THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 18, 1994 TAG: 9409160230
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 128 lines
Sunday, Sept. 4
9:30 p.m. - A bar near the oceanfront.
Something's going on over at a back table where about a dozen women of assorted ages are shrieking and laughing as they have a ``girls'' night out with a coworker who is getting married.
The object of their amusement (in some cases embarrassment) is in a large pastry box and the contents are being shown to everyone around the table.
They're taking a lot of pictures, and some celebrants are posing with the ``anatomically correct'' cake.
``Hmmm,'' says a woman sitting at a nearby table who has caught a glimpse of the risque confection. ``Not the sort of wedding pictures you want your mom to see.''
- Melinda Forbes
11:58 p.m. - Bryant-Fentress Associates, Laskin Road.
A message on the firm's marquee gives locals and departing tourists something to take home after a long weekend.
The bold black letters say: ``PEACE EQUALS HARMONY.''
- Holly Wester
Tuesday, Sept. 6
12:15 p.m. - 21st Street and Baltic Avenue.
A metallic blue Chevrolet Blazer with over-sized tires and a blond haired surfer-type at the wheel swings onto Baltic Avenue, headed north.
A tattered bumper sticker reads, ``See Ya.''
On the rear window is a red decal with an official looking school seal in the middle of a line of scholarly script.
It reads: ``University of Margaritaville.''
- Bill Reed
Thursday, Sept. 8
1:15 p.m. - Newtown Road.
The bumper sticker on a red Escort is inspiring to other drivers. It reads: To get to heaven . . . Turn right and go straight.
- Holly Wester
Saturday, Sept. 10
6:15 p.m. - Taco Bell near BJ's on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
A fortysomething man is having dinner with a very talkative boy, who's having trouble sitting still.
The talk is of airplanes.
``I going to be a pilot. An airline pilot,'' the child says. He's about 10. ``You can ride with me on weekends.''
``If I'm still around when you're doing that, I'd like to ride with you,'' the man replies.
``I'll fly way up high,'' the boy says, pointing upward. ``Up to the clouds.''
``Airline planes fly higher than that,'' the man tells him. ``They fly above the clouds all the time.''
``Above the clouds?'' There's a rare pause in the boy's patter. ``Can you see God?''
The man can't help but chuckle. ``They don't fly quite that high.''
- Mike McOsker
7 p.m. - Record Bar at Lynnhaven Mall.
A long-haired young man proudly sports a white T-shirt with a message. Along with a picture of a hand gun are the words: New York City credit card.
- Holly Wester
Sunday Sept 11
11 a.m. North End Beach.
For as far as the eye can see, tangled clumps of grayish-brown seawood litter the beach.
Folks are closely examining the piles to see what creatures are entwined in the seaweed's gelatinous arms. Big pieces of shells like moonsnails and whelks lure beachcombers into thinking that some real beach finds may turn up in the mass of plants tossed up on the beach as an aftermath of the Labor Day northeaster.
One family is content to collect tiny live mussels to take home to feed their aquarium fish. The father points out a wiggling marine worm to the kids.
Then a little boy searching along the edge of the surf comes up with a treasure. He holds a whole, glistening whelk shell high up in the air with one hand, like a trophy.
``Look, Ma, at what I've found!'' he hollers.
His discovery spurs the rest of the beachcombers to continue their quest.
- Mary Reid Barrow
Tuesday, Sept. 13
8:30 a.m. - Toll Road.
She's traveling in excess of 60 mph, as she navigates the construction sites on the westbound side of the expressway.
However, this young woman in the white Dodge Shadow isn't letting a tricky stretch of road get in the way of her morning toilette.
With one hand she's holding the steering wheel and clutching an open compact. With the other hand, she's applying makeup.
When she finishes, she packs up those implements, and as she does a speedy one-handed exit at Lynnhaven, she's got her eyes on the mirror - and her free hand busily applying lipstick.
- Melinda Forbes
9:35 a.m. - 7-Eleven on Kellam Road.
After buying a large cup of coffee a woman gets into her black Volvo station wagon.
She starts looking around her car with a confused expression on her face. Meanwhile two spaces over, a police officer is staring at the woman and is pointing upward. The woman points up as well. Then it occurs to her what he means.
She gets out of the car - a little embarrassed - and politely thanks the officer, gets her coffee off the roof of her car and drives away.
- David B. Hollinsgworth
Wednesday, Sept. 14
7 a.m. - Independence Boulevard.
A bumper sticker on a dark blue sedan: ``Don't take your organs to heaven .
- Lori A. Denney ILLUSTRATION: A whole lot of nuttin' going on
Photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
A squirrel dines on a jar of peanut butter - the crunchy kind, of
course - that was left on the fence by Lenny Martin Virginia Beach.
Martin, who tired of feeding peanuts to the squirrels that frequent
his back yard, decided it was easier to leave out the peanut
butter.
by CNB