First Landing State Park

Don and I spent three days at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, VA, for an early anniversary trip. We stayed in a rustic cabin replete with hot showers, a fireplace, heat and air conditioning. This is my idea of roughing it!

Our rustic cabin in the woods at First Landing State Park. Don, his truck, and the dogs to the right.

The interior is roomy and comfortable with a small kitchen, bathroom, shower, heat and A/C. My kind of camping!

One benefit of staying in the park is that could bring our two dogs by paying an additional fee. Pets are allowed on a six-foot leash. Our Walker hound and beagle enjoyed hiking along the nearby beach and trails, although I confess I tuckered out way before Don or the dogs did. Other highlights were sitting around a campfire, reading, and writing a journal entry in the cabin log. We are already planning future trips!

I am more worn out than the dogs. They were hyper when they arrived!

Adventures with Filippo: Summer's End

I am a local school teacher. I have weekends off, but my husband, Don, works weekends, so these are the last whole days we have together until my next school vacation. We have been making the most of them, and of our time with Filippo, our new exchange student through AFS Intercultural Programs.

Wednesday we spent the morning at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, "One of the Seven Engineering Marvels of the Modern World," when it was constructed about fifty years ago. Its official name is the Lucius J. Kellam, Jr., Bridge-Tunnel, although nobody calls it that. It connects nearby Virginia Beach with the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland. It is scenic, beautiful, historic, and worth the rather hefty toll that most travelers pay.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel crosses two channels and an inlet between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic

The Chesapeake Bay is North America's environmentally estuary. It's important. Save the bay!

There is a rest station partway along the journey where we stopped, visited the fishing pier, and visited the Sea Gull Pier Restaurant and gift shop. We also walked around and looked at some of the vessels of various sizes heading to the harbor or the sea.

We pose on the pier with our new friend, Miguel, another visitor from abroad. Filippo is 2nd from the right.

Norfolk is a major harbor. It has the world's largest naval station and is important to commercial shipping as well. We had the opportunity to watch an aircraft carrier heading out to sea, probably the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, named after the former president. Due to the sharp eyes and loud cries of a group of children, we even spotted some dolphins breaching the water not far away from us.

The U.S.S. Harry S. Truman was easier to spot than the dolphins!

The visit gave Filippo a chance to see U.S. patriotism in action.

Filippo and Don check out the aircraft carrier.

The sign near Filippo expresses support for U.S. troops. Many families in our region have ties to the military.

A ship heads through the channel. Under it is the deep tunnel where we drove Filippo in our car. Part of the bridge is in the background.

In the afternoon, Filippo and I worked out at the local YMCA, and Filippo made an appointment to return for some training on how to use the exercise equipment there.

Yesterday our whole family, Filippo included, headed for Virginia Beach. Filippo has been very eager to see the Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful day, with rather gentle surf, cool but not cold water, overcast at first, but with sunshine breaking out by early afternoon. Even the jellyfish were on vacation, and I, for one, was thrilled with their absence. It was a perfect end to our summer together as a family. Soon I will be back to my teaching job, Filippo will be starting high school, and the hazy, lazy days of summer will be a quickly-fading memory.

The trips to the Bay Bridge Tunnel and to the Beach are examples of how hosting an AFS student is a richly rewarding experience. We enjoyed showing the beauties and excitement of our region with Filippo. But by doing so, we realized that we had missed visiting these favorite places. We especially decided that from now on we need to make at least one visit to the local beaches every summer, despite the fact that we dislike the work of getting ready to go as much as the tourist traffic. Some experiences are worth a little effort.

After the beach we were hungry, so we visited the all-you-can-eat buffet at Golden Corral. Afterwards we visited with our new AFS Liaison. Then Don and Filippo headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for some more male bonding time over television and American football. It wasn't a Redskins game, so I heard the local fans were not as rabid. No surprise there.

All I can say is, we are tired, and we are all going to sleep well tonight!

The Virginia Zoological Park

A giant Aldabra Tortoise seemed to be having as much fun at the zoo as we were!

Yesterday my husband, Don, and I spent a day of our summer holidays at the Virginia Zoo in nearby Norfolk. We both love photography and got some decent pictures. I'll share some of our favorites.

Siamangs like to hang around a lot!

The zoo has an adorable Siamang baby. These primates swing through trees by their arms.

The biggest part of the Orangutans' day is apparently lunch, particularly the bagged lunch that they took "to go:"

Not sure if this Orangutan is eating or playing or both...

First the Orangutan grabs a bag lunch

Then the Orangutan checks out the contents: "What'd I get?"

The Orangutan decides the bag's contents are acceptable and decides to head for the hills with it!

An Asian Small-Clawed Otter at play

The "Norfolk Southern Express" is a scaled down train that can give riders an overview of the park.

Have I mentioned Don loves trains? The $2.00 fare supports the zoo's programs and exhibits

I was nervous about Tapirs after spotting this sign

Even though this Tapir was facing the "wrong" direction, it seemed pretty harmless

A Red Panda spends lots of time sleeping in a tree

A Sun Bear likes her shade, too. The day was hot and humid!

Why is the Masai Giraffe at the right staring at the other Giraffe's backside?

 Here is the entrance to the zoo with its impressive sculpture:

The Elephant-sculpture in front of the Virginia Zoo

A real Elephant takes a leisurely stroll

These frogs and turtles are not part of the exhibits but live on the zoo's grounds

These Bullfrogs look like they're snuggling

A sleeping Fennec Fox

Another sleeping Fennec Fox

What is this Prairie Dog Whispering in his friend's ear?

The Blue Duiker is a tiny little Antelope. It's extremely shy.

For people who like birds, the zoo has a colorful variety from all over the world:

A Rhinocerous Hornbill

A Sarus Crane, called Grus Antigone in scientific terms

An African Crowned Crane

A Bald Eagle lives at the zoo because it's too injured to live in the wild

This Peahen with her chicks seem a different kind of royalty

If you find reptiles creepy, you may want to stop reading here.

OK, you've been warned! Personally, Don and I loved the reptile house.

An Emerald Tree Boa? I am not sure...

A Beaded Lizard, like the larger Gila Monster, is actually a lizard with a venomous bite

Florida and Home in North Carolina

I was recently struck by the stark yet similar beauty between the lake near my mother's house in Palmetto Palms (in Ft. Myers, Florida) and the beauty of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal closer to home here in Virginia. The canal runs between Virginia and North Carolina and was originally dug by slaves under the direction of George Washington.

Pictures from Ft. Myers, Florida:

Residents of Palmetto Palms are proud of their lake

My nieces are looking for alligators and turtles, both of which can sometimes be seen near the bridge

The bridge itself is a pretty walk through the mangroves

The mangroves add beauty to the scene

Mangrove roots provide shelter for wildlife like this little fish

 Pictures from the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia:

My husband, Don Burke, and I celebrate our anniversary with a tandem bike trip along the Great Dismal Swamp Canal

No mangroves, but the trees grow all around the water here

Despite its name, the Great Dismal Swamp harbors wildlife and is beautiful in its own right