BEACH VACATION, DAY 7

I've said it over and over again during this week--I'm having the very best time here in Virginia Beach, and we will come back!

We didn't have to set an alarm last night as my yoga class isn't until 5:30pm, but DM calls us just after 8:00am. He's home from work with a head cold and after resting and then doing a bit of work, he's taking the little girls out to give MK some down-time. We talk a bit about their planned return move to the U.S.--trying out some ideas and schemes... They've almost decided to rent their house as the market for sales is down to almost nothing.

The original Cape Henry Lighthouse was built from stone from

the same quarry as was used for the White House

View from inside the lamp of the old lighthouse.

CA and I drive to Ft. Story, an Army base just down the road a bit from our resort, and after the guards thoroughly and good naturedly search the car we are welcomed onto the base so that we can visit the two Cape Henry light houses on the base. The oldest (the brick one) was built in 1792 as the first act of government construction by George Washington. It began to crack in 1870, and was replaced in 1881 with the black & white version, which is still operating today.

We climb the twisty, narrow staircase to the tippy top (103 steps, per CA) of the brick lighthouse to appreciate the hazy views over the Atlantic and toward the Chesapeake Bay. After climbing down spend some time reading the historical plaques and then visiting with the docents in the museum discussing dual citzenshp, bi-lingual grandchildren, and the advantages of both.

We then use our trusty beach guide and after a bit of meandering end up at Chick's Beach--one of three with that name. Ours is the one inside Seashore State Park, which is part of First Landing State Park. We find out that First Landing refers to the Jamestown settlers first landing on our continent--after stopping briefly here they continued up-river until finally reaching the spot where they founded Jamestown.

Chick's Beach (slang for Chesapeake Bay beaches) is less spectacular than Croatan from yesterday, but it has a great view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and it's a quiet beach that attracts a lot of young moms and kids. There's a marine biology station here and the young woman biologist takes time to explain the sea life to some very young boys and then lends them nets for their own exploring.

We walk the beach a bit and listen to the waves and surf... A family is assembling the seating for a small wedding to be held this evening, and life in general is moving in a lovely slow way on this stretch of beach. After a bit too much sun we return to the Ocean Beach Club and then take off down the Boardwalk the 17 blocks south to 17th and the Atlantic Ocean to Rock Fish for a late lunch. There is a Beatles theme going on here, and we love it.

CA orders a crab cake sandwich and I have my first burger of the trip, both entrees come with luscious fries and mine has a side order of lobster macaroni and cheese. Oh-my-gosh! Could mac and cheese get any better than this!

(Here's Ina Garten's recipe.)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lobster-mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

And, my burger has Jack cheese, bacon, onion rings, and all the trimmings. YUM! The lobster macaroni is basically curly-cued pasta in a creamy cheese sauce with sweet, broiled lobster sprinkled on top.

After we walk the mile+ back to Ocean Beach Club, I sit out near the pool alongside the ocean to read a bit, and then it's time to get ready for 5:30pm yoga.

 I have another extraordinary class at Oceanfront Yoga while CA chills out in our studio and does some Internet surfing. By 6:45pm or so, we're probably in for the night. We plan to make some guacamole and enjoy an evening of reading and maybe a DVD.

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About 7:30pm CA gets the munchies so I mix up some fresh guacamole (the Two Hot Tamales recipe). We brought most of the ingredients from home and we are down to the wire for actually using them. A great bedtime snack. We’ve been enjoying a Diet Coke and lime concoction all week which goes nicely with the guac.

I am loving The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf.