Free Bird's Adventures

Thursday, July 2, 2015

✈️✈️✈️1997 ~Aug 29–Sept 4, Trip to Norfolk, Virginia with siblings

Day 1: Friday, August 29, 1997

My dad, sisters, and I flew to Norfolk, Virginia.

I had gotten a great deal on flight tickets. 

I bought a senior ticket for my dad and got my ticket free. What a deal! 

Dad had never flown in an airplane before; he was excited and wanted to sit next to the window.

My sister was waiting for us when we arrived at Norfolk Airport. 

Day 2: Saturday, August 30, 1997

Dad spent the day with his son-in-law while we girls went out to have fun.

Our first stop was the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, located right next to the Norfolk airport.

We took the trolley tour of the Botanical Gardens, where we saw many beautiful gardens, butterfly gardens, and statues.

We walked through the village of Colonial Williamsburg.

After a full day of sightseeing, we went for a swim.

There was a nice big swimming pool in the apartment complex where my sister lived, so we spent many hours swimming and playing water volleyball when we were not sightseeing.

My sister cooks throughout the week, and on weekends, her husband, Robert, takes over, especially on the grill.

That weekend, my dad and Robert went deep-sea fishing and brought back their catch for dinner.

The weather was great for sitting outside, but when the bugs started biting, we all went back inside.

At night, before bedtime, we would sit around talking and laughing. It was like a teenage sleepover.

When bedtime came, my dad would sleep in the extra bedroom, one of my siblings would sleep on the sofa, and one of my siblings and I would sleep on an air mattress.  

Cape Henry Lighthouse

Day 3: Sunday, August 31, 1997

We visited the Old Cape Henry lighthouse, which was located on a military installation.

It took an act of Congress to get to the lighthouse.

First, we had to go through a security gate, and the guard asked all of us to get out of the car. The car was searched entirely, and of course, nothing was found.

It was a short drive to the lighthouse.

We each pay two dollars to climb the steep, narrow, winding steps of the octagonal lighthouse.

We walked all the way to the top of the stairs, which ended at a narrow opening we had to climb through to reach the very top. 

The view was fantastic, and the climb was worthwhile. 

Standing at the top of the lighthouse, we could see the light shining over the water, guiding the sailors home. 

The small lighthouse was not what I expected. I was expecting it to look like what I had seen in the movies!

We had to go back the way we came.

Spirit of Norfolk Harbor Cruises-Lunch/Dinner Cruises

The U.S. Navy Fleet

Day 4: Monday, September 1, 1997

My sisters and I took a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Norfolk. 

Spirit of Norfolk Harbor Cruises-Lunch/Dinner Cruises is a narrated tour of Norfolk/Portsmouth Harbors, passing sights like the Monitor/Merrimack Battle site, Naval Base, and Old Fort Norfolk.

We ordered the boat, were guided into the dining room, and seated.

A waiter took our drink order, and we were then told to help ourselves to the buffet.

Once everyone was seated and enjoying their meal, the entertainment began.

There was live music, and a band member was encouraging the audience to join in the singing and dancing. 

They came to our table, and I got up and joined in as the group danced around the room.

After our meal, we all walked outside to enjoy the view. 

We could see the city of Norfolk in the distance as we floated away from shore.

In the distance, we could see the coastal area of Virginia and our US Naval Fleet. 

We visited the National Maritime Center, which is a science and technology center that explores the naval, economic, and nautical power of the sea. 

Virginia Beach Marine Science Museum

Day 5: Tuesday, September 2, 1997

We visited a couple of old historic homes in Norfolk:

We visited the Hermitage Museum and Gardens, a twentieth-century home built by William and Florence Sloane, wealthy New Yorkers who came to Hampton Roads to operate a textile mill. 

It had 42 rooms and bordered the Lafayette River on three sides. 

We visited The Dewitt Cottage, located at 1113 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA, which houses the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum. It displays art and artifacts documenting the migration of wildfowl that passes through eastern Virginia.

It has a small art gallery, postcards, and memorabilia from the Edgar T. Brown collection. 

The second floor exhibits the history of the De Witt family and a surfboard made by Peter De Witt. 

Day 6: Wednesday, September 3, 1997

We visited the Virginia Beach Marine Science Museum, one of the top 10 marine science museums in the U.S.

We saw a  "Touch Tank," full of sharks, stingrays, dolphins, and harbor seals.

We visited the Chrysler Museum of Art located at 245-West Olney Rd., Norfolk, Virginia 23510, 757-664-6200

The two-level museum was heavily guarded.

It had all sorts of glassware, which intrigued my sister Vickie. I enjoyed the life-size portraits of George Washington.

Inside the museum, we saw European and American paintings and sculptures, a world-renowned glass collection, a rich photography program, Art Nouveau furniture, and African, Asian, Egyptian, Pre-Columbian, and Islamic art. 

