Virginny Beach

On Wednesday I drove with Zanne to the lab, where I gave a presentation on comparative eschatology. Afterward I picked Zanne up from the Columbia Mall, and we ate at a fancy Chinese cafe. Then we drove toward Richmond, stopping to visit with Raine and Jeff. They are having a hard time dealing with Harv's terminal illness, and we really feel for them.

We then drove down to Virginia Beach, and along the way I called Pam Bourgoine, and we made plans to meet with them later. We arrived at the hotel and headed to the beach as it was starting to get dark. I, of course, swam a little, and then we ate at our hotel restaurant right on the beach. I had delicious fried shrimp, and I was totally in the relax mode.

The next day we spent at the beach. Zanne read Heinlein's "Tunnel in the Sky" while I played in the water for six hours. I covered myself with waterproof SPF 50 sunblock and got burned to a fine red crisp anyway. The surf was really rough! I spent the whole time body-surfing, and the waves beat me up pretty bad. It was really fun and exhausting.

That evening we ate at a Mongolian Barbecue while we watched the news about Michael Jackson dying. We then returned to the hotel, where I trounced my bride in a game of Bokus (or whatever it's called). She whined and insisted on redesigning the game.

On Friday morning, we slept in and then had breakfast at IHOP. I had had too much sun, so we skipped the beach and started heading home. We met Dan and Pam (and John and Amy) at a Starbucks. Dan has a beard! And Amy has transformed from a cute little tomboy into a stunning and elegant young lady! I was amazed! John is about 8 feet tall, too! Pam and Suzanne got on very nicely, just like old friends. It was really great seeing them again.

We drove home to Martinsburg without incident and checked on the house. The stairs are stained beautifully, and the house is just about done. They graded the driveway and the surrounding lawn, too.

Today is Saturday, and Rosie and Trey have arrived for a week of fun with Grandma and Grandpa! Woot!