after the resurrection, showing them God's plan for himself.
Back at home I played my new music on my horn... all five flats in a couple of the pieces... and re-learned a few fingerings for D flat and A flat... not very common key signatures. Enjoyed it a great deal; I love those Phantom songs.
Jw
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Life as a Couch Potato
With the exception of Saturday, the last week (since I got back from North Carolina) has been very busy... very few hours at home after work, and Duty every three days...doesn't allow for much. More often than not I simply ate dinner at home and watched something (usually many things) on Netflix. I recently started watching Midsomer Murders... a Dick Van Dyke episode here and there... a Foyle's War or two... a documentary about Denali National Park... and a tour of New England with Stephen Fry. And I also enjoyed discs in the mail... The Nine Tailors, The Road to Bali, and Blazing Saddles just yesterday. But besides all that, I created a blog for my Darling's music picks every week and did some shopping online.
Saturday was a different story though... I slept in so long! Had a nice big breakfast, and later on I drove over to Newport News to the model store Hobbytown USA. I picked up supplies for the model destroyer I'm going to build. I think it was that afternoon when I made tacos for dinner... and that lasted me for a few days!
I managed to play a little on the cello I rented the other day... and I got my laundry done the other night when the weather turned. Suddenly it was feeling like fall with the chilly wind and cloudy skies every now and then. Read some more in Neptune's Inferno in my car to escape the network television played inside while my clothes washed and dried. Yesterday it was spaghetti for dinner at home and I even cleaned up the kitchen afterwords.
It sure was nice to relax when I could this last week; I really needed it.
Jw
Saturday was a different story though... I slept in so long! Had a nice big breakfast, and later on I drove over to Newport News to the model store Hobbytown USA. I picked up supplies for the model destroyer I'm going to build. I think it was that afternoon when I made tacos for dinner... and that lasted me for a few days!
I managed to play a little on the cello I rented the other day... and I got my laundry done the other night when the weather turned. Suddenly it was feeling like fall with the chilly wind and cloudy skies every now and then. Read some more in Neptune's Inferno in my car to escape the network television played inside while my clothes washed and dried. Yesterday it was spaghetti for dinner at home and I even cleaned up the kitchen afterwords.
It sure was nice to relax when I could this last week; I really needed it.
Jw
Monday, September 9, 2013
Escape to Asheville
Much of my long weekend in North Carolina with my Mom and Grandparents was spent relaxing, lingering over meals and talking, going to the production of CATS at the Playhouse downtown, and building this puzzle:
It was a glorious, restful time... I loved seeing my family and leaving the Navy far behind me in my mind.
Jw
It was a glorious, restful time... I loved seeing my family and leaving the Navy far behind me in my mind.
Jw
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
An Eventful, Relaxing End to a Week
Monday the 26th, and Tuesday the 27th were late days at work; so I didn't do much at home besides crash. I did do some coloring in coloring books... a fine way to relax I suppose. Also, I played a bunch more on my French horn, which is always fun to do. I had steak for dinner at home one of these nights... so good.
Wednesday was different at work since I had to go out in town for some things... and I had some Panera Bread with my shipmate while we were out. Four cheese souffle and a little reading in Neptune's Inferno as well. That evening at home I set up my account for my churches' online forum and responded to the thread in my email that got me interested in finally doing it. Also talked with my family back home, and that was awfully nice. I think it was the weekend that I bought the futon for my extra bedroom... I set it up that evening and was very pleased with it. Also went swimming at the community pool for the first time... only one in it for a while... and the weather was so pleasant.
Thursday at lunch time I was let off the ship to do another errand and stopped by a little Chinese place on Hampton Blvd called Golden Dragon. They have a shrimp pad Thai that I adore, so I had that and watched the news on TV about Syria as I ate. Two different people asked me what my dish was as they came up near the counter to order. :) That night I stopped by Burger King for some fast food, went home and watched Sleeping Beauty again. I don't think I'll ever get enough of that film.
