VACATION
Easton & St. Michael's, Maryland
Nags Head, North Carolina
Blacksburg, VA
JUNE 17 thru JUNE 22, 2001

Again, we rented a car for a week to travel to a Sunday-thru-Wednesday MEBA Retirement's Conference. It was at the Calhoon MEBA School (See History of the School at http://www.mebaschool.org/about.html )where in 1984 I had stayed for three weeks while my husband went to Diesel School for 6 weeks in Baltimore and Easton. (John graduated from Kings Point Academy in Kings Point, New York.) The school is located on the Miles River where it runs into the Chesapeake Bay. The new MEBA Diagnostic clinic will be dedicated this month, and we will be going there for our annual physicals instead of Baltimore. This will be my 29th year of annual physicals at either San Francisco or Baltimore.

We had a large cookout on our arrival - plenty of "refreshments." There were probably a hundred of us. The youngest was 46; the oldest 87. St. Michael's was so full of tourists Sunday that we turned the opposite direction and went to Easton. Easton is 'dead' on Sundays and most other days, too. We looked for the crab restaurants in Easton that we had frequented before, but they weren't there anymore. Everybody who visits Easton considers it a picturesque town and loves it. I like the town of Oxford nearby on the Chesapeake where you can sit on a park bench or on the Bay. At twilight a man and his 2-3 year old son were at the water's edge. The child had the water sandals on, but he cried until his dad took his shoes off. They must have stood for 20 minutes hand-in-hand just watching the water, totally content without any conversation. And, who says that one cannot see the sunset on the East Coast. It was the longest day of the year and the sun was setting on the Chesapeake Bay; another lovely experience.

We drove to all the little harbor towns each evening looking for a place where I had last been before that had placed me and my thoughts back to and in the early 1700's. A man had been rowing a wooden boat with the cattails surrounding it, a dirt-road leading up to the water. This time we found these roads filled with new housing or resorts, making it impossible to adequately seek that never-forgotten vicinity.

One evening as we were watching the sunset, two swans came up to us with their baby chicks, so cute and fuzzy. The mom and dad wanted to be near us, but if we took the initiative and came closer, they invariably hissed at us quite loudly. They seemed to like us despite our empty hands.

One afternoon we went to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - part of our seminar. Totally uninteresting. However, we were invited to one of the retiree's RV's where he was keeping for his grandson some crabs in an aquarium. You could hear them scrambling around while we visited. He also painted and fired some plates with pictures of navy vessels which he displayed in the "Mural Room" auditorium.

There were plenty of available on-line computers at the school, tennis courts, boating facilities, TV's, pool tables. Coffee and tea was always available.

I had just recently bought the Frederick Douglas Narratives in audio and wanted to find out where in St. Michael's the plantation(s) had been. I understand it is not possible to find the location. I learned that Hariet Tubman (underground railway) was also a slave at St. Michael's, but when I looked it up, it has her born at Dorchester County, MD; it's possible she was a slave at St. Michael's.

Each day we had three full meals. There was fish for every meal except breakfast. Plenty of fruit, fresh vegetables, mineral water, desserts, ice creams, and wine. They know that seamen are used to eating well and they didn't disappoint us. Our last night we had a coctail party, then a dinner of lobster and fresh asparagus and other delights.

I don't know that I have met any other presidents of MEBA, but I really liked Mr. O'Toole's warmth and gentlemanly demeanor. There were some "bigger than life" people there; people who maybe would be considered "characters." This time there was a man there who made me laugh myself just silly. He discovered what made me laugh and just kept them coming. (If you read this, you know who you are.) Many of the sea stories were just that: 'stories.' But I loved them. Merchant Marines and their wives in their retirement are a great bunch.

After leaving Easton we went down thru the Holland Tunnel which is 17 miles long to go to Nags Head, NC. It was a beautiful day. We met a Chinese three-some that were traveling the tunnel, wanting to know if they had reached its end. We decided to forego Virginia Beach. Beaches are not of great interest to me after residing in Hawaii for 3-1/2 years and having been to Virginia Beach before. However, we were bent on going to Nags Head, Hatteras, etc. to see if it, too, is as wonderful as everyone tells us. We had enough foresite to go to Elizabeth City late at night instead of the 'strip' and was able to find a hotel there.

