Soakin' Up The Sunshine!

WHEN: May 1-2, 2010 WHERE: Norfolk and Virginia Beach I LOVE HEAT!!! While that fact is surprising to few (none) reading this, I'm prefacing this post with its emphasis. I've always loved heat and rarely, if ever, has it bothered me. No matter how uncomfortable the heat and humidity may get, I always welcome them with open arms. I would take 100° over 32° ANY day of the year! Wouldn't you? Frankly (and I say this often, usually to Stacie's disgust), that I would be pleasantly content if the temperature never dropped below 85 all year long. While I could go off on this tangent for several posts, it's only a peripheral component of this post. Digression terminated. Well, the heat was on this weekend and Stace and I were not content to lounge around in our PJs and stare at our computers. We had planned on going out this weekend since last weekend and had several ideas of what to do. We were just fortunate to have nice weather to go along with us. Our main goal was to get down to Norfolk because Stace has only been downtown a few times since we've lived here. Not that there's a wealth of things to do in downtown Norfolk but there is a large mall, and for Stace that's all the reason she needed :) But I also wanted to take Stace down there to see the cruise ship that was in port Saturday as well as take her down to my office that she's never been to. We began with a walking tour of some of the areas I've gotten to know and wanted to show her then drove to my office to give Stace the official tour. She did not approve of my cubicle because "there was nothing in it". This is true. Somewhat because I'm organized and like everything to have it's place and look clean but mostly because 1) we just moved back in from our remodel 5 weeks ago and 2) this job is temporary. I've never felt like I can get established there between the remodel and knowing my stay is temporary. If any of you feel led to send pictures or cash for me to put in my cubicle, Stace would be much obliged.

Stace in Pagoda Garden

Bamboo Brasses

After my office tour I drove Stace around Ghent, a restored, historic part of downtown Norfolk that we spent a lot of time in looking for places to live before we moved here. We drove by some of the apartments we originally looked in then drove the the "local restaurant district". On a whim we decided to go to a local seafood place (A.W. Shucks, "Awww Shucks!") that I had been to before with coworkers. Even though it's a hole in the wall, it is a local favorite and Stace gave it the thumbs up. I'm not a seafood fan but I've been much more inclined and accepting living on the coast and knowing that the seafood is more authentic, fresh, and local there. When in Rome, I guess.

A.W. Shucks

Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!

I was getting antsy by now. It was after 2 and I was convinced the cruise ship was no longer docked. Stace had to see one up close. We picked a parking garage between the cruise center and the mall and set off on another walking adventure. No worries though, the passenger line was still well outside the door and Enchantment of the Seas was still docked and towering over the crowds. The were also Cinco de Mayo festivities going on in the park as well which turned out some very interesting costumes.

The passenger line winding down.

Someday Stace, someday!

Odd ballerina and piano player. Actually he wasn't playing at all, he just drove this contraption around the park (the music played itself inside). Stace hated this, as she does all clowns or characters that resemble them.

OK.

Turns out, the mall was perhaps the low-light of the day for Stace. All she came out with was a pair of shoes. She was disappointed with what she found (and didn't find). At that point, we had been in downtown for almost 6 hours, walking most of that time in the 90° heat and humdity. We were exhausted and crabby. Our last stop was an office party at the home of an older lady I work with. She had over a bunch of people for a big "Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby" party. I've never heard of one of those parties either but now I can say I've been. But a house crowded with mostly strangers and no air conditioning was the last thing we needed at the time. We stayed for over an hour but we were about the last to show and first to leave. We were ready for showers (and bed)!

Sunday brought more heat. There is a bridge I like to take on our way home from church on Sundays with a great view of the ships anchored out in the Chesapeake Bay. There are usually 5-10 ships anchored a mile off the beach and sadly the view is our closest glimpse of the "ocean"/beach each week. I usually park and get out to walk down to the beach, which Stace has conflicting ideas about. She waited in the car (it was terribly windy, I'll give her that) while I walked down to the water and talked with a lady about the beach there. She had grown up in the area and said this was more of a local's beach (as opposed to the oceanfront). The water is very shallow there (you can walk out at least 500ft.) and the beach is less crowded. There are a lot of boats that leave through the inlet there from numerous marinas. She also said there are multiple entities that put on fireworks during the Fourth of July along that beach so the show is the best one to see. Not to mention, the airlines coming in to the Norfolk airport fly in low right over the beach there. I liked this place! I had planned on going to the beach Sunday and this one had quickly become my choice for the day. Stace and I did some grocery shopping on the way home then I threw on my swimsuit as soon as we got in the door. Stace stayed home to sleep and make from-scratch brownies (yum!)while I headed off to my first true "beach day" of the season! And because I was by myself I got to embrace the heat as I saw fit. The thermometer inside the car read 120° and I drove the whole way to the beach (15 minutes) with the A/C off and the windows up. I could never do that with Stace. The high Sunday was 92 (the low was 71) and both the high and low temps tied the previous records. I'm all about breaking records when it comes to HEAT! It was still 89° at sunset while Stace and I sat out on our deck and had ice cream and the brownies she made.

My new favorite beach spot.

Of course I fell into the trap of "too much, too quickly" and soaked up a little too much sun. Each year it's the same. You're so excited about getting some sun and you forget/ignore that you haven't had any for the last X amount of months. I looked like a lobster by the end of the day. Thankfully, my skin bodes well with UV rays because usually my burn turns to a tan the next day, as it did today. I'm still a little sore today but no one at work could even tell I had a burn.

This was me in April 2008, also the first "sun day" of the season. It wasn't this bad but this is about how I looked yesterday. I know both my mothers (and wife) are frowning at this.

The high was 87 today and temps are supposed to remain in the 80's for the remainder of the week. They took the pool cover off our pool today too and the new pool furniture arrived last week. Fitting that our incompetent apartment complex would open our pool after the scorching weekend (or wait until May period). Now all we need is for them to open the grill and we will be set. Summer is here whether the calendar says so or not. I couldn't be more thrilled!

See you in the HEAT!!