Friday I got off early, although a little later than the rest of my division (by choice). And I had such a good time... all week I had been thinking of trying out Carrabba's Italian Grill, after seeing so many ads on TV during the underway, and then remembering one of my first classes talking about how much she loved it. So I drove all the way to Lynnhaven Pkwy in Virginia Beach to experiment. Goodness, my waitress was buoyant. She squeee'd with delight when I told her it was my first time. She did suggest an excellent dish too... so I was impressed with the friendly service and the taste. They make the Olive Garden seem like McDonald's. I had a perfectly seared, tender grilled chicken breast with goat cheese and red peppers on top. And for an extra dollar, my side became a small portion of fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms and peas mixed in just because I asked. Oh, but the chicken soup! Goodness! I've never had better. And the bread with oil and spice for dipping was nice too. Okay, enough about the food. I also got to sit outside in perfect evening weather and watch ESPN's promo stuff for college football's opening weekend... including a tidbit on the Huskies. Never had time to read my book... the service was way too fast.
After that lovely experience, I went back to the mall and spent a good long time in Barnes & Noble, just poking around looking at everything. I bought one book... an illustrated history of knights that looks very fun... otherwise I looked up books that I thought interesting online while I browsed, and generally found them for a quarter or half the price. Got a little memoir from Dick Van Dyke, and another interesting one... Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle (can't wait to look at that one!). Also: Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide: What Each Side Must Know About The Other—And Itself (promises to be fun!), The Conquest of the Ocean (so pretty!), and lastly (and randomly) a sci-fi young-adult novel by Jasper Fforde.. The Last Dragonslayer. On my way home I remembered to stop off at Walmart to return a couple things I didn't need, and to pick up a floor lamp for the spare bedroom.
Saturday I had duty, so nothing much happened. But come Sunday, I had a whole two days to myself... and boy, did I enjoy them! Started off with a fabulous breakfast to include singed spam and waffles. Then I finished reading the last Arn book... Birth of the Kingdom. I cried at the last paragraph, partly from it's power, and partly because I was so sad that there was no more to read! While I heartily enjoyed the film, as usual, the books were a thousand times better... the five-hour miniseries just scratched the surface of this extraordinary trilogy. I loved how much the author knew and respected the middle ages... reminded me of C.S. Lewis.
There were a few things that I've been wanting to do for a while that I finally decided on this weekend: I subscribed to MHQ for two years (military history quarterly - I've been buying them off the newsstand since I joined the Navy); second (on Monday), I rented a cello. Stopped at a music store in Virginia Beach that I looked up in order to get more music for my horn... and remembered my desire to branch out. Lastly, I signed up for Netflix, and found the amount of things I can watch directly on my TV astounding: the entire series of Foyle's War, Dick Van Dyke, Midsomer Murders, Miss Marple, Ken Burns' Civil War and Baseball, and even Star Trek and MacGuyver... instantly! ...as well as a wide variety of classic and modern films. Monday I watched the last of season 6 Foyle, an episode of Jack Benny, and a Cary Grant film I'd never seen before: People Will Talk, which was very fun.
Sunday I managed to get my laundry done before church... and I enjoyed another trip to Ynot Pizza afterwords. Monday (Labor Day) afforded time to sleep in, more fabulous breakfast, time to reorganize my clothes (including the ones that got shipped here from home - finally), put together the extra coffee table I had bought during the summer (in the spare bedroom), then finish with the grand musical shopping trip and movie-watching marathon before mentioned.
How enjoyable are simple things!
Jw
Wednesday was different at work since I had to go out in town for some things... and I had some Panera Bread with my shipmate while we were out. Four cheese souffle and a little reading in Neptune's Inferno as well. That evening at home I set up my account for my churches' online forum and responded to the thread in my email that got me interested in finally doing it. Also talked with my family back home, and that was awfully nice. I think it was the weekend that I bought the futon for my extra bedroom... I set it up that evening and was very pleased with it. Also went swimming at the community pool for the first time... only one in it for a while... and the weather was so pleasant.
Thursday at lunch time I was let off the ship to do another errand and stopped by a little Chinese place on Hampton Blvd called Golden Dragon. They have a shrimp pad Thai that I adore, so I had that and watched the news on TV about Syria as I ate. Two different people asked me what my dish was as they came up near the counter to order. :) That night I stopped by Burger King for some fast food, went home and watched Sleeping Beauty again. I don't think I'll ever get enough of that film.
