Their Own Chapter

September 14, 2013

Red letter day, red letter day. One of my favorite experiences started today. 

It was a lovely night at the Tall Pines Harbor Campground the night before and I awakened early to pack up and head out. My camping neighbors in an RV came by while I was saddling up and we had a nice chat about travel. They live nearby but love to go camping, even if it’s only a 10 minute drive from their home. They had come to this campground with their good friends and had availed themselves of the opportunity to enjoy their friends’ deluxe camping vehicle. The woman loves horses and travel. (Was her name Marilyn?) It is now one week later that I am writing this journal entry and my memory is failing me. Anyway, this lovely lady brought me coffee!! This was quite welcome as there would be no caffeine opps for several miles. 

It was a lovely morning on the side roads for a few miles before reaching local hwy 316, which eventually joined that beautiful Hwy 13. The trees were thick and luscious and the local farmers waved as I cycled by. I went through the small town of Bloxom, I believe, and stopped at a little store that appeared to be a local favorite of the good ole boys club. This little club has members across the entire country, although they don’t know each other. They continue to solve the problems of the world while griping about the current issues at hand. I love these guys, while I usually disagree with the feasibility of their proferred solutions! I drank the great coffee and met Diane and Duck. Diane manages the store and Duck advises all his neighbors. 

Diane loves to meet people, so she enjoys her job. She also takes care of Duck’s brother, who recently had a stroke. I was unsure if Duck’s brother was Diane’s husband or if maybe Duck himself was married to Diane. Inquiring minds want to know.

Duck received his nickname because he is a master woodcarver of duck and goose decoys. Some of the wooden fowl are used for hunting purposes and some of them are entered into local artshows. He enjoys finding ways to make his carvings look more realistic and explained how he paints the backs of the glass eyes on his geese decoys. This turns the eyes black, while preserving the reflective, glassy shine of actual goose orbs. These two folks are well liked by their neighbors, as the people popping into the  humble shop gave them happy and teasing greetings.

My plan for the day was to go to Cherrystone Family Campground, which I heard was quite nice. I was almost to Exmore, VA (yes, now in Virginia!!), when I saw a little roadside stand and wheeled over. I purchased the last 3, very ripe peaches, with plans to eat them for dinner. They were soft and just right for “now”. 

About 1/4 mile further, I was approaching an empty corner lot off Hwy 13 where two ladies in a car had pulled over. A pretty, vivacious blonde with long, lean coltish legs, who was close to my own age, leapt out of the car and waved exuberantly. She called out, asking me to pull over. So I did.

This was Brenda, traveling with her good friend Sandy (whom Brenda affectionately calls Pinky). They had been on the road to pick up bug sprays and had passed me earlier. Brenda pointed me out to Sandy and asked if she should stop and see what I was doing if I were still on the road when they were heading back home. Sandy agreed to the plan and it was a a done deal.

Brenda was friendly, assertive, and open. I liked her immediately. She explained that they had seen me earlier and she wanted to know where I was going. I asked, Do you want to know where I am going today, or in general?” 

She wanted to know where I started and where I was going to finish. She had noted the loaded down trike and my dark tan and knew that this was no “day ride”. I explained the rectangular route of the trip around the U.S. and she then asked me to come stay the night at her house. Her husband, Russ, was a long distance cyclist and hiker and they had a habit of snagging cyclists off the road to stay with them and share stories. This was an offer I could not refuse---except for the fact that I needed to get on the road early in the morning to get to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel Authority. I had called the tunnel offices earlier this week and the lady on the phone said they would find someone to drive me across.  

Brenda responded, “No problem! We have a pickup and we will drive you across the bridge ourselves, if you like!”

Did I like? Hella yeah, I liked!

So, I went on to Exmore, stopped at a MacDonalds to make phone calls to ensure the bike shop was ready for me on Monday morning, and then headed for Eastville, Virginia to connect with my new friends.

Once in the tiny town of Eastville, I found a lone market, hoping to find fresh produce to offer my hosts. No luck, but I did pick up a bottle of white wine. This is clam and crustacean country and I figured white wine would be a good accompaniment. There were only 2 types, so I picked the “better” one, as if I know anything about wine. I assume the price tells you which one is best. Either way, we weren’t talking wine for connoisseurs in this little shop. Then I followed Brenda’s written directions to Smith’s Beach, which is a long street of neighbors whose homes hug the Chesapeake Bay and connecting coves. Russ later explained that their home is considered in “the Gulf”. 

When I turned the last curve of Smith’s Beach Road, Sandy and her friends saw me first, called out, and I pulled in, about 2 houses from Brenda and Russ’ home. These friends were sitting out behind the house, watching the water in the Gulf, drinking wine and beer, and telling big stories. Sandy brought me a glass of red wine and I had the opportunity to meet the neighbors.

Sandy is married to Patrick, or Pat. The next door neighbors are Mary and Jack, or Jackie. I also met Jimmy, the lone wolf of the group. 

These neighbors are trying to race toward retirement to enjoy the good life at Smith’s Beach. Sandy is a full time CPA and husband Pat works for TransAm. Mary is an educator and has taught high school history for several years although now enjoys being the very active high school librarian. Her husband Jackie is a retired shop teacher and now makes money renovating houses. Jimmy runs an events company--renting out equipment for big events like tents, chairs, etc. They all traipse back to Virginia or North Carolina on Sunday evening so that Mary, Patrick, and Sandy can go back to work. (Ooops. I am not supposed to use that word; they refer to it as “that nasty W word”.)  Mary, Sandy, and Patrick hope to reach full retirement soon, so that they can stay in their vacation homes all year round. They head back to Smith’s Beach for most weekends and share a “mi casa es su casa” philosophy.  

This end of the neighborhood family includes Brenda and Russ, Mary and Jackie, Sandy and Patrick, and Jimmy. Assorted dogs are included in the melee as well. Kitties do what kitties do---generally stay with their families in their own houses. 

Every Saturday night that the gang is at Smith’s Beach means potluck time: each person brings whatever they have in the kitchen, usually to Mary’s house, and they share a meal. This often concludes with alchohol and a pit fire in the back yard while they watch the sun set over the water. 

Mary and Jackie renovate homes in their spare time and Mary has a passion for thrift stores and auctions. She had us all laughing as she described her antics at local estate auctions. At some point, the auctioneer decided she was a good asset to any sale, as Mary knows what is valuable and thus drives up the price of items that may have sold for next to nothing. She told of a pocketbook she was bidding on, and the “heinous ---” who had the audacity to bid against her. Mary stopped bidding at $600 and her opponent picked it up for $625. Mary said she could turn around and sell it for $10,000. 

Now, that is SOME pocketbook!  

There is an entire base of knowledge and research among collectors of art and valuables. Mary keeps her smartphone with her and checks resale value of the items she wants ahead of time, so she knows what she really wants to buy. Mary wins some and loses some, but, according to Sandy, it is very fun to attend any kind of sale or auction with her. The local auctioneer likes her so much that every once in a while, he throws her a good deal, shouting “sold” on her first bid, before anyone gets a chance to big against her. I asked if he could actually do that, wasn’t it against some sort of auctioneer’s code or rulebook? Mary said, “He’s the auctioneer. He can do whatever the ---- he wants!”

Jimmy has had a variety of jobs and had me laughing about his taxi driver days in the Bronx. (So THAT’S where his accent is from, I thought!). He said he drove in the days before the separating grille between front and back seats and he feared for his life or his innocence a few times. Due to the lack of separation from the driver and the customer, he heard arguments, lover’s tiffs, and heartwarming conversations as well. He is a crackerjack driver, anyway! Sandy insisted that the Smith’s Beach “family” deserves their own chapter in this journal. Here it is, Sandy!!

