Gerritt's Pictures:
Summer 2004 Photo Journal
Painting my new apartment, June 1. We worked for a few hours over two days to paint my bedroom, living room, and dining room. The color names? The Duron color wheel provided the inspiration to paint my bedroom Staghorn (the color we're applying in the pictures below), the living room I painted Beach Basket, and a shade darker Beach Grass went up in the dining room. Quite pleasant compared to the sterile hospital white that the owner had painted before I moved in.
A trip to the National Mall in Washington, DC, June 10.
After hearing that Ronald Reagan had passed away, the arrangements were made to have a state funeral and to lay his coffin in the rotunda
at the Capitol in DC. I decided that I had the time to go see the crowds lined up and maybe take my turn walking through the viewing area
and sense some of the history around such an event. Melanie and I rode the metro in and walked around three sides of the Capitol before
we were able to even see the building.
The line was corralled in portable metal fences like a ride at Disney World, and stretched
much farther than we were willing to wait. Estimates said the wait was 3-4 hours at the hottest part of the day when most people were
seeking shade, and the 3-D Imax inside a cool theater seemed much more intriguing.
We also strolled down the mall to the old post
office building for a bite to eat, and then to the brand-new World War II Memorial in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Controversy
arose over the choice of this location, but the architecture complements the spot so well that it is hard to argue with their choice.
No names on this memorial, but instead a list of the states and territories who fought together in the war and a gold star for each
American who died during the fighting. Buses brought loads of kids and their chaperones to the memorial, but mostly they ran in circles
and played in the fountain, ignoring those who seemed caught up in the reverence of the sight. Their noise and rowdiness reminded us that
it is more important to be wary of the future and the present than it is to be concerned with the past. We learn from our history.
Another trip to DC, June 19. From atop the Old Post Office, one of Washington DC's best kept secrets, is a view of the city that is rivaled only by that of the nearby Washington Monument. All four sides of the restored bell tower give a breathtaking view of this well-groomed city, and like most good things in DC, its free. One block away lies the (also free) Smithsonian Museums, including the amazing Natural History Museum, Air and Space Museum, and a half dozen world famous art galleries. This sunny Saturday Daryl and I trekked into the National Mall, out to find us a good view of the city, some lunch, and dinosaur bones! Exceedingly successful in this endeavor, both the Metro and the museums delivering their promised services, we left feeling fulfilled on another beautiful summer day.
A weekend in OC, June 26. Ocean City, Maryland is a place from the past. Neon signed hotels and bars, carnival rides set up next to the boardwalk, funnel cakes and french fries, and just plain fun at the beach. We came to relax, to get ourselves away from traffic and work and to a place where all we have to worry about is sunburn, boardrash, and how badly we would lose at minigolf. (Melanie and I tied after her come-from-behind one-over-par on the back nine.) Other than the minigolf, we ate a whole lot, we found ourselves under an overcast sky while we sat out on the beach for most of Saturday, and we paid our required visit to the boardwalk for food and shopping. I can make a thousand different observations about the boardwalk and its clientele, but it is something you must experience for yourself. While you're there, try some Thrasher's fries with vinegar. Yum.
Celebrating independence in Baltimore, July 3. It was a hot and sticky weekend in the inner harbor of Baltimore, but the lure of tall ships, fireworks, and baseball overcame the heat. The rain did drive us home early on the fourth, but I didn't really care about missing the fireworks. There's always next year. Part of Baltimore's Sail-ebration this past weekend was the visit of some large square-rigger sailing ships from all over the world, and the masses packed in under a clear blue sky to tour their decks. There was the long wooden lines of the Blue Nose II, from Nova Scotia, and several huge barques from Navies from across the sea. Most interesting to me was the Brazilian Navy who had all of their running rigging labeled in Portuguese. I had no idea what any of it said or did, but there sure was a lot of it. The much smaller Pride of Baltimore II floated nearby, and I was enthralled by her as always. Maybe someday I'll go back to being a tall ships sailor.
Dave Matthews Band concert and a day at Hershey Park, July 10. Friends from school came up my way for a day in Hershey, "The Sweetest Place on Earth," and another Dave Matthews concert. I used to really like amusement parks, but the crowds and the lines and the heat were a lot to take on this trip. Hardly seems worth so much money. The Dave show was great, just as always, but again the crowd made an otherwise relaxing stadium show into a big mess. As negative as it seems, though, my friends made it so much fun that I cannot bring myself to complain about it at all. Even the campground where we stayed, which was overcrowded and noisy, never got on anyone's nerves because of the group we were with. Then, as we set up our tents at 1 AM, we thought that we'd found a nice, flat, grassy spot away from the other campers when suddenly a headlight appeared through the trees and a freight train went zooming by about ten yards from our tent. I guess that's why no one else had set up there yet. But we just laughed it off and slept like babies. The trip also included a trip to the Distelfink, just one of the many weird roadside sights in central Pennsylvania. One the menu: a sandwich formerly called a 'French Poodle' scratched out and written over to say 'Freedom Poodle,' then faded off until it said 'Fre Poodle'. Same with the sign for Fre Fries. Weird PA people.