Friday I got off early, although a little later than the rest of my division (by choice). And I had such a good time... all week I had been thinking of trying out Carrabba's Italian Grill, after seeing so many ads on TV during the underway, and then remembering one of my first classes talking about how much she loved it. So I drove all the way to Lynnhaven Pkwy in Virginia Beach to experiment. Goodness, my waitress was buoyant. She squeee'd with delight when I told her it was my first time. She did suggest an excellent dish too... so I was impressed with the friendly service and the taste. They make the Olive Garden seem like McDonald's. I had a perfectly seared, tender grilled chicken breast with goat cheese and red peppers on top. And for an extra dollar, my side became a small portion of fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms and peas mixed in just because I asked. Oh, but the chicken soup! Goodness! I've never had better. And the bread with oil and spice for dipping was nice too. Okay, enough about the food. I also got to sit outside in perfect evening weather and watch ESPN's promo stuff for college football's opening weekend... including a tidbit on the Huskies. Never had time to read my book... the service was way too fast.
After that lovely experience, I went back to the mall and spent a good long time in Barnes & Noble, just poking around looking at everything. I bought one book... an illustrated history of knights that looks very fun... otherwise I looked up books that I thought interesting online while I browsed, and generally found them for a quarter or half the price. Got a little memoir from Dick Van Dyke, and another interesting one... Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle (can't wait to look at that one!). Also: Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide: What Each Side Must Know About The Other—And Itself (promises to be fun!), The Conquest of the Ocean (so pretty!), and lastly (and randomly) a sci-fi young-adult novel by Jasper Fforde.. The Last Dragonslayer. On my way home I remembered to stop off at Walmart to return a couple things I didn't need, and to pick up a floor lamp for the spare bedroom.
Saturday I had duty, so nothing much happened. But come Sunday, I had a whole two days to myself... and boy, did I enjoy them! Started off with a fabulous breakfast to include singed spam and waffles. Then I finished reading the last Arn book... Birth of the Kingdom. I cried at the last paragraph, partly from it's power, and partly because I was so sad that there was no more to read! While I heartily enjoyed the film, as usual, the books were a thousand times better... the five-hour miniseries just scratched the surface of this extraordinary trilogy. I loved how much the author knew and respected the middle ages... reminded me of C.S. Lewis.
There were a few things that I've been wanting to do for a while that I finally decided on this weekend: I subscribed to MHQ for two years (military history quarterly - I've been buying them off the newsstand since I joined the Navy); second (on Monday), I rented a cello. Stopped at a music store in Virginia Beach that I looked up in order to get more music for my horn... and remembered my desire to branch out. Lastly, I signed up for Netflix, and found the amount of things I can watch directly on my TV astounding: the entire series of Foyle's War, Dick Van Dyke, Midsomer Murders, Miss Marple, Ken Burns' Civil War and Baseball, and even Star Trek and MacGuyver... instantly! ...as well as a wide variety of classic and modern films. Monday I watched the last of season 6 Foyle, an episode of Jack Benny, and a Cary Grant film I'd never seen before: People Will Talk, which was very fun.
Sunday I managed to get my laundry done before church... and I enjoyed another trip to Ynot Pizza afterwords. Monday (Labor Day) afforded time to sleep in, more fabulous breakfast, time to reorganize my clothes (including the ones that got shipped here from home - finally), put together the extra coffee table I had bought during the summer (in the spare bedroom), then finish with the grand musical shopping trip and movie-watching marathon before mentioned.
How enjoyable are simple things!
Jw
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Finally, Peace and Rest
In the month of August so far, a day and a half to spend as I willed (not counting five hours on Tuesday, and Thursday afternoon and evening).
(During the few hours on Tuesday, I mowed the lawn, sorted through the mail and swept the floor, besides going out for dinner at El Azteca, my favorite local Mexican place before I had to return to the ship. Thursday after work, I stopped by the movie rental place and tried out Game of Thrones... turns out the amount and type of pornography and gore is way too much for my tolerance level... no more for me. I finished out the evening by listening to First and Second Timothy while I wrote on the other blog. I needed a mental washing. And I also got to talk to Mom for over an hour... that was really nice.)
Oh, my gosh... where did I start? When I was let off from work on Friday afternoon, the first thing I did was stop for a late lunch at the sushi place on Hampton Blvd with the all-you-can-eat special. After that I spent a good hour picking things up for the ship... and then I really was on my own time.