We visited Colonial Williamsburg, we walked up the spiral staircase in the Old Cape Henry Light House; we sailed on the Spirit of Norfolk Harbor dinner Cruises, we rode the trolly at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, we walked through the Chrysler Museum, we put our hands in the shark tanks at the Virginia Marine Science Museum, we walked through the Hermitage Museum, Gardens, and the Willoughby Baylor Home, and last but not least we found bargains at yard sales. 

August 30-September 4, 1997, Norfolk, VA 

Leave Huntsville International Airport (HSV) 

Arrived at Norfolk International Airport (ORF)

Leave Norfolk International Airport (ORF)

Arrive Huntsville International Airport (HSV)

🚀🚀🚀1997 ~Jake and Hannah's Adventures at the Space & Rocket Center Huntsville, Alabama

Every year, I would purchase the grandparents' membership to the .

When my grandchildren came to visit, I would take them there; they loved going to the .

The grandchildren were thrilled to watch the movie playing at the .

We saw the that flew coast to coast in less than 68 minutes. It was called the , and it sat in front of the Space Center.

There was a playground for the little ones and a simulator that simulates the sensation of weightlessness.

There were displays of rockets, boosters, capsules, and space suits used in NASA missions over the years, along with a .

We would take the bus to to watch the construction of NASA's new space station.

We learned about Huntsville's role in the making of the moon rocket, the , the , the , the , and the beginnings of NASA's Constellation project.

We saw the , which is 476 feet long. The 90-foot-wide, 63-foot-high spaceship was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and programs from 1967 until 1973.

In total, NASA launched 13 Saturn V rockets with no payload loss. It remains the largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever brought to operational status, considering its height, weight, and payload.

We saw Apollo 16 Caspe and& the , which tested the launch escape system, in the New Mexico desert at .

We saw the , Skylab, the first space station, the Pathfinder, the -the lost spaceship, , the Lunar Lander exhibit, and the MMU and Spacesuit, etc.

My grandchildren were amazed by the size of the spaceships, the displays of historical space, and they enjoyed all the hands-on activities.

The Space and Rocket Center offers a space camp program where children learn about space and participate in related activities. Sometimes, we would stop and watch.

Once at , we watched a man in a scuba suit swimming in a tank of water.

At the end of our trip, I would let each grandchild pick something from the gift shop.

Hannah at the Space and Rocket Center

Jake and Hannah at the Space and Rocket Center

Jake at the Space and Rocket Center

Jake and Hannah at the Space and Rocket Center

Jake at the Space and Rocket Center

Hannah at the Space and Rocket Center

Jake and Hannah at the Space and Rocket Center

Hannah at the Space and Rocket Center

Jake and Hannah at the Space and Rocket Center

1996 ~Aug 31-Sept 2, Trip to Houston, Texas to visit daughter

It was a short trip to , but very enjoyable, and an exciting city.

It was full of skyscrapers, malls, an interstate highway, multi-cultural people, and sites.

I traveled from , to Houston, Texas, to visit my daughter and her boyfriend.

When I landed, they were there waiting for me. My daughter's boyfriend drove his red truck very fast down the interstate back to their apartment.

is located approximately 23 miles north of downtown Houston, near the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8 North)

My daughter had a lovely apartment, and it was full of new furniture.

They took me to the in downtown Houston, to the eighteen-acre park that featured a , and out to eat.

We rode in the red truck, not my daughter's Mazda Mitia.

We visited the , which is located in an eighteen-acre landscaped park.

It is a sixty-four-foot semi-circular Water Wall, accented with a gabled structure supported by columns.

A total of 11,000 gallons of water per minute flows over both walls.

You can see the , a 64-story office tower at , from the waterfall.

The Williams Tower forms a sleek silhouette with its silver-gray reflective glass and aluminum-anodized skin, accented by columns of bay windows made of non-reflective gray glass.

Red truck & my daughter's Mazda Mitia

Waterfall and Fountain in Houston

The Williams Tower

The Williams Tower and park

We visited The Galleria, which is the cornerstone of the and has been for over 30 years.

It has had several expansions and renovations to make it "THE mega-mall of Houston."

It has , Nordstrom's, Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Versace, and 100s of other retail stores.

It has a huge food court of fast food and fine dining.

There were two within the Galleria.

In the middle of the mall was an ice-skating rink.

Everything you could want under one roof, shopping, dining, and entertainment, and at the end of the day, a hotel to rest.

I was in Texas just a couple of days, not enough time to see everything.

Just a quick weekend visit and back home to work.

Houston Airport

August 31-September 2, 1996, Houston, Texas

Leave Huntsville International Airport (HSV)

Arrive at Houston International Airport (IAH)

Leave Houston International Airport (IAH)

Arrive Huntsville International Airport (HSV)

1996 June 20-24, Trip to Norfolk, Virginia with siblings

It has been several years since my sisters and I visited . We were all relatively younger then, but we are all in better physical health today because we all do some form of exercise.

