Blogs from Virginia, United States, North America - page 89

Lauren, my niece, says I'm lucky to ride my bike in March in shorts and repot plants in Virginia; she's in Pittsburgh. I must agree though, I am lucky - Friday in Virginia Beach is 82 degrees. However, Saturday in Smithfield is 50 degrees. Will pneumonia sneak up on me by swimming and then cycling in wet clothes? I'm uncertain, but this is the difference between a 3 minute swim/bike transition time vs. a 1.5 minute transition time. With a quick transition time, I could gain an advantage and rank higher by saving that minute. Especially, since I really haven't been training. ... read more

Well, Saturday, our plane was about an hour late leaving Heathrow but we landed only about 35 minutes "late". Immigration, luggage collection, customs, etc. went smoothly. Boy, were we glad we'd reserved a room at the Dulles Marriott (thanks, Doug!!). We were exhausted--about 36 hours later than when we'd left the hotel in Kolkata, with only a couple hours sleep. Did have two good flights, met some more interesting folks, had bangers & mash on the second flight, watched movies and TV but were pretty tired of sitting. Got up Monday and headed on home--the Valley sure does look good! Thank you all for reading along with us--we had a great trip and truly enjoyed sharing with you. I've added pictures to yesterday's entry so you might look at it again.... read more

A return to the States is like a regression in time where buildings, roads, and store names have changed while people and old habits haven't. There's a new building on the corner, the highway is a little wider, a little longer before the familiar construction, and that one restaurant where you used to go has closed shop while three chain restaurants have opened in its stead. People have matured slightly with the passing of another year, but most of them look the same, act the same, and surely think the same as they did when you knew them in what seems like a previous life whose tracks you've picked back up. The comparisons are inevitable in the first couple weeks due to the shift in perspective you've gained from living in, experiencing and learning about different ... read more

weekend in Richmond, VA... read more

Well, I packed my bag last weekend, have taken my last typhoid vaccine dose, checked baggage limits on the airline, did what pre-boarding tasks I could do, spent the weekend working on presentations to take with me (counting on computer access!), and copied itinerary info to leave behind. Still need to try uploading a picture directly from my camera to accompany an item; will try and do that tonight! Boring, but practice.... read more