Saturday Morning I woke up early and took a ride on my bike on the boardwalk for some exercise. I stopped for breakfast at the Pocahontas Pancake and Waffle Shoppe. They have some great pecan pancakes and waffles. A bit of advice, it doesn't take much syrup to enhance the flavor, which I learned the hard way. I was feeling totally sugared out by the time I finished that meal.
Went back to the hotel and grabbed the bodyboard and hit the beach. I have never been bodyboarding before, so I got out there and slowly learned how to catch a good wave. After about an hour in the water, I headed to my spot on the beach, laid down, watched people for a while, and then proceeded to nap. I woke up with a nice bit of sunburn on my right side, ouch! Got up, went back to the hotel to rinse off, and decided to take a walk up the retail side of the boardwalk. I made a few inquiries into some things I wanted, but I was good and decided to wait.
Later in the afternoon I took a drive up Shore Drive to see what was available in the area. I got some nice pictures along the way before heading back in. That night I decided to catch an early bird special down at a local restaurant. I basically gorged myself on a seafood buffet, including crab legs, just because I felt like spoiling myself. The meal was good, and I got my money's worth, so I was cool with that. I read some more of Atlas Shrugged in the hotel before heading to bed.
Sunday was up, exercise, then breakfast, before hitting the beach again. This time I had better waves, and it meant a longer amount of time in the water. This time I was smarter about it and wore sunscreen to minimize any further damage. After about 4 hours on the beach, I headed back in and relaxed throughout the rest of the afternoon. That evening I hit a local pizza place for dinner.
Monday it was time to head back home. I finished some leftover Chinese food, then packed up and checked out of the hotel. I took one last walk along the water before I headed towards home. I stopped at the Yorktown Victory Center along the way. That place was fun in that it was a lot more interactive. I got to see medical care during the Revolutionary War, I also got to watch them demonstrate firing a mortar and a musket. There was lots of noise of course. I tried getting a picture of the mortar firing, but I think I timed it too perfectly because the picture blurred. I don't know if it was because I moved or because the vibration of the shockwave hit right as the shutter was open, but still, it was fun to watch.
Eventually I got home and unpacked. All in all, it was a rather enjoyable weekend. I could not have asked for more perfect beach weather as it was nice and warm, and the water felt great. I also came to a few conclusions that weekend. First and foremost, I rather enjoy being on my own, especially the aspect of being able to do whatever the fuck I want, and I don't have to answer to anyone for it. I am back in touch with the part of me that's a history buff because let's be honest, I may not be here forever, and I should see all of the historical things I can. I also know my wild side is alive and well in a number of ways. I really enjoy being out on the water in some way, shape, or form. I am always comfortable and it puts me in a good place. I still can't stand line dancing. I am who I am, and no one is going to control or change that about me. I don't need a man to make me happy, it's all in my own head.
Showing posts with label VA Beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VA Beach. Show all posts
October 17, 2007
October 10, 2007
VA Beach, Part 1
This past Columbus Day weekend, I packed my bags and headed to Virginia Beach, VA for some sun, fun, relaxation, and processing.
I actually had planned this trip about two months ago, why? Because I could. I realize that every single trip I have taken, whether it was for school, work, family, or pleasure, all involved me going with at least one other person. While I don't mind being with other people, it has also meant that bit of tension about making sure that everyone else involved is happy and that you end up compromising on some of the activities that go on. Besides that, I was going through my break-up with Joshua and I wanted some time for myself. I didn't really take time off for myself when I broke up with Mike, and I think a big part of that was because I was pretty much gone from that relationship emotionally when the break-up finally happened. Either way, I just wanted to be alone, even if it was simply to see what it felt like if I basically was somewhere where I knew no one and I had to feel things out on my own. I had to teach myself to be completely independent again.
Besides that, I kind of liked the idea of being able to do whatever the fuck I wanted, whenever I wanted, period. :-D
So Friday morning I loaded my car up with some clothes, some books, my bike, and directions to the places along the way that I wanted to stop at. It was then off to Virginia early in the morning. My first stop was at a Sonic Drive-In for a Rt 44 Cherry Limeade, Chicken Club Toaster, and Tater Tots. I have yet to find another place that can do a cherry limeade like Sonic can. After that brunch, I stopped at the local Russell Stover Outlet to pick up some chocolate just to have around, plus I bought some to use for a party in the future. It's nice to be able to buy 3 pounds of seconds from the factory for only $10, and they generally taste just as good as the regular. I drove on, got down around Williamsburg, and by this time it had occurred to me that I had forgotten to pack my bike lock, so I ran into a local store to purchase a $4 chain lock.
As I flew down I-64, I saw signs to go to Jamestown. Considering it was the 400th anniversary of the founding, and I had never been there, I decided on a side trip. I went over to Jamestown and toured the galleries first. The galleries had some amazing artifacts in them, including a copy of the Magna Carta, porcelain from China brought over here, and bits and pieces from the different cultures from around here. One thing I noticed about some of the artists was that they seemed to really like to paint the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus when Mary is about to feed Jesus, which means an exposed breast. I'm sure those kinds of portraits were considered shocking and blasphemous Unfortunately they did not allow for photography inside the galleries.
I did get pictures of re-creations of the ships that first landed at Jamestown, a re-creation of the Native American villages, and the re-creation of the Jamestown Fort. Eventually I headed back on the highway and it was onward to VA Beach.