After our last trip to the , I joined the , where I enjoy swimming, aerobics, and working out on the elliptical machines.

Trolley ride at Norfolk Botanical Gardens

Day 1: Thursday, June 20, 1996

When we arrived at , my sibling picked us up, and we went to Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

The Botanical Gardens are located next door to the Norfolk Airport.
We purchased our tickets and took the trolley ride throughout the garden.

Next, we rode to . While riding down the strip, I saw a sign that I thought said "Buffalo all you can eat," but it actually said "buffet all you can eat."

My sister said, "What did you say?

"I said Buffalo, all you can eat.

When my siblings looked back at the sign, they laughed.

Then we all laughed!

We stopped at , , for lunch, and one of my siblings said the pub was a "pug." Another laugh!

We ordered a and a glass of iced tea from the at the Yorktown Pub.

A little history about the Yorktown Pub: It was built in 1951 and known as "Gus's. " Later, it changed to , the , and was known as the biker's bar.

The pub offers fresh local seafood, sizzling hamburgers, and a variety of sandwiches. It also has a scenic view of on the .

Riding Escape from Pompeii

Riding the Loch Ness Monster, the Loch Ness Monster double loop is Scotland's most famous monster.

Riding Apollo's chariot, Roman Rapids, Roman bath

Apollo's chariot hypercoaster is 825 feet.

Riding the Big Bad Wolf-suspended Coaster, Big Bad Wolf-suspended roller coaster through Bavarian Village

Day 2: Friday, June 21, 1996

We spent the whole day riding roller coasters in Norfolk's .

Escape from Pompeii was a roller coaster ride through a fire tunnel.

I could feel the heat on my arm from the fire. As we rode through the tunnel, I commented that the fire had syringed my arm, not singed!

Another LOL!

One Bush Gardens Blvd

Williamsburg, VA

The roller coasters that we rode were:

: An enormous Pendulum

Escape from Pompeii: A quiet ride through the ruins of Pompeii suddenly turns explosive as erupts.

Loch Ness Monster double loop, Scotland's most famous monster.

Roman Rapids-a Roman bath

Apollo's chariot hypercoaster is 825 feet.

Big bad wolf-suspended roller coaster through Bavarian Village

Bassett Hall

Bassett Hall floor plans

Bassett Hall

Day 3: Saturday, June 22, 1996

We took a self-guided tour of , the home of , and were given headphones with a recorded tour.

One of my siblings was recording the visit with her camcorder.

Most of what she recorded was off the floor.

LOL!

Colonial Williamsburg Putting Our Heads in the Pillory

George Washington at the Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

Visiting Yorktown

Standing on Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery at Jamestown

Inside Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery at Jamestown

Checking my came,ra Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery at Jamestown

Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery at Jamestown

Visiting Jamestown Settlement

Day 4: Sunday, June 23, 1996

We took the self-guided tour of Colonial Williamsburg. We entered the homes of Williamsburg's eighteenth-century residents. Each of the twenty buildings had a character representing that building.

We enjoyed a home-style hospitality dinner at .

Shields Tavern is downstairs in a relaxed setting with lively characters and music.

For dinner, we all ordered the , which is half a herb-rubbed hen with a , cooked vegetables, and potatoes.

After the meal, we were entertained by people dressed in , playing and singing .

You must make a reservation to dine here.

We visited the Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, where we saw a collection of , furniture, metals, ceramics, glass, paintings, prints, , and from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

We visited Yorktown and took a self-guided walking tour of the historic battlefields. Highlights included the site of , , (scene of surrender negotiations), (home of Governor Thomas Nelson, of the Declaration of Independence), and the .

We visited the Jamestown Settlement, which features both indoor and outdoor attractions with the opening of its renowned historical galleries and exhibits.

We visited Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown Victory Center, and Bassett Hall. In Jamestown, we boarded the boat Godspeed.

In Bush Gardens, we hit the ground running on every roller coaster.

What a blast!

Norfolk Airport! Homeward bound!

Day 5: Monday, June 24, 1996

We flew home from , Norfolk, VA.

June 20-24, 1996, Norfolk, VA, with sisters

Delta International Airport

Leave (HSV)

Arrived At Norfolk International Airport (ORF)

Leave Norfolk International Airport (ORF)

Arrive Huntsville International Airport (HSV)

Thursday, July 2, 2015

✈️✈️✈️1997 ~Aug 29–Sept 4, Trip to Norfolk, Virginia with siblings

🚀🚀🚀1997 ~Jake and Hannah's Adventures at the Space & Rocket Center Huntsville, Alabama

1996 ~Aug 31-Sept 2, Trip to Houston, Texas to visit daughter

1996 June 20-24, Trip to Norfolk, Virginia with siblings

Footprints in the Sand and other Poems by famous authors