This 'n That

Kristi and Sam have been consummate hosts. Truly, our every wish is their command. They've been sleeping on an air mattress while we take over their bedroom. They've been driving us everywhere, too. It's been the nicest week ever.

Sure gonna miss 'em when we have to leave on Monday.

Here's Kristi making us blueberry waffles and chocolate chip ones, too. Delish!
Here's the school she'll be teaching at--St. John the Apostle. The playground is in the back.

Saturday Night at the Beach

Here's just a teensy bit of a view of what it's like on the Boardwalk at night. People everywhere--young and old and lots of families. There's so much to do - family bikeriding, performers of all kinds, restaurants, shops. And do I need to mention the view?

Here's a 'Virginia Legend' - a Patsy Cline impersonator. Patsy was born in Virginia, and it was interesting to hear the performer speak of her life. The impersonator was a great singer--tho not particularly friendly with the crowd. Of course, she'd been singing for 3 consecutive one-hour shows when we saw her, so maybe she was just pooped.

A great time!

The Virginia Aquarium

We spent Saturday afternoon at theVirginia Aquarium which is proud of its Sea Lion and Shark display. Here we are, clowning around.

I don't look very scared, do I?

The highlight of the afternoon, though, was the IMAX movie about Underwater Sea Life. We had to don our 3D glasses, and the whole thing was just awesome. I absolutely LOVED it!! A new experience for all 4 of us - it was like we were literally in the water. I even got scared when a couple of venomous snakes were swimming right toward us.

Or so it seemed.

Very cool.

The Bayou Boog-a-loo

To Doug's great delight, Kristi found a Cajun festival going on down by the Elizabeth River in Norfolk.

Kristi and I made our own Mardis Gras masks, then it was off to have some real Cajun food. (Note: We'd already helped ourselves to a couple of yummy Hurricanes!)

Sam's first experience with crawfish. Both he and Kristi were brave enough to give them a try.

Me? I wouldn't touch 'em.

So I just settled for fried alligator and fries.

>

Doug loved them and even had fun with the pinchers. Ugh.

The Williamsburg Winery

Doug wanted to go to the winery, so we headed back to Williamsburg to visit this one. The Williamsburg Winery can produce 70,000 cases of wine a year and makes almost a quarter of the wine sold in all of Virginia. All the Virginia wineries combined are the fifth leading wine producer in the country. The vineyards were beautiful!

As you can tell, we enjoyed tasting their handiwork. I bought a yummy raspberry dessert wine that I'm saving for the holidays. Can't wait!

At the Beach!!!

Finally, we get to go to the beach! We've gone twice now. First time, Tuesday evening. The Boardwalk is incredible. Very family oriented and tons and tons of free entertainment.

We spent most of Wednesday at the beach. Loved it, loved it!

Kristi said I had to put this one in. A wave rolled in and knocked me off balance.

The umbrellas were one of my favorite things on the beach. Each one was different, and all were very colorful. What a summer-y scene!

Doug wouldn't put on the new $3 Walmart trunks I bought for him. Maybe next time, eh?

The Next Day - Williamsburg

The best thing about Williamsburg is how it made you realize how men fought to be free of British rule and to start their lives new in America at great cost not only to themselves but to their families, too. After driving about an hour, we arrived in time to see a re-enactment of those early days.

We felt sorry for the actors for having to wear those hot costumes, but they were so-o realistic, and they stayed in character.

The Governor's Palace where Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson once lived. The original burned down in the late 1700's, but this is a reproduction.
Doug and Kristi went in to visit the Magazine where they stored arms. The rifles were all real.


This was one of my favorite parts. We visited a kitchen on the Palace grounds. Costumed workers were preparing authentic foods from the period. It was hot, hot, hot.

There was a Virginia ham, rack of lamb, pears steeped in wine, pineapple pie, apple pie (both of which they used as side dishes, and not dessert) stuffed mushrooms and boiled onions with cloves and cinnamon. Desserts were simple sugared almonds and something else I didn't recognize and couldn't pronounce.

The baker is getting ready to make cakes. You can see the 13 x 9 pan where she mixed the batter, and the flute pans were dusted with flour and ready to go.

Virginia Beach - Finally!

July 27, 2009

After a 5 hour delay in Dallas because of an electrical storm, we finally arrived in Virginia Beach to visit Kristi and Sam.

They took us to a fab restaurant overlooking the Chesapeake Bay called Chicks Oyster Bar. (Chad would love this place!) The seafood was wonderful. Though it was a little misty, the view was great!

Our New Mexico Honeymoon

I wanted to share some photos from our fabulous trip to Taos.

The drive to New Mexico was so scenic.

We couldn't believe our eyes when we got to Lisa and Brian's condo in Taos. It was beautiful!

We were greeted by a basket of goodies, including lots of snacks, champagne, Mrs. Gribble's sugar cookies, and more!

They even had a birthday cake for Sam!

Sam played a lot of tennis.

I preferred the pool and hot tub.

Another treat from Lisa and Brian was a gift certificate to one of their favorite restaurants in Taos, Pizanos! The food was delicious!

Orlando's, another local favorite. The fish tacos were great!

And if that wasn't enough, Lisa and Brian also got us a night's stay at Hotel Plaza Real in downtown Santa Fe! Very quaint!

Sam spotted some apropos graffiti.


We also visited a local vineyard.

The most unique part of the trip was a day's hike with llamas down the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (again, thanks to Lisa and Brian).

The llamas (pronounced "yah-mas") carried our equipment while we guided them down the steep, rocky terrain.

When we got to the Rio Grande River at the bottom, our guide (who was also a chef) prepared a delicious lunch for us: turkey and smoked gouda sandwiches with pesto and garlic spread on home-baked bread, mixed greens with blue cheese crumbles, walnuts, and dried cranberries, potato salad, and cookies.




But the very best part of the trip was . . .

BABY JACK!

(and Lisa, of course!)