Fourth of July Norfolk

Bill Lee and the lovely Janice

 Good morning to all. I spent the evening at the waterfront watching fireworks and people. This has been another good stop for me. Relaxing and enjoying the company of new and old friends. I have been in the Atlantic Ocean again. Water temp is above 70 degrees. I've now been in the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and this side too. I must say, Atlantic is so much warmer that I could swim a whole workout without trouble. I didn't, but I could. I got my pool time in at a friend of the family's place, a salt water pool where I spent an  hour swimming and another just basking. Bill and Janice have been so warm and welcoming that I would have already forgotten about my bad KOA experiences if I hadn't gotten an e-mail from the husband inbreeder explaining how it wasn't their fault and how much they were looking forward to seeing me sometime again. Really? Really!?. Nope, not this time!

Blee and the not so lovely Red

The Armed Forces Concert Band

The fireworks show went off very well, unlike the one in San Diego that happened all at once (check out that story). Their were lots of families all around and it's the kids that make this such a fun event. The children all around us were dancing to the concert band and oohs and aahs filled the ears throughout the evening.



The band was good when they stayed with the marching style,but a little less than mediocre when they tried to do contemporary songs. Oh, well.




Before we went to the show last night , we had dinner in a pizza joint that felt so much like so many of the places in Portland, Oregon. The hipster style, the tattooed ladies serving the food, the almost laissez faire attitude of everyone working left me with a feeling I might be with my daughter, Alex, in a cool place she knows. Miss you, Al. The pizza was great, eclectic, and filled the spot. "Cogans" is a good place to go in Norfolk. Just don't expect service to be part of the experience.

Oooh!

Aaah!

Moonrise just after fireworks

I had to buy a new helmet for the ride. The old one lost some of it's screws, kinda like me, on the ride. It has always been a little bit of a painful ride, as it keeps pressure on my ears that becomes almost unbearable as time passes. Also, kinda like me?
I will be leaving on Saturday morning, early, for Brooklyn, NY. My daughter,Tasha, is there living her dreams, and I hope to enjoy her experience vicariously. I miss my family and friends, some of you belong in both categories. Some of you don't, but I'll never tell. To all of my clients and students; I look forward to being in the water doing what I'm here on this planet to do. I am blessed to have found my place and purpose. If you haven't, keep seeking. It is there for all of us to find.

Today I will do a little bit more visiting and a lot more eating and laughing with Blee. I would promise to give you more pictures, but when I'm with this guy, the time is gone before I even know. So, you can probably expect another rambling diatribe filled with mixed messages. But, if you know me, then you look for nothing less.

With all of this in mind, I will close with one single thought. If you do what you love, and you love what you do, then all of the money or acclaim could not make it any better. I do what I love, and I thank so many of you for helping me find my way. I don't need to re-invent myself on this trip. As a great philosopher said "I yam what I yam, and that's all that i yam" (Popeye). That's all folks...REDSENDS...