April 19, 20, 21,22, 2007

April 19, 2007 - Just a normal day around here. I have been doing little chores on the boat that get ignored when we are moving. I swept the floor and then scrubbed it down in the cabin. Then went outside and sprayed the boat down good and then soaped all of the stainless stuff and polished it. I have a bathtub ring on the bottom of the hull that I need to find a brush to scrub it off. Just little things that add up and don’t get done once we are under way. I have a month to get it all done and ready for Bob and me to take off north once again. The weather is kind of getting rid of the bite in the wind but still need a jacket in the morning. I am not changing to shorts this time until the thermometer hits the ninety degree mark. Tired of packing warm clothes up and then getting them back out again in a day or so. I need to fuel up Shorty and get the head pumped off, just chores that come up regularly. I also have been reading destination and port books for up ahead of us even though I don’t have charts to get the distances and fuel usage done yet.

April 20, 2007 – More of the same as above. I decided this evening that it was time to do a little exploring tomorrow. I can only spit and polish so long before I get the itch to go and if I am going to do my walk every day I might as well make it count. The weather is also getting a little warmer, still brisk late evenings and early morning’s though. I went to the visitor center in Portsmouth to get some materials and see what is going on here. I just arrived home with enough stuff to last a month and have already missed some good stuff. It is a month long arts festival that goes from now till up in early June. Got to get the hooves shined up and ready to go for tomorrow.

April 21, 2007 – The day dawned this morning with beautiful colors just like a day should during an arts festival. I went and got my Portsmouth walking map out and set out to see some of the local sights. This is also historic garden viewing week here and all over Virginia if I have it right. The first houses and churches I looked at were so very pretty and of such different design from a lot I have seen elsewhere. I noticed that the steps here going up to the second floor of the homes was located on just one side of the house and not both sides in the front. The story goes that the reason the houses had two sets of steps up on the front is one side was used by the women and the other side by the men because they did not want the men looking up those big hoop skirts they wore to formal events. Well here in Portsmouth that did not seem to matter because they only have one set of steps going up the front of the house. I think it has something to do with the fact that sailors are a much better behaved group of people than some of those Southern gentlemen seemed to have been. Also sailors don’t mind viewing a few hoop skirts going up stairs and have better control of themselves. That said, I am going to have to go back tomorrow and check out the historic gardens as they were pretty crowded yesterday on a Saturday. The dogs certainly are tired tonight and I got the photos processed and up on the internet along with some from the prior periods. Any file with an April 21st date is what I have been catching up on.

April 22, 2007 - I found out two things at the visitor center in Portsmouth that make it really nice for people visiting both cities. First there is a ferry that old folks like me can ride across the river to Norfolk for 50 cents, now that is cheap in this day and time. The second was the Hampton Roads Transit has a free bus to all of the tourist attractions and the museums, library and other stops along the way, even stops at a shopping mall. So now you will be getting the true 50 cent tour in case you think it is worth it. One ferry ride later and I was on the free bus to the Scopes Arena which is where they play basketball and hockey but not today. Today the arena was host to Virginia International Tattoo. I had heard of tattoos but this was altogether different. A tattoo is what they call a ceremonial performance of military music by massed bands. And this was a super program of bands and music. It simply takes more than my words to describe this gathering of bands but I will try and if you ever get a chance to see a tattoo please do so.
It will make your throat dry and your eyes moist and give you a good dose of what patriotism should mean to everyone. I was both of the above as I sat and listened to what our military bands are capable of and of the additional awe thrown in for good measure by other countries military bands as well. Canada was represented by the 3 area Support Group Gagetown Pipes and Drums, the 8 Wing Trenton Pipe Band and the 12 Wing Shearwater Pipes and Drums. The Band and Corps of Drums of the Bermuda Regiment from Bermuda. The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines from the United Kingdom which is the band that travels with Queen Elizabeth when she travels abroad as well as in Britain. Another Bermuda band was the Bermuda Islands Pipes and Drums. The Caribbean Symphonic Dancers from Norfolk University gave a performance from the various islands. Republic of Korea was represented by the Chae Hyang-Soon/Ang Song and Dance Group. The Churchland High School Chorus sang and did backup for others. Doc Christian and Friends did the song Amazing Grace to the accompaniment of the audience tears and made sure there was not a dry eye in the house. I will name some more that included Drums and Pipes of the Irish Guards, H & H Gombeys, Hampton Roads Police Color Guard, Highlands and Islands Scottish Dancers. The Juliana Bicycle Team from Holland is the only group to use bicycles in there presentation. Norfolk University has a military drum line called the Million Dollar Funk Squad and what a show this group can put on with absolutely lightning fast hands and drumsticks, wow. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps from the US Army with their old time dress and precise movements and the fact that they represent Bush at many events. The US Coast Guards silent drill team put on a performance with rifle and real bayonets that made you hope no one missed his move. The US Marine band from Quantico Virginia did the Hymn to the Fallen and the Marine Hymn and had everyone absolutely quiet with the most wonderful playing of Taps I have ever heard followed by the person from the corps. who sang Amazing Grace. Then all the bands massed which made it over 850 strong and played the Stars and Stripes Forever, Scotland the Brave, and Black Bear. There was much, much more and I have only skimmed the top few. I know if I see another tattoo advertised I certainly will go see it. In my reading for the trip I know there is another of these that will take place this summer in Canada, I hope I am nearby when it happens. We Americans including myself sometimes lose track of what the services sacrifice for us. If you could have heard the soft version of taps and its mournful tones echo in the arena it would make you proud to be an American and tearful at the same time. When they did Amazing Grace accompanied by the bagpipes and soft drumming was another of those times. As they played each services theme they asked that the people who served in that branch of service to stand while it was played and I was proud to do so.

I also posted a number of photographs since I arrived here. The new files are dated April 21st and April 22nd . I hope I did not ramble on to much above but I was just very excited about being able to see this while here in Portsmouth, VA. Some of the photos are a little blurred but it was hard to catch the units when someone was not moving and you could not use flash.