Spent some time online, talked to my sister about some plans for October, then went to Walmart to pick up new bedsheets and pillows, and birdseed for my wild pets. They didn't have the cheap standard pillows... so I broke down and bought the expensive downy pillows... and I'm so glad I did! They are so much more comfortable! Shopping always takes longer than I mean it to, but I was still in plenty of time to go swimming right afterwords as I planned. The odd thing was, when I got to the indoor pool, they told me they were still closed for 20 minutes or so because of the lighting storm that last struck 10 minutes beforehand. I was dumbfounded as to why they'd close an indoor pool for a storm... but it afforded me time to finish the chapter in a book I was reading that happened to be in the car. Finished just as they opened, and managed to do a thousand yards in twenty-five minutes.
Came home, cleaned up, spent a bunch more time online, had only a P&J for dinner, and finished the evening out with a phone call to my Darling for nearly two hours while lounging in my comfortable bed.
Today, glorious today, I slept in til 9, made myself a wonderful breakfast, painted the door to the shed outside (it was badly in need of a new coat... and I so enjoyed making it look like new), bought a futon for the extra bedroom (I have guests coming!) and did the laundry in Ocean View. I picked up a few things at Rite Aid across the street and read in The Templar Knight along the shore as the stiff breeze blew small waves continually onto the beach (instead of watching Titanic on ABC Family inside... what a choice!) while waiting. I laughed to myself as Celine Dion's My Heart will Go On played during the credits while I folded my clothes... what fun my sister and I used to poke at that. What a blast from the past! I was 14 when that came out. I remember hearing about it from the girls on my Jr. High basketball team, how wonderful it was. Then I went to see it with my family... I've never been so miserable in a movie theater. I finished up folding as Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame came on... what was this? a bad '90s movies marathon? I went back out to the shoreline to read more Arn even though my laundry was all done. It was so beautiful, breezy and relaxing.
Back at home, I broke out my French horn and warmed up, remembering the fingering for all the notes... which came back to me pretty easily. It was as hard as ever to know what note to start on though... the horn can play so many notes without any valves involved; sometimes it's hard for me to hear where I am. It was a real joy to play again... I think I shall do this more often. To continue feeling like it was the '90s, I even broke out a coloring book and did a page and a half.
Had a dinner of a couple steaks, green beans and peaches... and later on tonight I had some nachos. Watched The Young Victoria for some entertainment, and enjoyed it as much as I remember I did before.
I feel so refreshed... it's so good to take a break once in a while... or a month.
Jw
(During the few hours on Tuesday, I mowed the lawn, sorted through the mail and swept the floor, besides going out for dinner at El Azteca, my favorite local Mexican place before I had to return to the ship. Thursday after work, I stopped by the movie rental place and tried out Game of Thrones... turns out the amount and type of pornography and gore is way too much for my tolerance level... no more for me. I finished out the evening by listening to First and Second Timothy while I wrote on the other blog. I needed a mental washing. And I also got to talk to Mom for over an hour... that was really nice.)
Oh, my gosh... where did I start? When I was let off from work on Friday afternoon, the first thing I did was stop for a late lunch at the sushi place on Hampton Blvd with the all-you-can-eat special. After that I spent a good hour picking things up for the ship... and then I really was on my own time.
Spent some time online, talked to my sister about some plans for October, then went to Walmart to pick up new bedsheets and pillows, and birdseed for my wild pets. They didn't have the cheap standard pillows... so I broke down and bought the expensive downy pillows... and I'm so glad I did! They are so much more comfortable! Shopping always takes longer than I mean it to, but I was still in plenty of time to go swimming right afterwords as I planned. The odd thing was, when I got to the indoor pool, they told me they were still closed for 20 minutes or so because of the lighting storm that last struck 10 minutes beforehand. I was dumbfounded as to why they'd close an indoor pool for a storm... but it afforded me time to finish the chapter in a book I was reading that happened to be in the car. Finished just as they opened, and managed to do a thousand yards in twenty-five minutes.
Came home, cleaned up, spent a bunch more time online, had only a P&J for dinner, and finished the evening out with a phone call to my Darling for nearly two hours while lounging in my comfortable bed.
