Well, it is my birthday and we’re living our dream.
What better present could I have than that? This morning we pulled up the
anchor and headed up the Elizabeth River. We were not alone as all manner of
commercial ships were around. Tugs, barges, container ships and Pilot boats
were a few. Then we entered the Navy zone where everything from submarines to
aircraft carriers were docked. The “George Washington” was getting ready to
depart and we saw the boat drop off the pilot, helicopters coming and going,
and could hear the loudspeaker announcements as we went by. I was surprised
that we were allowed to be that close to an aircraft carrier. It reminded me of
just how small our little boat is!
After passing the fleet, we crossed over to Hampton
and tied up at the City Piers right in front of the Cousteau Society. Jacques
Cousteau and his TV specials was responsible for Beth and my interest in
what lies under the sea. The city only charges $1 a foot and pumping out the
holding tank was free. There is a very nice air & space museum only two
blocks away. Beth and Noah headed there and gave me a couple of hours of peace
and quiet for my birthday. We went out to dinner at a little pub where they had
written “Is that an African or European swallow?” on the blackboard. If you
aren’t a Monty Python fan, you can ignore that quote. Good fish and chips, then
we found a little Italian place with good Gellato. The city pier is next to a
Radisson and has an arrangement where boaters can use the pool. We had the
second floor balcony with pool and hot tub all to ourselves and swam until the
sun set over the marina. Noah swam seven laps of the pool and didn’t have any
trouble getting to sleep. We’re reading “The Marsh Runners” which is about two
kids growing up in Manteo, NC during the 1930’s.
and tied up at the City Piers right in front of the Cousteau Society. Jacques
Cousteau and his TV specials was responsible for Beth and my interest in
what lies under the sea. The city only charges $1 a foot and pumping out the
holding tank was free. There is a very nice air & space museum only two
blocks away. Beth and Noah headed there and gave me a couple of hours of peace
and quiet for my birthday. We went out to dinner at a little pub where they had
written “Is that an African or European swallow?” on the blackboard. If you
aren’t a Monty Python fan, you can ignore that quote. Good fish and chips, then
we found a little Italian place with good Gellato. The city pier is next to a
Radisson and has an arrangement where boaters can use the pool. We had the
second floor balcony with pool and hot tub all to ourselves and swam until the
sun set over the marina. Noah swam seven laps of the pool and didn’t have any
trouble getting to sleep. We’re reading “The Marsh Runners” which is about two
kids growing up in Manteo, NC during the 1930’s.