But, ya gotta have friends…

Yesterday, we met a friend at Starbucks to see his new puppy.  Before you get too excited, we were outside on the patio on what was a beautiful, 70ish degree day.  The puppy was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and it was adorable.  But, that’s another blog for another day.

Anyway, we are sitting there talking to our friend for a few hours and motorcycles keep passing by.  After a while, two Harleys pull in and the owners walk over.  The husband sits down and the wife goes in to grab some drinks.  He notices the dog and strikes up a conversation.  He mentions they have a Maltese and they spoil it rotten.  We tell them about our 4.6 pound Chi-a-poo (chihuahua poodle mix) and how ridiculously spoiled she is.

Our 4.6 pound killer attack dog, Isabella

Rose and I are really great at making new friends.  It seems almost everywhere we go, we make a new friend, and a lot of times we meet people that ride like us.  They each had their own motorcycle and, as most bikers do, they loved telling us about their bikes.  So, what does this have to do with the price of tea in China?  Absolutely nothing.

What I am getting at is if I met this couple anywhere else without the motorcycle boots and gear, I probably wouldn’t have know they were bikers.  And that is the case for a lot of people that ride.  If you had seen Rose or I in our street clothes, you probably wouldn’t have known we ride either.  Fact is, a lot of bikers out there are doctors, lawyers, and business professionals.  If you saw them in their field, you might not have any idea that they ride motorcycles

Sure, you will always have some bad eggs, but a lot of bikers are the most caring, giving people you will ever meet.  Turns out the couple we met know some of our friends from a town or two over.  They welcomed us to swing by their house and go for a ride with them sometime.  It reminds me how small the world really is, and how there really are some great people out there.  If you can’t smile after meeting someone like that, then there is something wrong with you.  What a great day to be alive.

So, smile, be happy and make a new friend today.  See ya soon!

Traveling through time

And no, for once that is NOT a LOST reference.

From time to time, you will read posts from me about “back home” in Virginia.  Today’s blog is about another town close to where I grew up.  The town is called Cape Charles.  Growing up, it was a very poor town, with a lot of run down houses and old businesses that aren’t open anymore.  Over the past five or ten years, the town has been revived.  There are now gated communities, beautiful homes and golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.  It was quite a nice surprise to drive into town back in December and see the wonderful changes that have been made over the years.

Cape Charles is just 15 miles or so North of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  I learned a neat tidbit of information on this trip.  My grandmother told me that my grandfather used to take the ferry from Virginia Beach to Cape Charles back in the ’50s before the bridge was built.  He was in the Navy, stationed in Norfolk, VA and would hitchhike from Virginia to Massachusetts when he had leave.  Can you imagine that?  He would hitchhike 500 miles to get home.  Back then it was safe to do.  In his travels, he loved the area so much that he moved the family there in 1973 and lived there until he passed in 2006.  He was then, and always will be, my hero.

My grandmother asked me to drive her through the town so she could see the changes that had been made, as it is 30 or so miles South of her house.  We were pleasantly surprised.  I even grabbed a few pictures.  When you come into town, they have a water tower that has been decorated to look like a lighthouse.

Water tower in town

There were some old train cars by the harbor that made for great shots.  They look like they have been well maintained over the years and some may even still be in service.

Rail car

The old train

As my title implies, there were cotton fields in Cape Charles.  I had no idea they grew it there.  I was driving by the field and was like “what the?” “Is that cotton?”  It sure was.

Cotton

Cotton field

At the entrance to one of the gated communities, there was a small pond with a magnificent bronze sculpture of a man fishing with his dog.

Man's best friend

Have you ever been to Cape Charles, or even heard of it?