Today, glorious today, I slept in til 9, made myself a wonderful breakfast, painted the door to the shed outside (it was badly in need of a new coat... and I so enjoyed making it look like new), bought a futon for the extra bedroom (I have guests coming!) and did the laundry in Ocean View. I picked up a few things at Rite Aid across the street and read in The Templar Knight along the shore as the stiff breeze blew small waves continually onto the beach (instead of watching Titanic on ABC Family inside... what a choice!) while waiting. I laughed to myself as Celine Dion's My Heart will Go On played during the credits while I folded my clothes... what fun my sister and I used to poke at that. What a blast from the past! I was 14 when that came out. I remember hearing about it from the girls on my Jr. High basketball team, how wonderful it was. Then I went to see it with my family... I've never been so miserable in a movie theater. I finished up folding as Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame came on... what was this? a bad '90s movies marathon? I went back out to the shoreline to read more Arn even though my laundry was all done. It was so beautiful, breezy and relaxing.
Back at home, I broke out my French horn and warmed up, remembering the fingering for all the notes... which came back to me pretty easily. It was as hard as ever to know what note to start on though... the horn can play so many notes without any valves involved; sometimes it's hard for me to hear where I am. It was a real joy to play again... I think I shall do this more often. To continue feeling like it was the '90s, I even broke out a coloring book and did a page and a half.
Had a dinner of a couple steaks, green beans and peaches... and later on tonight I had some nachos. Watched The Young Victoria for some entertainment, and enjoyed it as much as I remember I did before.
I feel so refreshed... it's so good to take a break once in a while... or a month.
Jw
Sunday, July 28, 2013
To Wear a Coat Again
And I will try and recount for you the month of July. With the mini vacation, all the underways and duty days, and the time I wanted to spend just sitting on the couch with my darling Michael, I never found time to write about what we did together this month. Thankfully I did jot down a couple notes:
July 3rd, when we got home from the command picnic, we packed up our car and the pets and headed west on I-64 across the bridge to go north around Richmond to Mount Vernon, Virginia for the long weekend. On the way we listened to a compilation of patriotic music starting with Frank Sinatra's The House I Live In. It was only a 3-hour drive, so even though we left after five, we still made it to our hotel at a decent hour, with time for a real rest before getting up relatively early the next morning.
Our Independence Day began at Denny's, across the street from our hotel, the Quality Inn. George Washington's Mount Vernon was an incredibly neat place to spend the fourth. Got there just in time for a front row viewing of General Washington reviewing of a Virginia militia company in the year 1777, and then listening to a reading of the Declaration. After touring his magnificent house, we watched a naturalization ceremony on the lawn overlooking the Potomac River (what a view!). We stopped by the Washington's grave, then poked through the underground museum... and a neat one it was! What I really enjoyed seeing was a porcelain serving bowl decorated with a three-masted ship. Apparently, it was a gift from Commodore Thomas Truxtun, my ship's namesake. For lunch we went to Ruby Tuesday for burgers after taking care of the pets. It was such a hot day, we were pretty worn out, so we took a little nap after lunch. Woke up in time to watch A Capitol Fourth on the HDTV in our room, even though the real thing was only a half-hour's drive north. For dinner, we returned to Ruby Tuesday for the pasta we thought about getting at lunch.
On the 5th, we had something different at Denny's, then drove up to Arlington to take a look at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (the Iwo Jima monument), which I've wanted to see since I was about 14... well, ever since I watched Sands of Iwo Jima and read about Gen. Chesty Puller. I felt like a little kid when we got out of the car. No wonder my parents and I missed it in 2005... it's a hard to find exit for it off a freeway entrance, and it's outside the National Cemetary's fence. We went straight to downtown Alexandria from there to ride a riverboat up the Potomac to D.C. for a look at the monuments, the bridges, the parks, and the Watergate Hotel. Had iced tea and popcorn as we rode, and we even got a little salt water in the face. Went back to take care of the pets, and left early for the Nationals baseball game. The traffic to catch the train was terrible, but once we got on, it was a breeze. The baseball game was a lot of fun... lots of exciting play, the Nats winning 8-5 in eight and a half innings. The train going back was hard only because we had to wait in a long line for tickets.
On the 6th, after our last Denny's breakfast, we packed and left by noon. Michael was a darling and stopped off for me at the National U.S. Marine Corps Museum at Quantico. I looked around for a half-hour, speeding through the exhibits as fast as I could, and loved looking at the original 2nd flag from Iwo Jima (the big one). There was lots of traffic on the way home, including a car fire on the opposite freeway, and some accidents. After depositing the pets at home, we enjoyed my traditional seafood dinner before an underway at The Ship's Cabin off Ocean View Drive. What a glorious weekend!