Their stories kept me laughing through 2 glasses of wine. Sandy kept me supplied from her well stocked outdoor bar she designed. I stood up, determined to go find Brenda. Sandy joined me and in 20 seconds, we were 2 doors down and here came Brenda up the drive, looking for me and wondering why I was taking so long to get to her house from Exmore. Sandy delivered me to Brenda and headed back to the party.

After sharing warm hello hugs, Brenda showed me around her place. It was simply wonderful. Brenda is an artist, and good lord, what an artist. She said she completes a painting in 1 to 3 hours. If it takes more than 3 hours, it is taking too much time, she said. Paintings were stacked all over the front room, with a current painting of a crane on the easel. Frames and frame parts leaned against walls, in preparation for final mounting of her artwork. She has an almost romantic impressionist style with long and soft brush strokes yet enough detail to make the painting quite realistic. She definitely has an artist’s eye and her work is so “ALIVE”! She does animal or pet portraits as a side commission job, but I truly enjoyed seeing what comes out of her own head. If she paints a woman from her own imagination, she always gives her a name, which makes her seem like a real woman. I felt myself warming up to these paintings as if they represented lovely, almost mysterious friends. Kind of like Brenda herself. 

If she is commissioned to do a portrait of a person, she gets to know them a little first, to get a feel for personality. Then it comes out in the painting itself. She has never taken any art lessons and is 100% self taught. She is what I consider an artist in her very soul. 

She showed me the narrow, long room that holds her framing equipment. She was particularly pleased with this purchase, as it allows her to provide a complete painting, framed and all, at low cost and high speed. She paints in acrylics. When she is bored, she paints murals on walls. This was evidenced in Mary and Jackie’s home, whose walls were decorated with ocean and beach scenes of water, birds, and trees. Brenda often sells in galleries and works part time at the Red Queen Gallery in Onancock, VA, on the mainland, selling her artwork there as well. Her work sells almost as soon as it hits the market, as her prices are reasonable and her art is exceptional. Look for the work of BB Clark, if you go there. 

Her home is covered in windows facing the water and a lovely wooden deck with a small pier or landing reaches lovingly over the water in their quiet little cove. She has 3 kayaks and goes out in the coves and inlets almost every day. She introduced me to Jessie, her lovely black lab mix. This is a lovely canine who is Brenda’s very shadow. What a smart dog, too. Every toy has a name and Brenda demonstrated Jessie’s intelligence with several commands and orders and even conversations, to which Jessie responded with perfection.

Then I met Russ Sturgis, Brenda’s husband. A slender man with a history of ultra cycling and hiking trips, Russ was soft spoken but very friendly. The two of them made me feel immediately at home in their presence. I had the choice of the guest room (the cover was even turned down invitingly!) or the “screen house”. This is a screened porch, perched over the water in a small, quiet water inlet. A couch/settee with big cushions, a few end tables, adventure magazines, and a small fridge stocked with beer were the welcoming furnishings in this delightful room. Russ described how the guys all got together and built the house one weekend, with Russ’ designs and Jackie’s building experience. In fact, the men in this neighborhood family appear to truly enjoy building and doing projects together. Then they drink beer, congratulate each other, and relax in the evenings. It was all a very heartwarming picture. 

Brenda and Russ had an outdoor shower added to their home so that they could wash off or shower after playing in the ocean water for the day. This little shower, outfitted with both solar and gas heated water options, was so popular that Sandy had one added to her beach home as well. I availed myself of the shower with the door at neck height, so I could shower and watch the sunset at the same time. It was a sensual experience.

We all got together at Mary’s house for the Saturday night potluck and it was truly wonderful. Mary showed me the murals Brenda had painted and I had the opportunity to meet more of their other neighbors, ArolAnn and Cary Gibson. They are from Illinois, my own birth place, but they come to Smith’s Beach for the summers.

