The third annual "beach-peeping" season is upon us.

Thursday, August 17, 2000
The trio arrived from their separate destinations at Norfolk Airport. I came by plane from NY and Tm and Ri came by truck from VA. They picked me up at the airport and we drove the 45+ minutes to Sandbridge. Upon our arrival we were greeted by NH and LD and cocktails. We then sat down to a dinner of beef stew, cheese rolls, salad, mash potatoes and a mixed vegetable casserole. Our day ended when we watched the National Democratic convention and listened to Gore's nomination speech.

Friday, August 18, 2000
Our plan was to head out to Busch Gardens but it rained most of the day. We decided to see the movie "Space Cowboys. So off we go to MacArthur Mall where we picked up the tickets and ate a quick lunch before the movie. We also window shopped at Restoration Hardware and William Sonoma. The movie was great and Tommy Lee Jones looks good in his jeans and he has a cute butt. The sun did come out on our way to the mall. After the movie, we bought our obligatory piece of chocolate from Godiva. We then headed back to BH's where Ri and NH made a dinner of tomato salad, crab cakes, corn, garlic bread and we had lemon sherbet for dessert.

Saturday, August 19, 2000
We had a pleasant day visiting the state of North Carolina. After breakfast, we drove through VA to Coinjock, NC to take the ferry to Kitty Hawk. We had a scenic route of Virginia Beach along our way to the ferry and when we boarded the ferry the water was so calm. It was great sitting on the top enjoying the breeze and warm sun. The ferry ride was 45 minutes and it was a beautiful day for it.

We then made our way through Nagshead and other small towns to Kitty Hawk Memorial Park. We learned the history of the first flight by the Wright Brothers. We saw where they lived and the hangar where they kept their plane. They made four flights in December 1903. Then we walked up this hill top that didn't look all that steep until the last turn. We rejoiced when we made it to the top and the climb down was very easy.

Oh before we went into the museum, we had a buffet lunch at Western Sizzler. There were trout, fried chicken, mash potato, gravy, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, black eye peas, collard greens, and other food that I can't remember. There was also a salad bar and a dessert bar. I had a ice cream cone.

After Kitty Hawk, we drove to Manteo, NC and went to Fort Raleigh. Nearby is the Lost Colony which is a theater production and Andy Griffith performed in the 1950s. We looked around and then went to the Christmas Shoppe. I picked up some North Carolina keychains and magnets. We went to the candy shop and saw all the candy that we ate during our youths and nothing teased us into buying them. They had candy lips, candy necklace, candy buttons, the gold nugget gum, the thin taffy bar..it was like reliving our youth. The prices were a bit high considering we probably paid a penny for the candies.

Then we headed back to Virginia Beach. We drove through the shoreline to see the many houses and hotels on the beach. We saw one house that was completely damaged by previous storms. I don't think I would want a house that close to the water. We also drove by Moylok, NC, home of Andy Griffith.

During our adventure in North Carolina, we saw cows, horses, geese and goats along the way.

Before heading home, we dined at one of the local restaurant, Seacrest in Pungo, NC. They pronounced it as "pongo" instead of as "pungo". We had fried shrimp, fried flounder, fried calamari, imperial crab cakes(?), mashed yams, baked potato, french fries and she crab soup.

Sunday, August 20, 2000

Happy Birthday Ri!

Today we spent most of the day at the beach. We had a great time. Tm went in but said the water was cold. Ri and BH took in the sun and just relaxed. Eventually I stood where the waves came across the sand and covered my foot. Each time I did this, the waves wouldn't come closer so I inched forward until the water got as high as my knees and then I took a step backward. While standing there, I did have a fleeting moment where I wanted to jump into the water..but that thought quickly disappeared. Maybe sometime in the future I will do this. Later we walked the beach and then it was time to come home. BH went back to the house and got the truck and Tm, Ri and I sat on the back of the truck...I think it's called tailgating.

We rested and prepared Ri's birthday celebration. We had she crab soup, zucchini, tomato salad, steaks, potato/cheese/bacon/peas dish and garlic bread. It was all delicious. For dessert, we had chocolate truffle cheesecake. BH's mother and her sister w/family came over and we had a good time catching up and playing with BH's nephew.

Monday, August 21, 2000
We headed out to Busch Gardens. Our first stop was the Pirates! 4-D Adventure. It was so kewl. When the birds had droppings in the movie, the audience said "eeewww" then all of a sudden...we had droppings on us and we said "eeeewww". Then bats came out at us and you felt them on you. Then the captain was spitting and he spat on us. It was great. I like interactive productions.

We saw the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales and the baby, who was born in April 2000, was so cute. They had the wagon on the other side, but no one could get in it.

Our next stop was the roller coaster, Loch Ness Monster, rated #15 roller coaster in the world. I am not a roller coaster person so this was a bit interesting. Tm kept teasing me but I knew if the small kids can go on it...so can I. The ride went smoothly, of course I had my eyes close then that first drop came and I couldn't hold it in...I had to scream. Then we did the double loop which I saw coming but closed my eyes again and then the final drop and the ride was over. All I could think of was that I made it. The other roller coasters were in the air or had your feet dangling...I'm not ready for those yet.

Our next stop was another production, Rockin' the Boat. It was great. The performers were great dancers and singers. The dancers illustrated the arrival onboard a cruise, meeting the cruise staff, the captain's dinner, romance in the air. It was like you were on a cruise. The singing and dancing were great and they had a couple of standout numbers. The designs were terrific. I particularly like the engine room scene but most of all I loved the Caribbean scene, which featured many acts behind a dark screen. It was great when they showed the body parts connected to another body part and so on until the body became one and danced.

We then went next door for the Enchantment Magical Show. That was a good show. It was a bit cold in there and I couldn't wait to get back out in the warm sun.

Next stop was Le Mans. The line was much longer than the Loch Ness line. After circling the line, we finally got in our own cars and off we went. Lucky for us, by the time it was our time to drive the cars, they opened up the other track so we had clear sailing.

Next stop was the water flume ride. That was fun. Ri and I sat in the back while Tm sat in the front. Our aim was that Tm would get drenched but when we got off the ride, both Ri and I were the ones that were wet. I could go on this and the Loch Ness ride again. The challenge ride for me would be the others. I think I can do it...perhaps one ride per visit.

We then strolled through the various areas of the park and made our way to the Oktoberfest at Das Festhaus. We got a meal of german sausage, sauerkraut, red cabbage and potatoes and watched the band and dancers perform. I enjoyed that.

We rode the European Steam Locomotive to New France to see Carnival Francais. I enjoyed Carnival Francais. We got beads on our chair and then the show started. There was a parade of the dancers and we enjoyed listening to the music and the illuminating laser show. It was great!

Since the sun went down...it got a bit chilly and Ri and I went in search of a sweatshirt. Ri found a wire jewelry place so we went there and we nearly closed the park down. Overall, we had a great day at Busch Gardens.

Tuesday, August 22, 2000
Our last day there before heading back home. It's always sad leaving when you are having fun. After a slow morning packing our bags, Tm, Ri, BH and I headed to Pollards for lunch. Neil and Tammy were meeting us there. Pollards has the best chicken than the well-known fast food chains and bread puffs that you pour honey on. It is so delicious. After we said our goodbyes, we all went our separate ways and Tm and Ri drove me to the airport and another sad goodbye and our Virginia Beach weekend was over.