Along the Nags Head-Hatteras 'strip' are a few stops; one of which is the largest sand dune east of the Mississippi, I believe called Jockey Hill or Grande Dunes. Many were taking the trek up to the top. I noticed right away that all of the overweight younger people and the older people were not going. I joined their ranks. John went, but his dad later told him that he got a horrible case of sand fleas there. I recall a trip to Egypt where I got some itchy parasite in the bottom of my foot which lingered for two years until a trip to the volcanic spas in Napa County, California where I felt it unspiraling while I was in the tub of lava. I wonder to this day if it spiraled into someone else.

We were travel-savvy enough to ask the Visitor's Center gentleman where he would eat around Rodanthe, near Hattaras. He recommended "Down Under" where an ocean view was available. I expected a crowd, but it was only 1/4 filled - unlike other coastal restaurants we've been. We had fresh tuna cooked spicy and black. To walk out on the pier, though, you had to pay a dollar a piece. No comment.

My recommendation: Save your money and go to California or Hawaii. But -- John liked it, and thinks it a good beach. But he wouldn't go back either. I'm sure there must have been some beautiful places that we missed or couldn't afford. I still haven't been to Florida, but I'm beginning to think that I will not ever want to go.

We ran into a man we asked directions of as we wanted to go over the Blue Ridge Mountains at a different place than normal. We both agreed he must have been a Melungeon. His accent was thick. He pronounced Floyd, "forward." He had been driver of lumber over the Blue Ridge Mountain route. We asked about "Lover's Leap," and his young son really beamed and said he really liked it and the story.

By the way, anyone who has ever heard the John Denver song, "West Virginia, Almost Heaven" and thinks he is geography-wise, let it be known that "Blue Ridge Mountains" is not in WV, but -- Virginia! He also sings the words, "Shenandoah River" in the song -- I live a mile from the Shenandoah River. It doesn't run into West Virginia.

Danville, VA has some beautiful brochures, but they forgot to put the pollution in them. We couldn't get thru the town fast enough.

We stopped at Blacksburg, VA, well-known for its being a city without pollution and having other positive attributes. Virginia Tech is a larger campus than I had thought. It looks like a bigger town than its stated population of 35,000. Looks like a good "family-type" town.

We found that it had rained 3-4 inches while we were gone, but our pool didn't fill up, but our road up to the house is getting pretty gutted. The grass had not grown sky-high either.

We went to the Pow Wow Sunday instead as it rained too much Saturday. However, much to my dismay, only one of the four group of Indians I wanted to talk to was there. My heritage is probably part of the Lenapi (Delaware) on my paternal side. The Lenapi was there. However, the Pamunkey and Mattaponi on the Tide Water area of Virginia were not there either day. The Mononcan Indians from the southern part of Virginia (Branham's) had been there Saturday and I missed the Chief. The dances were beautiful.

I bought a CD - flute and drum background - from a 6 foot + athletic-looking, blue-eyed man with a big smile. It is called "Woodland." So many meditiation-type CD's lately you find have the synthesizer music added. He said this one didn't have anything but a soft drum background and had a full-hour of music. He was the flute player. I asked to take his picture and he was not hesitant and said "yes." I hope it turns out well - the picture. The flute music is wonderful. He said that he is "Shawnee."

On the first day of our "car rental" trip. We went to Woodbridge, VA. It is a destination in Virginia that is most visited. It is an indoor Outlet Mall. The crowds were 3 times greater they were before we went before.  The surrounding area has built up tremendously with Best Buy, many restaurants, Borders, etc.  We ate in a new  Mexican restaurant. I haven't had really-good Mexican food since I left California.

We shopped at Ikea at the last minute and found exactly what we were looking for for months -- an under the table pull-out tray for mouse and computer keyboard to install yourself.  It is really nice.  I hope John can 'jerry-rig?' it to fit.

Well, so much for the trip. I am ready to settle in now for a while in this hot weather.

For those who wonder why we moved to the SOUTH, we're wondering, too. (Taken from inside our house.)

Vacation Pictures

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