The 7th, although a Sunday, I had to spend entirely on board ship. Then we were gone on the 8th, returning the 9th. Went out to Franco's By the Bay for a lovely Italian dinner and then spent a quiet evening together. The 10th, although a normal workday in port, was much like the day before, only we stayed home and made hamburgers. I think one of these days we watched Cinderella Man, and a Mystery Science Theater 3000 thriller the other night... one of the 3 or 4 films or shorts we watched this summer.
Monday the 15th, just back from an underway, we celebrated by going out to Captain George's again and enjoyed it just as much as before. We took the round about way home on shore drive to avoid interstate traffic. Back at home, we took out the dog.
16th: I enjoyed gathering up lots of Charlie's hair all over the floor every now and then... :) No, I'd rather have my Darling here with his animals and have to sweep more often then not. It will be lonely when I get back. Grilled some burgers for dinner, took the dog out again, watched some MST3K shorts, and the Sleeping Beauty Ice Ballet again. Missed some of the later scenes because I was so tired. Good thing I had watched it before!
Wednesday the 17th was lots of fun! Had a quick snack before heading out to the base to show Mike how to get to my ship (so he could visit me on my upcoming Saturday duty), then since the base laundry was jammed, we went back to the laundromat in Ocean View. While the clothes dried, we stopped at Walmart on Tidewater to pick up a couple things. The main event though was heading out to the Cinema Cafe in Hampton to see Despicable Me 2, and have dinner. Had another lovely walk with the dog when we got back.
The 18th was rather laid back. Watched some music videos on YouTube, especially Michelle Tumes and Enya, along with a few literal versions of 80s hits. I put the shelf I got at Walmart together to put all my dinosaurs from home on, and Mike prepared a wonderful salmon dinner with lots of fixings. I really loved just sitting and talking for a while... that's the beauty of living together, I guess. I also managed to write about the Navy on my other blog.
Friday, the 19th was grand. Got off pretty early from work finally, and we enjoyed an afternoon in Virginia Beach by having burgers at Abby Road, walking along Atlantic Avenue, window shopping, playing a 18-round of indoor mini golf, and buying souvenir t-shirts. Went home to relax and take care of the pets, then we had a late dinner at the Macaroni Grill.
Even though Saturday was my duty day, I got to see Mike when he came to share a pizza and take a tour of the ship. When I got back home Sunday morning the 21st, we both got lots more sleep. For dinner, we went to El Azteca on East Little Creek Rd., my favorite local Mexican restaurant. That evening there was a deluge of rain that flooded the backyard (even a little rain will flood the backyard, but for this one I thought of the boat shoes that Leonardo da Vinci invents in the film Ever After and how useful they'd be).
On Monday the 22nd, we went out to dinner at Fellini's, another local Italian place, but one we went to last year when we first transferred here. And there was more RAIN.
I was very tired the evening of the 23rd. Didn't even want to drive very far for dinner, so we tried out the Sunset Grill at the very end of the Willoughby Spit... just about sunset too... and it was wonderful! Shared some broiled shrimp and a delicious fried fillet of halibut.
Wednesday the 24th we went to the last Tides baseball game we could manage to go to. I brought some Chipotle in with me, and Mike had his usual pizza... the game was really, really long. At the end of two-and-a-half hours, it was only the top of the eighth, so since they were losing and I had to work early, we left. We did enjoy watching the Tides come back to within one run, but as we found out at home, they ended up giving up another run before it was over. We also missed another late rain... so it was good that we did what we did.
The evening of Thursday the 25th, we returned to Mom and Pops for dinner, and ran into another light rain as we drove to get a couple things at the grocery store, and on to the nearest Krispy Kreme for dessert.
Friday I had duty again, so when I got home on Saturday the 27th, I had a big breakfast, then took a long nap. We had a light dinner at Pollard's Chicken (like a local KFC... but tasting much better), went shopping for groceries and for the pets, came home and mixed up a chocolate cake, took the dog on a walk while it baked, cooked up a marvelous dinner of scallops, shrimp and steak with corn-on-the-cob, biscuits and pasta. The best surprise was wanting to put on coats while we sat outside as Mike smoked his pipe and we talked... it's been a very hot summer in Virginia, so this was a wonderful change. Back inside we watched more YouTube music videos on my TV for fun and relaxation.
