Early Monday morning at six-forty, my wife, my young adult daughter and I left our house for C-ville, a two and a half-hour drive from our place. My wife and I brought our daughter back to C-ville (where she's having summer internship) after the latter spent the weekend with us. ( Her older brother volunteered to pick her up Friday after the former was done, I was told, with his auditioning (for a possible movie role?) while in Richmond, which is an hour drive to and from C-ville.)
Our plan was this: to have our van ready, with full tank so we don't need to be stopping by at a gas station early Monday morning on our way to C-ville. That we just go straight with our road trip. It's good that my wife decided, with my approval, to go out and fill up our van that Sunday afternoon around five o'clock. That is, after we've all arrived home and rested for hours from attending the 9:30 AM Mass or church service and having lunch (my wife and her sister/my sis-in-law, and I) at Subway restaurant inside the NEX (Navy Exchange) Store at Scott Center Annex, in Portsmouth. My sis-in-law was the one who treated us for lunch. She also bought extra two one-foot-long Sub sandwiches for her nephew and her niece. I'm referring to my kids, I mean. By the way, my son and my daughter were not with us during Mass because the latter was scheduled to play piano for church service at Portsmouth Christian Church at eleven in the morning. And she gets paid between forty to eighty dollars (depending on what Christian church in the area she is assigned to play piano) for the one-hour church service. Well, her older brother accompanied her and gave her a ride to the church.
As always, we usually stop by either the first rest area or the next, especially if we've been on the road for an hour or an hour and a half, to use the restroom and/or stretch our legs out and, of course, to breathe in fresh air. Or, to have something to eat/drink, like snacks, purchased from those vending machines. I'm glad and thankful that our governor has authorized the reopening of the other rest area that was closed before by the previous administration because of budget shortfall. These rest areas are truly a relief for travelers because they're surrounded with shady tall trees. And, there are also tables in the open that are available for us travelers. All rest areas I've seen and been to are clean and well-maintained. The newer one is actually named Welcome Visitor Center, with displays of newsstands or racks filled with travel/tourism information, colorful magazines and brochures (about cities and historical spots/places in Southeastern Virginia, and they are educational and informative for travelers, visitors, and tourists. Worth-mentioning, too, is the newly-installed art display of the four-letter word L-O-V-E, standing distinctly outside of the building, on the ground or picnic area as you approach the Center or Rest Area. There are ample designated parking spaces for cars and trucks. Cars are parked in front of the Center, while RVs and large trucks, for interstate trip, are parked in the back of the building.
By nine twenty, we arrived at C-ville, proceeded to our daughter's apartment-house (where she's renting one of the six bedrooms for herself for the duration of summer 2011). There, we dropped off her stuff up to her room. After that we drove her to her internship place, in a temporary trailer, not at the university's Art Museum where she's supposed to be but the building is undergoing renovation or minor repair. The area is also near fraternity/sorority houses. I learned from our daughter that she has to be there in the trailer by ten o'clock every morning, from Monday to Wednesday, until two in the afternoon. To save some bucks, she brings her own lunch to her unpaid, volunteer summer "work."After our hugs and "goodbyes" to our daughter, my wife and I were on the road again.
(Note: As I was writing this, my "journal" last night at around 8:00 o'clock (most of the time and not straight to the computer), while our TV set was on, we're having/experiencing thunderstorm and lightning outside, although it wasn't raining yet, despite the hot and humid weather outside---it's summer, you know---but it's hurricane season, too. There were loud intermittent rolling thunder above, everywhere.)
Let me continue my story. On our way back home to Hampton Roads, (we were still around C-ville) we stopped by at a gas station to fill up our van, even if we still have half-full tank on our van. Price of gasoline per gallon, at C-ville, we observed, ranges from $3.63 to #3.69 per gallon. At BP where we filled our van up, it's $3.65 per gallon. With a copy of USA TODAY newspaper, in addition to gasoline for our van, I paid $31.82. We also used their restroom there, prior to continuing with our road trip back home.
