Just imagine this view every morning. I have to admit, it is a lot of work to keep it up, but once it's there, it's a wonderful place to raise your kids and grandkids . . .
Hank and Eileen had to get on the road to go to south-western North Carolina to a camping trip in their big motor home. I helped them get the thing packed and hooked to the truck that they tow along behind the motorhome. They got out of there and I wrote a blog to try to get back up to date. ;-)
I only had to drive to Richmond VA to get to Chip, my cousin's house, which was anout 1.5 hours away. SOOOO, I wasn't in a big hurry. I packed the bike, as I goofed with the girls and departed about noon. . . Here is the front of Haden's house, with Turq helping me:
This was a departing shot of Windward Shores . . .
On the right side and
On the left. It agan was sad to depart this beautiful place. Hank and Eileen have been with me and my family for 25 years and are a great couple and family. I have always been welcome in there home, no matter where it was located and I keep them in my prayers at all times. Thank you both for your hospitility and friendship. I love you guys . . .
Well I got on the road and the countryside certainly looked different:
As soon as I got to Interstate 95 north to Richmond, I passed another landmark:
And not too far after that, another place my family will recognize, even though the kids were very small . . .
The mighty James River, where both Jenn and Luke learned to love the water. It is here that I had Luke on my skis at 1 year old, and Jenn became an Olympic diver/jumper off a dock at least 3 feet high above the water, with Jack and Kaye Lancaster, the Purdy's and our family, all holding up 8s and 9s and 10s for the various jumps. We still have some good videos of the diva diving off! and Luke playing in the sand with no pants on . . . Which, on occasion, he still does . . . ;-)
The weather here is crazy, I first start driving to Richmond and the weather is great:
Just a little crowded from everyone going back to DC from the weekend - then, out of nowhere
BAM!!!! Go figure . . . If you don't like the weather in this part of the country, Just wait 5 minutes.
On this part of the trip I called my cousin Chip and he said he has to work until 10:00 pm Sunday thru Tuesday night. I still stopped to see him at work at the most beautiful Bass Pro Shop that I have ever seen.
Where Chip and I got to spend an hour together.
Chip and I decided that we would meet Wednesday morning to go visit my Uncle Duck and Uncle Sam and all my Atwell cousins in Charlottesville. (that could be 10-15 of 'em) and leave the motorcycle parked somewhere. That's the plan anyway!!! I headed out from there to Woodbridge VA, a little north of Quantico and south of Washington DC. It was supposed to only take an hour, but 3 hours later, in the heat, I was frustrated with the stupid DC traffic, stopping and going for hours, and no other way to get there, that I knew of . . . Here was my view, several times . . .
I finally got to Tom's work place, right on the water. Tom and I go back many years, almost 40 years, to our old enlisted Marine Corps days. We both got selected to go to the Marine Corps Enlisted Comissioning Program and went to the University of Utah together. We have been friends ever since! He retired from the Corps and has done several things since, now being a Tow/Tug boat driver. That's just sounds like fun, doesn't it!!!! well, I got there, we walked around the docks and saw VERY pricy boats:
Probably the most expensive at 3-400,000 dollars
Here is a Heron nesting on a post right off the dock
and telephoto'ed in. . .
And here are some of the boats Tom uses in his business
We climbed aboard this one and headed out to the mighty Potomac River. Here is some of the instrumentation in the cockpit. . .
It has night vision, and GPS, and sonar, and all sorts of interesting stuff to get the job done. This one was pushed around by a jet boat unit (no props) powered by a 380 hoursepower Cummings Deisel engine with a jet drive, like a jet ski:
We headed out of the docks
at sunset, with Tom at the wheel
We passed an old fishing trawler that was built in
We pulled into Tim's River Shore Resturant
and we had a great fish meal!
Here is Tom in his office,
With this view out the window
Here was an interestion shot out the porthole
We headed back to the docks where he parks the boat
We drove home about 20 min away to Tom's house, and when I stopped in his driveway, that was a little angled (I think?) the bike, very slowly, layed itself down on the right side? A VERY graceful entrance, of course, making me look like a rookie rider . . . :-( I still don't quite know what happened, but luclily, Tom was there to help me lift that heavy beast! Tammie, his wife came out to help too!
We were not too long for this world as I layed on the floor and got used to his 3 mini -Aussies. They way about 25 pounds each, and 3 of them don't weight as much as my Mr. Marbles.
LUKE Out!
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