July 17 I found myself at wedding number 3 for the big Summer Wedding Tour 2004. Kim and Chris were married that evening at an outdoor ceremony, complete with gazebo, white tents, and rain. The rain had just stopped as the event began, but the ground was soaked and the tents were a little drippy. That night the reception featured a karaoke open mic and some great free food. Plus it was on campus in Blacksburg, which made us all feel at home. I'm glad I could be there.
The weekend of July 24 I had to spend in Ocean City again as a favor to Garry, my mom's boyfriend. Partly in thanks for letting us stay at his trailer there, and partly because he needed our help, Melanie and I traveled down to help pull his sailboat out and paint it. No sweat, and we even got through the narrow, shallow bay channel to and from the marina. His boat is for sale, if anyone is interested, check out the pictures below. Another few days of lousy weather forced us to only a few hours on the beach, though. Are you sensing a trend? Will we ever have a sunny weekend again? A highlight of OC's rainy-day activities includes the lifesaving museum all the way at the inlet on the boardwalk, where the first coast guard, marine life, and OC history is all chronicled. Worth a look. Here's a fun fact for you: the original boardwalk opened in 1870 in Atlantic City, and was not so named because of the obvious boards that it's made of. It was actually named for Alexander Boardman, a railroad conductor who suggested the idea to keep sand out of the hotels.
To celebrate Melanie's birthday this weekend, August 6-8, we took a weekend up in Atlantic City, NJ. If you are unfamiliar with the state of New Jersey, your first impression is of the roads and the abandoned, ghost-town-like buildings that fly past your window on your way through the state. In fact, the state is pretty much the only thing standing in between me and New York City, so I'd just assume it go away. Atlantic City, we found, is no exception. Other than the expensive casinos, corny theme restaurants, and junk shops along the boardwalk the city is an empty and sad place. Filthy poor neighborhoods with boarded-up buildings dot most of the city beyond the view of the boardwalk and casinos, and the bars and restaurants are mostly part of the casinos as well. We found enough to do just exploring the different gambling halls and commenting on the decor. The small amount of money we did put into gaming was quickly gone, and hardly worth the time. We had a really good time despite my bad-mouthing of the city itself, and if I had lots of money to throw away on expensive hotels, card games, and slot machines I would go back for sure. On the way back, as you'll see in the pictures below, we took a ferry boat from the southern tip of Jersey over the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry doesn't save any time, but its a nice ride on a sunny day and it saves having to use I-95 at all. Anyone up for a game of Monopoly?
Rob and Melissa wedded on August 21, and a few of us from Virginia Tech found our way down to Petersburg, VA for the weekend. Bret, Heather, and I were on the program to play the music on guitars and piano in the wedding, but a heavy downpour right before the service prevented us from being able to play in the outdoor ceremony. The marriage happened, and the DJ had the music on a CD to play instead. One of the four wonderful weddings for this summer, this was another great weekend in the company of friends. I rehearsed the music, went swimming late at night, ate at a Waffle House and the largest Arby's I've ever seen, played whiffle ball in the hotel pool, got soaked trying to get all of our amps and guitars out of the rain, changed in time for a damp but lovely wedding and reception, laughed and joked, drove down and back through the awful traffic that is I-95, and had an all-around adventuresome wedding weekend. The last one for awhile, but I'm sure next summer there will be more. We'll have to wait and see.
The BCA Classic featured the Virginia Tech Hokies against the University of Southern California Trojans on August 28. Yes, Virginia Tech lost to USC, the #1 team in the country, in this year's college football season opener. But don't even think for a second that we didn't put up a good fight, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker room at halftime and putting up a great defense that held the USC offense during crucial plays. Just like Hokie football though, things fell apart toward the end as Tech scrambled to keep up with the high-powered USC offense and allowed two unanswered touchdowns in the second half. It was a really exciting game to attend, with the energy and noise from 91,000 fans echoing in our ears the whole way home. The Hokies showed up and made us proud, despite the loss, and there's no denying what the support of a hometown crowd will do to help your team play their best. My friends and I spent the day tailgating before the game, and were excited to see our feisty Hokies show up and play hard against such a great team. Hokie football pumps me up.
My last photo journal entry for this summer comes from Labor Day Weekend, September 3-6. The last big blowout trip for the summer I found myself at Jen's lakehouse on Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke, VA. It was a great weekend of relaxing and hanging out with friends, driving the boat around, jetskiing, swimming, eating, and eating some more. Smith Mountain Lake, named after the mountain that the dam was built on, contains over 500 miles of shoreline, clean and cool water, and beautiful mountain scenery from anywhere on the water. The lake is large and deep enough to support big loud cigarette boats and lengthy sail boats, but has enough small and quiet coves and inlets to make it enjoyable for everyone. Jen's lakehouse is on the southern side of the lake, on the quiet Blackwater River, contrasting the wide, choppy expanses of the northern Roanoke River. Where the two rivers met at a pass in Smith Mountain, a hydroelectric dam was constructed and created the lovely lake now known for its recreational facilities. The weekend was wonderful, from jumping off the cliffs of insanity, to tubing and skiing, to sitting in the sun and eating good food. A great weekend indeed.
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