After dinner, we went out to the fire pit as the sun set. Patrick figured it was time for a boat ride, so we went out into the Chesapeake Bay for a little spin in his Cutty’s Ark as the sky turned orange and lavender. It was dark when we returned and in minutes, here came Brenda with her kayak, ready to show us a special surprise.

She hopped on the little pier and told us to touch the water. I laid prone on the deck and trailed my fingers in the water. 

The ripples sparkled blue lights. 

Mary and I gasped and Mary knelt down, grabbing a reed and trailing its frayed end in the water. It looked like a wand sprinkling blue lights through the water. 

“I always wanted to be a fairy princess!” Mary exclaimed.

Brenda, Mary, and I played with the water lights, ooh-ing and ahh-ing, until Sandy came up to investigate. She was so taken aback that for the rest of the night she kept saying, “I don’t understand. What IS this?”

What we were observing is the bioluminescence of the plankton; this is caused by a chemical reaction of a series of oxidation reactions affecting luciferins within the plankton bodies. It is not necessarily a common scene and Brenda said she has lived her 10 years before observing it for the first time the night before. She had been awakened by Jessie, her dog, and had decided to go out for a kayak ride, with Jessie paddling along beside her in the water. The blue lights were everywhere and the plankton were apparently so thick that the water turned blue. Tiny fish jumped in the water all around, turning into blue lights from the bioluminescence affecting the water. After our sunset boat road on the “Ark”, Brenda had checked the water for the phenomenon as the daylight disappeared. While not as thick as the night before, the bioluminescence was present, so she invited us out for kayak rides to play in the blue light. 

Man oh man, was I excited! I ran over to Brenda’s house with the other ladies and we hopped into the kayaks and paddled around the cove, gently disturbing the surface of the water with the oars to watch the fairy lights sparkle. 

It was a magical evening.

As we turned the kayaks back to Brenda’s house, she asked me to stay the next day with her and Russ. I was not scheduled to drop off HD until Monday morning, so tomorrow’s Sunday ride was going to involve getting a ride across the bridge and going to the KOA Kampground in Virginia Beach, then taking HD to the shop the next morning. Brenda, who said that one of her bosses once declared that she could sell ice to an Eskimo, worked on me to convince me to stay an extra day. After the magic of the evening, I longed for the opportunity to spend a bit more time with these wonderful folks. I agreed and I couldn’t tell who was happier, myself or Brenda.

After the kayak rides, we all went “home” and I cuddled up with Brenda’s fleece comforter in the screen house. While it was very comfortable, I hardly slept at all as I was so excited. I listened to the frogs call to each other, the fish jumping in the quiet cove, and the herons’ teradactyl-like screeches throughout the night. Every now and then I sat up to look through the screen walls to see if the blue lights were visible. But they were not, and in the early morning hours I slept, awakening around 7 am as the sun rose over the bay. 

The morning started with Brenda bringing me coffee like an honored guest. We watched the sunlight play over the water, played fetch with Jessie, then took that wonderful canine out to “the meadow” for more exercise. A few neighbors came through the meadow, including “Suzy Q” (Brenda has a nickname for everyone. I am now “Little Jo”!).

Suzy Q is a nurse by occupation and grew up in this very neighborhood. Her dad taught her how to fish and go clamming and how to set out crab pots when she was little. She had just started her vacation that weekend and she was very excited for the chance to relax from her daily stresses. She asked Brenda if she would have any time that week to show her how to get around the coves and inlets as Suzy Q had just purchased a small boat with a motor. Here was the amazing thing---Suzy grew up here on the beach and had spent hundreds of hours on the water in boats. But she never piloted one herself as her dad was always captain and she never took the helm.

Brenda immediately responded, “Sure! In fact, let’s go kayaking today!”

Suzy Q looked apprehensive and started to give reasons why she couldn’t, but Brenda, in her insistent but convincing way, talked her into it and a few hours later, Suzy showed up at Brenda’s house. 