Today, Sunday, July 28th: I was finally able to sleep in! ...for the first time since... June. Cleaned up the dinner mess, caught up blogging (obviously), had a lovely breakfast at noon, watched a silly Fred MacMurray film from 1963 (Kisses for My President) which felt like a kid movie with adult themes. But Fred was as fun as ever to watch. Then we went to church, met the Daugherty's, then went to Red Lobster on Independence Blvd. for our traditional farewell dinner. As the saying goes about all good things... and living with my husband was a very, very good thing.
I love you, Darling. I know we both will look back on this time we shared with the fondest of memories.
July 3rd, when we got home from the command picnic, we packed up our car and the pets and headed west on I-64 across the bridge to go north around Richmond to Mount Vernon, Virginia for the long weekend. On the way we listened to a compilation of patriotic music starting with Frank Sinatra's The House I Live In. It was only a 3-hour drive, so even though we left after five, we still made it to our hotel at a decent hour, with time for a real rest before getting up relatively early the next morning.
Our Independence Day began at Denny's, across the street from our hotel, the Quality Inn. George Washington's Mount Vernon was an incredibly neat place to spend the fourth. Got there just in time for a front row viewing of General Washington reviewing of a Virginia militia company in the year 1777, and then listening to a reading of the Declaration. After touring his magnificent house, we watched a naturalization ceremony on the lawn overlooking the Potomac River (what a view!). We stopped by the Washington's grave, then poked through the underground museum... and a neat one it was! What I really enjoyed seeing was a porcelain serving bowl decorated with a three-masted ship. Apparently, it was a gift from Commodore Thomas Truxtun, my ship's namesake. For lunch we went to Ruby Tuesday for burgers after taking care of the pets. It was such a hot day, we were pretty worn out, so we took a little nap after lunch. Woke up in time to watch A Capitol Fourth on the HDTV in our room, even though the real thing was only a half-hour's drive north. For dinner, we returned to Ruby Tuesday for the pasta we thought about getting at lunch.
On the 5th, we had something different at Denny's, then drove up to Arlington to take a look at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (the Iwo Jima monument), which I've wanted to see since I was about 14... well, ever since I watched Sands of Iwo Jima and read about Gen. Chesty Puller. I felt like a little kid when we got out of the car. No wonder my parents and I missed it in 2005... it's a hard to find exit for it off a freeway entrance, and it's outside the National Cemetary's fence. We went straight to downtown Alexandria from there to ride a riverboat up the Potomac to D.C. for a look at the monuments, the bridges, the parks, and the Watergate Hotel. Had iced tea and popcorn as we rode, and we even got a little salt water in the face. Went back to take care of the pets, and left early for the Nationals baseball game. The traffic to catch the train was terrible, but once we got on, it was a breeze. The baseball game was a lot of fun... lots of exciting play, the Nats winning 8-5 in eight and a half innings. The train going back was hard only because we had to wait in a long line for tickets.
On the 6th, after our last Denny's breakfast, we packed and left by noon. Michael was a darling and stopped off for me at the National U.S. Marine Corps Museum at Quantico. I looked around for a half-hour, speeding through the exhibits as fast as I could, and loved looking at the original 2nd flag from Iwo Jima (the big one). There was lots of traffic on the way home, including a car fire on the opposite freeway, and some accidents. After depositing the pets at home, we enjoyed my traditional seafood dinner before an underway at The Ship's Cabin off Ocean View Drive. What a glorious weekend!
The 7th, although a Sunday, I had to spend entirely on board ship. Then we were gone on the 8th, returning the 9th. Went out to Franco's By the Bay for a lovely Italian dinner and then spent a quiet evening together. The 10th, although a normal workday in port, was much like the day before, only we stayed home and made hamburgers. I think one of these days we watched Cinderella Man, and a Mystery Science Theater 3000 thriller the other night... one of the 3 or 4 films or shorts we watched this summer.
Monday the 15th, just back from an underway, we celebrated by going out to Captain George's again and enjoyed it just as much as before. We took the round about way home on shore drive to avoid interstate traffic. Back at home, we took out the dog.
