Tag Archives: Virginia

Random Memories of Virginia

21 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

RANDOM MEMORIES OF VIRGINIA

Fred and I recently made a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, to visit our daughter, Janet and her family.  We had lived in that part of Virginia for nearly 13 years before we moved to Florida, where we now live.  It’s always nice to get back to Virginia, since we spent so much time there.  It is actually the place we lived the longest, continually, since we married, over 61 years ago, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

Credit Google search and Wikipedia Sign along Interstate 64

On our first day there, since the twins were in school, Tom was working from home, and Janet was at her job in Richmond, we decided to take a ride and see places we had been/lived.  As we were driving down the Colonial Parkway from Colonial Williamsburg, we began to reminisce about things Virginia.  Therefore, I would like to present my readers with some random memories of Virginia.

Credit Google Search

1.   Driving the Colonial Parkway brought thoughts of how much we enjoy that drive – in all seasons.  Spring brings new-green leaves on all the trees and some flowers – the redbuds, and especially the Dogwood blossoms.

Credit Google Search

Summer is lush foliage all through the drive.

Credit Google Search

Fall has the gorgeous fall colors on the trees – golds, yellows, oranges, reds.  Beautiful. 

Credit Google Search and RVing with Rex

Winter is beautiful in its own way – snow on the trees and shrubs.

Credit Google Search

Not so nice is the snow/ice on the roadway.  The Parkway is made up of aggregate, and the ice on it isn’t very comfortable.

While unmarked, one can readily see the three lanes of the Parkway, as they were laid.  There are frequent signs for “Do Not Pass” along the way, especially when the road turns and the way ahead is not easy to see.

The Parkway has a 45 mph speed limit, which can be frustrating if one is in a hurry!  However, it is an easy thing to set the cruise-control for 45 mph and just let George (the cruise control driver) do the driving.  The Parkway is heavily patrolled, so it pays to pay attention to the speed limit.

I worked in the Colonial Williamsburg area at one time, and had a certain way I liked to drive to work.  From our house in Seaford, down Denbigh Blvd, to U.S. 60 or Warwick Blvd to Williamsburg.  However one of those mornings, I was nearly involved in a fatal accident.  Coming around a curve in the road, the car coming toward me slipped onto the dirt and gravel  – probably losing control of her car – and rammed/slammed into the front of the pickup truck in front of me.  By the time we stopped and I got out, the driver from the truck said the driver of the car was dead.  Turns out, she was just 18 years old, and on her way to her college class.  I was so upset by the entire thing, that I found I couldn’t take that route to work for many months – I kept seeing the accident in my mind.  So I started driving the Colonial Parkway – set my cruise-control to 45 mph and just rode until I reached the Colonial area.  It was a great way to get to work, and the reminder of the accident diminished in my mind.  Time heals.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Another Serendipity

8 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

We’ve had so many “serendipity” times happen in our lives. I’m convinced that they are God’s way of giving us some unexpected joy in our lives. So while I call them serendipity, I really know better.

This one happened some time ago, while we were living in Virginia. There was a Taco Bell where Fred and I liked to eat, about five minutes from our house. We stopped there often. One time, during the summer, we stopped, and noticed that the doors were standing open. Uh-oh – that’s not a good sign! Sure enough, the AC was off. There were no other customers in the store, so we had the place to ourselves.

The manager actually waited on us himself. He had on a long-sleeved white shirt, tie, and his sleeves were rolled up – but rolled under, rather than up. I commented on the AC and on how his sleeves were rolled the way our son-in-law rolled his. Then I asked why he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt in that heat. He said that he wanted to look professional, and that was his work “uniform.” The conversation went on a while, then he asked us for our order. He then “fiddled” with the register a bit, and when he gave me the total – it was at least $1.00 less than usual. When I questioned him about it, he just grinned at me, so I said, “should I just take it and run with it?” and he nodded yes.

Every other time we were in that Taco Bell, if he was at the register, the total would be less. We never asked for nor demanded that we get a discount, but only when he was working, did we get the discount. We always waved, smiled, or spoke to him.

Neat story, however, that’s not the end of it. Some years later – after we had moved to Florida – we were back in Virginia visiting. We had flown into the airport in Norfolk that time, and we were driving back to Norfolk for our return trip. We took a wrong exit and were fussing at each other about how to get back to the right place. We saw a Taco Bell up ahead, and decided to stop for lunch.

I ordered, then took the drink cups over to fill at the machine. When I was done, Fred said, “look who’s here.” I looked up and saw this same man bringing our food on the tray to the counter, with a confused look on his face, as if to say “where have I seen this order before?” (My order was rather unique) Then he looked up and saw us and grinned from ear to ear. Seems he had gotten a lateral transfer and was now working in Norfolk. It was actually a promotion for him, as it was much closer to where he lived, so he saved in time and gas money. We spoke for a short time and renewed acquaintances.

Just think……….if we hadn’t taken the wrong exit, we would never have known that he had transferred and where he was then working.

Just a little thing, but it filled us with joy. It’s been a fun remembrance for us.

 

 

 

 

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Memories of New Year’s Past

29 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

I guess I am just like most people when it comes to New Years – “I AM going to lose those _____ pounds this year!”  “I AM going to get the house in order!”  “I AM going to scan all those pictures and get them in an album!”  etc., etc., etc.

So, resolutions not-with-standing, what are my memories of New Years past?  I guess my favorite memory is of growing up in my church in Albuquerque.

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For many years, on New Year’s Eve, the church would have a program that started about 6:00 p.m. with a dinner.  Now, this was a fairly large church, and we had a paid staff who made the meals every Wednesday evening, before the regular activities began.  And those ladies made the BEST dinner rolls!!!  Nothing I’ve ever been able to duplicate!

Anyway, dinner started at 6:00 p.m.  After that, I remember either a movie shown on a large screen in the sanctuary, or games.  Perhaps there were games for the smaller children – I just don’t remember.  But then there was a time of “remembrance” or sharing.  Just being thankful for the year that was passing away, and looking forward to the new one approaching.

But the best thing about the entire evening, was that, after the sharing time, we would – literally – ring the outer edges of the sanctuary, holding hands to make a funny-shaped circle, and pray in the New Year.  We could hear the fireworks going off, and people yelling outside the church building.  But inside, we were asking God to bless the New Year, and us in it, and our part of it.  It was an extremely wonderful time.

And then I remember some New Year’s Eve’s in our small church in Virginia.  We would gather for a time of sharing and remembrance, then share the Lord’s Supper together, and then pray in the New Year.  The pastor would try to do the Lord’s Supper differently some times, to make it more meaningful for us.  I remember a time when he had a loaf of bread, and we pinched off our own little piece.  I also remember a time when there was a community cup for each family to share the “wine” (grape juice in the Baptist church!).

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But in all the memories I have, it always culminated with prayer for the New Year.  And I can’t think of a better way to start any New Year, than asking God’s blessings upon it.

May YOUR New Year be blessed beyond measure.

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