(In between writing these notes on my ruled writing tablet and watching TV on PBS's Nature---about The Orphaned Cheetah, there's a Tornado Warning sign flashed on the TV screen then followed by an announcement by someone from the National Weather Service in Waverly..."A tornado watch in effect for Newport News and Portsmouth areas at 8:24 PM." I discontinued my scribbling, got hold of the remote control and switched channel to WAVY TV 10. This time, I heard the rain falling hard, while experiencing thunder and lightning outside. Meteorologist Don Slater was already announcing, telling viewers to prepare and take cover. Yes, it's raining so hard outside while lightning and the sound of thunder were going on so strong. I thought they're playing bowling up above my roof and somewhere. I wrote on my notepad this: "God, help us to overcome this natural phenomenon (severe thunderstorm). Let your will be done!" Again, the TV announcement from the National Weather Service in Waverly was evident: A severe thunderstorm warning in effect for Chesapeake, Hampton, James City, isle of Wight, Newport News, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex county until 9 PM. Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing frequent lightning and heavy downpour, gusty winds and small hail. It was already 9:37 PM, and WAVY TV 10 meteorologist Don Slater was advising viewers to seek shelter away from windows. In the meantime, my wife was calling me downstairs, asking me how am I doing. She called me downstairs to eat dinner, while the strong thunderstorm was pounding or going on in our area. Before going downstairs, I thought of taking with me our digital camera and a flashlight from our room. I wanted to take a picture of how bad outside was, the downpour was heavy, indeed! (But, I wasn't able to take pictures outside as I partly opened the curtain in our kitchen. It was so dark and the downpour was heavy. Thankfully we have had power or electricity despite the bad weather condition we're encountering!) At that time that we were eating dinner, I remembered my childhood days when we have had strong typhoons in the Philippines. I related to all present on the dining table (my wife, my sis-in-law, and my young adult son) about my family seeking shelter to our nearby barrio chapel before and after a strong typhoon that usually lasts for two-three days. After eating and praying, I went upstairs and continued my writing; I turned on the TV to find out what's happening in our area that's been visited by severe thunderstorm. Then, at 2100 or 9 o'clock PM, there's the scheduled Presidential Address to the Nation by Pres. Barack Obama. It's simultaneously aired in all TV networks, like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX News, and PBS, Special Report. Well, I have no problem listening to our president updating us on what's going on in America. He spoke, for about fifteen to seventeen minutes, about balancing deficit, budget/spending cuts, raising debt ceiling, etc. He mentioned about default if Congress doesn't tackle raising debt ceiling, and the country's AAA credit rating downgraded by August 2, the deadline for debt default, if we fail to pass a bill raising debt ceiling. Then, after, the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, delivered the Republican Response to Pres. Obama's Speech. By this time, the thunderstorm outside was over or has passed our area. I continued my writing.)
Back to my original story. On our way home from C-Ville, my wife, the driver, thought of us dropping by at Glen Allen for lunch, as we have been doing for almost three or four consecutive weeks. I couldn't say no to her.So, we changed our route for Glen Allen, an hour and a half-drive from C-ville. Prior to having lunch, we drove to Big Lots store where we bought some toilet paper for the house and some munchies. Then, as planned, we had lunch at a Subway restaurant there. After lunch, do you know where we went next? The next store in that strip mall was Dollar Tree Store. You bet, my wife said it's "refreshing" for her to go into a store for a walk or to buy something that it's not that costly. I tell you, folks, I didn't have any intention of buying anything there, but I did. Four new hard-cover books at one dollar each. I know, it sounds so cheap. But, you'll never know what a dollar book can do to improve yourself intellectually. Well, as you know, folks, it's one of my hobbies/weaknesses---buying/collecting books. I don't know about you but I just love to have books at home. As a matter of fact, we have a small library at home, in our family room. The kids have their collection of books, too, in their respective rooms. I have some, too, in our bedroom. Yes, books are almost everywhere at home. There are always reading materials in each corner of our house, which is messy or full of clutter, honestly speaking. I'm telling you the truth, you know. Now, why did we go to that subject, folks? (I do hope I didn't offend someone/somebody.) Let me continue with and finish my story...
So, we arrived in Hampton Roads past four in the afternoon. Hot and humid, outside, as usual. Thanks to God, we're back home safely. But tired, I was, even if I was just a mere passenger.I don't doubt that my wife was, too. Thanks for reading my blog entry. Until next time around, folks. Have a good day/night!
No comments:
Post a Comment