16th: I enjoyed gathering up lots of Charlie's hair all over the floor every now and then... :) No, I'd rather have my Darling here with his animals and have to sweep more often then not. It will be lonely when I get back. Grilled some burgers for dinner, took the dog out again, watched some MST3K shorts, and the Sleeping Beauty Ice Ballet again. Missed some of the later scenes because I was so tired. Good thing I had watched it before!
Wednesday the 17th was lots of fun! Had a quick snack before heading out to the base to show Mike how to get to my ship (so he could visit me on my upcoming Saturday duty), then since the base laundry was jammed, we went back to the laundromat in Ocean View. While the clothes dried, we stopped at Walmart on Tidewater to pick up a couple things. The main event though was heading out to the Cinema Cafe in Hampton to see Despicable Me 2, and have dinner. Had another lovely walk with the dog when we got back.
The 18th was rather laid back. Watched some music videos on YouTube, especially Michelle Tumes and Enya, along with a few literal versions of 80s hits. I put the shelf I got at Walmart together to put all my dinosaurs from home on, and Mike prepared a wonderful salmon dinner with lots of fixings. I really loved just sitting and talking for a while... that's the beauty of living together, I guess. I also managed to write about the Navy on my other blog.
Friday, the 19th was grand. Got off pretty early from work finally, and we enjoyed an afternoon in Virginia Beach by having burgers at Abby Road, walking along Atlantic Avenue, window shopping, playing a 18-round of indoor mini golf, and buying souvenir t-shirts. Went home to relax and take care of the pets, then we had a late dinner at the Macaroni Grill.
Even though Saturday was my duty day, I got to see Mike when he came to share a pizza and take a tour of the ship. When I got back home Sunday morning the 21st, we both got lots more sleep. For dinner, we went to El Azteca on East Little Creek Rd., my favorite local Mexican restaurant. That evening there was a deluge of rain that flooded the backyard (even a little rain will flood the backyard, but for this one I thought of the boat shoes that Leonardo da Vinci invents in the film Ever After and how useful they'd be).
On Monday the 22nd, we went out to dinner at Fellini's, another local Italian place, but one we went to last year when we first transferred here. And there was more RAIN.
I was very tired the evening of the 23rd. Didn't even want to drive very far for dinner, so we tried out the Sunset Grill at the very end of the Willoughby Spit... just about sunset too... and it was wonderful! Shared some broiled shrimp and a delicious fried fillet of halibut.
Wednesday the 24th we went to the last Tides baseball game we could manage to go to. I brought some Chipotle in with me, and Mike had his usual pizza... the game was really, really long. At the end of two-and-a-half hours, it was only the top of the eighth, so since they were losing and I had to work early, we left. We did enjoy watching the Tides come back to within one run, but as we found out at home, they ended up giving up another run before it was over. We also missed another late rain... so it was good that we did what we did.
The evening of Thursday the 25th, we returned to Mom and Pops for dinner, and ran into another light rain as we drove to get a couple things at the grocery store, and on to the nearest Krispy Kreme for dessert.
Friday I had duty again, so when I got home on Saturday the 27th, I had a big breakfast, then took a long nap. We had a light dinner at Pollard's Chicken (like a local KFC... but tasting much better), went shopping for groceries and for the pets, came home and mixed up a chocolate cake, took the dog on a walk while it baked, cooked up a marvelous dinner of scallops, shrimp and steak with corn-on-the-cob, biscuits and pasta. The best surprise was wanting to put on coats while we sat outside as Mike smoked his pipe and we talked... it's been a very hot summer in Virginia, so this was a wonderful change. Back inside we watched more YouTube music videos on my TV for fun and relaxation.
Today, Sunday, July 28th: I was finally able to sleep in! ...for the first time since... June. Cleaned up the dinner mess, caught up blogging (obviously), had a lovely breakfast at noon, watched a silly Fred MacMurray film from 1963 (Kisses for My President) which felt like a kid movie with adult themes. But Fred was as fun as ever to watch. Then we went to church, met the Daugherty's, then went to Red Lobster on Independence Blvd. for our traditional farewell dinner. As the saying goes about all good things... and living with my husband was a very, very good thing.
I love you, Darling. I know we both will look back on this time we shared with the fondest of memories.
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