I arrived at VA Beach in the late afternoon and got checked into my hotel. I was only a block from the boardwalk, so immediately I was on my bike to ride up along the beach and see what had changed from last year. I noticed a few playgrounds were added on the beach, plus the sand sculptures from the Neptune Festival the previous week were in a completely different location. Unfortunately the big Neptune sculpture was gone by then, and a number of other sculptures were already falling apart. Oh well.
So I went up the boardwalk and then back down the street to look at all the shops. As I headed back I took note that many of the stores were having their off-season sales, including a few that were 50% off the entire store. I ended up stopping at one because I saw a towel that I liked. It had (surprise surprise!) the face of a tiger on it. While in there, I also noticed a bodyboard that had a design I liked as well, so I basically bought both items for only $20. I walked those back to the hotel, stopping along the way to order some Chinese take-out so I could kick back in the room.
After dinner and a bit of cleaning up, I headed out to The Rainbow Cactus, which is a gay bar in the city. I ended up leaving after about 1.5 hours because it just wasn't my scene. One side of the bar was the country side, and they were giving line dancing lessons for a while before just switching to music, which of course was all line dancing. I hate line dancing, if there was two-stepping, I could have gotten into that. Take note boys, I lead. The other side of the bar is more pop and hip hop music. However, most of the people who came to the bar were with groups of friends and they pretty much sat at a table and talked to one another, there was no one on the dance floor there. It felt a bit awkward to be on that side because there's no good way to try and gauge when to introduce yourself, plus most of the time, you're maybe interested in talking to only one or two people in the group of five or so that are sitting around the table at first, and of course you look like a dickhead for doing that. So rather than feel like an outsider all night, I took off for the hotel.
I actually had planned this trip about two months ago, why? Because I could. I realize that every single trip I have taken, whether it was for school, work, family, or pleasure, all involved me going with at least one other person. While I don't mind being with other people, it has also meant that bit of tension about making sure that everyone else involved is happy and that you end up compromising on some of the activities that go on. Besides that, I was going through my break-up with Joshua and I wanted some time for myself. I didn't really take time off for myself when I broke up with Mike, and I think a big part of that was because I was pretty much gone from that relationship emotionally when the break-up finally happened. Either way, I just wanted to be alone, even if it was simply to see what it felt like if I basically was somewhere where I knew no one and I had to feel things out on my own. I had to teach myself to be completely independent again.
Besides that, I kind of liked the idea of being able to do whatever the fuck I wanted, whenever I wanted, period. :-D
So Friday morning I loaded my car up with some clothes, some books, my bike, and directions to the places along the way that I wanted to stop at. It was then off to Virginia early in the morning. My first stop was at a Sonic Drive-In for a Rt 44 Cherry Limeade, Chicken Club Toaster, and Tater Tots. I have yet to find another place that can do a cherry limeade like Sonic can. After that brunch, I stopped at the local Russell Stover Outlet to pick up some chocolate just to have around, plus I bought some to use for a party in the future. It's nice to be able to buy 3 pounds of seconds from the factory for only $10, and they generally taste just as good as the regular. I drove on, got down around Williamsburg, and by this time it had occurred to me that I had forgotten to pack my bike lock, so I ran into a local store to purchase a $4 chain lock.
As I flew down I-64, I saw signs to go to Jamestown. Considering it was the 400th anniversary of the founding, and I had never been there, I decided on a side trip. I went over to Jamestown and toured the galleries first. The galleries had some amazing artifacts in them, including a copy of the Magna Carta, porcelain from China brought over here, and bits and pieces from the different cultures from around here. One thing I noticed about some of the artists was that they seemed to really like to paint the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus when Mary is about to feed Jesus, which means an exposed breast. I'm sure those kinds of portraits were considered shocking and blasphemous Unfortunately they did not allow for photography inside the galleries.
I did get pictures of re-creations of the ships that first landed at Jamestown, a re-creation of the Native American villages, and the re-creation of the Jamestown Fort. Eventually I headed back on the highway and it was onward to VA Beach.
I arrived at VA Beach in the late afternoon and got checked into my hotel. I was only a block from the boardwalk, so immediately I was on my bike to ride up along the beach and see what had changed from last year. I noticed a few playgrounds were added on the beach, plus the sand sculptures from the Neptune Festival the previous week were in a completely different location. Unfortunately the big Neptune sculpture was gone by then, and a number of other sculptures were already falling apart. Oh well.
So I went up the boardwalk and then back down the street to look at all the shops. As I headed back I took note that many of the stores were having their off-season sales, including a few that were 50% off the entire store. I ended up stopping at one because I saw a towel that I liked. It had (surprise surprise!) the face of a tiger on it. While in there, I also noticed a bodyboard that had a design I liked as well, so I basically bought both items for only $20. I walked those back to the hotel, stopping along the way to order some Chinese take-out so I could kick back in the room.
After dinner and a bit of cleaning up, I headed out to The Rainbow Cactus, which is a gay bar in the city. I ended up leaving after about 1.5 hours because it just wasn't my scene. One side of the bar was the country side, and they were giving line dancing lessons for a while before just switching to music, which of course was all line dancing. I hate line dancing, if there was two-stepping, I could have gotten into that. Take note boys, I lead. The other side of the bar is more pop and hip hop music. However, most of the people who came to the bar were with groups of friends and they pretty much sat at a table and talked to one another, there was no one on the dance floor there. It felt a bit awkward to be on that side because there's no good way to try and gauge when to introduce yourself, plus most of the time, you're maybe interested in talking to only one or two people in the group of five or so that are sitting around the table at first, and of course you look like a dickhead for doing that. So rather than feel like an outsider all night, I took off for the hotel.
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