The three of us launched into the kayaks, with Brenda giving instructions and Suzy Q picking up the oar skills rapidly. All through the next few hours on the water, Suzy kept exclaming, “Wow! Look at me! I’m in a kayak!” It was so endearing and wonderful and delightful. We all took pleasure in this “native” of the bay learning how to paddle a kayak for the first time.

Brenda showed us where to paddle to avoid sandbars just below the water surface. We meandered around the cove into little inlets, stopped and shared snacks and laughter. Brenda showed us one narrow bar where she was “trapped” by a daddy sea otter, who kept circling her boat and barking or growling at her, as she had come too close to his little family. She was frightened by the angry papa, but finally managed to exit the protected area. She pointed out several species of herons, cranes, egrets, and other sea birds. Suzy Q gained confidence and planned to return with her own boat and a fishing pole. 

When we returned from the boat ride, Sandy and the neighbors were busy cleaning out a mobile home and its garage. Apparently, Sandy’s sister had just purchased the home a few days earlier, with plans to retire there in a few years. The house was ridden with fleas and the ladies had placed flea bombs in the home the day before. The bombs did damage to the fleas, but had not killed them all. So, risking life and limb from nasty flea bites, Sandy and Mary had been cleaning out the house, while the guys (Patrick, Jackie, Jimmy, and Russ) had worked on the garage. More flea bombs were to be set off later that day. 

It was another example of how these neighbors work together. Brenda and I offered assistance, but by that time, they were done and ready to clean up and head back to the mainland for that dreaded “W” word, scheduled for Monday morning. 

After Russ finished helping the guys, he and Brenda and I sat around and drank wine and ate clams. Brenda helps an elderly neighbor lady take care of clam beds, located right next to Brenda’s house, and in return, can take a 100 clam bag when she likes.  Suzy Q reappeared with fresh shrimp and Brenda added pasta with a light cheese sauce to round out the meal. 

Russ warmed up to his stories of hiking the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. He shared stories of his cycling tours around the country, usually with a friend. On a few of his later hiking and cycling adventures, Brenda joined him at some point in the truck, ensuring that Russ ate something and remained healthy. He is a bit on the slender side! Of course, Brenda is a slim athlete in her own right, so perhaps the two of them need to remind each other to eat from time to time!

Russ loved the hiking treks best, as he said it was really all about meeting people on the trails. These avid hikers become family in seconds, helping and sharing and advising. On the Appalachian Trail, there are small towns which generally have a single bar or pub, frequented by groups of hikers, where the hilarity increases as the beer and wine flows. The Pacific Crest Trail is a bit more rugged and lonely. Russ was hiking alone for awhile on the Pacific Crest Trail. He said it had been a few days since he had food and he came upon a lone ranch. He stumbled into the yard as the elderly owners drove up in their truck. Russ asked if they had anything he could eat. Seeing the thin, lone hiker, they immediately offered him a meal, then asked him if he knew anything about turbines, as their water pump with a turbine engine, had serious problems and they couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

Well, as it turns out, Russ had retired from the navy after 25-30 years working with...turbine engines! In 15 minutes, he fixed the problem and they were so delighted, they kept him busy, and fed, for the next 3 days, as he earned his keep fixing and repairing this and that around the ranch. Finally, he had to get back to the trail to finish his journey, but agreed to return the next year. 

Thus began a several year returning job for both Russ and Brenda. This ranch was actually like a “dude ranch”. People would pay to stay at the ranch for a few weeks, experiencing the ranching life and taking long horse rides up into the higher elevation for camping experiences. Russ helped around the ranch, keeping machinery working and doing serious maintenance and repair. Brenda helped lead horse expeditions and cooking meals for 25 people, 3 times a day. Russ and Brenda became very close to their employers until these senior ranchers could no longer keep the ranch going, due to their advancing age. 

