Becky and I started and ended our contract in Charlottesville, Virginia at concerts. As if we hadn't driven enough to get to our new apartment, we decided it would be a good idea to trek a little farther toward Richmond to see Jennifer Nettles. I figured it was a great housewarming gift to ourselves. You'll find soon enough that I tend to come up with a completely logical reason to spend my money. This was no exception. Unpacking could wait, it was time for some fun.
Charlottesville was familiar stomping grounds for Becky, as she had lived and worked there prior to the ship. This made her the automatic navigator. When we added the suggestions from some of her friends that still lived there to our bucket list, we had plenty of check boxes to fill in.
Did you know there are tons of wineries in VA? That was news to me, pleasant news I might add. It makes for a nice afternoon, as many have gorgeous views of the hills and vineyards. Throw in some sunshine, friends, and of course, a little wine, and it's a perfect outing.
VA is also no stranger to an array of hiking trails. I am embarrassed to say that although I love being outside, I've learned I'm not in the same shape I was a few years ago.
What used to be a leisurely uphill walk has now turned into somewhat of a steep cliff of death where I find myself gasping for air. Don't even try and have a conversation with me because I...can...only...get...one...word...out...at...a...time. I blame the altitude...
See - I'm not kidding...
A weekend that we were both off, a couple of Becky's friends flew in for a visit. We did a couple of things around town, and then decided to venture down to Williamsburg. It was like a little history lesson, except I enjoyed it. We strolled through town and appreciated being tourists for the day.
How could I pass up this picture? Aren't you proud, Dad?
Becky is a fan of lighthouses and I like road trips so we
decided to go on a little Lighthouse Road Trip to the Outer Banks. We lucked out on some pretty amazing weather
for the majority of the mini vacation, cruising along the coast and stopping
for some photos and of course, food. Our
first stop happened to be a Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives participant. (Being friends with Sofia and Becky has
allowed me to mark off quite a few – I’ll eventually do a little brainstorming
and see what number I’m at). From there we continued on our lighthouse quest.
The Jeep had a little photo op as well.
We also experienced a little trespassing after hours, thankfully no shotguns were involved but there were an exponential amount of mosquitoes. Between that and my nervous nelly photography skills the pictures are less than ideal. Serves us right I suppose.
We also found our way to the Wright Brothers National Memorial. They were doing a little construction on site, but it didn't take away from the experience. Besides, somehow Becky and I always find restaurants, museums, parks, etc. that are either under construction or closed so some orange cones on the memorial grounds didn't seem to put a damper on things.
We also met a few friends...
After the Wright Brothers Memorial we headed over to the Dunes. They were pretty impressive to say the least. It was one of those times where the farther you looked, the harder it was to tell where the sand ended and the sky began.
Once we made it to an open area, we decided to lay out our blanket and attempt reading our books. As you can probably guess from clouds in the photo above, our plans didn't quite play out as well as they had in our heads. Before long the skies opened up and the wind started gusting...
This may not be worse than sand in your bathing suit, but it's a close second.
Despite a few weather mishaps and some closed restaurants, we made it to and from our destinations in one piece - I'd call that a successful trip.
Although it was quite a challenge getting back to work after spending almost a year in Africa, I did actually enjoy the adventure.
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