February 3, 2010

• Weekly Photo Challenge, “On The Road Again”

  
  

  Follow this Link to Visit and PLAY 
  the Weekly Photo Challenge 

   

  The challenge for the week of January 29, 2010 is: 
  Photos for “On the Road Again“
  suggested by, leanneannette
  

   

  I brought home from our Christmas trip nearly 8 gigs of photos from our “On the Road Again” trip.  I have spent lots of time going through them, deleting the really bad ones, looking again to delete duplicates of same quality and looking again just to be looking to remember how nice the trip was.  The trip was timely, giving me new photos for the challenge but I’ve also been dealing with a computer change and another computer fix but think I have boiled the imaged down with the discovery I have only a couple of gigs I want to share in this challenge, JUST KIDDING.  It was hard to choose and I do have more than usual so I’m putting the images into this entry in small sizes and you can click on them to see larger if you care to.

   

  My “On the Road Again”
  Christmas to, while there, and from Virginia trip, photos

   

   

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  The photo on the left, #1, was taken on December 22, 2009 at the beginning of our trip.  We start late to drive nights while traffic is relatively nonexistent.  The time is 5:40 p.m and you can barely see any snow, just a dusting as the big storm from a few days before had pretty much passed over our area.  Only a few more miles down the road, 40 minutes time (6:19 pm), you see a more solid dusting.

   

   

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  We have driven into the night and are now in West Virginia.  Traffic has halted and is jammed due to construction? or ?? and we pass each other gingerly in the night.  Finally the problem with lots of flashing lights and a car off the road or an accident but we couldn’t really tell.  This is typical of what we hoped to avoid “On the Road Again”.

   

   

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  At 9:13 p.m. we see the dome of the capitol building in Charleston, W. Virginia.  Charleston is a lovely university town with the river running its length and beautiful grassy slopes leading down to it.  There are wonderful historic homes and classic forms of entertainment in Charleston.  We always enjoy the sites when we can visit in the daytime.  Finally, at 11:55 p.m. we cross the state line into Virginia.  Digital camera’s are wonderful for keeping all your information of time and date so handy inside them and because of the data I can give accurate times.  There are ski slopes in Virginia but rarely do we see snow piled on the roadside.  It was left behind, from the big storm covering miles and miles in all directions.  We are really glad it was cleaned from the roads before our drive. There is no ice, no slush, no snow.

   

   

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  We are barely inside Virginia and the amount of snow dropped during the storm is evident at the roadside truck stop.  The sight of the deep snow followed us nearly to
  Richmond.  Finally, the familiar Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel I have a photographer’s fascination with.  The tunnel takes us under the ocean and up again to the roads leading to Norfolk, Virginia Beach and beyond.   

   

   

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  At 4:39 a.m. we reach our destination.  Everyone is sleeping so we quietly let ourselves in and find our bed where we land until sometime later in the morning.  The house and our beds were a welcome site.  We made good travel time but calculate 11 plus hours for the road trip, stopping only for necessities.  Photo #10, a new day in Virginia and today we decorate the Christmas tree that will be planted outside, later in the new year. 

   

   

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  We have fresh Poinsettia inside and out but those outside struggled with the slightly abnormal cold of the Winter doing some freezing of their flowers.  They tried to rally but didn’t manage to spring back to what they had been.  Inside on Christmas Eve the fire is warm and the food is hot and both are inviting.  Christmas Eve foods include homemade Pumpkin/Squash soup and several different sliced meats and cheese and a pate’ spread and Avocado and Anchovy bites on crackers and Champagne and Asti, all delicious.

   

   

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  On Christmas day we spend time eating and visiting and some package opening.  The fireplace calls to all of us including our furry family.  The day after Christmas day, we take advantage of beautiful clear skies to go site seeing.  The beach is never far away and the historic districts are decorated so we can discover plenty to photograph.  The view with the water tower is fairly familiar to me having been on this drive before.  Sandy beach is off to the left but no stopping on this particular day.

   

   

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  Today we drive past estuaries as we are headed for a ferry boat which we missed because we made so many photo stops.  No matter 

   

   

  17- 18-

  as we saw this feautiful sunset on the way back home with silouettes of trees and landscapes that were breath taking.  On another beach drive specifically for sunsets

   

   

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  we took many photos like this one and afterwards we drove through a state park for photos of the Cyprus , #20, that grow in the swamp there.  We took a lot of night photos like this one. 

   

   

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  And there were lots of food outings.  Food at home, food out, there was lots of food on this road trip.  And the night lights made Christmas appear everywhere.  The Pelicans #22 are flying just off the dock at Chick’s Marina and Oyster bar.  It’s a favorite eating spot of Halie and Mitch and has become a favorite of ours, too.  Sunday brunch this time around and my mouth waters as I recall just how really good the oysters were along with she crab soup and other seafood delicacies.  There are so many wonderful choices, I wish I could taste test them all.

   

   

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  The Photo#23, I took it as we readied to leave this wonderful pizzeria (and other foods).  The doughs are hand tossed and the toppings out of this world.  The Sushi #24 is hand made at another favorite eating spot, right in front of you if you care to watch the master Sushi Chef who owns this friendly little restaurant in Virginia Beach.  I’ve never eaten better Sushi.  The name of the spot is Kyushu Sushi and is well worth looking up if you are in the area.  The fact is, all the eating spots we go to are well worth looking up.  We are practiced eaters of really good food and our visits are always punctuated with great food spots.

   

   

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  And finally, the sad day we keave for home, January 3, 2010, the beginning of a new year.  I love being home but leaving Virginia and our only child and her family is very hard.  But, back through the mountains we go, where the snow lingers deeply in spots, enough so that hay bales are regularly tossed to the cattle who are finding it difficult to find enough grass to eat.  The snow, the trees and farms, it’s all so beautiful.  Photo #26 shows the red sun glow on the Winter scape.  I love the particular beauty as you can only see it on a cold Winter evening when the sun is just the perfect angle on the brown tones of the trees.

   

   

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  We arrived home late on the 3rd.  On the 5th we had snow of our own, enough to whiten the landscape and freeze your fingers but we arrived home safe and all is right with the world.  The flag still flies and Spring is not very far away and while we are inside staying warm we can plan our next trip to be out and about “On the Road Again”.

   

   

   

   

   

  Thanks always for your visit and your comments and keep on taking those photos.
  

   

   

  • 5:32 pm
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