After several hours of conversation, eating clams and pasta and drinking wine, we then looked through photo albums of Russ’ journeys. His eyes sparkled as he reminisced, and one could see he longed for another long hiking trip. However, he had undergone a serious cardiac surgery about 8 months ago and had 2 hip operations. The day before, he had ridden into Salisbury with his son on their Harleys and now had plans to ride the motorcycles on a 1500 mile round trip into the midwest. Traveling was in his blood and he simply had to keep going.

As for Brenda, she can’t keep still either. When she isn’t painting, working at the gallery, playing fetch with Jessie, or out on the water in her kayak, she finds time to help a friend of hers who runs a catering business. Her friend does the cooking and Brenda usually serves the food, keeping conversation lively and making everyone feel pampered. She does that well; I can vouch for that!

I settled back into the screen house for the night, with the alarm set for 5:45 as we needed to be on the road by 7 am. 

________________________________

Monday morning, September 16th, 2013

I was up and ready to pack HD into the pickup by 6:30. Brenda brought coffee once again and Russ and I loaded HD into the truck. We were on the road shortly after 7 am. We crossed the Chesapeake Bay via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. Here are some excerpts about the bridge from its own website:

“Crossing over and under open waters where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the Bridge-Tunnel provides a direct link between Southeastern Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware plus the Eastern Shore counties in Maryland and Virginia), and cuts 95 miles from the journey between Virginia Beach and points north of Wilmington, Delaware.”

The bridge opened in 1964 and was named one of the 7 engineering wonders of the modern world. In 1995, a parallel bridge was constructed, allowing 4 lanes of traffic to cross. Part of the bridge becomes a tunnel, diving underwater, which allows boats and ships to pass overhead. Buses cross the bridge and have bicycle racks so the cyclists can cross the bridge. There are private driving services where you can hire someone for $25 to drive your vehicle across, if you have “bridge anxiety”. The driving services are now a booming business. 

Once across the bridge to the mainland, we went to Fat Frogs Bike Shop in Virginia Beach. I had been instructed to be there at 9 am when they open, but we were there by 8:30. Doug, the mechanic with whom I had been making arrangements, was there and opened the door. After discussing HD’s needs, I left my trusted cycle in Doug’s capable hands and left with Russ. We drove to the home of his good friend “Al”, who lived 1 block from the Virginia Beach boardwalk. We walked to their favorite cafe, where Al was mercilessly teased by the staff who know him quite well.

Al did have some great stories to tell! He is a massage therapist and an undeclared hypnotist. He has taught several women how to rollerblade and often keeps every women’s size of rollerblades in his house or vehicle so he can be ready at a moment’s notice to teach an interested person of the female persuasion. He teaches men too. But bring your own skates!

He is like The Handyman, or maybe The FixIt Man---he can fix your bike, your house, your tense shoulders, or your psyche. He works part time for a massage therapy business and employs a variety of techniques to help ease your muscle tension. We talked about disease and healing and agree that the mental and emotional health of the client are the key factors to recovery. With willing clients, he uses a combination of trigger points and hypnotism to cure migraine headaches. He told a fascinating story of a lady that finds so much benefit from the hypnotism that she sometimes calls him on the phone for a “quickie” hypnotism session. Then, under the suggestion of hypnosis, she diagnoses other people’s illnesses and gives them accurate and effective advice---suggesting they also check with their medical provider for confirmation. It is as if the hypnosis opens you to skills you never knew you had. Al said that, under hypnosis, you will never do anything you “can’t” or “wouldn’t” do. It just removes your lack of confidence or your fears so you can move forward. Some people are more open to suggestion and these will find the most benefit from hypnosis. I love these stories!

The brunch finished all too soon and Al had to leave to go help a friend. Russ and I walked back to his pickup truck and he dropped me off at the Virginia Beach KOA. I did my exercises and my laundry and then walked to the bike shop around 5 pm to pick up HD. He was working in fine order after Doug’s ministrations at the Fat Frogs Bike Shop. 

All in all, it was a wonderful few days and I met some incredible people with hearts as big as the All Outdoors. 

I will never forget them.