Blogs from Virginia, United States, North America - page 90

Hey everyone. This is my first attempt at keeping a travel blog, and I get the feeling I have alot to learn. I'm down visiting Monika (Washington) Stoker and her family in Virginia Beach. When I was on the COLE (Aug '98 - July '01), she arrived in September of 1998 for a 1.5 or 2 year (can't remember now) tour as Fire Control Officer. Needless to say we spent alot of time together. Today, she is on shore duty and will next attend PXO school as she has screened for command. Woo Hoo!!! She's married to Randy Stoker, also an academy grad who works for the DOJ and they have 1.9 kids. Riley is 10 months old and Monika is 8 months pregnant. Scary amount of work, just around the corner. I'm happy that I ... read more

2008 Pacific Voyage January and a new moon are used as depictions of new beginnings. So it was that with a new moon occurring on 9 January 2008, Marnie and her crew of two, Tigs and Walter, left the dock in Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach with Donna and Mason to wave farewell. Marnie, the 62 foot wooden ketch, was to return home having been commissioned and built in Auckland NZ on 15 April 1985 at the Salthouse Shipyard. The destination to be reached within 10 months of cruising through unexplored waters for those aboard. The first leg of the southward journey was anticipated to be a four day passage, with landfall in Spanish Wells, Bahamas. The first twenty four hours of the journey we experienced favourable winds from the south west as we rounded Cape Hatteras. ... read more

I got at 8am as i was distracted by Andi's alarm in the other room and i got showered and got my gear together and said goodbye to Andi and said my goodbyes to Myron and the two Dave's, by around 9am i got my stuff together including the pack lunch Andi had made for me and headed for the bus stop and i got the bus to main street and walked over to main street station. The first train was due in at 10.27 am to Dc and was an hour late i then proceeded to get on the Amtrak train and my rucksack got caught on me and the door and i lost one of my set of traveling beads as it snagged and burst. I got my gear stowed and sat down and ... read more

Sunday morning and after the beers the night before i was the only one who was initially up and i was feeling pretty tired but i had not had much sleep as Andi was in the room next door and had been entertaining her boyfriend and that woke me up and plus the moving round and different beds and i think a case of jet lag aswell as meant i have not had a good nights sleep yet and add to the equation beer which does not aid a good nights sleep. So while everyone was still snoozing i did some re-arranging of my stuff and made sure it was packed for Monday and then i went online to try and work out what means of transport i would take to get to my next destinations. ... read more

Borat’s Rodeo, Appomattox Courthouse and Foamhenge: An Odyssey Through Western Virginia It can be sad ending a big trip. A year abroad brings huge changes to your world-view and makes home seem so much smaller and, in many ways, just plain odd. But there are good things about home too as long as you are willing to spend a minute to stop and look around you. Being thankful is not something I’ve traditionally been very good at for various reasons. But, despite my background un-thankful-ness, I have learned over the last few years to step back an be thankful. Kel, my lovely wife, has done wonders for me and could be compared with the water poured on half dead flowers. Her love and attention has allowed me to flourish and grow and for that I ... read more